Asus has announced its new NUC Mini PCs powered by Intel’s 200 Series processors, delivering high performance in a compact enclosure. Like the previous generation, Asus will offer two formats to suit your needs, complete with the latest connectivity.
NUC 15 Pro PCs are little powerhouses that keep a similar size and design to NUC 14 Pro. The tall version measures 117×112×54mm (W×D×H) and weighs 364.3g, while the slim stands 117×112×37mm (W×D×H) short at 357.4g. Both share identical specs, with the only difference being the optional 2280 M.2 expansion slot on the larger model.
Like many such solutions, NUC 15 Pro comes barebone, including only a CPU. In other words, you will need to add your own RAM and storage before using it. That said, some retailers may offer complete kits with all the required components. Since the installation procedure seems fairly easy and toolless, we would recommend manually choosing and installing the memory and storage you prefer. This way, you are likely to end up with faster hardware at a cheaper price.
Asus offers a selection of seven Intel CPUs, including: Core Ultra 7 265H (vPro), Core Ultra 5 235H (vPro), Core Ultra 7 255H, Core Ultra 5 225H, Core 7 240H, Core 5 210H, and Core 3 100U. The fastest of the bunch is Core Ultra 7 265H with 16 cores (six P-cores, eight E-cores, and two low-power E-cores) clocked up to 5.3GHz, followed by Core Ultra 5 235H, which sacrifices two P-cores and trims down to 5GHz. Core 3 100U is the slowest with only two P-cores and four E-cores. On the graphics side, you only get what comes integrated with your CPU, Intel Arc in the case of the Ultra models.
Depending on the CPU you choose, you have the option to fill these Mini PCs with up to 2x48GB of SO-DIMM DDR5-5600 or 2x48GB of CSO-DIMM DDR5-6400. CSO-DIMM is equivalent to CUDIMMs on desktops as they feature a clock driver which stabilises frequency and allows higher performance. For storage, Asus provides two Gen 4 M.2 slots, capable of housing up to 2TB NVMe SSDs.
For I/O you get one 20Gbps USB 3.2 Type-C and two 10Gbps USB 3.2 Type-A in the front, complemented with two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two HDMI 2.1, one 10Gbps USB 3.2, one USB 2.0, and a LAN port on the rear. Wireless connectivity is also nice, comprised of WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4. Lastly, power is provided by an external brick.
NUC 15 Pro Mini-PCs start at £406.80, powered by a Core 3 100U CPU, reaching up to £994.80 for a unit housing a Core Ultra 7 265H chip. Not cheap by any means, but you pay for compact.
