Intel recently updated their low-power processors lineup with the Alder Lake U and P Series 12th Gen Core mobile SKUs. With support for a range of TDPs up to 28W, these allow ultra-compact form-factor (UCFF) PC manufacturers to update their traditional NUC clones. Similar to the Tiger Lake generation, ASRock Industrial is again at the forefront - launching the NUC1200 BOX Series within a few days of Intel's announcement.

The new NUC1200 BOX Series retains the chassis design and form-factor of the NUC1100 BOX Series. The NUC BOX-1165G7 left a favorable impression in our hands-on review, and the NUC1200 BOX Series seems to be carrying over all those aspects. The company is launching three models in this series - NUC BOX-1260P, NUC BOX-1240P, and NUC BOX-1220P. The specifications are summarized in the table below.

ASRock Industrial NUC 1200 BOX (Alder Lake-P) Lineup
Model NUC BOX-1260P NUC BOX-1240P NUC BOX-1220P
CPU Intel Core i7-1260P
4C + 8c / 16T
(C) 2.1 - 4.7 GHz
(c) 1.5 - 3.4 GHz
20 - 64W (28W)
Intel Core i5-1240P
4C + 8c / 16T
(C) 1.7 - 4.4 GHz
(c) 1.2 - 3.3 GHz
20 - 64W (28W)
Intel Core i3-1220P
2C + 8c / 12T
(C) 1.5 - 4.4 GHz
(c) 1.1 - 3.3 GHz
20 - 64W (28W)
GPU Intel® Iris Xe Graphics (96EU) @ 1.4 GHz Intel® Iris® Xe Graphics (80EU) @ 1.3 GHz Intel® UHD Graphics for 12th Gen Intel® Processors (64EU) @ 1.1 GHz
DRAM Two DDR4 SO-DIMM slots
Up to 64 GB of DDR4-3200 in dual-channel mode
Motherboard 4.02" x 4.09" UCFF
Storage SSD 1x M.2-22(42/60/80) (PCIe 4.0 x4 (CPU-direct))
DFF 1 ×  SATA III Port (for 2.5" drive)
Wireless Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX211
2x2 802.11ax Wi-Fi (2.4Gbps) + Bluetooth 5.2 module
Ethernet 2 × 2.5GbE port (Intel I225-LM)
USB Front 1 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (USB4 Certification Pending)
Rear 2 × USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A
Display Outputs 1 × HDMI 2.0b
1 x DisplayPort 1.4a
2 × DisplayPort 1.4a (using Front Panel Type-C ports)
Audio 1 × 3.5mm audio jack (Realtek ALC233)
PSU External (19V/90W)
Dimensions Length: 117.5 mm
Width: 110 mm
Height: 47.85 mm
MSRP ? ? ?

According to the products' datasheet, ASRock Industrial plans to get the two Type-C ports in the front panel certified for USB4. Since the certification plan is still pending, they are being advertised as USB 3.2 Gen 2 for now. Going by our experience with the NUC-BOX1165G7, at least one of the front Type-C ports should be able to support Thunderbolt 4 peripherals.

The key updates over the NUC1100 BOX series seem to be the integration of dual 2.5GbE ports (compared to 1x 1GbE + 1x 2.5GbE), addition of 6GHz Wi-Fi support, and the presence of Alder Lake processors with their hybrid architecture comprising of both performance and efficiency cores.

Since the units target the embedded market also, they have the usual bells and whistles including an integrated watchdog timer and an on-board TPM. Pricing is slated to be announced in the coming months.

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  • flgt - Thursday, March 3, 2022 - link

    Looks like it could be a nice high performance router/firewall host. Might be a little overkill and expensive though.
  • timecop1818 - Saturday, March 5, 2022 - link

    Or ESXi host, so that you can run that "router/firewall" VM and not waste the hardware on bare metal lunix. I've got a Lenovo thinkstation thing with i7-6700T or so running several VMs that used to waste CPU power in my desktop, and are now safely in my server rack so i can hibernate my desktop when it's not in use. This box would be a nice upgrade.
  • nils_ - Thursday, March 24, 2022 - link

    Yeah, I'd like something with only E cores for that purpose, and maybe 10GbE though it would be possible to use a Thunderbolt NIC.
  • Alistair - Friday, March 4, 2022 - link

    I want a Ryzen 6000 version of this so badly. The iGPU for Intel and AMD is so much better with the mobile parts.
  • dontlistentome - Friday, March 4, 2022 - link

    For most users that are not gamers or at the extremes, these are better chips than the current ADL desktop chips.
    More cores, bigger GPU, less power.

    A mini ITX board with integrated i5-1240P please.
  • dullard - Friday, March 4, 2022 - link

    I'm happy to finally see powerful NUCs come out. There has been a lull for quite a while. I've been eyeing this one for quite some time for HTPC purposes (in older generation formats).

    But it is just missing one USB port or one SD card slot to be great. The USB ports are already full with wireless mouse, wireless keyboard, external HD, external Blu-Ray drive, and phone charger. No way to load the vacation photos that were just taken, no way to quickly transfer data to the car USB drive, no way to charge a kindle or earbuds, etc. without having the hassle of unplugging important components.

    ASRock's cheapest Alder Lake ITX motherboards have 8 USB ports, why can't this just have one more. At least this is the sign that the products that meet my needs will start coming out soon.
  • damianrobertjones - Friday, March 4, 2022 - link

    £17 later...

    " USB C Hub HDMI Adapter, 5 in 1 Portable USB C Dongle"

    Done.
  • dullard - Friday, March 4, 2022 - link

    And have the center focal point of the living room be a dongle hanging out the front with wires everywhere? I'll just wait a bit longer for an update to a product line like this last-generation one: https://www.asrock.com/nettop/Intel/Jupiter%20H470...
  • dullard - Friday, March 4, 2022 - link

    Or updates to these: https://www.zotac.com/us/product/mini_pcs/zbox-mi6... https://www.zotac.com/us/product/mini_pcs/zbox-ci6...
  • damianrobertjones - Tuesday, March 8, 2022 - link

    (Cries inside)

    Or this:
    "USB Splitter Y Cable 0.3M, USB A 1 Male to 2 Female Extension Cord Converter,Dual Double USB Port Extender Hub Data Charger Power Split Adapter"

    Will then plug in the back.

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