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When Asus took over Intel's baton for the Next Unit of Computing (aka the NUC or mini PC), some of us hoped that we'd be treated to a fresh new direction to the original concept. Essentially, that's what we got, but it also came with something we didn't want, and the latest Asus ROG NUC perhaps embodies everything that has gone wrong with the whole platform.
Ostensibly, there's not a great deal of difference between the freshly announced ROG NUC 16 and last year's ROG NUC. They both sport Intel Arrow Lake HX processors (albeit the Plus models in the 16) and a GeForce RTX 50-series mobile GPU; you can fit up to 128 GB of memory (up from 96 GB) and two M.2 SSDs in both of them, as well.
There's no indication of the official MSRPs for each variant of the ROG NUC 16 just yet, but Videocardz reports that pre-orders in China are roughly in the $4,400 ballpark. Right now, if you're so inclined, you can bag yourself the RTX 5080 version of the previous NUC, with 32 GB of DRAM and 2 TB SSD, for a mere $3,868 at Amazon.
So it looks like if you want a top-spec ROG NUC 16, you'll need to find a spare four thousand bucks stuffed down the back of your couch. Before you splash the cash, though, you should know that this amount of money will get you a Lenovo Legion Pro 7i with the same hardware and still leave $1,000 spare for an extra display and peripherals.
NUCs-for-gamers, and mini PCs in general, are always going to be a niche product and thus a low-volume seller, so an inflated price tag is to be expected. But this? Four kilo dollars is beyond any measure of reason or justification, despite the grimness of the RAMpocalypse. Sure, the new NUC can be kitted out with up to 128 GB of DDR5-6400, which you might think would be great for AI modelling.
However, Asus is marketing this device at gamers—it claims all that memory will ensure "smoother high-FPS gameplay and faster responsiveness"—and the NPU in the Arrow Lake processor isn't good enough to make proper use of masses of DRAM; for that, you need something like the Framework Desktop. And if you use the GPU instead, you'll be limited to a maximum of 16 GB of VRAM (RTX 5080 variant).
Other than taking up considerably less desk space than an equivalent laptop, the Asus ROG NUC 16 makes zero sense as a gaming purchase, or any kind of purchase for that matter. Mini PCs are supposed to be ultra-compact, with their compromised performance offset by an enticing price tag.
Asus does make such NUCs, though they're aimed at the business and education markets. What we've got here is less something for PC gamers, and more for cash cows that can be won over with ROG branding and top-tier hardware specs.
1. Best overall:
Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT
2. Best budget:
Minisforum Venus UM790 Pro
3. Best pure gaming:
Asus ROG NUC 970
4. Best compact:
Geekom AX8 Pro
5. Best looking:
Ayaneo Retro Mini AM02
6. Best iGPU for gaming:
Beelink SER9
7. Best for AI:
Framework Desktop
