Asus launches refreshed ROG NUC gaming mini PC at eye-watering price

Asus has launched the successor to the 2025 ROG NUC 15, and as we previously speculated, the main difference is that the recently released Intel Core Ultra 200HX Plus series powers the gaming mini PC. The GPU department, however, hasn't seen an upgrade.

Specifically, the top-end option of the 2026 Asus ROG NUC is available with the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, which is paired with the Nvidia RTX 5080 Laptop GPU. The processor upgrade should deliver noticeable performance improvement over the 2025 model, which did held its ground relatively well in our review.

The design has also seen a notable change, with the 2026 ROG NUC coming with more prominent "For Those Who Dare" and ROG branding. Beyond these two, Asus notes that the brand-new mini PC comes with a patented removable stand that cradles the chassis rather than just a screw-on fit.

Other than these, the rest of the system specs appear to be the same as the last-gen ROG NUC 15 (top-end option curr. $3,399 on Amazon). Among the highlights are DDR5 RAM and PCIe 5.0 storage, both promising high-speed performance. The system is equipped with a silent cooling setup, and there are WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 for wireless connectivity.

Port-wise, Asus highlights the rich configuration of the 2026 ROG NUC. The front appears to have two USB Type-A and one USB-C, while the back features the following:

• 2x HDMI 2.1
• 2x DisplayPort 2.1
• 4x 10G USB Type-A
• 1x Thunderbolt 4
• 1x 2.5G Ethernet

In China, the refreshed ROG NUC mini PC starts at CNY 29,999, which is around $4,421. There's a new white version available, costing CNY 30,999, about $4,569. Asus has yet to share details on the available configurations and plans for the global launch.