Intel’s NUCs Stay On… as an Extreme Asus Mini Gaming PC

Asus is coming again with what’s probably its most interesting, most extreme gaming-ready mini PC but, the ROG NUC 16. It will probably include an accompanying value that’s prone to make your pockets cry out in anguish.

Intel’s NUCs, quick for “Next Unit of Computing” PC, had been supposed to supply pint-sized PCs with desktop-level customizability inside a premium chassis. But a mixture of restricted customization choices and costly pricing just about doomed NUCs just like the Intel NUC 9 Extreme (“Ghost Canyon”). So Intel handed off the NUC design to Asus in 2023. Since then, the ROG NUCs have proved particularly interesting to largely avid gamers with restricted desk area.

The ROG NUC 16 is essentially the most highly effective and most console-like of the NUCs Asus has produced to date. It maintains the identical fundamental shell because the earlier NUC 15, however it now consists of Intel’s refreshed Arrow Lake CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX. It’s packing as much as an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 laptop computer GPU (so not the bigger desktop model that eats up an unlimited 360W of energy simply by itself), and it may be configured with as much as 128GB of RAM.

And when you had been questioning how and the place you may get one, Asus hasn’t indicated U.S. pricing particulars. The mini PC will begin at 29,999 Chinese yuan, which roughly comes out to $4,420. The new “Moonlight” white model prices much more, nearer to $4,490 in U.S. {dollars}. Asus promised that the Black model shall be out this month, whereas the white gained’t arrive till June. Neither model has a exact launch date. The earlier ROG NUC 15 presently begins at $3,400 with a lower-end Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX CPU, an RTX 5060 GPU, and 16GB of RAM. It prices near $5,300 for a model with a higher-end Arrow Lake CPU, the RTX 5080, and simply 16GB of on-device RAM.

With the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX, the ROG NUC 16 guarantees higher efficiency than the ROG NUC 15 with the identical RTX 5080 GPU. However, Asus’ personal website reveals that benchmarks like 3DMark’s “Time Spy” equaled solely a 3% uplift in comparison with the final technology. How significantly better efficiency you get will rely upon the sport.

The ongoing RAM apocalypse has pushed up costs on all client electronics. Gaming units, which depend on extra reminiscence and storage than your common light-weight gadget, are taking the brunt of the hurt. On paper, the ROG NUC 16 sounds interesting, however there are a number of lacking puzzle items Asus has but to place in place. On its retailer web page, the completely different configurations of the ROG NUC 16 don’t even checklist its flavors of GPU out there.

The ROG NUC 16 consists of an up to date stand to prop up the PC both vertically or horizontally, with the latter appearing as a cradle that retains the pc simply off the desk. Asus guarantees you’ll get even higher efficiency with the PC hovering than standing up.

Asus can also be bringing again their ROG Strix Scar 18 gaming laptop computer for 2026. Like the ROG NUC 16, it’s additionally been upgraded with the Intel Core Ultra 290HX CPU, and it’s now packing a full 4K, 240Hz mini LED show. I particularly appreciated the 2025 mannequin’s toolless entry panel that made it simpler than ever to swap out the RAM and SSD. Over e mail, an Asus spokesperson instructed Gizmodo the ROG Strix Scar 18 gained’t be out there till Q2 or Q3 this 12 months, and it’ll have costs to share round launch. Just like all gaming {hardware} in 2026, don’t anticipate it to be any cheaper than the 2025 mannequin.