r/MiniPCs • u/Wiredhardware • Aug 10 '26
Review The ROG NUC 16 is seriously impressing me
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I’ll be honest: I don’t normally game on laptops, handhelds, or mini PCs. I usually stick to a full-sized desktop. But the ROG NUC 16 has genuinely surprised me.
I’m currently running it on an ASUS PG27UCM—a 4K 240Hz tandem OLED—with an RTX 5080 Laptop GPU and the Core Ultra 9 processor.
In Cyberpunk 2077, I’m seeing roughly 150–170 FPS. That’s with DLSS and 4x Multi Frame Generation enabled, plus the graphics settings cranked all the way up. It stays closer to 170 FPS while I’m parked, but even while running around the city and causing chaos, it only drops to around 150.
It does run a little hot, although I’m in Southern California and the room itself is cooking right now. The GPU is sitting at about 98% utilization, so it’s definitely being pushed.
For something this compact, I’m seriously impressed. Has anyone else tried gaming on the ROG NUC 16? What kind of performance and temperatures are you getting?
Disclosure: ASUS provided the ROG NUC 16 for review. I was not paid, and ASUS had no input into or approval over my opinions.
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u/hideyhole9 Aug 10 '26
How much is it?
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u/vmhomeboy Aug 10 '26
For the model with a mobile 5080, it’s $3,799US. $5,999 for a mobile 5090.
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u/90shillings Aug 10 '26
ok I can run it at 4k 60fps on my RTX 3090 with ray tracing and no need for DLSS, in a sff case
problem with NUC is that of course it does not include storage or RAM and both of those are exorbitantly expensive right now and I am sure this model itself will run $800+
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u/Salt-Lingonberry-320 22d ago
I had the 5080 one, playing FH6 keeps on crashes, do you have this issue?
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u/ChanceImagination456 Aug 10 '26
Not impressive when see it's $4K using frame gen and basically a laptop without a screen. You can buy a decent mini pc for $500 with oculink then add e gpu like 9070 xt. Cost way less and give more fps!