Asus returns with what is probably its most attractive and excessive gaming-ready mini PC yet: the WALNUT 16 PLEASE. It’s likely to come with a price tag that will likely make your wallet scream in anguish.
Intel’s NUCs, short for “Next Unit of Computing” PCs, were supposed to offer pint-sized PCs with desktop-level customization inside a premium chassis. But a combination of limited customization options and high prices is practically doomed to failure. NUC like the Intel NUC 9 Extreme (“Ghost Canyon”). So Intel delivered the NUC design to Asus in 2023. Since then, ROG NUCs have proven to be especially attractive to most gamers with limited desk space.
The ROG NUC 16 is the most powerful and console-like of the NUCs Asus has produced yet. It maintains the same basic shell as the previous NUC 15, but now includes Intel’s updated Arrow Lake CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX. It includes an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 laptop GPU (so not the larger desktop version that draws a whopping 360W of power on its own) and can be configured with up to 128GB of RAM.
And if you’re wondering how and where you can get one, Asus hasn’t provided pricing details in the US. The mini PC will start at 29,999 Chinese yuan, which is roughly equivalent to $4,420. The new white “Moonlight” version costs even more, closer to $4,490 US. Asus promised that the black version will come out this month, while the white one won’t arrive until June. Neither version has a precise release date. The previous ROG NUC 15 currently starts at $3,400 with a low-end Intel Core Ultra 7 255HX CPU, an RTX 5060 GPU, and 16GB of RAM. It costs about $5,300 for a version with a high-end Arrow Lake CPU, the RTX 5080, and just 16GB of RAM on the device.
With the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX, the ROG NUC 16 promises better performance than the ROG NUC 15 with the same RTX 5080 GPU. However, Asus’ own site shows that benchmarks like 3DMark’s “Time Spy” equaled only a 3% increase compared to the last generation. The much better performance you get will depend on the game.
He RAM apocalypse underway has rising prices of all consumer electronics. Gaming devices, which rely on more memory and storage than your average lightweight device, are taking the brunt of the damage. On paper, the ROG NUC 16 sounds attractive, but there are some missing pieces of the puzzle that Asus hasn’t implemented yet. On its store page, the different configurations of the ROG NUC 16 don’t even list the available GPU types.
The ROG NUC 16 includes an updated stand to hold the PC vertically or horizontally, with the latter acting as a stand that keeps the computer off the desk. Asus promises that you’ll get even better performance with the PC suspended than standing.
Asus is also recovering its ROG Strix Scar 18 gaming laptop by 2026. Like the ROG NUC 16, it’s also updated with the Intel Core Ultra 290HX CPU and now includes a 4K 240Hz mini full LED display. I especially appreciated the model 2025 Tool-free access panel that made it easier than ever to change RAM and SSD. Via email, an Asus spokesperson told Gizmodo that the ROG Strix Scar 18 won’t be available until the second or third quarter of this year, and will have pricing to share around the launch. like everyone gaming hardware in 2026, Don’t expect it to be cheaper than the 2025 model.
