ASUS NUC 14 Pro NUC14RVHv7 Black 2024

The ASUS NUC 14 Pro is a tiny productivity workhorse with best-in-class ports and easy upgrades, but it's a barebone kit, so you'll need to add RAM, storage, and an OS yourself. Integrated graphics mean no gaming or 4K video editing. Worth it if you want a compact Windows box and don't mind some DIY, but shop around because prices swing from $803 to $1,500.

The Core Ultra 7 145H is a solid mid-pack CPU, 49th percentile in our database, with 16 cores and a 3.5GHz base clock. For everyday productivity, coding, and multitasking, it'll chew through work without breaking a sweat. The integrated Intel Arc Graphics are fine for basic display duties but land at 58th percentile, which means gaming is basically off the table. Our gaming score for this thing is 15.4 out of 100, so don't expect anything beyond light indie titles. Storage and RAM support are strong, 92nd and 83rd percentile respectively, with room for up to 96GB of DDR5 and a 2TB NVMe drive. The toolless chassis makes upgrades easy, which is a nice touch for a mini PC.

Against the Lenovo Legion Tower 5a Gen 10 or HP OMEN GT16-0364, the NUC 14 Pro gets absolutely smoked on gaming and GPU performance. Those are full-size desktops with dedicated graphics cards, while this is a productivity-focused mini PC. The Apple Mac Studio M4 Max is in a different league for creative work, but it also costs way more and locks you into macOS. Where the NUC wins is portability and desk space. The Dell Tower Plus EBT2250 and Acer Nitro N60-180-UB33 offer more traditional desktop value, but neither can match this port selection or footprint. If you need a tiny Windows box for office work, the NUC makes sense. If you need any real GPU muscle, look elsewhere.

Pricing is all over the place. US listings range from $803 to $1,500 across five vendors, which is a $697 spread for what should be the same barebone kit. That's a huge gap, and it means you really need to shop around before pulling the trigger. The lower end of that range feels reasonable for a compact productivity machine with this much connectivity. The higher end? You're paying a premium for the small form factor, and at that point you could get a lot more raw performance from a traditional desktop. Just remember the barebone price doesn't include RAM, storage, or an OS, so budget another few hundred on top.

The ASUS NUC 14 Pro is a tiny box with a big job: cramming a 16-core Intel Core Ultra 7 145H into something that weighs less than a bag of coffee beans. At 0.77kg, it's built for desks where space is tight and noise should be low. The port selection is genuinely ridiculous for this size, 98th percentile in our database, with Thunderbolt, dual HDMI, and enough USB ports to run a small office.

But here's the catch. This is a barebone kit, not a ready-to-go PC. No RAM, no SSD, no OS, and depending on the listing, maybe no power cable either. If you're comfortable cracking it open and installing parts, it's a fun little project. If you want to plug in and go, this will annoy you fast.

Skip this if you need any real GPU power. Gamers, video editors working in 4K or higher, and anyone who wants a plug-and-play experience should look elsewhere. The integrated graphics are a weak spot, and the barebone kit means you're building the machine yourself. If you don't know what DDR5 SO-DIMM means or don't want to install an OS, this will frustrate you. Also skip it if you're on a tight budget, because the final cost after adding RAM, storage, and Windows is higher than the barebone price suggests.

Buy this if you want a compact, quiet Windows machine for productivity, coding, or office work, and you're comfortable installing your own RAM, SSD, and OS. The port selection is fantastic and the toolless design makes upgrades genuinely easy. It's a solid upgrade path for anyone coming from older Intel NUCs. But if you need to edit 4K video, play games, or just want something that works out of the box, this isn't your machine. The barebone nature and weak integrated graphics limit its appeal to a specific kind of buyer.