ASUS NUC 15 Pro Slim Mini Review

The Asus NUC 15 Pro is a super-compact desktop with great ports but weak performance for the price. Its best score is a 94th percentile for connectivity. Only consider it if size is your #1 concern and you're okay with basic task speed.

The Asus NUC 15 Pro is a tiny desktop that's all about fitting in and staying out of the way. It's a little black box that weighs less than a pound and a half, so you can stick it on a shelf, behind a monitor, or just about anywhere.

Inside, you get a low-power Intel Core 3 100U processor, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 512GB SSD. It's built for basic tasks like web browsing, office work, and video calls. The specs tell you what this isn't: it's not a gaming rig or a video editing powerhouse.

Performance is exactly what you'd expect from a low-wattage chip in a tiny chassis. The Intel Core 3 100U lands in the 26th percentile for CPU power in our database, so it's fine for daily chores but will feel slow if you push it. The integrated Intel graphics are predictably weak, scoring in the 37th percentile. The bright spot is connectivity: with Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 7, its port selection is in the 94th percentile. It's got the modern ports, just not the muscle to back them up.

At $667, the value proposition is shaky. You're paying a premium for the ultra-compact form factor and the latest wireless tech. For the same money, you could get a much more powerful mini PC from brands like Beelink or Minisforum, or a standard-sized desktop that would run circles around this. The price feels high for the performance you actually get.

Compared to the gaming desktops listed as competitors, it's not even a contest—this isn't for gaming. A more apt comparison is against other mini PCs. Next to something like a Minisforum UM773 Lite, which often packs a Ryzen 7 for similar money, the Asus NUC's Core 3 100U looks underpowered. It does beat many rivals on port selection, but that's a small win if the core performance isn't there. Even Asus's own older NUCs with better CPUs can sometimes be found for less.

If you need any kind of performance—for multitasking, light photo editing, or even snappy web browsing with dozens of tabs—look elsewhere. The CPU is a bottleneck. Also, skip it if you're on a tight budget; you can get more for your money in a slightly larger box.

Buy this only if your absolute top priority is having the smallest possible desktop with the very latest Wi-Fi 7 and Thunderbolt 4 ports, and you don't care about performance. It's a niche pick for a minimalist home office setup where the computer itself is meant to be invisible.