A more powerful version of Intel's Broadwell NUC is inbound, according to the folks at FanlessTech. The site has posted a couple of slides that outline a NUC powered by the Core i7-5557U, a 28W incarnation of Broadwell-U.
We reviewed the first NUC with Broadwell-U inside last week, and that system features a 15W Core i5. Intel has also told us about a 15W Core i3 model that'll be more affordable, and it mentioned a Core i7 variant at CES—but this the first we've heard of a 28W chip being stuffed inside the Broadwell-based mini-PC.
The Core i7-5557U is the fastest member of the Broadwell-U launch lineup. Its dual cores run at 3.1GHz with a 3.4GHz Turbo peak; accompanying them is 4MB of cache and an Iris Graphics 6100 IGP.
The 28W power envelope will allow for more CPU performance, of course, but the Iris Graphics 6100 may be even more exciting. According to Intel, HD Graphics 6000 and Iris Graphics 6100 are up to 20% and 50% faster, respectively, than the baseline HD Graphics 5500. If my sleep-deprived post-podcast math is right, that means the Iris Graphics 6100 IGP is up to 25% faster than the HD Graphics 6000 inside the NUC we tested. Not bad.
Assuming FanlessTech's slides are the real thing, I just hope the 28W NUC comes with a beefier cooling solution than its 15W sibling. The heatsink and fan in that machine are a little minimalistic, to say the least.