NUC 12 Extreme i7 to i9 Upgrade Question?

[nicolasonline]

Hello,

I have an Intel NUC 12 Extreme i7 version. 

I know one of the advantages of the Intel NUC 12 versus previous generations is the CPU are full Desktop CPU sockets that can be theoretically upgraded. 

If I want to upgrade my NUC 12 Extreme i7 to the i9 variant, is it as simple as me purchasing the 12900 i9 variant (not even sure if it's model BX8071512900 ?) and putting it within the Intel NUC 12 i7? 

Would that simply work out of the box? Or are there other considerations to take into account? Like adding thermal paste or updating the BIOS? Or is the Compute element slightly different with the i7 variant versus the i9 variant? Would it void the warranty?

Thanks a lot,

Nick

[nicolasonline]

For anyone searching for those answers and for reference:

-You can indeed upgrade from the i7 to the 12900 i9 as it is compatible with LGA-1700 socket

-You would need to re-apply thermal paste

-No need to update BIOS and all else remains the same

One thing I am still not certain about and couldn't find any reference on Intel's website is whether or not the Warranty would be void. The whole point of having an upgradeable Compute Element with a desktop socket standard size LGA-1700 is to have the ability to upgrade. But still cannot find any reference to that. Any help would be appreciated regarding this matter.

Thanks,

Nick

[AlHill]

@nicolasonline It is NOT just socket compatibility.   It must also be supported by the BIOS.

In your NUC's case, it likely is.   For other systems/motherboards, you MUST always check if the board's bios supports the processor, and NOT just socket compatibility.

Doc (not an Intel employee or contractor)
[Maybe Windows 12 will be better]

[nicolasonline]

Thanks for your answer.

The 12900 is officially supported by the NUC 12 Extreme BIOS. 

What I am having trouble finding out is if the warranty would be affected if we did the upgrade to an officially supported 12900 i9

[GoHack]

Hi,

I was just looking at the NUC 12 Extreme i7 model myself and thinking about later upgrading the CPU to the i9 myself, but I just came across an i9 model, which I just ordered barebone, for $1606.00, plus tax. I hope to get it for the weekend. Cross my fingers.

The new 13 generation 13900 is said to use the same LGA 1700 socket, so that may be a possibility, if there are no BIOS issues. We'll see.

They appear to share the same BIOS according to Intel's download page.

Everything appears to be the same, hardware wise, between the two models, except for the 10 Gigabit LAN and the 2.5 Gigabit (10/100/1000/2500 Mb/s) LAN, which both only comes on the i9 model, while only the 10 Gigabit LAN comes on the i7.

From what I've read so far, they will support up to a Nvidia 3080 video card.

For my system, I have two new 1 TB Samsung 980Pro M.2 SSD's, w/built in heatsinks, which I'm going to run RAID 0, and Kingston FURY Impact 64GB (2x32GB) 3200MHz Laptop DDR4 memory. Right now, I only have an EVGA Nvidia 2060 Video card for it, but I hope to get either a Nvidia 3080, or possibly a 4080 when it comes out.

Finally, the standard i9-12900 is a low power, 65-watt CPU, while the 12900F and KF are 125-watt, and the 12900KS a 150-watt, if you can even find one. So, heat would be a big issue w/the latter ones, considering the small heatsink in the NUC 12 Extreme.

There is also an i9-12900T, which is a 35-watt version.

[nicolasonline]

That's a good catch actually. I didn't notice that the i7 only had the 10 Gigabit LAN vs. both 10Gb and 2.5Gb LAN on the i9. I usually connect through Wi-Fi anyways but should I wanted to use regular Ethernet (200 Mbps connection) via the 10Gb port it would work seamlessly right?

In terms of card support you are right, I actually have a 3080 Ti installed it's the EVGA XC3 model (the FTW3 will not fit). The EVGA 3080 XC3 will also fit (not Ti) or you can simply go with the "Founder Edition" of either the 3080 or 3080 Ti. The card just has to be (1) less than 12 inches long and (2) less than or equal to 2.2 slots wide. 

For RAM I have the G.Skill XMP (fastest speed CL 18 instead of standard 22 - but max 32GB) version listed on Intel's compatibility site:

https://intel.ly/3bV5FWV

In terms of CPU the only officially compatible one is the low powered i9 12900 65-watt one you mentioned. A few people have tried inserting the K and other variants with a lot of stability and boot issues. So as you mentioned it's always best to follow Intel's compatilibity product list.

I ended up ordering the i9 12900 to upgrade my i7, though still waiting on an official response from Intel on the Warranty status if I do so. Though it would be weird if the warranty was voided, since the whole point of the Intel NUC is upgradeability, and the new 12th Gen NUC extremes switched to full size LGA 1700 sockets for that very purpose anyways. So upgrading to a compatible CPU shouldn't be a problem. Just waiting for confirmation. 

I think I saw the barebones kit you're talking about for that price on new egg through a thrid party hope you get it soon and enjoy your new NUC!

[GoHack]

I shouldn't take credit for pointing out the differences between the i7 and i9 models when it comes to the LAN, since someone else pointed that out to me when I too asked.  

[Steven_Intel · Accepted solution]

Hello nicolasonline,

The warranty will not be voided as long as you upgrade to the Intel® Core i9-12900 processor.

Please let me know if you have any concerns.

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[nicolasonline]

Hi Steven, 

Thanks a lot for your prompt answer. That's great to know. Looking forward to upgrading to the i9!

Best

Nick

[GoHack]

Hi Everyone,

Once again, I just purchased a NUC12DCMi9.

I'm looking at the best possible video card for it.

My present planned system build, using existing hardware:

(2x) 1 TB Samsung 980Pro M.2 SSD's, w/built in heatsinks, which I'm going to run RAID 0

64 GB (2x32) Kingston FURY Impact 3200MHz Laptop DDR4 Memory.

EVGA Nvidia 2060 Video Card

Windows 10/11 Pro 

Intel NUC12 Extreme NUC12DCMi9 PCI Express Add-in Cards Limitations Specs:
The maximum card length that it can support is 11.811" (300mm), Dual Slot Spec Limit Total 1.535" (39mm) (+1.370" (34.8mm) Front components +0.106" (2.7mm) rear backplate +0.067" (1.7mm) PCB thickness)
The maximum power consumption supported for add-in card design is 375W (150W from each PCI Express 6+2/8pin + 75W from PCI Express Slot).

On the official Intel Validated Video Card List:
EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 XC3 Ultra Gaming Card, P/N 10G-P5-3885-KR, Total Power Draw: 320 Watts

EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8GB GDDR6X PCIe 4.0, P/N B097PZT7J3, Total Power Draw: 290 Watts

Other Possible Cards:

EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 ULTRA GAMING, 12G-P5-3955-KR, 12GB GDDR6X, iCX3 Cooling, Metal Backplate (12G-P5-3955-KR), Total Power Draw: 350 Watts

EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 XC3 ULTRA GAMING, 24G-P5-3975-KR, 24GB GDDR6X, iCX3 Cooling, ARGB LED, Metal Backplate (24G-P5-3975-KR), Total Power Draw: 350 Watts

Could I indeed run an RTX 3080, say doing Folding@Home, running all the CPU cores, as well as using the processing power of the GPU for example, or would that be pushing it?

What would the "REAL RECOMMENDED TOTAL POWER DRAW" be of the NUC12DCMi9.

Thanks!

 

[nicolasonline]

Hey @GoHack 

What I can tell you is that I am ineed on the EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti XC3 (12G-P5-3955-KR) in my NUC 12 Extreme and the power draw is fine as I believe the Intel NUC has a 650W Gold PSU and the NUC itself at peak draws only about 180W so that leaves a good margin. 

I know of a couple of people on reddit that use the 3090 XC3 by EVGA that seems to have the exact dimensions as the XC3 3080 Ti and the exact same power draw. 

Good luck!

[GoHack]

Thank you for responding.

When it comes to both yours, as well as those on Reddit, ever really run your NUC12DCMi7/i9 systems and their video cards, under heavy load, or some heavily taxed application, like Folding@Home or Super Pi for example, for burn-in or to see what they can truly handle?

During the peak of the Covid-19 crisis, I donated my system, an Alienware Aurora R8, w/its water cooled i9-9900F CPU, and2x EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 video cards, and an upgraded EVGA 850-watt power supply, to run Folding@Home for the EVGA Team, 24/7 for a few months. The system held up, w/no issues. Talk about burn-in.  Because of my donated time, I've got credit w/EVGA for the purchase of some hardware.

Thanks!

[nicolasonline]

Unfortunately I have not run such applications that tax the system on a sustained level like Folding at home or super pi as I use mine mainly for gaming/creative work.

I think the only way to really assess what kind of thermals and load the NUC 12 Extreme can sustain for the specific applications you're mentioning either to try it out as it seems like the NUC or look for any reviews or owners mention they used it for that, but so far I have not come across many. As it is considered a premium machine, I think most people would use it for gaming/creative work and/or having an aesthetically beautiful and nice small form factor PC as their daily driver.

Pretty awesome that you donated your system and got purchase credit for it! Had no idea one could do that.

[GoHack]

It's mainly to check and see if everything will hold up to the max, and not to necessarily run the applications all the time.

Say if I were to put in a RTX 3090 Ti video card, I'd want to see if the system can really handle it under the most extreme applications.

Also too, there are some very hardware taxing games out there now-a-days.

The unreleased game Star Citizen for example, started out requiring at least 8 GB of memory, while now even 16 isn't enough.

When I said donated my system, I meant running Folding@Home, where they used peoples personal computers for running numbers. It's called Distributed Computing. It  ends up running like a massive Super Computer, all networked together.

The same went w/SETI@Home, people donating their computer time.

When running Folding@Home, my hardware put out enough heat to keep my room warm in the winter.  ; )

[nicolasonline]

I have a sneaking suspicion that it would hold up to the 'max' without any issue, with PL1 at 65 and Pl2 going a bit beyond 200 as well as a great innovative cooling system including direct intake into the cpu and 3 top exhausts and full mesh casing. As well as the super cool Intel NUC Software Studio which helps you set the system's 'Performance' and 'Fan' modes as well as custom curves, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem, but the results would be interesting especially vs your i9-F system where you said it was watercooled and though it's based on 14nm vs. 10, it's still probably drawing a heck of a lot more power! But I think with a 3090 + the i9 you'll be really surprised what this amazing machine can do!

The only thing I made sure of is for it to be well ventilated where it's placed and installed a couple of AC Infinity Airplate intake and outtake fans in my Media Cabinet with custom temperature control modules to make sure airflow is at its optimal and I must say overall this Intel NUC is one of the best machines I've ever owned period. That's why I decided to make the jump from i7 to i9 (though marginal gains), just wanted the best it could be right now, looking forward to the upgraded chip to get in.

[GoHack]

Well, I received my NUC12DCMi9 system this afternoon.

Sadly, I'll have to wait until I get home from work tomorrow afternoon to start building it.

It has a Manufacturing Date of June 27th, 2022, so it just arrived here in the US from China.

It appears to be well package from Intel, w/the main Intel Black Box inside of a bigger unmarked one, using black foam.

[GoHack]

I just ordered an EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 XC3 ULTRA GAMING, 10G-P5-3885-RL, 10GB GDDR6X, iCX3 Cooling, ARGB LED, Metal Backplate, LHR, Item #: 10G-P5-3885-RL

[GoHack]

Do you know of a Users Forum(s) for the NUC12DCMi7/i9 systems?

Thanks!

[Steven_Intel]

Hello @nicolasonline

We are glad to know the information helped. 

Since the thread is now solved, we will close it. If you need any additional information, please submit a new question, as this thread will no longer be monitored.  

Best regards,

Steven G.

Intel Customer Support Technician.