Intel and Asus reach a deal that ensures the future of NUC mini-PCs, while opening up some intriguing gaming possibilities
About a week back, Intel announced it was exiting the NUC (Next Unit of Computing) business. I was disappointed to hear that, as I've long held a soft spot for small form factor PCs. I was fortunate to spend time with several Steam Machines back in 2016. They had their flaws, but they served to demonstrate that you really could cram a powerful gaming PC into a form factor the size of a shoebox.
In the years since, Intel showed what was possible with its NUC Extreme mini-PCs, including this one that packs in an i9 13900K and RTX 3080 Ti. A few companies have jumped on the NUC bandwagon but for various reasons they've never been marketed at enthusiasts in the way a laptop or gaming PC would be.
But there's good news! The NUC is far from dead. Intel sent out a press release announcing that Intel and Asus have agreed to a term sheet, whereby Asus will sell and support 10th to 13th Gen NUC product lines while giving Asus a non-exclusive license to design future NUC systems. Asus will create a new business unit called Asus NUC BU.
That's great news. There will always be a market for mini PCs. I can think of a dozen use cases. Point of sale, digital signage, crypto currency nodes, office machines, and so on. But what really excites me is what Asus could do with a gaming NUC. After all, it knows how to build small form factor PCs, and really small ones at that. I'm talking about you, ROG Ally.
Gaming and NUCs are a bit like oil and water. The TDP and cooling requirements of powerful GPUs means they're not conducive to inclusion in truly mini PCs. A system with a 13900K and RTX 4090 sounds good, but keeping temps under 100 degrees Celsius is another matter.
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