Asus ROG NUC (2025) is a 3 liter mini PC with Intel Arrow Lake and NVIDIA RTX 50 Series graphics
by Brad Linder · LiliputingThe Asus ROG NUC (2025) is a compact gaming PC that’s set to arrive during the first quarter of 2025. In most ways, it picks up where the first ROG NUC left off: like last year’s model, this computer essentially takes the guts of a high-performance gaming laptop and stuffs them into a small desktop computer, giving you access to more ports, easier memory and storage upgrades, and more thermal headroom for better performance.
But while the 2024 model featured an Intel Core Ultra 100H “Meteor Lake” processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series graphics, the 2025 model comes with up to an Intel Core Ultra 9 265HX “Arrow Lake” processor and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 laptop graphics.
The high price of the first-gen ROG NUC was a bit of a sticking point – it sold for $1629 and up at launch, which was a tough sell for a system that was shipping with a GPU that was more than a year old. Asus has since lowered the starting price to $1399, which may be a bit more palatable.
But the ROG NUC (2025) will be launching at the same time as other systems with RTX 50 series mobile graphics and it’s a second-gen device from Asus, so the pricing will likely be more competitive this time around.
As for why it makes sense to opt for a mini gaming desktop rather than a gaming laptop, Asus says many folks looking for a console-sized gaming PC have no interest in portability. So while a gaming laptop has a keyboard, display, and battery, the ROG NUC has other advantages like more ports, better thermals, and easier (and more versatile) upgrade options.
The 2025 model has two SODIMM slots for memory and two M.2 slots for storage. And thanks to a removable side panel it’s easy to access the internals for cleaning, maintenance, or upgrades. You don’t need any tools to open the case, just loosen a thumbscrew on the back of the case to remove the side panel.
Here’s a run-down of some key specs:
| Asus ROG NUC (2025) | |
| Processor | Intel Core Ultra 7 or Core Ultra 9 Arrow Lake (200HX series) |
| Graphics | Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 laptop GPU with 16GB GDDR7 |
| Memory | 16GB to 96GB DDR5-6400 |
| Storage | 2 x M.2 2280 (PCIe Gen 4) |
| Ports | 1 x Thunderbolt 4 (40 Gbps) 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (10 Gbps) 6 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A (10 Gbps) 2 x HDMI 2.1 2 x DisplayPort 2.1 1 x Ethernet 1 x 3.5mm audio 1 x DC power input |
| Wireless | WiFi 7 BT 5.4 |
| Cooling | Triple fans Dual vapor chambers SSD heatsink |
| Dimensions | 282.4 x 187.7 x 56.5mm 11.1″ x 7.4″ X 2.2″ |
| Weight | 3.12 kg 6.88 pounds |
The Asus logo on the side of the computer’s 3 liter chassis can also be illuminated using customizable RGB lighting effects.
The ROG NUC (2025) is also the first model designed solely by Asus – the design for last year’s model was about 70 percent completed by Intel before Asus took over development, marketing, and sales of the NUC brand. The new model is all Asus.
The ROG NUC (2025) is expected to go on sale toward the end of the first quarter of 2025 with pricing information to be revealed closer to launch.