When comparing Intel NUC boards vs Intel NUC Kit NUC7i3BNH, the Slant community recommends Intel NUC boards for most people. In the question“What are the best single-board computers?” Intel NUC boards is ranked 12th while Intel NUC Kit NUC7i3BNH is ranked 27th. The most important reason people chose Intel NUC boards is:
You can have 16GB GSkill DDR4 Memory + 500gb SSD and 10TB external HDD. Go with the kit so you can be assured that it runs Linux and only Linux (or whatever your preference) out of the box and isn't subjected to any unnecessary use/abuse at the hand of Doors.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro On paper the J5005 maxes out at 8gb DDR4 RAM however it can accommodate at lease double that
You can have 16GB GSkill DDR4 Memory + 500gb SSD and 10TB external HDD. Go with the kit so you can be assured that it runs Linux and only Linux (or whatever your preference) out of the box and isn't subjected to any unnecessary use/abuse at the hand of Doors.
Pro Has at least one SATA port
Pro DRAM is not soldered
DRAM modules are not soldered to the board so they can be changed, upgraded or replaced.
Pro x86-based
Can run all IBM-PC compatible software.
Pro Comes with appropriate case and mounting hardware for storage drives
While the cost may seem steep compared to other SBC options, seldom are those other options sold with a case that will also house your storage drives and provide adequate cooling for the entire setup.
Pro SATA III port and M.2 NVMe connector with on-board RAID-0/RAID-1 controller
The ability to harness the power of a standard 2.5" SATA III drive and an M.2 NVMe drive with four PCI Express 3.0 lanes means that sequential read rates in excess of 3GB/sec if both are SSDs. Add to that hardware RAID support and it's hard to imagine a more powerful digital storage platform anywhere near this size.
Cons
Con Cost as much as other Barebones
Price is almost the same as a full Intel/Zotac barebone, which can also be dismantled.
Con No GPIO
So it is not really useful for DIY projects.
Con No DRAM included
DRAM modules must be bought separately.
Con Higher initial costs than most other options
It's clearly not a budget option for building a home NAS, but if you want performance and more importantly, scalability, then you'll reap the benefits of the extra upfront costs many times over as you upgrade the memory, add peripherals via USB-C and put that 7th Generation Core i3 processor to work.