Asus releases cheaper ROG NUC 16 gaming mini PC with Core Ultra 7 and 32GB RAM

Asus has quietly opened preorders for a new variant of its ROG NUC 16 mini PC in the US. The 3L gaming-focused system first launched with an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 (curr: $3,799 on Amazon). Asus later introduced a special edition model with an RTX 5090, starting at a steep $5,999.

Now, Asus has turned to the RTX 5060 and Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus for its latest configuration, bringing the starting price further down. Specifically, the new ROG NUC 16 with the Core Ultra 7 is available to pre-order on Amazon for $2,499, $1,300 less than the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus variant. Shipping is slated to begin on August 1, 2026.

Needless to say, the new configuration comes with a slight drop in performance compared to the higher-end options but should still be able to handle most modern games. Asus pairs the RTX 5060 and Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus with 32GB of DDR5-6400 memory and PCIe Gen 4 storage.

As covered previously, the ROG NUC 16 packs everything into a compact 3L chassis that can be positioned vertically or horizontally to suit your setup. It also supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 and includes a wealth of ports.

That said, we've only spotted the Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus version of the ROG NUC 16 in the US so far, and it's unclear whether Asus plans to release the cheaper configuration in other markets.