Intel’s Haswell NUC does 4K video in a 4-inch box

Good things come in small packages — like Intel’s Next Unit of Computing. That’s especially true for the new NUC D54250WYK, which packs 4K video processing power into its tiny chassis.

So what do you get in this tiny package? Like a lot of barebones rigs, there’s a soldered CPU — in this case a Haswell Core i5-4250U with a maximum Turbo Boost speed of 2.6GHz. The mainboard also features two SODIMM sockETS that CAN handle up to 16GB of DDR3 RAM, a SATA port, two PCIe connectors, four USB 3.0 ports (two front, two rear), and gigabit Ethernet.

It’s also ready for HDTV hookups, with a mini HDMI port and mini DisplayPort. Either one should suffice for 4K video output — which is no problem thanks to the chip’s integrated Intel HD 5000 graphics. There’s also an infrared sensor on the front of the NUC for receiving commands for your snazzy Logitech Harmony.

At just four inches square, you shouldn’t have any trouble making room for the NUC in your entertainment center, either. Concerned that even the small amount of noise the little guy will produce might disrupt your big-screen gaming or movie watching? No worries, there are companies that make silent cases for the NUC.

The Haswell-powered NUC should make a nice little DIY Steam Box, and the timing couldn’t be better — what with Valve recently announcing family-friendly sharing. You’ll get plenty of use out of the system, too: Intel’s providing three full years of warranty coverage.

Intel hasn’t offered up a release date or pricing information yet, but the original NUC was priced pretty competitively at around $400. You can expect that to be true this time around, too.