Asus’ pint-sized NUC 16 Pro tested: Space-saving power at a premium

Asus is betting that desk real estate commands a premium. The NUC 16 Pro, a miniature desktop barely larger than a sandwich at 0.7 liters and 1.5 pounds, manages to house Intel’s Core Ultra X7 or X9 processors and — in tested configurations — Intel Arc B390 graphics with 12 Xe cores. It is a technical feat that puts desktop-class CPU performance into the same league as far bulkier towers, including systems running an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

Entry-level barebones models start at $559 for a Core Ultra 5 325 and climb to $790 for an Ultra 7 356H, neither including memory, storage or an OS. The top-tier SKUs with LPDDR5x and the more powerful X7/X9 chips push the price toward $2,500 for a fully configured unit, a cost that lands squarely in premium desktop territory.

What buyers get is a tiny machine that ran Geekbench 6 and Cinebench R24 on par with bulkier desktops, and delivered 73 fps in Shadow of the Tomb Raider at native 1080p on the highest settings. It remained quiet and stable through 20-run 3DMark stress tests, proving that miniaturisation no longer necessarily means a compromise in raw processing.

Yet the NUC 16 Pro is not without rivals. Minisforum’s Atomman G7 Ti, though much larger, offers comparable CPU performance with a dedicated Nvidia GPU that far outpaces the Arc B390 in heavy graphics work. The Minisforum Ai X1 Pro provides better upgradability and similar CPU muscle, albeit without comparable AI processing capabilities. Both highlight that Asus’s design is a luxury item for those who genuinely need a desktop that can vanish behind a display.

The trade-offs: Performance, portability, and price

How the NUC 16 Pro stacks up against the Minisforum threats

Asus’s main competitive barrier is size — literally. The Atomman G7 Ti delivers vastly superior GPU performance thanks to its Nvidia graphics, making it a better fit for heavy rendering or local AI training workloads. Meanwhile, the Ai X1 Pro’s 1.6-litre chassis allows for more aftermarket upgrades, including accessible memory slots. Asus counters with Wi-Fi 7, dual Thunderbolt 4, dual 2.5Gb Ethernet, and Bluetooth 6.0, connectivity that few rivals pack into such a small footprint. The lock slot that also secures the bottom cover is a clever touch for shared or public spaces.

The price of downsizing

The jump from a $559 barebones model to a $2,500 fully loaded system is steep and not fully justified by component costs alone. Much of the premium reflects the engineering required to cool an X7/X9 chip and Arc B390 graphics in a sealed, dual-fan chassis without throttling or excessive noise — an engineering achievement that buyers pay for. For businesses equipping hot-desking environments or digital signage, that premium might translate to saved square footage and simplified deployment. For home users, the value equation is less clear when a similarly priced tower delivers better acoustics, more expandability, and a lower cost per frame.

What Asus gets right and what it leaves out

The dual M.2 slots — one PCIe 5.0×4, one 4.0×4 — mean storage is upgradable, but memory is not on the high-end SKU because LPDDR5X is soldered. There is no 3.5mm audio jack, no internal speakers, and no internal power supply; the external 150W brick adds clutter. USB power delivery is absent, so the machine cannot run off a monitor’s USB-C, a feature some competing mini PCs offer. These omissions may frustrate users hoping for a truly cable-free desk, even as they underline the engineering compromises inherent in chasing a 0.7-litre volume.

What this means for buyers weighing compact vs. traditional desktops

Potential buyers should ask themselves:

  • Do you need the absolute smallest footprint? If a 1- to 2-litre mini PC is acceptable, alternatives like the Minisforum Ai X1 Pro may offer better value and upgradeability.
  • Check your audio setup. With no 3.5mm jack and no speakers, you will need a USB-C or Bluetooth headset, or a Thunderbolt dock with audio out.
  • Budget for a fully configured system. The $2,500 price point for the top-tier model is close to high-end gaming desktops; weigh whether the extra power is worth it for workloads that don’t exploit the NPU and AI processing.
  • Plan for desk cable management. The external power brick and lack of USB-C power delivery mean you will have at least two cables running to the unit in most setups.
  • Consider waiting for competing Core Ultra X7 mini PCs. Asus is first to market with this chip in such a small chassis, but wider availability from other OEMs could drive prices down and add features like user-upgradeable memory.