Intel NUC Dragon Canyon (NUC12DCM) Ports
Power Switch: On/off button for the device.
USB 3.2 Type C Port(s): USB port for USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C devices (10 Gb/s)
USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB 3.1) Port(s): Universal Serial Bus (USB) port for connecting USB 3.2 Gen 2 and older devices (10 Gb/s).
SD Card Reader: Supports SDXC w/ UHS-II
Combo 3.5mm Audio Jack: Audio Jack that supports 3.5mm headphones/microphones.
Kensington Lock: Kensington anti-theft security slot.
Power Input: Input for connecting power supply to the device.
10G LAN Port (RJ-45): RJ-45 plug for connecting to a wired Local Area Network (LAN) via Ethernet at up to 10 Gbps.
2.5G LAN (RJ45): RJ-45 plug for connecting to a wired Local Area Network (LAN) via Ethernet at up to 2.5 Gb
HDMI 2.1: Outputs digital video and audio at up to 8K resolution (7680x4320) at 60hz.
Thunderbolt 4 Port: Thunderbolt 4 port capable of up to 40Gbps. Also compatible with USB devices.
Intel NUC Dragon Canyon (NUC12DCM) Schematic
Internally, the Dragon Canyon NUC uses an Intel 12th Gen Core processor and supports one PCIe x16 video card (with some size limitations), multiple M.2 NVMe SSDs, and up to 64GB of DDR4 memory. External ports on the rear include one HDMI 2.0b (for use with the on-chip Intel graphics), two Thunderbolt 4, six USB 3.2, and 10Gb Ethernet. On the front there is another USB port, a SD card reader, and a headphone / speaker jack. WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 are also present for wireless connectivity.
While it fits a normal desktop-class CPU, this system is limited to 65W (or lower) models. Similarly, the video card support here is much better than previous NUCs - but it is still somewhat restricted on dimensions, so not all graphics cards will fit. Those limitations will govern what configuration options we are able to offer, but even then these will still be quite powerful workstations for their size!
This portable, small form factor system has a lot to be desired as far as compatibility and modern connections fare. However, not having traditional audio ports on the back NUC could take users for surprise. For anyone not wanting or able to utilize digital audio from the onboard HDMI or the front stereo port, consider an HDMI, USB, or stereo converter like the links from Amazon below:
HDMI to 3.5mm
USB to 3.5mm
TRRS splitter
Model: Intel NUC12DCMi9
Specifications
| Socket | 1700 |
| CPU Compatibility | Intel Core i9 12900 2.4GHz (3.8-5.1GHz Turbo) 16 Core 65W |
| Form Factor | Other |
| Chipset Manufacturer | Intel |
| Chipset | Z690 |
| Front Side Bus | DMI 4.0 |
| Network Connectivity | 10G + 2.5G Networking + WiFi 6e |
| Network Controller | Marvell AQC113 + Intel I225-V + Intel AX211 |
| Audio Controller | Intel HD Audio |
| Cooling System | Heatsink and Fan |
| Number of Fans | 4 |
| Color | Black |
Memory Support | |
| Type | DDR4 SODIMM |
| Maximum Speed | 3200 MHz |
| Number of Slots | 2 |
| Maximum Size per Slot | 32 GB |
| Maximum Amount Supported | 64 GB |
Onboard Video | |
| Chipset Manufacturer | Intel |
| Processor Type | Intel UHD Graphics 770 |
| Maximum HDMI Resolution | 4096x2160 |
| HDMI | 1 |
| HDMI Version | 2.0 |
| Notes: | 2x Thunderbolt 4 Outputs |
External Connections | |
| USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB 3.1) | 7 |
| USB 3.2 Type C | 1 |
| Audio Out | Stereo |
| Audio In | Line-In/Microphone |
| LAN (RJ45) | 2 |
| Wireless Antenna Port | Yes |
| Memory Card Reader | SDXC w/ UHS-II |
| Thunderbolt Ports | 2 |
| Thunderbolt Version | 4 |
Internal Connections | |
| USB 2.0 | 1 (providing 2 ports) |
| M.2 Connector | 3 |
| M.2 Support | 3x 60-80mm NVMe (Gen 4) |
Expansion Slots | |
| Slot 1 | PCI Express 5.0 x16 |
Additional Information | |
| SLI Compatible | No |
| Crossfire Compatible | No |
| Bluetooth | Yes (5.2) |
| Integrated IO Shield | Yes |
BIOS Features | |
| UEFI BIOS | Yes |
| OC Profiles | No |
Dimensions | |
| Height | 189 mm (7.4 in) |
| Width | 120 mm (4.7 in) |
| Depth | 357 mm (14.1 in) |
| Net Weight | 4.723 kg (10.4 lbs) |
*Intense CPU loads can reduce SSD performance temporarily, as two drives in this unit share a heatsink with the processor.
