It looks like a NUC, it smells like a NUC, but this is not a NUC: Asus ditches the Intel naming for new AMD-powered mini PC, but restricts its GPU choice

If you've been wanting a mini PC refresh with the latest Nvidia Blackwell tech, Asus' popular NUC line is back again, except not really, or only kind of, because although the latest mini PC looks a heck of a lot like a NUC, it's dropped the NUC name, likely given that it's rocking AMD silicon.

Asus has just announced the ROG GR70 mini PC, which stands upright and sort of looks like a small PS5. However, it is packed with a lot more power, with the processor choice of a Ryzen 9 9955HX3D, Ryzen 9 9955HX, or Ryzen 9 8940HX.

NUC or Next Unit of Computing was a specific form of small form factor computer kits that was originally released by Intel back in 2013 (though it was shown off a year prior). In 2023, Asus took over the NUC product line and started creating mini PCs alongside Intel parts.

Dropping the NUC name here is presumably a choice made due to the AMD CPU the GR70 is packing. Asus isn't dropping the NUC branding entirely, however, as the Intel-powered 2025 version of the ROG NUC, using the exact same chassis design, has been around since the summer. Though the Intel machines will allow you to choose up to an RTX 5080 mobile GPU for your mini marvel.

On the AMD side, you can get the GR70 with either an RTX 5060 or RTX 5070. Notably, the GPU choices are the mobile versions and are locked to the CPU choice. You can pick the RTX 5060 with the 8940HX and the RTX 5070 for the other two.

There are other customisation options, with the mini PC going up to 96 GB of DDR5 memory, and up to 2 TB of SSD storage. The front IO comes with one USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 port and two USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, alongside an audio jack and power button.

Then, the rear IO has one USB 4 Type-C port, four USB Type-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, two HDMI ports, two Display ports, and an Ethernet port. For a machine that's just 282.4 x 187.7 x 56.5 mm, it has a healthy smattering of ports.

The Asus website claims the new GR70 has a "DIY-friendly design", with a single thumbscrew getting you access to the internals. The memory and SSD can be swapped out without any tools.

The choice to go with a mobile GPU not only means it's less upgradable, but also less powerful. A standard RTX 5070 that you pop into a rig will outperform the mobile RTX 5070, so consider the mini PC's performance closer to a laptop boasting the same specs than a full-on rig. This does, however, allow Asus to optimise space and fine-tune the experience a little. Asus claims that the ROG QuietFlow cooling in the "sub-three-litre chassis" allows it to keep "temperatures cool while also keeping operating noise at a minimum."

We don't yet have confirmed pricing on this range of mini PCs. That being said, we do have pricing in China, with the RTX 5070 / 9955HX3D version with 32 GB of RAM coming in at 14,999 Chinese Yuan. This roughly works out to around $2,100.

If you don't mind a standard-sized rig, $1,700 will get a Ryzen 7 9800X3D setup with either an RTX 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT, 2 TB Gen 3 SSD, and 32 GB of DDR5 RAM. Naturally, we expect somewhat of a price premium for a small bespoke mini PC like those Asus provides, but we're still waiting on American pricing. The very console-like design of the GR70 certainly appeals to me, and we are big fans of the NUC 970 that Asus launched last year. Here's hoping the NUC name is the only thing Asus dropped when it comes to this mini PC.