NUC alternatives can be a mixed bag most of the time, but the Beelink SEi11 is coming awfully close to a full-fledged NUC while costing hundreds of dollars less thanks to the uncommon Core i5-11320H.https://www.notebookcheck.net/Beelink-SEi11-mini-PC-Review-Cheaper-than-an-Intel-NUC-11-but-just-as-fast.648473.0.html
These are not as fun as the DIY mini-ITX systems. Those ones, you can connect a laptop screen of your choice directly to the system board via LVDS or eDP cable (not VGA or HDMI) that also directly powers the backlight of the LCD display.