I tested Asus’ impossibly small gaming PC to see if it measures up

Asus is carrying the NUC brand forward. After Intel ditched NUC last year — which commonly ranked among the best desktop PCs — Asus picked up the mantle, and we now have the first fruits of that labor with the ROG NUC 970. As the ROG badge implies, this is a gaming PC, fit with a discrete GPU and coming in at a much higher price compared to the mainstream NUCs we’ve seen Asus release since it picked up the brand.

Sporting a tiny 2.5-liter case, this is undoubtedly one of the smallest gaming desktops money can buy. Its form factor is a bit deceptive, however. The ROG NUC 970 is a great performer considering the hardware inside — and that’s laptop hardware. This may look like a full-fledged desktop squeezed down to an impossibly small size, but the performance of this device brings that assumption back down to earth.

Asus ROG NUC 970 specs and pricing

Asus offers two configurations of the NUC 970 that change the CPU, GPU, memory, and storage. The last two points aren’t as relevant, as Asus offers three NVMe drives so you can expand your storage, as well as two SODIMM slots so you can replace the memory. Asus occupies both memory slots out of the box for a dual-channel configuration, so you’ll need to replace both if you want to upgrade.

The more interesting differences are between the CPU and GPU. The cheaper of the two configurations comes in at $1,629 and includes an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H CPU along with an RTX 4060. Another configuration at $2,199 offers an RTX 4070 and a Core Ultra 9 185H. For storage and memory, the cheaper configuration comes with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, while the more expensive configuration comes with 32GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

My review unit came with an RTX 4070, and looking online, that’s the only configuration I could find listed. It was out of stock, but it seems most retailers plan to stock the RTX 4070 configuration over the RTX 4060 one.

The prices aren’t bad if you compare the ROG NUC 970 to full desktops. The Starforge Systems Navigator, for example, comes with an RTX 4070 and a Ryzen 5 7600X, and it costs $1,900. And the Alienware Aurora R16 with an RTX 4070 and Core i9-13900F comes in at $2,050. By that standard, the ROG NUC 970 doesn’t seem too expensive given its petite 2.5-liter form factor.

The main issue with pricing is that Asus is using laptop components. This is basically a laptop minus the screen and keyboard, and with extra ports added. It may function like a desktop, but for pricing, the better comparison points are laptops.

That standard paints a different picture of the ROG NUC 970. Even by Asus’ standards, you can pick up the ROG Zephyrus G16 laptop with an RTX 4070 and Core Ultra 9 185H for $2,000 — $200 less than the ROG NUC 970. The Zephyrus G16 comes with less RAM, but it also packs in an OLED display and all of the bits you’d expect from a laptop. Before Intel handed the NUC brand to Asus, options like the NUC 11 Extreme could come in close to $2,000, but they also offered you the option to add a discrete desktop GPU.

Still, the premium here comes in how unique the ROG NUC 970 is. There are a few alternatives like the Zotac Zbox, but they arrive around $2,000 and are tough to find in the U.S. Then there are workstation-class PCs like the HP Z2 Mini G9, but they’re just as expensive and only come with professional GPUs. The NUC 970 is expensive, no doubt, but it accomplishes something that very few other mini PCs do.

Design and build quality

The ROG NUC 970 is definitely a Republic of Gamers product. A red ROG logo illuminates the left side, shining through smoky transparent plastic that calls back to previous NUC designs. There are aggressive lines for the vents, an angular power button, and a stark ROG badge on the front. There isn’t much design space on a black box that’s only 2.5 liters in volume, but Asus adds flourishes wherever it can.

It’s an extremely compact device, densely packed with hardware that wastes no space. It’s a bit shocking against the fully plastic shell. The build quality is fine, but I’d be careful with the NUC 970. It doesn’t feel like it could handle a fall.

That shouldn’t be much of a concern. The shell has four large rubber feet built into the right side for a horizontal orientation, and Asus includes a thick metal stand in the box for a vertical orientation. The stand weighs about as much as the NUC itself, and it includes a thick rubber lining to nestle the device securely. The vertical orientation definitely adds some size. Thankfully, the NUC 970 looks better in its horizontal orientation anyway.

Opening up the ROG NUC 970 is simple enough. There’s a latch on the back that unlocks the side panel, allowing you to slide it off. From there, you need to undo a screw on the back and slide a metal plate inside that holds the side lighting design — like previous NUCs, you can replace the ROG logo here. That exposes the RAM, storage, and wireless card.

Although opening the ROG NUC 970 is easy in theory, it was shockingly hard to in practice. In particular, sliding off the metal shield that covers the motherboard is tough. I felt like I was going to break the device, and I actually dislodged the plastic back panel trying to get the shield to slide off properly. If I had been just a little more impatient, I have no doubt that I would’ve broken the plastic shell that Asus uses on the back of the device.

It was easy to get the shield off after opening the NUC 970 a few times, but you probably won’t poke inside much. Once you get the shell off, you get three NVMe slots and two SODIMM slots as advertised. Asus includes quick-release latches for the NVMe slots, so upgrades wouldn’t take more than a few minutes. I swapped the included SSD in about 30 seconds.

Performance

As mentioned, the ROG NUC 970 uses laptop components, so it’s important to keep performance expectations in check. You’re not going to get the level of performance out of a desktop Core i9 CPU or RTX 4070 graphics card. I have some desktop comparison points here for context, but the true one-to-one battle is with laptop components.

As Cinebench R24 shows, Asus is getting the most out of these laptop components. It manages to outpace the Zephyrus G16, which packs an identical CPU. It also outpaces the multi-core score of the M2 Pro Mac mini, but falls short on single core performance by a bit. It actually managed to match the Alienware Aurora R16 with a desktop Core i7-13700F, though that’s an older processor.

Geekbench 6 paints a slightly different picture. The ROG NUC 970 falls short of the Lenovo Yogo Pro 9i, which has the same processor, but the more telling comparison is the Alienware Aurora R16. The Core Ultra 9 185H gets beat in both single and multi-core performance. Although the ROG NUC gets the most out of its components, it’s still using laptop components at the end of the day — they aren’t able to upend what you get on a larger desktop.

Breaking out into actual applications, the ROG NUC 970 holds up. It manages to outpace the Zephyrus G16, and it basically matches the HP Omen 40L desktop with a Ryzen 7 7700 and desktop RTX 4060 Ti in Premiere Pro.

This is a gaming device, and a big advantage it has over a thin gaming laptop is full power delivery to the RTX 4070 graphics card. That just doesn’t always provide a performance advantage. As you can see in 3DMark, the Asus ROG NUC 970 outpaces the Zephyrus G16 by a bit, but it gets absolutely crushed by the Alienware Aurora R16. This is one of the clearest examples that the ROG NUC 970 performs closer to a laptop than it does a desktop.

In real games, that’s not a bad thing with the mobile RTX 4070 at the helm. As you can see from the games I tested, you’re commonly getting above 60 frames per second (fps) in demanding games at 1440p. You might even be able to push to 4K with Nvidia’s DLSS 3 turned on in games like Returnal. My comparison to a desktop RTX 4070 once again reinforces that you’re getting a mobile experience here, despite what the specs say.

Considering what I know about the components inside the ROG NUC 970, it performed about as expected. My main concern is buyers would be led to believe that they’re getting desktop-class components given the NUC 970’s form factor. It’s a solid performer, but make sure to keep your expectations in check given the device’s petite form.

Ports and connectivity

The ROG NUC 970 may be using laptop components, but its desktop form factor allows Asus to pack in a lot more ports. Up front, you have access to two USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, along with a full-sized SD card slot and a headphone jack. In the rear, there’s an HDMI 2.1 port, two DisplayPort 1.4a connections, a single Thunderbolt 4 port, dual USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, and dual USB 2.0 ports, along with 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet. An extra USB-C connection would help here, as well as an upgrade on the two USB 2.0 ports to a faster standard, but it’s hard to complain.

Importantly, you also have a barrel power jack at the back of the NUC 970. Given how small this device is, Asus opted for an external power supply. The 330W adapter is large and heavy. I appreciate moving the bulk and weight outside of the device, but make sure to keep in mind that you’ll need to make room for the power brick.

Wirelessly, you have access to Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, both through an inserted Intel wireless card. I had some issues with wireless connectivity on my review unit, which I was able to fix by reinstalling the driver. I don’t suspect most people will have issues, and Asus thankfully includes a one-click installer for all the drivers the NUC 970 needs on its website. If you plan on picking up the device, I’d load up a USB drive with the drivers, just to be safe.

Should you buy the Asus ROG NUC 970?

The ROG NUC 970 does its own thing, and it occupies a space in mini PCs where there aren’t a ton of high-performance options. It’s a niche product by nature, but if you’re shopping within that niche, it’s a great option. You’re not getting the best performance considering the $2,200 asking price, but given the size, easy upgradability, and expansive connectivity, performance is a place where a compromise makes sense.

For those on the fence about the ROG NUC 970, I’d seek out other options. A laptop with the same components like the Zephyrus G16 not only gets you similar performance, but also a portable device that you can take with you on the go — usually for less money, too. Similarly, a small form factor desktop might be larger, but you’ll be able to pack in a lot more power.