Asus vies for fastest mini PC ever with Panther Lake NUC 16 Pro — B390 GPU inside the Core Ultra X9 388H impresses but won't beat the 8060S
The Panther Lake based Asus NUC 16 Pro blends strong integrated graphics with leading AI performance.
(Image credit: Asus)
- Asus unveils NUC 16 Pro 0.7L mini PC built on Intel Panther Lake platform
- Core Ultra X9 388H delivers up to 180TOPS of platform AI compute
- Arc B390 iGPU impresses although Radeon 8060S remains faster for graphics
Asus has launched the NUC 16 Pro, setting its sights on the fastest mini PC category with Intel’s new Panther Lake platform. The system is built around the Core Ultra X9 388H, the same processor used in the GMKtec EVO-T2, which also debuted at CES 2026.
The Core Ultra X9 388H is produced on Intel’s 18A process and delivers up to 180TOPS of total AI compute. That figure combines CPU, GPU, and NPU performance, including Intel’s latest NPU 5, and puts the NUC 16 Pro well ahead of current Ryzen AI Max+ 395 mini PCs in raw AI throughput.
Graphics are handled by Intel’s Arc B390 iGPU, which features 12 Xe cores. In practice, this gives the NUC 16 Pro enough headroom for modern 1080p gaming without a discrete GPU, along with strong media and compute performance for creative workloads.
Arc B390 graphics
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.
That still holds the edge in peak graphics performance, particularly in synthetic benchmarks and GPU heavy games.
Even so, the B390 raises the bar for integrated graphics in a mini PC. It allows the NUC 16 Pro to balance AI workloads, light gaming, and professional applications without stepping into the power and thermal demands of a discrete graphics card.