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In summary : Intel stopped developing new small form factor NUC systems in 2023, with Asus taking over to advance the platform with updated designs and hardware components. Now, the company is set to offer its first gaming-focused NUC under the ROG brand, featuring a mobile GPU up to the RTX 4070.
Asus has agreed to build its own NUC PCs in a non-exclusive deal with Intel, and the original mini PC line is now evolving further by merging with the ROG gaming family of products. After teasing the new devices a few months ago, the PC maker is now officially launching its first high-end ROG NUC PCs.
Asus describes mini PCs as ultra-small but “ultra-powerful” systems, offering enough performance for gamers, enthusiasts and creators. ROG NUC Series The Intel Core Ultra 9 or Core Ultra 7 laptop features an Intel Core Ultra 9 or Core Ultra 7 mobile processor, coupled with a laptop-grade GeForce RTX 4070 or RTX 4060 discrete GPU. The memory configuration includes 16GB of DDR5, which can be upgraded to 64GB (32GB x 2).
Storage includes a 512GB M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 SSD, with three additional empty M.2 slots available for further expansion.
The ROG NUC offers two wireless connectivity options (Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3) and a 2.5G Intel LAN wired connection. Available ports include an SD Express card reader, multiple USB ports (up to USB 3.2 Gen2), an HDMI port, and two DisplayPort 1.4a ports for monitors.
ROG NUC mini PCs are compatible with the ROG Raikiri Pro controller for console-like couch gaming, the manufacturer says. They also support Aura Sync RGB technology for customizing gaming setups with additional ROG peripherals and devices (and some internal lighting effects).
While touting the gaming capabilities of Intel’s Core Ultra 9/7 hybrid architecture for Windows 11 x64, Asus highlights how ROG NUCs can also offer plenty of computing power to “AI professionals” and LLM researchers. The GeForce RTX 40 series GPUs feature specialized Tensor Cores that can properly accelerate machine learning algorithms. However, 16GB of RAM is probably the bare minimum needed to enjoy a satisfying chatbot experience without relying on the cloud.
Using cutting-edge components in newer gaming systems doesn’t come cheap, and the ROG NUC lineup will be very expensive.
The Core Ultra 7 model has a suggested price of $1,630, while the Core Ultra 9 model has a suggested price of $2,200. Neither system is in stock yet on Asus’ online store.