Asus rumored to prepare next gen ROG NUC Extreme mini PCs with Intel Meteor Lake Core Ultra CPUs and RTX 4000 GPUs

With Intel exiting the NUC business, all of Team Blue’s partners focusing on mini PCs can now license NUC products. However, Asus received a special treatment, as it recently signed a non-exclusive agreement with Intel to further develop the NUC product line. As of 2 years ago, the NUC lineup includes an Extreme version that can accommodate full-size desktop GPUs, and it looks like Asus is interested in taking this design to the next level. According to an insider report published by Italian publication Bits and Chips, Asus is already working on a new iteration of the NUC Extreme design and this will most likely be part of the ROG sub-brand.

The report mentions that the ROG NUC Extreme model will be powered by Intel’s upcoming Meteor Lake processors. Since Intel is apparently not delivering any desktop-grade processors with the Meteor Lake upgraded technology this year, Asus will most likely integrate the laptop-grade CPUs with the new Core Ultra brand from Intel. This might look like a downgrade, considering that the NUC Extreme models actually feature desktop-grade processors up to an i9-13900K, but it all depends on the performance uplift brought by the more efficient 65 W Meteor Lake design, which may or may not turn out to be as fast as the current 125 W Raptor Lake-S CPUs. Bits and Chips also suggests that the CPUs will get a hybrid cooling solution that seems a bit excessive, but probably fits the over-the-top ROG philosophy.

On the GPU side, rumor is Asus will only include up to an RTX 4070 Ti, and this could balance the price points. However, DIY users will surely be able to add more powerful models. Additionally, the case will be redesigned with futuristic accents and, knowing that this is part of the ROG lineup, it will feature plenty of RGB lights. Now, not everybody might enjoy RGB lights, but a redesign for that dreadful NUC 13 Extreme box is certainly a boon.

Meanwhile, it looks like Asus is already taking the NUC business seriously as it just announced a compact SFF 10L ROG gaming desktop featuring up to an Intel Core i9-13900KF and GeForce RTX 40 series GPU in a sleek, tool-free design for easy upgrades.

Buy the Intel NUC 13 Extreme Kit on Amazon