When comparing Udoo x86 Ultra vs Intel NUC, the Slant community recommends Udoo x86 Ultra for most people. In the question“What are the best single-board computers?” Udoo x86 Ultra is ranked 8th while Intel NUC is ranked 13th. The most important reason people chose Udoo x86 Ultra is:
With 8 GB of RAM and a 2.56 GHz quad-core Intel CPU, the Udoo x86 Ultra is capable of running most applications an average user would need on a daily basis without any particular problems. You can run an office suite, web browser, or an IDE the same way you would in a normal PC. It can also run some PC games such as DotA, League of Legends and Team Fortress 2 on 720p at 20-30 frames per second.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Capable of running as a day-to-day PC
With 8 GB of RAM and a 2.56 GHz quad-core Intel CPU, the Udoo x86 Ultra is capable of running most applications an average user would need on a daily basis without any particular problems. You can run an office suite, web browser, or an IDE the same way you would in a normal PC. It can also run some PC games such as DotA, League of Legends and Team Fortress 2 on 720p at 20-30 frames per second.
Pro Huge amounts of RAM
The Ultra version has 8GB of RAM, the Advanced version has 4GB and the basic version has 2GB (which is still more than most SBCs).
Pro Helpful guides and community
Has good guides available online and the community is quite helpful, even if a bit small.
Pro Good wired connectivity
For wired connectivity, the Udoo x86 stands out: It has three USB 3.0 ports, a SATA connector, M.2 slot, microSD slot, Ethernet, HDMI, two DisplayPort connectors, and even an IR RC5 interface. This is on par with what regular desktop computers require.
Pro spped networn in thermoplastics DVS Pro Decent graphics Intel HD graphics 405 up to 700 MHz with 16 execution units.
Intel HD graphics 405 up to 700 MHz with 16 execution units.
Pro Shear Power
Its sooooooo good
Pro Energy efficient
Even though it sports Quad Core x86 next-gen CPUs made by Intel, it's pretty energy efficient as the complete Udoo board consumes less than 11 watts of energy at any given time.
Pro Best storage capabilities
In terms of storage the Udoo x86 is a clear winner. Out of the box it comes with 32GB eMMC (embedded MultiMediaCard, basically a built-in SSD). Then it’s fully up to the user to upgrade the storage as they see fit. If you need fast (but expensive) storage—an SSD is the best option. A microSD card can also be used as a storage option.
Pro X86-compatible
Very easy to run all operating systems. In terms of Linux or Android internal 32GB can be used as Read Only and additional SATA HDD/SSD/eMMC drive as /tmp and /home directories.
Pro Can be used as a gaming emulator
Supports almost all retro gaming emulators available for PC so it can be used as a retro gaming emulator. It can also emulate newer consoles like the Playstation 2 and PSP.
Pro Decent GPIO suppoort
The Udoo x86 Ultra comes with 28 GPIO ports in total which may seem small, but considering the fact that it has an Arduino 101 embedded inside, it’s actually a decent amount. The Arduino board has built-in functionality for what some of the pins would be used (like a six-axis accelerometer and gyroscope) and adds 12 additional GPIO pins. Several key communication protocols are also supported: two IIC, two UART, LPC and SDIO.
Pro Set-up is easy and straightforward
It’s absolutely straightforward to set up. The installation guides for all supported operating systems are provided in written and video form.
Pro Arduino compatible
The Udoo x86 comes with an embedded Arduino 101, with all upgrades enabled (including 6-axis accelerometer, gyroscope and Bluetooth).
Pro Great media streaming potential
The relatively high power makes the Udoo x86 Ultra the best single-board computer for high-quality media streaming. It can stream 30Hz 4K video on up to three monitors through HDMI and two mini display ports. This opens the doors for setting up a UHD capable media station. Applications like Netflix, Spotify, Kodi, YouTube, etc. are also supported, as Udoo x86 can run operating systems which support these applications.
Pro Low TDPs
The Atom based Celeron and Pentium NUCs have a very low TDP of 10 or 15W.
Pro Intel based GPU
Almost any OS has support for the intel i9xx based GPUs.
Pro x86/amd64-based
Plenty of Operating Systems to choose.
Pro HDMI-CEC
6th gen+ models have CEC support.
Cons
Con Very expensive for an SBC
It’s very expensive though, at least as far as single-board computers go. It’s priced at $259.
Con Poor wireless connectivity
The Udoo x86 Ultra does not have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth out of the box. However, it has an M.2 slot where an officially supported antenna module can be mounted. This module provides 803.11n Wireless LAN and 5 GHz Bluetooth 4.2 at for $15. Unfortunately, attaching the antenna will occupy the M.2 slot which could have been used for an SSD instead. Edit: there is 2 M2 slots so you can mount SSD and Bluetooth.
Con Small community
The Udoo x86 community is small as it’s just off from the Kickstarter. Not many people have their boards yet, but the fact that Udoo raised over $800,000 at Kickstarter sounds promising. The official forum seems fairly active with an average of 200 views and 5 replies per discussion.
Con The official documentation is lacking
The official documentation available at the official website is lacking. Apart from the hardware specification sheet, there’s generally not much information or project examples available for the Udoo x86 at the moment. The users will have a lot of tinkering and hacking to do if they want to achieve any positive results with their projects.
Con It's possible you'll run into problems that haven't been discussed yet
Even through the community is growing, the product is not considered mainstream. When purchasing this SBC, you should be aware that some tinkering will be required. Prolific users will also most likely run into some sort of problem that might not have yet been discussed on official resources.
Con Its price comes close to decently powerful laptop
Con Expensive board with noisy fan
Never had such expensive board with such shitty noisy fan. Worst design ever in the metal case. Without the fan get super hot. Had to buy a proper fan from noctua. Unbelievable they let this be sold with that shit installed on the heat sink
Con 4K only supports 24 FPS
Only supports HDMI 1.4 and DP 1.1a, so 4K is limited to 24 FPS.
Con Demanding games are virtually unplayable
Demanding games are technically supported, but have such a low framerate that they’re virtually unplayable.
Con Intel is a bitch
For an M2-port, HDR, better GPU power or more RAM support Intel wants you to buy the much higher priced iX-based models even if HDR would be possible on Atom GPU's.