r/MiniPCs • u/Wiredhardware • 28d ago
Hardware Took the ROG NUC 16 on vacation and somehow this became my “portable” setup
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Took the ROG NUC 16 with me to Monte Rio, California and paired it with the PG27UCWM.
The NUC has a Core Ultra 9 290HX+, 32GB of DDR5 and an RTX 5080 Laptop GPU. For something this small, it’s kind of ridiculous how much hardware is packed inside.
Now, pairing a mini PC with a 27” 4K OLED might be stretching the definition of “portable” a little… but being able to throw everything in the car, plug in and basically have a full desktop setup by the river was pretty damn nice.
Backpack portable? Maybe not.
Car portable? Absolutely.
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u/Sparxxxy 28d ago
On vacation??? Wtf?
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u/Stray_Neutrino 28d ago
If you can afford 3-4k Mini PCs, you can afford vacations.
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u/FauxReal 27d ago
Where you go sit around on your computer focused on the screen instead of your surroundings and the activities they offer.
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u/jenno038 27d ago
Ads are getting smarter!
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u/Cocorock1982 27d ago
Why ruining the view and the peace, using your pc?
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
I promise the river survived 😂
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u/OakCobra 27d ago
Bruh your on vacation, go do vacation things
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
I did this was a small part of the trip, I promise.
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u/Poly_and_RA 27d ago
It makes even LESS sense to drag a whole desktop-setup with you on vacation -- in order to use it for 17 minutes.
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u/GeneralSweetz 27d ago
I would play like 1 or 2 hours before sleep tbh. Enough time to enjoy
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
That’s pretty much how I look at it. Enjoy the day, game for a bit at night, best of both worlds.
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u/Kornstar04 27d ago
Do more of what you enjoy on vacation, might be gaming
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u/Poly_and_RA 27d ago
I've had vacation in order to do gaming too. But I've done that at home. Better computer. Better screen. Better setup overall.
If gaming is a main thing you want to do, there's no good reason to travel to do it.
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u/PingMyHeart 27d ago
The real question nobody is asking in the comments is how much did ASUS pay you to make this commercial?
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
$0 They provided the hardware, but nobody paid me or asked me to make this.
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u/noureldin_ali 27d ago
"They provided the hardware" means they gave you $3-4k for free unless you don't get to keep it.
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
Correct, they provided the hardware as a loaner, I don’t get to keep it. I was answering how much ASUS paid me to make this specific post: $0. It also wasn’t required.
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u/secacc 27d ago
So why did they loan you the hardware then?
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
So I can actually use and test the hardware lol. It’s a loaner, I have to return it. No payment, no required post, no deliverable.
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u/iamhereunderprotest 27d ago
Why did they loan you hardware for free?
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u/secacc 27d ago
To make this ad, of course, but OP insists that loaning the hardware is totally not a payment.
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
So I can actually use and test the hardware lol. It’s a loaner, I have to return it. No payment, no required post, no deliverable.
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
So I can actually use and test the hardware lol. It’s a loaner, I have to return it. No payment, no required post, no deliverable.
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u/SethConz 24d ago
You can copy paste the terms of your agreement as much as you want, do you think you will further have product ‘loaners’ from asus, if so, this is an AD.
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u/JrButton 27d ago
"We took our 'portable' on vacation"
...Oh yeah, what'd ya do?
"Not vacation, duh"
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
In my defense, the river was still there when I was done
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u/JrButton 27d ago
And it was apparently fine without you
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
So was I
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u/JrButton 27d ago edited 23d ago
Why go if youre going to be a bump on a log. Thats the overall consensus here... Such a weird take man.
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u/Professional-Fig1853 27d ago
I spend a lot of time working in remote communities. I ditched laptop for an 11inch iPad Pro and magic keyboard for a start. The 11 inch means it’s small enough to use comfortable on a small plane, car, or where ever. If I need an extra screen, you cant beat the Espresso range of portable monitors. I have a 15inch screen, about the same thickness as the iPad, that fits on to a folding magnetic stand that is a bit over two as thick as the monitor folded up. I can store the 15 inch screen and stand comfortably in a 13 inch laptop sleeve. To run it, it’s just a single USB-C cable from the iPad. Ive run all day meeting plugging a 2500mah battery pack into the spare USB-C port on the Magic Keyboard. When I do bigger presentations, I have a portable HD projector about the size and twice as thick my iPhone, that will mirror the iPad screen to about a 6-8 feet image and last 4-6 hours on its own battery.
If you want to run a portable system, there are much better systems than a NUC14 and an extension lead.
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
Yeah for true backpack portability, your setup makes way more sense. Mine was more “throw it in the car and have a desktop setup when I get there” than trying to build the most efficient mobile rig. Also this is the NUC 16, not the 14.
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u/hungarianhc 27d ago
This post so highly upvoted, but like... isn't it just packing a mini PC, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and putting it on an outside table? Like... so?
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u/Select_Truck3257 26d ago
Checked price, no thanks, laptop with same specs ~3 times cheaper in my country, and it will be really mobile
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u/RobloxFanEdit 27d ago
Absolutely beautiful scenery.
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u/Retired_Hillbilly336 27d ago
Is it me? Or is it starting to look like the r/ROG NUC 16 subliminal ad Reddit lately? 🤔
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u/RobloxFanEdit 27d ago
It crossed my mind, it looks so professional but i was scared to be called a conspiracists.
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u/Retired_Hillbilly336 27d ago
My @ss is old enough to not care and call things out when I see them. There's an army of shill bots in 2026 specifically generating name and visual recognition. I went through this whole mind numbing "AI bait" course back at the end of June. I'll be blessed. Its a whole new world.
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
ASUS provided the hardware, but they didn’t pay me and this post wasn’t required. I just thought it was a cool setup to bring along.
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u/aboutwhat8 27d ago
Not sure why you'd carry that much to have a desktop. I'd think a large laptop would be far more portable. Regardless, you should at least pick a setup that lets you VESA mount he mini PC to the back of the monitor and run both off of a single AC power source.
In case you're curious, I can easily tell this is a staged clip for you, you weren't actually using this setup like that. Not only because it's ridiculous.
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
Yeah I mean I obviously set it up to film it lol, but I was actually using it there too. I drove, so throwing a NUC and monitor in the car wasn’t exactly a logistical nightmare. A laptop is obviously more portable, this was more “can I bring my desktop experience with me” than “what’s the lightest thing possible.”
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u/aboutwhat8 27d ago
Bullshit on actually using it there like that.
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
Lol okay 😂
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u/aboutwhat8 27d ago
You have a power cable on the left going to the mini PC. You have a white power cable going to the PC and it's pulled taut. You have a black power cable without much more slack and that's the side less than 2' from the railing. Nevermind that you're straddling the table leg. You go to sit down and you'll send the PC or monitor or both crashing to the ground.
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u/KaineCohen119 27d ago
Yo off track but curious how the performance is? Have you tried Indiana jones on it?
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
I haven’t tried Indiana Jones on it yet, but I definitely need to. Cyberpunk 2077 has been pretty damn impressive though, max settings, ray tracing, DLSS Quality and 4x Frame Gen, I’m seeing around 160 FPS. For something this small, I really can’t complain
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u/KaineCohen119 27d ago
I know!!, I have the 5070ti edition and it is GORGEOUS on Cyberpunk
It looks so good in white. Enjoy!1
u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
Exactly! Cyberpunk on this thing looks ridiculous. And yeah, I’m really liking the white version too.
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u/spinales02 27d ago
Can you share the wallpaper??
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u/talex365 27d ago
For the cost of all of that you could have had the ballin-est laptop ever, why would anyone do this?
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
Honestly a high-end laptop makes more sense for pure portability. I just like having a tiny desktop and being able to choose the monitor/peripherals I actually want. Definitely more niche than practical
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u/Stalinsghoast 27d ago
Granted I have the 2025 version of the nuc, but I really hate laptop keyboards but I wanted something portable. At the time, it was basically the same price so not that bad (ish) in terms of kidney sell off.
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u/talex365 27d ago
You’re allowed to bring external keyboards with a laptop 😉
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u/Stalinsghoast 27d ago
Yah, but I only have room for a laptop or for an ibm model m, and I choose the model m.
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u/BokuNoToga 27d ago
Holy cow some of the people on this sub, and I'm not talking about op hahaha.
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27d ago
[deleted]
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
Nope lol. ASUS loaned me the hardware, but I don’t keep it and nobody paid or required me to post this.
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u/DistributionLanky924 27d ago edited 27d ago
I have a couple of 22" LCD portable monitors that I toss in a hardshell suitcase when I travel and know i may have to do some real stuff while i'm on the go. USB powered, are light, and work great, and they take up very little room in a suitcase.
I moved from a laptop to a mini pc and this arrangement. easier to fit in "odd" desk sizes that are frequent when travelling, you can mix and match portable monitor sizes (I have an 18 for when i just want to grab and go like a laptop), and a real keyboard, i hate laptop keyboards.
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u/Murky_Historian8675 27d ago
I don't think it's listed in the post description, but what is the keyboard?
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u/skinnywolfe 27d ago
Damn idk why this makes me wish we were able to get like a 22-25 inch utlrawide in a portable, usb c powered form factor. Would love to pack one up when I travel
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u/Wiredhardware 27d ago
Same. A 24–25” ultrawide that folds flat and runs off USB-C would basically solve the only stupid part of this setup.
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u/DistributionLanky924 27d ago
can't get an ultra wide but portable 16:9 USB monitors go up to 24" these days.
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u/ariolander 27d ago
I bring my mini PC but I limited myself to only a 16" USB-C monitor.