ASUS NUC 16 vs GEEKOM A9 Mega

Intel specifies two performance cores and four low-power efficiency cores for the Core 7 350, with six total threads and a maximum turbo frequency of 4.8 GHz. This describes the processor, not measured NUC 16 performance.

Manufacturer processor specification · Intel Core 7 350

The exact US retail configuration ships with Windows 11 Pro. GEEKOM also describes the system as Linux-ready, but the manufacturer does not specify a supported distribution on the product page.

Manufacturer configuration check · GMA9MEGAAIMAX+395-1282-US

ASUS configures the Core 7 350 at 28 W in the NUC 16. Intel lists 15 W processor base power and 35 W maximum turbo power, but these ratings do not predict sustained application performance.

Manufacturer power-profile check · ASUS NUC 16 with Core 7 350

Takashi Yoshinaga says he purchased the A9 Mega for local-AI work and found Gemma 4 26B A4B text generation fast, simple multimodal image recognition practical, and Qwen 3.6 27B usable in the short demonstration. The video does not report a repeatable tokens-per-second measurement.

Local LLM text generation and image recognition · Owner-purchased Ryzen AI Max+ 395 retail system; runtime and model quantization not stated

GEEKOM rates the IceBlast 5.0 dual-fan and vapor-chamber cooling system for a sustained 120 W processor setting. This is a manufacturer capability claim, not an independently retained endurance result.

Manufacturer thermal-design specification · Ryzen AI Max+ 395 configuration

The Core 7 350 includes Intel Graphics with two Xe cores and a maximum dynamic frequency of 2.6 GHz. No independent gaming result for this exact NUC 16 configuration was available when checked.

Manufacturer graphics specification · Core 7 350 integrated graphics

The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 includes Radeon 8060S integrated graphics with 40 RDNA 3.5 compute units and shared access to the system's 128GB unified memory.

Manufacturer hardware specification · Exact 128GB/2TB retail configuration

TechGround handled the A9 Mega at GEEKOM's IFA 2025 booth and showed the exact 128GB Strix Halo prototype, but did not run a reproducible game benchmark. No FPS claim from that demonstration is treated as a measured result.

IFA product demonstration · Pre-production A9 Mega prototype

ASUS does not publish operating noise or exact-chassis thermal measurements for this configuration, and the broad review search found no independent hands-on test of the Core 7 350 NUC 16. NUC 16 Pro results are not substituted.

Exact-model evidence check · RNUC16WCKC7094C2

GEEKOM's IceBlast 5.0 system uses two fans and a full-coverage vapor chamber. The public product page claims this supports 120 W sustained operation, but the retained exact-model YouTube sources do not provide controlled temperature or sound-level measurements.

Manufacturer cooling specification · A9 Mega chassis

The retained owner video focuses on local AI, while the IFA hands-on used a show-floor prototype. Neither establishes retail-unit idle or load acoustics, so no decibel value is published here.

Evidence-coverage check · Exact-model retained video sources

ASUS supplies a 90 W external adapter. That is the adapter capacity, not measured idle or load wall power.

Manufacturer electrical specification · 19 V DC, 4.74 A adapter

GEEKOM lists a configurable processor TDP range of 45 to 120 W and describes up to 140 W of heat dissipation for the platform.

Manufacturer power specification · Ryzen AI Max+ 395 configuration

The exact retail system includes a 330 W external power supply. Adapter capacity is not a measurement of normal wall draw, and no independent wall-power result is published from the retained videos.

Manufacturer bundle specification · GMA9MEGAAIMAX+395-1282-US

The chassis has one CSO-DIMM-compatible memory slot, populated by a 32GB DDR5-5600 SO-DIMM in this SKU, and one M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 x4 storage slot occupied by the 1TB SSD.

Configuration and expansion check · RNUC16WCKC7094C2

ASUS provides two HDMI 2.1 TMDS outputs and one Thunderbolt 4 port with DisplayPort 2.1; Intel specifies support for up to three displays from the processor.

Manufacturer display-support check · Core 7 350 NUC 16

The chassis contains two PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 2280 slots, supports up to 4TB in each slot, and exposes RAID 0 and RAID 1. The installed 2TB system drive occupies one slot.

Manufacturer expansion specification · Exact 128GB/2TB retail configuration

GEEKOM provides two 40Gbps USB4 ports with DisplayPort 2.1, two HDMI 2.1 outputs, two 2.5GbE Ethernet ports, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and an SDXC card reader.

Manufacturer connectivity specification · A9 Mega chassis

The exact 32GB/1TB configuration is a European-market SKU, and ASUS does not publish a US MSRP for it. The catalog does not convert European retailer pricing into a US list price.

Regional configuration and price check · RNUC16WCKC7094C2 / 90AS00T1-M000V0

GEEKOM listed the exact 128GB/2TB US configuration for $3,999 when checked, against a $4,399 crossed-out price.

Manufacturer retail-price check · Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 128GB LPDDR5X-8000, 2TB SSD, Windows 11 Pro

Amazon ASIN B0GL8XB8KX matched the exact Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 128GB LPDDR5X, 2TB SSD, and Windows 11 Pro retail system when checked.

Retailer identity check · Exact 128GB/2TB listing

ASUS states that NUC products purchased from authorized distributors include a three-year limited warranty covering the hardware supplied in the box.

Manufacturer warranty-policy check

GEEKOM advertises a three-year warranty and a 30-day refund and return window for the A9 Mega on its US product page.

Manufacturer warranty-policy check

All 128GB of LPDDR5X-8000 memory is soldered and cannot be replaced or expanded. Storage remains replaceable through two standard M.2 2280 positions.

Manufacturer serviceability check · Exact 128GB/2TB retail configuration