ASUS ROG NUC 15 vs ASUS ROG NUC 16

Everyday work and coding are well suited on both, except that the ROG NUC 15 with 64 GB and the RTX 5070 Laptop is not assessed for these tasks. Gaming is well suited on every NUC 16 and on every assessed NUC 15, each carrying a discrete NVIDIA Laptop GPU between the RTX 5060 Laptop and the RTX 5080 Laptop; the 64 GB NUC 15 is not assessed, and frame rates are not measured for either. The ROG NUC 16's GPUs use GDDR7 memory. Both are well suited as workstations on the strength of that discrete graphics.

As a homelab box, both are workable for different reasons. The NUC 15 has room to grow, up to 96 GB on two SODIMM slots plus two M.2 2280 slots, but its networking is not stated. The NUC 16 has a single 2.5GbE port, enough for a Docker host but not for routing between networks.

Local AI is where they part. The NUC 15 with the RTX 5060 Laptop and 16 GB is a poor fit, since as sold only small quantised models would fit; its other assessed configurations are workable. Every NUC 16 is workable, with the GPU's own memory, not the system total, bounding model size. That is 8 GB, 12 GB or 16 GB on the NUC 16, while ASUS does not state it for the RTX 5070 Laptop in the NUC 15.

Both keep memory in two SODIMM slots and neither solders it, so either can be upgraded later. The ROG NUC 15 takes up to 96 GB, so even its 64 GB model still has room to grow. The ROG NUC 16 takes up to 128 GB at 6400 MT/s, so even its 64 GB model can double its memory.

Storage favours the NUC 15: two M.2 2280 slots let you add an M.2 drive beside the 1000 GB or 2000 GB NVMe drive it ships with. ASUS does not state either slot's PCIe generation, so a new drive's speed is an open question. The NUC 16 has one M.2 2280 slot at PCIe generation 5, already holding its NVMe drive, so more storage means swapping that drive. Neither has a PCIe expansion slot.

The ROG NUC 16 has one 2.5GbE network port, Wi-Fi 7 with the wireless module included, and Bluetooth 5.4. Around it sit 6 USB-A ports, 2 USB-C ports and 1 Thunderbolt port, with no USB4 or OCuLink. Screens connect through 2 HDMI 2.1 and 2 DisplayPort 2.1 outputs, and USB-C carries DisplayPort as well, for up to 5 displays. 4K above 60 Hz over HDMI also needs an HDMI 2.1 cable and display.

For the ROG NUC 15, ASUS does not state the networking, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, Thunderbolt or USB4 ports, HDMI or DisplayPort outputs, maximum displays, OCuLink, SD card reader, VESA mount, power supply, TDP, dimensions, memory speed, ECC support, graphics memory type or core counts on most configurations. On the NUC 16, ASUS does not state the SD card reader, VESA mount, ECC support or TDP. Check the NUC 15's rear panel before planning a multi-monitor desk.

Pair them by graphics card. The ROG NUC 15 with the Core Ultra 7 255HX and RTX 5060 Laptop meets the ROG NUC 16 with the Core Ultra 7 270HX Plus and the same GPU, each with 16 GB and 1000 GB. The 32 GB NUC 15 with the RTX 5070 Ti Laptop pairs with the NUC 16 on the Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, 32 GB and the same GPU. The RTX 5080 Laptop models both carry 2000 GB, though the NUC 16 brings 64 GB against 32 GB. The NUC 15's RTX 5070 Laptop models have no NUC 16 counterpart.

If a discrete NVIDIA graphics card is not what you want, the HP Z2 Mini G1a is the alternative to look at. It uses an AMD Ryzen AI Max PRO 385 rather than the Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, and integrated graphics rather than discrete. That suits a buyer who prefers a different processor platform over a dedicated graphics card; check its own specifications for ports and memory before deciding.