SKULL NUC DEPLOYMENT

Introduction

This document will guide you through the perilous but ultimately rewarding journey of building and configuring Intel’s fabled gaming enabled Skull NUC (8i7HVK) PCs. The Skull NUC is an incredibly powerful machine packed into an almost impossibly small package - and as you likely already know, miniaturized performance comes at a price. That being said, all of the parts for these devices should be treated with respect and not dropped, tossed, or otherwise mistreated.

No food or drink should be consumed while preparing Skull NUCs. Crumbs and grease are generally not good for computer parts, and a liquid spill would be disasterous.

If you’re already pretty handy with a screwdriver, comfortable building PCs, and able to do general ‘computer stuff’ you might want to go ahead and skip to the Quick Reference - you rockstar, you.

Required Parts

• 1x Skull NUC (8i7HVK) (with included power supply)
• 1x Crucial RAM 32GB (pair 2x16GB)
• 1x Samsung M.2 SSD 250GB

Required Tools

For the hardware portion of the deployment, you’ll need:

• Small Phillips-head screwdriver
• Torx T8 bit or H2 Allen wrench (If you dont have one of these no worries, this tool is included in the NUC packaging!)
• 2x small containers for storing two separate screw types
• Scissors or other basic cutting tool
• A positive attitude and hunger for success

Keep in mind that for large-scale deployments of 3 or more Skull NUCs, utilizing an appropriately large and well lit workspace will greatly increase your efficiency. If you’ve got a couple of friendly coworkers to team up with, that’d be awesome too - divide and conquer!

For the software portion of the deployment, you’ll need:

• HDMI cable
• USB Keyboard and mouse (or keyboard/mouse combo)
• PC Monitor or TV (with HDMI port)
• A thoughtful appreciation for the beauty of nature

Workspace Setup

If you’re only setting up one or two Skull NUCs this time, go ahead and skip this section.

Now that you’ve expertly wrangled together all of the required parts and tools, let’s quickly go over some great ways to set up your workspace to maximize efficiency.

1. Un-box all of the Skull NUCs you plan on deploying. You’ll need to use a cutting tool for the tape on the sides of the boxes.
   • Use a cutting tool for the tape on the sides of the boxes.
   • Be sure to grab the Skull NUC, the power supply, and the power cable from the box before discarding.
2. Place your newly unboxed Skull NUCs around the perimeter of a large conference table with the back of the NUCs facing outward.
3. Neatly place all of the unboxed power supplies and cables into a separate box and set aside.
4. Open up the appropriate amount of RAM and SSD’s to match the amount of Skull NUCs you’ll be deploying.
   • Neatly place the unboxed RAM sticks and SSD’s on a table near the Skull NUCs.
   • Discard all packaging, be sure to double check to make sure it’s empty.

If your workspace doesn’t allow you to follow the exact steps as outlined above, that’s ok; try to stay as organized as you can and everything will go smoothly, don’t worry - you got this!

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Building the Hardware

5 minutes per NUC

I know you’re really excited to get started. You’ve got all the parts you need, all of the right tools, and your workspace is all set up and ready to go. Now is a good time to take a moment to think about all that you’ve accomplished so far. You really are doing a great job. Maybe take a quick photo of your setup and send it to someone you’re close to - I bet they’ll think it’s pretty neat!

I. Popping the Hood

1. Use your H2 Allen wrench or Torx T8 bit to remove 6x Hex screws from the top of each Skull NUC.
   • Keep these Hex screws in a container together
   • Once the top plate is detached, flip it over and set it on the table next to the Skull NUC.
2. Use your Phillips-head screwdriver to remove a single screw from the Skull NUC chassis - it’s the one with an arrow pointing to it, thanks Intel!
   • Keep these Phillips screws in a separate container from the Hex screws.
3. Carefully pull up on the entire metal chassis gently but firmly (confusing, right?) until it comes lose. Take note of the LED cable running through to the motherboard, leave it attached.
   • Once the chassis is lose, carefully flip it over and set it on top of the top plate, again taking note of the still attached LED cable to the motherboard.
4. Use your Phillips-head screwdriver to remove one more screw, this time from the M.2_A slot on the motherboard.
   • Keep these Phillips screws with the other Phillips screws. They are interchangeable.

II. Installing the RAM

Each Skull NUC gets a total of 32GB of RAM, that’s 2x sticks of RAM per NUC.

1. Carefully grab a stick of RAM by the edges and place it into the bottom RAM slot on the motherboard at a 45º angle, label facing down.
2. Gently press down on the RAM until it snaps into place.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the second RAM stick.

Check out this video for RAM installation tips!

III. Installing the SSD

Each Skull NUC gets a single SSD.

1. Carefully grab an SSD and place it into the M.2_A slot on the motherboard at a 45º angle, label facing up.
2. Gently press down on the SSD and use a Phillips-head screw from your collection to secure it. Unlike the RAM, the drive will ‘spring up’ until it is secured with the screw.

Check out this video for SSD installation tips!

IV. Sealing the Deal

Take a moment to go through and double check to make sure all of the RAM is properly seated in the slots and the SSDs are properly secured - it’s a pain in the booty to re-open Skull NUCs once you’ve re-attached the top plates.

1. Carefully flip the metal chassis back over, taking note of the cable attached to the motherboard.
   • As the chassis slips into place you may need to tuck the LED cable in a bit.
2. Secure the metal chassis using a Phillips-head screw from your collection.
   • Remember, it goes in the hole with the arrow pointing to it from earlier.
3. Flip the lid over and place it on top of the Skull NUC - secure it with 6x HEX screws from your collection.

Discard any remaining empty boxes and packaging and give yourself a hearty pat on the back - the hardware portion of this exercise is complete. Amazing!

Now is a great time to take a minute to walk around, get some fresh air, have a beverage and maybe a snack (or two), and simply organize your thoughts. When you’re ready, we’ll get right into configuring a few options on the software side of things. See you soon!

Configuring the Software

2 minutes per NUC

Now that the hard part is out of the way there are just a few remaining steps to prep the NUCs for deployment! Make sure you have the items listed in the Software Requirements section before you begin.

For large-scale deployments of 3 or more Skull NUCs, utilizing multiple workstations (monitor, keyboard, mouse, HDMI cable), and a few friendly co-workers can vastly increase efficiency.

I. Getting Connected

1. Connect the Skull NUC in this order:
   • USB keyboard and mouse
   • HDMI cable (connected at other end to a display)
   • NUC power supply
2. Press the power button on the front of the Skull NUC
3. Repeatedly press F2 on the keyboard (Note: On some keyboards, you may need to press and hold Fn to activate the F2 key)[1]
4. You’ll shortly land at the Intel Visual Bios™ dashboard. Great job!

II. BIOS Configuration

1. From the Visual BIOS dashboard, click the Advanced button
2. Verify the system is recognizing 32GB of RAM installed[2]
3. Switch to the Power tab
   • Change the After Power Failure option to Power On
4. Switch to the Boot tab, then Boot Configuration
5. Scroll down and look for Network Boot
   • Change the Network Boot option to UEFI PXE & iSCSI
   • Scroll down again and make sure both Ethernet 1 and Ethernet 2 are selected
6. Switch to the Secure Boot tab
   • Disable Secure Boot
7. Click the X on the top right and Yes to save changes
   • When the NUC finishes rebooting, disconnect all peripherals

Complete!

Outstanding job, you’ve completed all of the steps necessary to prepare a Skull NUC (or a few) for deployment! I’m proud of you and you should be proud of yourself.

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Quick Reference (Hardware)

Step	Description	Extra Info
1	Unbox Skull NUC	Set aside PSU
2	Detach top lid	Use Allen H2 or Torx T8
3	Remove chassis screw	Look for an arrow pointing to the correct screw
4	Remove chassis	Careful with the LED cable passthrough
5	Install SSD	Use slot M.2_A, secure with screw
6	Install RAM	2x RAM modules, 32GB total
7	Re-assemble Skull NUC	Don’t forget about the chassis “arrow” screw

Quick Reference (Software)

Step	Description	Extra Info
1	Connect NUC to workstation	Monitor, keyboard, mouse, and power
2	Boot into BIOS configuration	F2 on keyboard while system is starting up
3	Advanced > verify 32GB memory recognized	If not, double check physical RAM installation
4	Power > After Power Failure	Set to Power On
5	Boot > Boot Configuration > Network Boot	Set to UEFI PXE & iSCSI
6	Boot > Boot Configuration > Network Boot	Enable Ethernet 1 & Ethernet 2
7	Exit the BIOS configuration screen, saving all changes.