Last year Intel officially handed over the Nuc license to ASUS after the company spent years developing these mini PCs. A few months later, ASUS launched its first ROG Nuc device kicking off a new era for the label. Enter the ASUS ROG Nuc 970.
Watch the ASUS ROG Nuv 970 review below
If you don’t know what a Nuc is, these mini PCs are all-in-one gaming devices that boast some powerful hardware while keeping things small and simple. The easiest way to describe them would be to say they are like a gaming console but with PC features like Windows 11, Steam and all those other dozens of game launches you find on the platform.
Of course, they aren’t as powerful as a fully-fledged gaming PC. That’s because you can’t fit the same raw power from say my dedicated RTX 4080 SUPER and AMD-powered PC into this small device. But a Nuc doesn’t want to compete with a hardcore gaming rig. Instead, this is meant to be another option for gamers looking for a gaming PC. And I just love having options.
The ASUS ROG Nuc comes in two options. There’s an RTX 4060 with an Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU option called the Nuc 760 and the RTX 4070 with an Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU called the Nuc 970. Besides the CPU and GPU, these models are identical when it comes to ports and features. The model in this content is the Nuc 970.
It goes without saying that the GPU in this Nuc is a discrete chip meaning it is the same hardware you’ll usually find in a gaming notebook. But before I get into the benchmarks and performance, I want to touch on the design.
When you pick up the ASUS ROG Nuc you’ll get a fairly large box. It is a lot bigger than I expected considering how small the actual unit it. Inside, there’s the Nuc itself. You’ll also get the 330W power supply and Nuc stand. This is an optional attachment as the unit can be positioned flat on a table without the stand. There are also some exchangeable decals which I will get into in a bit.
The Nuc itself is a stylish black unit that looks like a media box. It is 270mm long, 180mm in depth and 50mm thick. It weighs less than 1Kg at 800grams.
ASUS has included all the ports you can imagine on it too. On the front, you’ll find 2 USB 3.2Gen2 Type-A ports and an SD Express card reader. There’s also an audio jack port that combines for both line in and line out.
The backside ports then include one USB4 Type C port with DisplayPort 2.1 and power delivery. There’s also 2 USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A ports and 2 USB 2.0 Type-A ports. It comes with one HDMI 2.1 port and 2 DisplayPort 1.4a ports. There’s also a 2.5G Ethernet port for network connectivity. The power supply is then plugged into the DC-in port and there’s also a Kensington Lock for those who need it.
Internally, the ASUS ROG Nuc packs Wi-Fi 6E support with BlueTooth 5.3. It comes with a 1TB SSD installed but has three M.2 2280 PCIe slots you can use to upgrade your storage. On the RAM front, the unit comes with 32GB of RAM and can be upgraded to 64GB using DIMM chips.
The exterior of the ASUS ROG Nuc looks quite stylish. There are a few ROG decals here and there and an on/off switch. On the front, there’s a large ROG text and the top features the ROG Logo that lights up. The colour can be changed in the Armoury Crate. There’s also a fan vent on the top.
On the bottom, there are even more vents with two large fans visible from the outside. The unit comes with protective plastic on some of the surfaces which is there to prevent scratches. However, it will likely come off over time due to the heat this device builds up. So don’t expect to keep it in pristine condition forever.
Positioning the unit on its stand is simple. There are no screws to hold it in place. You just slide Nuc onto the stand facing the right direction and you’re good to go.
I think the ASUS ROG Nuc is a pretty cool-looking piece of tech. While it still looks like a Nuc to some degree, ASUS has done enough here to give the device that expected ROG flair. It definitely looks like a gaming console more than a PC.
The small form factor means you can place it next to your TV, gaming monitor and other displays. It can also be placed under your TV when not using the stand. Not to mention, it can easily be placed on a TV stand shelf.
Remember those extra decals that came in the box? Well, they can be swapped out to change the top of the unit’s LED styling. You do this the same way you would upgrade the storage on the Nuc. On the back, there is a latch switch that once you slide it over to the right, releases the top cover.
Once the top cover is removed, the top metal plate houses these decals. You just need to remove the included one and slide a new one into the slot. If you want to check out the inside of the unit and add another SSD, you then need to simply remove that metal housing by loosening the screw near the ports and then pull the plate towards you and lift it up. Here, you’ll find the empty SSD slots and the included SSD. You can also upgrade the RAM here too.
ASUS ROG Nuc 970 Performance
The ASUS ROG Nuc wants to be another gaming partner in your life so it packs some decent performance. From the Armoury Crate, I was able to tweak the different power modes to max out the unit’s performance. As usual, it includes Silent, Performance and Turbo.
I ran some tests across a number of games and benchmarks to see exactly how far you can go with this device. All these tests were done on the Turbo mode with the latest BIOS installed. While the unit does provide Silent and Performance modes, I don’t see why anyone would use these power modes when gaming.
The tests show that this ASUS ROG Nuc can easily deliver 1440p for the most modern games if you’re looking at 60FPS. In some rare cases, Hellblade 2, for example, the unit struggled a bit more on 1440p and was unplayable in 4K. But with DLSS and some setting tweaks here and there, it should improve the performance.
I found that most games reached 30FPS in 4K which is okay. Before you burn me alive in the comments section, 30FPS at 4K makes sense for a device like this. For those who want to plug it into their 4K TV and use it like a console, this performance is a sacrifice you’ll need to live with for that resolution. And, to be honest, console owners usually get this anyway. Again, you can tweak DLSS and other settings to improve the performance. Unlike a console which is usually very limited when it comes to graphics settings and resolutions.
Outside of gaming, the ASUS ROG Nuc is also a beast when it comes to video editing. This is thanks to the Intel Core Ultra and its hardware encoder.
All of this power, of course, uses power. The ASUS ROG Nuc is configurable in the BIOS where I could choose different power profiles. With no settings changed, I measured 19W of power while the unit was idle. When gaming and max testing, I then measured 220W of power at its peak.
When it comes to the heat, the ROG Nuc CPU peaked at 100C which of course, led to some expected throttling. The GPU, on the other hand, wasn’t much of an issue. I only measured 67C during the most extreme case.
As for the fan noise, you will definitely hear the Nuc when you’re gaming and performing heavy tasks. The unit hit 47dBA during max load but most of the time, it sat at around 30dBA. So if you’re using the Nuc as a media unit, the fan won’t bother you. However, when gaming, you will definitely hear a hum. It isn’t a distraction though. If you’re used to a gaming PC, this noise won’t be a problem.
Overall, the ASUS ROG Nuc is quite a beastly piece of equipment. It offers some robust gaming performance while coming in a small package. Of course, you have to consider the downsides to this tech too. It is expensive but at the same time, you’re getting a bespoke gaming device that is both convenient and small.
I could see myself using this on a daily while keeping it plugged into my TV and using it as a console-like experience. I would use my cheaper Logitech Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad combo to control the unit and load it into Steam Home for an easy game launcher. Play my games and forget I was even using a PC.
Not to mention the potential this unit brings when it comes to social gaming. I could easily connect four Xbox Wireless Controllers to the ASUS ROG Nuc and enjoy some local multiplayer games. Maybe even install some emulators such as a PS3 emulator and jam some old-school LittleBigPlanet. Perhaps some split-screen Resistance: Fall of Man.
This device comes without the hassle of building and maintaining a dedicated PC. But it also comes with the capped performance. There’s no improving on the RTX 4070 inside here so the lifespan is also limited. You’ll need to keep that in mind too.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with the ASUS ROG Nuc. It does exactly what you would expect – it offers a hassle-free gaming PC experience to users without the custom building and wiring. The all-in-one package makes this ideal for newcomers but at the same time, it is a dedicated gaming device and media unit. If this sounds like something you would use, then there’s nothing wrong with that.
Of course, you’ll need to weigh up the option of building a PC with a possible upgradable future or spending money on this which may get dated within the next few years.
Find out more about the ASUS ROG NUC here. No local pricing is available for the ASUS ROG Nuc at the time of the review. The 970 RTX 4070 Model starts at $2200. The 760 RTX 4060 Model starts at $1600.
ASUS ROG Nuc 970 Review
Summary
The ASUS ROG NUC 970 is a powerhouse mini gaming PC that manages to deliver 1440p 60FPS games in most cases. But you need to weigh up its expensive price tag to consider this bespoke unit or just build an upgradable, future-proof gaming PC.
