Asus has quietly opened preorders for a new variant of its ROG NUC 16 mini PC in the US. The 3L <a href="https://comicvibe.com/gaming-desktop-and-laptop-hardware-guide-2026/” title=”Gaming Desktop and Laptop Hardware Guide 2026″>gaming-focused system first launched with an Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus and Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop GPU (curr: $3,799 on Amazon). Asus later introduced a special edition model with an RTX 5090 Laptop GPU, starting at a steep $5,999.
Now, Asus has turned to the RTX 5060 Laptop GPU and Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus for its latest configuration, bringing the starting price further down. Specifically, the new ROG NUC 16 with the Core Ultra 7 is available to pre-order on Amazon for $2,499, $1,300 less than the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus variant. Shipping is slated to begin on August 1, 2026.
ⓘ Lenovo
ⓘ Lenovo
Needless to say, the new configuration comes with a slight drop in performance compared to the higher-end options but should still be able to handle most modern games. Asus pairs the RTX 5060 and Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus with 32GB of DDR5-6400 memory and PCIe Gen 4 storage.
As covered previously, the ROG NUC 16 packs everything into a compact 3L chassis that can be positioned vertically or horizontally to suit your setup. It also supports Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 and includes a wealth of ports.
That said, we’ve only spotted the Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus version of the ROG NUC 16 in the US so far, and it’s unclear whether Asus plans to release the cheaper configuration in other markets.
ⓘ Asus
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Elvis Shida, 2026-07-29 (Update: 2026-07-29)
