LAS VEGAS—Intel's NUC platform just got a new lease on life. After taking over the NUC brand from Intel last year, Asus has resurrected the platonic ideal of mini PCs, the Next Unit of Computing (NUC). Of course, the model we're most interested in from CES 2024 is the new Asus ROG NUC, a gaming-oriented mini PC crammed into 2.5 liters of space.
The NUC concept, and particularly the gaming-focused NUC models of years past, experimented with everything from custom-made silicon to over-engineered small form factor tower designs. However, Asus has stripped it back down to basics: An extremely compact desktop that relies on high-performance laptop components.
Inside Asus' Tiniest Gaming PC
In this case, that means Intel Meteor Lake processors, specifically the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and the more powerful Intel Core Ultra 9 185H, paired with Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 and RTX 4070 mobile GPUs, respectively.
(Credit: Brian Westover)Yes, those are laptop graphics and processing solutions, but you can play almost any PC game on today's gaming laptops. The result is a compact 2.5-liter chassis that measures just 5.7 by 4.4 by 1.6 inches and can be set vertically or horizontally. The whole thing weighs less than 2 pounds, and inside, it has the hardware to run AAA games, even if the performance and frame rates won't beat the desktop elite. This is, instead, more of a console replacement, or an amped-up living room PC with gaming chops to spare.
With models cramming up to 32GB of memory and a trio of M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4x4 slots for solid-state storage, this little desktop can be a gaming powerhouse—within reason. It obviously won't beat out a full-size desktop GPU and processor combo for sheer performance, but you can get power on the same level as any premium gaming laptop, or better, since it can run without the same concerns for battery life or thermal management.
(Credit: Brian Westover)Other specs include 2.5Gb Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E, and plenty of ports (like USB-C with Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.1, and DisplayPort 1.4). It even supports USB-C fast charging, which is handy, allowing you to quickly top up device batteries on phones and other gadgets without needing extra chargers and cables. Upgrade options are limited by the compact design, but you can upgrade memory and storage, and the ROG NUC has a nearly tool-free chassis, with only a single screw preventing unfettered access to the NUC's internals.
Pricing and availability for the Asus ROG NUC has not been announced, but an Asus representative I spoke with at the show suggested a spring timeframe, with prices in line with what you'd pay for a gaming laptop with equivalent hardware, starting in the neighborhood of $1,600 and going up from there. We'll test this product when it's available, so come back then to see whether Asus' NUC revival is worth your dollar.