5 Things to Know About the Intel NUC 11 Beast Canyon

It uses a socketed desktop CPU Most NUCs have soldered mobile processors, but the Beast Canyon runs a standard LGA 1200 socket with 11th Gen Intel desktop CPUs up to 65W.

You can upgrade the processor later You can drop in a Core i5, i7, or i9-11900KB, making this one of the few truly upgradeable NUCs Intel ever made.

It’s Intel’s closest attempt at a socketed SFF enthusiast box The Beast Canyon is the closest Intel came to a compact, socketed desktop replacement.

The CPU power limit is 65W Stick to CPUs within that TDP to avoid thermal or power issues in the small chassis.

It’s a rare find for upgradability If you want a NUC you can swap the CPU in later, this is your only real option from Intel.