GamesRadar+ finds that Asus’s ROG NUC is a powerful but expensive alternative to a large gaming laptop or desktop tower. Its compact design, extensive ports and solid 1440p gaming performance make it attractive for buyers with limited desk space, but it lacks a laptop’s portability and offers poorer value than similarly specified desktop systems.

The tested model costs $2,800 and combines an RTX 5070 mobile GPU, AMD Ryzen 9 9955HX3D processor, 64GB of DDR5 memory and a 2TB SSD. It generally maintained over 60fps at high settings in demanding games at 1080p and 1440p, but 4K performance is more limited; comparable RTX 5070 laptops cost roughly $1,800–$2,400, while desktops are estimated at $1,600–$2,300.