A few week again, Intel introduced it was exiting the NUC (Subsequent Unit of Computing) enterprise. I used to be upset to listen to that, as I’ve lengthy held a smooth spot for small type issue PCs. I used to be lucky to spend time with a number of Steam Machines again in 2016. That they had their flaws, however they served to display that you just actually may cram a strong gaming PC right into a type issue the dimensions of a shoebox.
Within the years since, Intel confirmed what was attainable with its NUC Excessive mini-PCs, together with this one which packs in an i9 13900K and RTX 3080 Ti. A couple of corporations have jumped on the NUC bandwagon however for numerous causes they’ve by no means been marketed at fanatics in the way in which a laptop computer or gaming PC could be.
However there’s excellent news! The NUC is much from lifeless. Intel despatched out a press launch saying that Intel and Asus have agreed to a time period sheet, whereby Asus will promote and help tenth to thirteenth Gen NUC product traces whereas giving Asus a non-exclusive license to design future NUC techniques. Asus will create a brand new enterprise unit referred to as Asus NUC BU.
That is nice information. There’ll all the time be a marketplace for mini PCs. I can consider a dozen use circumstances. Level of sale, digital signage, crypto forex nodes, workplace machines, and so forth. However what actually excites me is what Asus may do with a gaming NUC. In any case, it is aware of how you can construct small type issue PCs, and actually small ones at that. I am speaking about you, ROG Ally.
Gaming and NUCs are a bit like oil and water. The TDP and cooling necessities of highly effective GPUs means they don’t seem to be conducive to inclusion in actually mini PCs. A system with a 13900K and RTX 4090 sounds good, however maintaining temps beneath 100 levels Celsius is one other matter.
However we’re speaking about Asus. It is aware of a factor or two about PC parts. Simply think about if Asus was to develop a bespoke graphics card, as an example an RTX 4070 Ti with a TDP of round 285W. Not a bit, however by fashionable requirements, not loads both. Asus has the engineering experience to make such a card with a very oddball PCB and cooler. I am pondering of some type of tower cooler for it, maybe together with the CPU cooler and a 14cm fan on the aspect of the PC.
It may promote it as some type of Asus ROG NUC gaming PC. Heck, it may market the crap out of it and growth! It is received a console competitor and and one million or two potential patrons lined up. Perhaps I am reaching, however the prospects are actually intriguing.
With an organization like Asus behind it, the NUC line needs to be in good fingers for a few years to come back. The entire current NUC use circumstances stay, and I simply hope it does not overlook there are players that need NUCs too.
Godspeed Asus.
