# ASUS NUC

6 Hacker News commenters recommended ASUS NUC and 3 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 6 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Small, low-power x86 mini PC that people run as an always-on home server; critics say it is pricey and can hard lock.

## Why people recommend it

- Low power draw for always-on use (2 comments): "A good mini-PC, e.g. an ASUS NUC, with a negligible power consumption when it is operated 24/7, is completely sufficient" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47123591)) "idles at 5W with a bunch of services running" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49440075))

## What people warn about

- Expensive compared with alternatives (2 comments): "it is both much more expensive and much slower" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46070037)) "the asus rog nuc is extortionate pricing" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45912444))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Apple Mac mini](https://hackerapproved.com/p/mac-mini.md): 390 recommend
- [NVIDIA DGX Spark](https://hackerapproved.com/p/nvidia-dgx-spark.md): 170 recommend
- [AMD Strix Halo](https://hackerapproved.com/p/amd-strix-halo.md): 130 recommend
- [Framework Desktop](https://hackerapproved.com/p/framework-desktop.md): 93 recommend
- [Intel NUC](https://hackerapproved.com/p/intel-nuc.md): 42 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=ASUS+NUC+14+Essential+mini+PC+kit+N355&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "ASUS NUC", https://hackerapproved.com/p/asus-nuc/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).