ASUS NUC 16 Pro

The ASUS NUC 16 Pro rebuilds Intel’s NUC mini PC line on the Panther Lake architecture. Configurations run from the Core Ultra 5 335 up to the flagship Core Ultra X9 388H with integrated Intel Arc B390 graphics, all inside a 0.7-liter chassis. The system supports WiFi 7, dual 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, Thunderbolt 4, and PCIe Gen 5 storage. ASUS rates the platform at up to 180 platform TOPS across the CPU, GPU, and NPU, which clears the Copilot+ PC bar.

Pros and Cons

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ASUS NUC 16 Pro Comparison Chart

6 configurations

Configuration	Processor	RAM	Storage	OS	List price	Amazon price	Compare
Barebone/Core Ultra 7 356H	Core Ultra 7 356H	None	None	No OS	$999.00	Loading...	Details Performance Rating 5.7 Operating System No OS Processor Sixteen-core 1.90 Ghz (max 4.70 Ghz) Intel Core Ultra 7 356H GPU Integrated Intel Arc graphics RAM 0 GB DDR5, 2-channel (Up to 128GB DDR5-7200) Internal Storage 0 GB None (Barebone)
16GB/512GB/Core Ultra 7 356H	Core Ultra 7 356H	16 GB	512 GB SSD	No OS	$1,559.00	Loading...	Details Performance Rating 5.7 Operating System No OS Processor Sixteen-core 1.90 Ghz (max 4.70 Ghz) Intel Core Ultra 7 356H GPU Integrated Intel Arc graphics RAM 16 GB DDR5, 2-channel Internal Storage 512 GB NVMe SSD
16GB/1TB/Core Ultra 7 356H	Core Ultra 7 356H	16 GB	1 TB SSD	No OS	$1,659.00	Loading...	Details Performance Rating 5.7 Operating System No OS Processor Sixteen-core 1.90 Ghz (max 4.70 Ghz) Intel Core Ultra 7 356H GPU Integrated Intel Arc graphics RAM 16 GB DDR5, 2-channel Internal Storage 1 TB NVMe SSD
32GB/1TB/Core Ultra 7 356H	Core Ultra 7 356H	32 GB	1 TB SSD	No OS	$1,879.00	Loading...	Details Performance Rating 6.1 Operating System No OS Processor Sixteen-core 1.90 Ghz (max 4.70 Ghz) Intel Core Ultra 7 356H GPU Integrated Intel Arc graphics RAM 32 GB DDR5, 2-channel Internal Storage 1 TB NVMe SSD
32GB/2TB/Core Ultra 7 356H	Core Ultra 7 356H	32 GB	2 TB SSD	No OS	$1,999.00	Loading...	Details Performance Rating 6.1 Operating System No OS Processor Sixteen-core 1.90 Ghz (max 4.70 Ghz) Intel Core Ultra 7 356H GPU Integrated Intel Arc graphics RAM 32 GB DDR5, 2-channel Internal Storage 2 TB NVMe SSD
32GB/1TB/Core Ultra X7 358H	Core Ultra X7 358H	32 GB	1 TB SSD	Windows 11 Pro	$2,799.00	Loading...	Details Performance Rating 6.3 Operating System Windows 11 Pro Processor Sixteen-core 1.90 Ghz (max 4.80 Ghz) Intel Core Ultra X7 358H GPU Integrated Intel Arc B390 RAM 32 GB LPDDR5X, 2-channel (32GB LPDDR5X-8533 soldered) Internal Storage 1 TB NVMe SSD

Specs shared by every configuration

Dimensions width x length x thickness	5.67 x 4.61 x 1.65 inches (144.02 x 117.09 x 41.91 mm)
Weight	2 lbs (0.91 kg)
WiFi	Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be)
Bluetooth	6.0
Ethernet	2 Ethernet ports at 2.5 Gbps
HDMI	2 Full-Size HDMI Ports
DisplayPort	DP 2.1 via Thunderbolt 4
VGA	No VGA Ports
USB Ports	1 USB 2.0, 3 USB 3, 3 USB-C 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x2, 3x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 1x USB-A 2.0, 2x Thunderbolt 4
Thunderbolt Ports	2
OCuLink	No
Internal SATA Ports	No SATA ports
Card Reader	No Card Reader
Headphone Jack	none
Fanless	No
VESA Mount	Yes
In the Box	AC adapter with power cord, VESA bracket and screws, cable clip, warranty card
Expandability	356H models: up to 128GB DDR5-7200 (2x CSO-DIMM); X7 358H: 32GB LPDDR5X soldered. 2x M.2: PCIe 5.0 x4 + PCIe 4.0 x4. Tool-less chassis.

Panther Lake silicon in a tool-less 0.7-liter chassis

The chassis measures 5.67 x 4.61 x 1.65 inches and weighs approximately 2.0 pounds, a slightly larger footprint than the traditional 4x4 NUC form factor to accommodate the Panther Lake platform’s thermal requirements. It keeps the tool-less design ASUS introduced with the NUC 14 Pro, so the internals open without a screwdriver. The front panel houses a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x2 port running at 20Gbps alongside two USB-A 3.2 Gen 2 ports, while the rear panel provides two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two full-size HDMI outputs, dual 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet ports, and additional USB-A ports. Cooling is active rather than passive, a necessary design choice given how much sustained power a Panther Lake H-class chip can draw. There is no analog headphone jack, so audio leaves the box digitally through HDMI or Thunderbolt.

The base configuration ships with the Intel Core Ultra 7 356H, a 16-core Panther Lake processor with four high-performance Cougar Cove P-cores boosting up to 4.7 GHz, eight efficient Darkmont E-cores, and four low-power E-cores. It scores approximately 32,113 on PassMark’s CPU Mark benchmark, a large step up from the Core Ultra 7 155H in the ASUS NUC 14 Pro. The flagship Core Ultra X9 388H variant adds a 5.1 GHz boost clock and the integrated Intel Arc B390 GPU with 12 Xe cores. TechRadar reports that the Arc B390 gives the NUC 16 Pro enough headroom for modern 1080p gaming without a discrete GPU, though it falls short of AMD’s Radeon 8060S found in competing Ryzen AI Max+ 395 platforms.

Wireless runs on WiFi 7 (802.11be) with Bluetooth 6.0, and the wired side pairs dual Intel I226-V/LM 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet controllers with two Thunderbolt 4 ports that support DisplayPort 2.1 alt mode. The combined HDMI and Thunderbolt outputs drive up to four 4K displays, or two 8K displays, at once. Storage expansion runs through two M.2 2280 slots, the primary at PCIe Gen 5 x4 and the secondary at PCIe Gen 4 x4. Digital Trends notes that the listed configurations support up to 128GB of DDR5 memory across two slots, which is unusually high for a system this small.

Reviewer Insights

The NUC 16 Pro launched at CES 2026, and most of the written coverage is still launch reporting rather than testing. Level1Techs is the exception: it put a 358H unit through benchmarks, a BIOS tour, and Linux testing.

Level1Techs

Level1Techs tested a Core Ultra X7 358H unit with Intel’s Arc B390 graphics, 64GB of soldered LPDDR5-8533, and a 1TB Samsung NVMe drive. The 358H model ASUS sells in the US pairs the same chip with 32GB. “Panther Lake is probably one of the best CPUs that Intel has done in like three or four or five generations,” the review says, calling it very power efficient and very fast for what it is. The framing throughout is business hardware rather than a desktop replacement, because the line can be ordered with Intel vPro; “this is an actual business class machine.” That shapes how the review reads the graphics: “the B390 is easily the most impressive part of the platform because it is nice having GPU acceleration in a lot of business apps,” which matters more for how quickly everyday applications draw than for games. Gaming still gets tested, with Shadow of the Tomb Raider at “1080p high 70fps with 36 for our 1% lows” and a summary that you could play “some games on this, MOBAs, that sort of thing.”

The review tested Arch and Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and recommends a kernel 7 install (or the newer OEM kernel on the LTS release), noting that on kernel 6.19 sleep and resume did not seem to work quite right, while on kernel 7.0 sleep and wake were consistent on both distros. With that caveat, “it really is a first class Linux experience,” including working Wi-Fi 7 and an external RTX 6000 in a Thunderbolt enclosure that came up plug-and-play at the expected 40Gbit. On serviceability, the bottom opens tool-less on a hinge, and the M.2 heat sink releases itself as you open it. The review found one PCIe Gen 5 M.2 slot and one Gen 4, contradicting “some of the listings online, it says it’s dual Gen 5 M.2,” which matches the slot layout listed on this page. On memory, with RAM prices where they are, it calls 32GB “the sweet spot” and says it is “tough to recommend the 64 gig configuration” of the sort it was sent.

TechRadar

In its launch report, TechRadar’s Wayne Williams frames the NUC 16 Pro as a run at the fastest-mini-PC category on Intel’s new Panther Lake platform, focusing on the flagship X9 388H and its 180 TOPS of total AI compute (CPU plus GPU plus the NPU 5). On graphics, the writeup is measured: “The Arc B390 is impressive for an integrated solution, although it isn’t expected to outperform AMD’s Radeon 8060S iGPU found in the Ryzen AI Max+ 395.” The B390 handles light gaming and creative work, while AMD’s Radeon 8060S still holds the edge in peak graphics performance.

Digital Trends

Digital Trends covered the US listing of the Core Ultra 7 356H barebone variant under the heading “serious hardware inside a tiny box.” It calls out the up-to-128GB DDR5 ceiling across two slots as unusually high for a system this small, and notes the two M.2 slots take up to 16TB of total storage (one PCIe Gen 5 x4, one PCIe Gen 4 x4). The piece is candid that this is a barebone unit listed at $999, so memory and storage are not included and the buyer supplies both.

Buy it barebone and bring your own memory and storage

The Core Ultra 7 356H barebone variant is the one to start from if you want to pick your own memory and storage, while the Core Ultra X7 358H model (and the upcoming X9 388H) with Arc B390 graphics suits buyers who want AI compute and light gaming without a discrete GPU. Our overview of the Panther Lake NUCs and how the Arc B390 finally rivals discrete graphics puts this launch in context alongside the competing boxes.

If you need a ready-to-run system, the 356H models come with memory and storage installed, and the Core Ultra X7 358H model adds Arc B390 graphics with 32GB of soldered LPDDR5X and Windows 11 Pro; for raw GPU performance, AMD boxes with the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 and its Radeon 8060S graphics are faster. The missing headphone jack matters if you depend on analog audio output.

For those comparing options, see our Mini PC Comparison Chart to find the best match for your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions