This latest iteration of Intel's NUC series is well formed, if pricey. The device was smaller and heavier than I expected - appropriate for the NUC series and the power draw of this unit. I have purchased Intel NUCs in the past for fanless, special purpose x86-based systems. Such systems were not suitable as a desktop replacement. I bought this system as a small form factor desktop for light development activities, web browsing, email, and very light gaming (mostly of the retro form).I paired this system with 32 GB of Patriot RAM and a 256 GB Samsung 950 Pro M.2 256 GB drive. Installation was easy - remove four screws, install memory, remove one screw, install drive, replace screws. The power brick is quite large, maybe 80% the size of the unit, and much larger even than my Macbook Pro's charger. A necessary evil it sits out of sight and mind.The first thing I did was update the firmware to the latest revision using a bootable USB drive. It is interesting that DOS can still be used after all these years to update things like the BIOS/Firmware. I received the unit with revision 0037 and updated to the latest current revision (0041). Uneventful setup. The firmware is not as feature rich as most "gaming" system firmware; you are in Intel's world and you play by their rules.I run Arch Linux on the NUC. Setup was straightforward and most hardware seems well supported, although I do not currently use the wireless connectivity provided. The EFI setup environment is similar to past versions, and configuring it was straightforward and minimal. After so many years of setting up systems using BIOS, MBRs, and bootloaders (and having only setup two EFI-based systems in the past) I had the read through my distribution of choice's documentation carefully. Once setup and installed I had no further issues.The graphics for the Iris Pro seem reasonably well supported in Linux. The KDE Plasma desktop looks as one would expect and performance is on par with my desktop class system running a similar OS setup. In general I had no issues. The fan noise is typically quiet and under load noticeable but not too distracting. Plenty of connection options provide future expandability.The only gripe I have is the current price point. The form factor is great, but once you factor in the cost of RAM and an M.2 SSD, you can easily purchase an equivalent or better desktop system more suited for gaming. Four stars because I really like the product but the total cost is not competitive for similar hardware.