While Intel stepped back from producing Intel NUCs, ASUS took over the business and continues to innovate in this space, offering powerful and compact solutions for users who need a small PC without sacrificing speed or advanced features. In this review, I’ll be looking at the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI, a mini PC designed to handle both demanding everyday tasks and specialized artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. If you’re searching for such a compact computer, you may be wondering whether the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI is the right choice for you. Read on to find out what to expect:
NOTE: ASUS offers several versions of the NUC 14 Pro AI, each with different hardware specifications. This review focuses on the configuration featuring the high-end Intel Core Ultra 9-288V processor with AI acceleration. If you need detailed information about the other configurations available, check out this webpage: ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI.
Introducing the new ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI
ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI: Who is it good for?
This small yet powerful computer is an excellent choice for:
- People and companies who need mini PCs with high-end Intel processors and built-in AI acceleration
- Professionals who prefer a compact design without compromising on performance
- Anyone looking for fast connectivity, including Wi-Fi 7, Thunderbolt 4, and Bluetooth 5.4
Pros and cons
Here’s what stands out about the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI:
- Compact size and robust case
- Impressive performance in CPU-intensive and AI-related tasks
- Surprisingly powerful Intel Arc graphics unit
- Plenty of ports, including Thunderbolt 4 and multiple USB options
- Fast 2.5 Gbps Ethernet and Wi-Fi 7
- Built-in speaker and microphone
- Meets Copilot+ requirements and it works great with it
- Low power draw
There are some cons too:
- Premium pricing compared to some competing mini PCs
- The fan gets noticeably louder under demanding workloads
Verdict
The ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI is a powerful and compact mini PC designed for those who need robust performance and AI-specific abilities. Its minimalist yet functional exterior, competitive computing power, and generous connectivity features make it an appealing choice for work, entertainment, and also specialized AI tasks. The main downside is its price, which is quite high. Nonetheless, if your priority is a compact form factor that can also handle AI workloads and resource-intensive applications, the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI is definitely worth taking a look at.
Unboxing the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI
The ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI arrives in a compact, white box that is larger than the packaging of some other mini PCs but still considerably smaller than that of a typical desktop computer.
The packaging for the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI looks great
Inside, you find the mini PC itself, a VESA mount, an AC adapter, a power cord, several screws, a user guide, and the usual safety and regulatory documents.
Inside, you get everything you need to set up the mini PC
Overall, unboxing the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI is a straightforward and pleasant experience, with a neat presentation that quickly lets you get to the main device.
Design and hardware specifications
The ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI features a minimalist style. Its black case has a functional, business-oriented design, and it’s very compact at roughly 130 x 130 x 34 mm in length, width, and height, weighing about 500 grams.
The front of the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI
The chassis is mostly plastic, except for a metal lid that you can remove on the bottom. ASUS states that the NUC 14 Pro AI meets the military-grade MIL-STD-810H standard for toughness. It also has plenty of vents along the sides to help with cooling, although the fan noise becomes more noticeable if the system runs heavy operations.
The sides are filled with perforations for cooling
On top, you’ll find the ASUS NUC logo with a subtle pattern. In the opposite corner, there’s a fingerprint sensor you can use to sign in to Windows 11, as it supports Windows Hello. For those of you who want to use this login method, here’s how to enable and use fingerprint authentication in Windows 11. On the front, there’s the power button, a headphone jack, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) ports, a Thunderbolt 4 port, and a dedicated Copilot button.
On top, the mini PC features a subtle design and a fingerprint reader
The back panel includes the power jack, a 2.5G Ethernet port, another Thunderbolt 4 port, an HDMI 2.1 port, and two USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) ports.
The back is home to a series of useful ports
ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI is powered by an Intel Core Ultra processor, which has an AI accelerator (NPU, Neural Processing Unit) built right into it. This makes tasks like image recognition and certain machine learning operations smoother than on systems that only rely on standard integrated graphics. Depending on what you want and where you get it, ASUS offers various Intel Core Ultra processors for this mini PC. The sample I tested was equipped with the most powerful option, an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V. The chip comes with four performance cores (P-cores) and four efficient cores (E-cores), a base clock of 3.3 GHz, and a boost clock of 5.1 GHz.
The sample unit runs on an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V CPU
Alongside, there’s 32GB of LPDDR5-8533 memory that’s soldered directly on the processor die, together with the NPU (Neural Processing Unit) and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The chipset’s NPU has a processing capacity of 48 TOPS (Trillions of Operations Per Second), and the graphics unit is an Intel Arc Graphics 140V based on the excellent Battlemage architecture.
The GPU is an Intel Arc 140V
Storage is accessible via the bottom panel, which you can slide out by pulling a simple lock. The M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen 4 x4 SSD in my review sample was an Western Digital PC SN5000S with a total capacity of 1 TB. However, know that you can configure the mini PC to have anywhere between 256 GB and 4 TB. On the other hand, you might also be interested in knowing that no extra slots are available.
Take the bottom plate out to see the SSD and the Wi-Fi card
For networking, it includes a 2.5G Intel Ethernet Controller I226-V for wired connections, an Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE201 module for high-speed wireless, and Bluetooth 5.4 for easy pairing.
The mini PC features a fast Wi-Fi 7 card
The external power adapter is rated at 120 Watts, which easily meets the CPU’s power needs even during heavy tasks.
The power adapter has a 120W output rating
That’s probably enough technical talk, right? If you’d like more details, they’re listed here: ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI Tech Specs.
Overall, the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI combines a relatively utilitarian design with robust hardware, making it an option to consider for anyone who needs to perform demanding workloads, including those requiring top-notch AI performance.
Using the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI
My real-life experience with the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI was, simply put, excellent. One of the first things worth noting is that the mini PC performs almost any daily standard task easily. Whether I was browsing the web, typing documents, or watching high-quality videos, the system ran great and responded quickly. Loading virtual machines for my work was just as smooth.
Working on the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI was an excellent experience
The only downside I found was the fan noise when the processor works really hard. In normal use, it’s almost silent, but it does get louder if you’re pushing it with AI tasks or other demanding workloads. This is normal for such a compact yet powerful device, but it’s worth noting if you need a very quiet system.
On the other hand, my Topdon TC001 thermal imaging camera showed that the fan inside the mini PC does a pretty good job, all things considered. The NUC heats up a bit more towards the back, up to a maximum of about 45 degrees Celsius (113°F), which isn’t worrisome. Take a look for yourself at the picture below and keep in mind that it’s captured while running Prime95 to stress the mini PC to the max.
The mini PC is kept relatively cool by the (relatively noisy) fan
I was also pleasantly surprised by how potent the graphics unit is. Even though I had to use lower visual settings, I was able to play demanding games like Star Wars Outlaws or Total War Warhammer III at 1080p resolution with frame rates above 30 fps. Less demanding games will run even better, obviously. Still, this isn’t a device made for gaming, so if you want top-end visuals, you should probably look for a different setup with a dedicated GPU.
You can even play demanding games on the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI
That being said, I’d also like to tell you a bit about…
The Copilot+ PC experience on the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI
One of the main reasons this mini PC makes everyday work easier is its AI prowess. The ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI is a Copilot+ PC, featuring built-in AI hardware. This means that AI-powered tasks are performed directly on the device, rather than relying exclusively on cloud-based processing. The Microsoft Copilot+ branding tells you right from the start that you’re looking at a device with a powerful neural processing unit built-in.
For instance, in my case, the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI being a Copilot+ PC made it quite fast at summarizing documents and web pages. This somewhat helps me speed up certain daily tasks related to what I do, which is writing.
Using Copilot to summarize a webpage from Digital Citizen
Copilot+ features like getting real-time translations in video calls or movies and drawing images with Cocreator were quite helpful in my daily workflow. Just like in the screenshot below, where I was watching a review about the new Dacia Duster 3 and found it easier to also read what the presenter was saying, not just listen to him. Depending on your field of work and/or interests, such AI tools can save time and let you focus on more important things.
I find AI-powered live translations to be very useful
There’s one thing however, that I had trouble with, and that was getting the dedicated Copilot button on the front of the mini PC to work. No matter what I tried, it didn’t seem to launch or do anything. It’s possible that a future software update or some extra setup step is needed. There may even be a fault in the sample unit I tested. Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with this button.
The Copilot button is useful in theory but didn’t work for me
Overall, using the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI feels both smooth and efficient for daily tasks. The device’s power, combined with Copilot+ features, makes it a good choice for people who want an easy-to-set-up system that can handle a variety of workloads. The fan can get a bit loud, and the Copilot button may need further support, but the overall experience remains good, especially if you appreciate compact design and an AI boost for your day-to-day work.
Performance in benchmarks
Let’s see how the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI performs in benchmarks. For a clearer picture, I’ll compare the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI with other compact devices we tested here, at Digital Citizen, such as the ASUS NUC 14 PRO+ that I reviewed last year and laptops like the ASUS VivoBook S 15, ASUS ZenBook S 16, and ASUS ZenBook S 14.
First, I measured the system’s boot time, and the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI takes 23 seconds to load the Windows 11 desktop, making it the slowest of the tested devices. In comparison, the ASUS NUC 14 PRO+ boots in 17 seconds, the ASUS ZenBook S 16 and ASUS ZenBook S 14 both boot in 22 seconds, and the ASUS VivoBook S 15 is the fastest with 16 seconds.
Boot times measured with BootRacer
Next, I benchmarked the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI using CPU-Z. In the Single Thread test, its Intel Core Ultra 9 288V processor was about 1% faster than the ASUS NUC 14 PRO+ and 15% ahead of the ZenBook S 16, while outperforming the ZenBook S 14 by 3.5%. The VivoBook S 15, however, lagged behind by 50%.
Benchmark results in CPU-Z Single Thread
However, in CPU-Z’s Multi-Thread test, the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI performed 44% lower than the ASUS NUC 14 PRO+, while being only 1% behind the ZenBook S 14. The VivoBook S 15 outperformed it by 10%, whereas the ZenBook S 16 trailed 5% behind. These results place the NUC 14 Pro AI in a mid-tier position among the tested devices.
Benchmark results in CPU-Z Multi Thread
I then used Cinebench 2024 to measure rendering speed. The ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI was 34% slower than the ASUS NUC 14 PRO+, 25% behind the VivoBook S 15, and 11% behind the ZenBook S 16. The ZenBook S 14 was the last of the pack, scoring almost 32% less than the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI.
Benchmark results in Cinebench 2024
Using 7-Zip, I tested file compression speeds. The ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI was 41% slower than the ASUS NUC 14 PRO+, 39% behind the ZenBook S 16, and 29% slower than the VivoBook S 15. The ZenBook S 14, however, was 11% slower than the NUC 14 Pro AI.
Compression speed in 7-Zip
In the decompression test, the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI was 47% slower than the ASUS NUC 14 PRO+ and 45% behind the ZenBook S 16. The VivoBook S 15 outperformed it by 39%, while the ZenBook S 14 trailed 14% behind.
Decompression speed in 7-Zip
PCMark 10, which evaluates system performance in daily activities like web browsing, video conferencing, and digital content creation, showed no difference between the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI and the ASUS NUC 14 PRO+. The ZenBook S 16 performed 3% better, while the ZenBook S 14 trailed 5% behind.
Benchmark results in PCMark 10
For internet browsing performance, I used the JetStream 2 benchmark in Google Chrome. The ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI outperformed all the other devices: the ASUS NUC 14 PRO+ by 21% and the ZenBook S 16 by 11%. The ZenBook S 14 was 17% slower, while the VivoBook S 15 lagged 30% behind.
Benchmark results in JetStream 2
Although the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI is not designed for gaming, I tested its Intel Arc Graphics GPU with 3DMark’s Time Spy benchmark. It was the best of the bunch and performed 16% better than the ASUS NUC 14 PRO+, got 55% more than the ZenBook S 16 and 35% more than the ZenBook S 14.
Gaming benchmark results in 3DMark Time Spy
Regarding temperatures, the Intel Core Ultra 9 288V processor in the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI ran at a maximum of 75 degrees Celsius while using Prime95, which is great, especially compared to the VivoBook S 15 that got to 97 degrees, or the ASUS NUC 14 PRO+ that reached a worryingly 101 degrees Celsius.
CPU maximum temperature recordings
The ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI is quite efficient in terms of power consumption, consuming only 57 Watts, almost 61% less power than the ASUS NUC 14 Pro+ (146 watts) under load. This makes it an excellent choice for users and companies looking for an excellent balance between performance and energy efficiency.
Wall power draw in full load
The results I got in benchmarks show that the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI delivers an impressive combination of speed and efficiency, proving that it’s well-suited for a wide range of work tasks and applications. While it’s not necessarily the fastest mini PC you can buy, it’s clearly one of the most energy efficient while delivering balanced performance that is going to please most users.
What’s your opinion about the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI?
I hope you enjoyed this lengthy review and all the tests and measurements I’ve performed. Now that you know what the ASUS NUC 14 Pro AI offers and how it performs in benchmarks and real-life tasks, how do you feel about it? Do you consider it a good choice for your needs? Is it worth the investment, or are you looking at other options with a lower price? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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