Being able to stand it upright or lay it down adds to its convenience.
This mini PC’s setup is far more expensive than a similarly configured gaming laptop, though.
1.Pricing & specs2.Design & build3.Software & RGB4.Performance & thermals5.Competition6.Scorecard7.Should you buy it?
The included stand allows you to stand the ROG NUC 970 upright if desired.
Since then, ASUS has produced a few different mini PCs, including the recent gaming-focused ROG NUC 970.
Here’s how I feel after spending so much time with it.
This review was made possible thanks to a review unit provided by ASUS ROG.
The included stand allows you to stand the ROG NUC 970 upright if desired.
The company did not see the contents of this review before publishing.
The less expensive option is set to release this year and sells for$1,629.00 at B&H.
It houses an Intel Core Ultra 7-155H with RTX 4060, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD.
However, their specific specs and pricing have not been revealed as yet.
The NUC 970 also has limited upgradability compared to full gaming towers due to its compact frame.
However, part of what you’re paying for with this mini PC is its small form factor.
Two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, two USB-A 2.0 ports, an RJ45 port, a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port, an HDMI 2.1 port, and two DisplayPort 1.4a ports are found on the back of the NUC 970.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
Otherwise, it might be better to go with another option.
Is ASUS ROG NUC 970 an AI PC or a Copilot+ PC?
Currently, Copilot+ PCs are only available with Qualcomm Snapdragon X chips inside.
The front of the ASUS ROG NUC 970 features an SD card reader, two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, and a headphone jack.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
That said, it is also larger than many other mini PCs on the market.
In other words, it won’t look out of place in any setting.
This mini PC comes with a stand that holds it up vertically with a rubber grip.
The fans blow out on the bottom side of the device, which has rubber feet to raise it off of a surface when lying down.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
Something about this setup gives it a more edgy presence.
Still, I like laying it flat beneath my gaming monitor to save more desk space.
There are four rubber feet to help lift it off the desk and help the fans work efficiently.
The included stand securely holds the ROG NUC 970 in place with rubber material.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
For starters, it supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 for your wireless needs.
Then there’s a Thunderbolt 4 USB-C port on the center backside.
To the right of this are two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports and two USB-A 2.0 ports.
The ROG NUC 970 comes with a chunky 330W power adapter.
There are also two additional USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports on the front side.
It would be nice if there was at least one more USB4, though.
Then there are also two DisplayPort 1.4a ports if you’d rather use that kind of connection.
There are two empty NVMe slots available inside the NUC 970.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
If nothing else, this gives you more wiggle room when looking at thebest gaming monitors.
As such, you don’t want to do your main gaming on that connection.
Opening the ROG NUC 970 is relatively easy.
Pushing aside the switch at the top of the panel unlocks the top of the device so you can swap out the RGB panel(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
This reveals the slim ROG logo panel, from which the RGB lighting comes through.
As such, both of these programs are present on the NUC 970.
While there is a bit of overlap between the two, they each offer a different focus.
Armoury Crate is the main program for checking system performance.(Image credit: Windows Central)
An update area allows me to check for gaming-specific updates as well.
That all said, if you don’t want to use Armoury Crate you do not have to.
By default, this is set to a constant red.
Armoury Crate allows you to display games in grid view if you desire.(Image credit: Windows Central)
However, going into the Aura Sync tab of Armoury Crate allows me to choose specific effects or colors.
Some color choices are determined by the effect in place.
For instance, the Smart effect changes RGB color based on the heat of the machine.
Games can also be displayed in list view within Armoury Crate.(Image credit: Windows Central)
This RGB lighting can also be turned off completely if desired.
The RGB itself is not as vibrant as I’ve seen on some other gaming devices.
However, this also prevents the colorful lighting from being too distracting, which I personally appreciate.
MYASUS is another program that lets you check system info, adjust settings, and get assistance.(Image credit: Windows Central)
After that, it was time to have fun.
However, there was occasional stuttering and screen tearing in my sessions.
I started withDLSSSuper Resolution (Deep Learning Super Sampling) on and the non-ray tracingHigh default graphics setting selected.
You can run a system diagnosis within MYASUS.(Image credit: Windows Central)
The unit managed a very high 100.82 FPS average, but there was some choppiness at times.
Here, gameplay notably stuttered and had a lot of screen tearing.
However, the unit impressively managed to do an average of 34.86 FPS.
Spoiler alert: It’s a solid unit that can handle daily tasks and creative programs very well.
To start things off, I ran Geekbench 6, which analyzes CPU performance.
To test the CPU further, I opened Cinebench R24 and ran the CPU rendering benchmark.
An ROG symbol on the top of the NUC 970 is the only source of RGB lighting and can be customized within Armoury Crate.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
In here, the Ultra 9 earned a single-core score of 108 and a multicore score of 1,077.
The ROG NUC 970 is a solid machine that can handle daily tasks and creative programs very well.
Since this CPU features an AI-boosting NPU, I also ran Procyon benchmarks to test NPU performance.
The ROG symbol is red by default unless you change it.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
This shows that this NPU-toting processor performs well against similar CPUs.
Still, it’s a good place to be.
Satisfied with these results, I used Crossmark to check overall system performance.
The RGB ROG symbol on top of the NUC 970 can be customized in Armoury Crate to display specific effects and colors.
The result was lower than I expected.
Finally, I took a look at SSD performance by running CrystalDiskMark.
As such, this is an important aspect for game performance.
Games were a little stuttering when played on the ROG NUC 970.
However, it also earned a relatively slower write speed of only 2,582 MB/s.
Then, I pulled out my thermal camera and took thermal measurements of the rig.
The ROG NUC 970 only ever peaked at 45dB, which really isn’t that loud.
Geekbench 6 shows that the ROG NUC 970 offers solid CPU performance that we expect to see from an Intel Core Ultra 9.(Image credit: Windows Central)
However, that doesn’t mean it was pleasant.
This noise is also present during my gaming sessions.
ASUS ROG NUC 970: Competition
There aren’t many gaming-focused mini PCs on the market.
This mini PC offers graphical performance that rivals high-end gaming laptops and desktops.(Image credit: Windows Central)
But there are some competitors that are pretty similar to a gaming mini PC.
The Legion Go sells for$670.00 at Walmart.
This is a powerful gaming tower packed within a smaller frame than usual to save space.
While not the most impressive overall system performance, Crossmark shows that the NUC 970 offers solid performance overall.(Image credit: Windows Central)
There are several different configurations to choose from, ranging from RTX 30-Series to RTX 40-Series GPUs.
Meanwhile, a G22CH with an i9-14900KF and RTX 4070 sells for$2,499.99 at Best Buy.
It most certainly will be more powerful than the ROG NUC 970.
With a speedy SSD read time but a slower write time, the NUC 970 can access data and load quickly but takes a bit longer to save data.(Image credit: Windows Central)
However, this gear is currently only available in China, where it costs roughly $2,500 after conversion.
Maybe one day, this powerful mini PC will be available more broadly, but not right now.
Software
4/5 MyASUS and Armoury Crate offer plenty of helpful tools, but they could be easier to navigate.
CPU graphical rendering is decently high for this Core Ultra 9 processor.(Image credit: Windows Central)
ASUS ROG NUC 970: Should you buy it?
You should buy this if…
You should not buy this if…
However, the high cost makes it a bit of a niche machine.
When transcoding a 4K version of Tears of Steel, the ROG NUC did so in a decent amount of time.(Image credit: Windows Central)
As it is, there are laptop and desktop alternatives on the market that don’t cost this much.
It also runs Windows 11 Home while supporting both Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3.
There are also several ports to help you connect to monitors and accessories.
The hottest part of the ROG NUC is in the back near the ports where it measures in at 122 degrees F..(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
The fans do a decent job of cooling the ROG NUC down.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
The front side of the ROG NUC also gets decently warm at a peak of 105 degrees F.(Image credit: Rebecca Spear / Windows Central)
The ROG G22CH is a compact gaming desktop with several different configurations available.
ROG NUC 970 doesn’t take up a lot of room on a desk, which makes it easier to place other items nearby.
