I tried the Asus ROG NUC 970 and it’s the mini gaming PC I’ve always wanted

The Asus ROG NUC 970 is a powerful, gaming-focused mini PC in a unique chassis that allows it to be used in either a vertical or horizontal orientation. There’s a nice selection of rear ports with support for up to four 4K monitors, and you can easily add more storage thanks to the two free M.2 slots or upgrade its RAM.

After acquiring the rights to Intel’s Next Unit of Compute (NUC) line of mini PCs last year, Asus is now making its own NUC devices. The ROG NUC 970 is its first NUC mini PC for gaming and it comes equipped with an Intel Core Ultra processor and a Nvidia laptop GPU due to size limitations. Even with a tiny 2.5-liter chassis though, it packs a punch performance-wise while remaining both cool and quiet.

The ROG NUC 970 does come at a premium price compared to other mini PCs. However, this is because it sports a unique design, has Asus’ Republic of Gamers (ROG) branding and of course, its discrete GPU. Our Asus ROG NUC 970 review will help you decide if the extra cost is worth it and whether or not this is the best mini PC for your needs.

Asus ROG NUC 970: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A gaming-focused mini PC with an Intel CPU and a discrete laptop GPU from Nvidia.
• Who is it for? Gamers who are short on space that need a powerful gaming PC but don’t want to build their own.
• What does it cost? The base model of the ROG NUC 970 costs $1,629 while the more powerful version with a better CPU and GPU costs $2,199.
• What do we like? Its small size, that it can be used in a vertical or horizontal orientation, the included stand, the front and rear port selection, the extra M.2 SSD slots and its 1440p gaming performance.
• What don’t we like? The premium price is too high for what you get specs-wise, and it comes with Wi-Fi 6E and not Wi-Fi 7.

Asus ROG NUC 970: Specs

Asus ROG NUC 970: The ups

The Asus ROG NUC 970 is one of the most powerful mini PCs I’ve tested yet and its performance is on par with the best gaming laptops. Its unique design and customizable RGB backlit panel help it stand out from the crowd and while you can’t upgrade its CPU or GPU, you can add more storage or swap out its RAM.

A portable powerhouse 

At 10.62 x 7.09 x 2.36 inches, the ROG NUC 970 is on the larger side for a mini PC but much smaller than a gaming desktop. Size-wise, it’s quite similar to the Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT but instead of using an AMD CPU and GPU, it ships with an Intel Core Ultra processor and either a Nvidia RTX 4060 or 4070 laptop GPU. These are paired with 16GB or 32GB of DDR5 RAM and a 512GB or 1TB SSD.

On the front of the ROG NUC 970, there are two USB-A ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack and an SD card reader but no USB-C port. Around back though, there are four USB Type-A ports, a Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort 2.1, an HDMI 2.1 port, two DisplayPort 1.4a connections, a 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port and a power connector. The ROG NUC 970 can drive four of the best monitors at a 4K resolution, which makes it a great choice for creatives as well as gamers.

Although this mini PC was designed with gaming in mind, it offers exceptional performance for work-related tasks too. I was able to have dozens of Chrome tabs open simultaneously and multitasking on the ROG NUC 970 felt quite snappy in Windows 11. There also wasn’t a lot of pre-installed software either.

When it came to gaming on the ROG NUC 970, frame rates at 1080p with all the settings turned up were around 100 fps in older titles like Grand Theft Auto V and Borderlands 3. Meanwhile, more demanding titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 hit a solid 60 fps with medium settings at 1080p. You can easily push the ROG NUC 970 to 1440p too, though we tested it at 1080p and 4k. 

The device remained cool and quiet throughout my play sessions but unlike with the AceMagic F2A mini PC, you can control fan speed using Asus’ Armory Crate software.
 

Ready for any setup

The ROG NUC 970 comes with a stand to use it in a vertical orientation, which is ideal if you have a desk setup without a lot of space. This also lets you show off the backlit RGB Republic of Gamers logo. You can customize its color and lighting effects in Armory Crate but Asus also includes additional plastic inserts so that you can swap in your own logo too.

If you have the space or want to put the ROG NUC 970 under your monitor like I ended up doing, you can lay the device on its side in a horizontal orientation. There are rubber feet on the bottom to ensure it gets enough airflow to keep its internals cool, and the ROG logo on the front is more prominent this way.

Small but still expandable

Before I added the ROG NUC 970 to my desk setup, I opened it up to take a look at the components inside. There’s a locking mechanism at the back that lets you slide its case off, and when open a single cable for the RGB backlight holds the two pieces together.

Opening the ROG NUC 970 lets you swap in a new plastic insert for the RGB backlit panel but you can also upgrade its RAM or add more storage. I was surprised when I found not one but two spare M.2 SSD slots. By adding two extra SSDs, you’ll have more than enough storage space for all of the best Steam games.

Asus ROG NUC 970: The downs

The Asus ROG NUC 970 sets itself apart from other mini PCs with its powerful internals and unique design. However there are some downsides you need to be aware of, including its premium price and 4K gaming performance.

Not quite 4K ready

With the higher specced version of the ROG NUC 970 that features a Nvidia RTX 4070 laptop GPU, you’re not going to have any problems running modern titles at 1080p or 1440p with all of the settings turned up. However, if you were hoping for a pint-sized, 4K-capable mini gaming PC, you might need to lower your expectations.

Instead of a solid 60 fps, in our benchmark testing we found that many games run at a lower but still playable 30 fps. For instance, Shadow of the Tomb Raider ran at 34 fps and Total War: Warhammer III ran at 30 fps in 4K. 

As the ROG NUC 970 is using one of the latest Nvidia laptop GPUs though, you do have the option to use upscaling tech like DLSS to eke out a few more frames here and there though. In my experience, this mini PC is great for playing games at your desk on a 1080p or 1440p monitor but isn’t quite powerful enough that you can hook it up to one of the best 4K TVs in your living room. 

Paying a premium for portability

When compared to a gaming laptop or building your own PC, paying over $2,000 for the higher end configuration of the ROG NUC 970 may seem silly to some. However, in this case, you’re paying more for portability and aesthetics. The ROG NUC 970 is small enough to fit in a backpack at 5.7 pounds and when paired with a portable monitor, it could be the perfect mini PC for gaming on the go.

The ROG branding and gamer-centric design is another reason for this mini PC’s higher price. I do like how it looks on my desk a bit more than the Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT which features a similar RGB backlit panel. However, you can’t control its lighting and instead of a Minisform or an AtomMan logo, it features an anime-inspired graphic.

Asus ROG NUC 970: Verdict

Just like with other mini PCs, the ROG NUC 970 won’t be for everyone. However, if you’re looking for a gaming-focused mini PC that can be used vertically or horizontally and are short on space, it just might be for you. While a USB-C port on the front would have been nice, the rear I/O more than makes up for this, especially if you plan on using it with multiple monitors. There’s also some upgradability and you can add more storage or swap out its RAM.

The ROG NUC 970 is priced like a gaming laptop without the screen and keyboard but for mini PC enthusiasts like myself, this is exactly the kind of device we’ve been waiting for.