ASUS debuted its NUC 16 Pro mini pc at CES, and while intended for business use, there’s no denying its gaming potential. The NUC 16 Pro mini PC features an Intel Core X9 Ultra Series 3 processor, which has a total of 16 cores (4P/8E/4LPE) with a maximum turbo boost of 5.1 GHz, supporting up to 96 GB of 9600 MT/s LPDDR5X memory. Graphics are provided by an Intel Arc B390 integrated GPU with 12 Xe cores, 128 vector engines, 8 ray-tracing units, said to use only 15 watts of power, and accrording to Intel (via VideoCardz) provides up to 73% (upscaling)/82% (rasterization) performance gains over the AMD 890M GPU. The NPU is stated to provide up to 50 TOPs, and according to ASUS, “Each vector engine is paired with Intel XMX technology to deliver enhanced AI acceleration, enabling up to 180 tera operations per second (TOPS).”
The toolless 144x117x42mm chassis allows easy access for maintenance and upgrades, and features dual 2.5G LAN ports. Two NVMe drives (1x Gen5/1x Gen4), up to 8 TB, can be installed, and other network connectivity includes WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0. Pricing has not been revealed, but this premium mini-PC is likely to command a price of over $1300-$1500 based on previous model pricing. Valve has yet to reveal pricing for its Steam Machine, but it should be wary of pricing it anywhere near $1000, given that a machine like this could probably outperform it on many levels for a few hundred dollars more, despite being designed for more compute-intensive tasks. The NUC Pro 16 can be connected to up to four 4K displays via either its HDMI or DP 2.1 ports.
Features:
- Powered by up to Intel® Core™ Ultra X9 CPU, Arc™ B390 GPU, and NPU 5, it enables AI-accelerated hybrid computing, delivering up to 180 TOPS for real-time Edge AI.
- Up to 96 GB LPDDR5x 9600 MT/s with 20% faster speed and 50% lower power, plus dual-fan cooling for sustained peak performance.
- Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0, and dual 2.5G LAN provide low-latency, redundant, and secure connectivity for enterprise and Edge AI.
- Built-in firmware TPM 2.0 provides enterprise-grade data protection and compliance, enabling IT professionals to securely manage devices and scale services with ease.
- Compact 5×4 chassis with Tool-less 2.0 design supports dual M.2 Gen5/Gen4 SSDs, maximizing airflow, flexibility, and performance.
- Rugged modular build with long-life availability and rich I/O, including RS-232 and PCIe x1, for POS, IoT, and industrial deployment.
