ASUS NUC 15 Pro RNUC15CRKV50000U Black 2025

The ASUS NUC 15 Pro Slim is a compact barebone mini PC with a 14-core Intel Core Ultra 5 235H processor and excellent port selection including Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 7. It's great for productivity and developer work, but the integrated graphics make it a poor choice for gaming. You'll need to add your own RAM, storage, and OS, which pushes the real cost well past the $789 to $838 USD starting price.

The Core Ultra 5 235H is a 14-core chip with a 2.4GHz base clock, and it sits in the 66th percentile for CPU performance among all products in our database. That's solidly middle of the pack, nothing earth-shattering, but plenty for the kind of work this machine is built for. The 32GB of DDR5 RAM in the config we looked at ranks in the 91st percentile, which is one of the best memory setups you'll find in a mini PC right now. That's a big deal for developers running containers, VMs, or just a stupid number of browser tabs.

Storage comes in at the 60th percentile with a 1TB SSD, and the integrated Arc 140T graphics land at the 58th percentile. Again, fine for productivity, not a gaming card. The port selection is where this thing shines, hitting the 89th percentile. You get Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort, three USB-C ports, four USB-A ports, dual HDMI, 2.5G Ethernet, and Wi-Fi 7. That's more connectivity than some full-size desktops we've tested.

Compared to something like the Apple Mac Studio M4 Max, the NUC 15 Pro is in a completely different league. The Mac Studio absolutely crushes it in GPU performance and raw compute, but it also costs several times more. The NUC is really competing with other compact Windows machines and budget-friendly mini PCs. The Lenovo Legion Tower 5a Gen 10 and HP OMEN GT16-0364 are full-size gaming desktops that will run circles around the NUC in games, but they're also much bigger and draw way more power.

The Dell Tower ECT1250 and Acer Nitro N60-180-UB33 are closer in spirit, but again, they're traditional towers. If you need a tiny machine with tons of ports and don't care about gaming, the NUC 15 Pro is a solid pick. If you want to play games or need serious GPU horsepower, look elsewhere.

Value is tricky here because the $789 to $838 USD price tag is just the starting point. By the time you add 32GB of DDR5, a 1TB SSD, and a Windows license, you're probably looking at $1,100 to $1,200 USD all-in. At that point, you're competing with pre-built mini PCs and even some compact desktops that come ready to go. The NUC 15 Pro makes sense if you already have spare parts or you specifically want to choose every component yourself. Otherwise, the total cost of ownership feels a bit high for what you get.

The ASUS NUC 15 Pro Slim is a barebone mini PC that sits in a weird but interesting spot. You're looking at roughly $789 to $838 USD for the kit, and that gets you the chassis, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235H processor, and the motherboard. You still need to bring your own RAM, storage, and operating system. It's not a plug-and-play desktop, but for people who like picking their own parts, that's kind of the point.

This little box is aimed squarely at compact productivity and developer work. Our database puts it at 76.1 out of 100 for compact use and 70 for developer tasks. The 14-core Core Ultra 5 235H with integrated Arc 140T graphics handles everyday multitasking, coding, and light creative work without breaking a sweat. And with Wi-Fi 7, Thunderbolt 4, and a pile of USB ports, it's built to disappear behind a monitor or under a desk.

Is the ASUS NUC 15 Pro good for gaming? Not really. The gaming score lands at a rough 15.1 out of 100, which is about what you'd expect from integrated graphics. It'll run older titles and indie games fine, but don't expect to play anything modern at decent settings. This is a work machine first.

Skip the ASUS NUC 15 Pro if you want to play modern games, since the integrated graphics are a hard bottleneck. Also skip it if you want a ready-to-use desktop out of the box, because you'll need to source RAM, storage, and an OS yourself. If you're on a tight budget, the total cost after adding parts might push you toward a pre-built mini PC or a compact desktop like the Acer Nitro N60-180-UB33 instead.

Should you buy the ASUS NUC 15 Pro Slim? If you're a developer or productivity user who wants a compact, customizable machine with excellent connectivity, yes. The port selection alone is a huge selling point, and the 32GB RAM ceiling means it'll handle heavy multitasking for years. The tool-less chassis is a nice touch for tinkerers.

But if you're looking for a gaming PC or a simple plug-and-play desktop, this isn't it. The integrated graphics are a hard ceiling, and the barebone nature means you're doing assembly and OS installation yourself. For the right person, it's a great little workhorse. For everyone else, there are better options.