ASUS NUC 16 Pro vs GEEKOM A9 Mega

Robtech placed the Core Ultra X7 review unit among the fastest systems in the reviewer's Cinebench single-core comparison, roughly level with the Ryzen AI 9 HX 470 result in that chart.

Cinebench single-core · Balanced mode; Core Ultra X7 358H review unit

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

In Robtech's Cinebench multi-core test, Performance mode improved the Core Ultra X7 review unit by just under 2.5% over its factory Balanced mode.

Cinebench multi-core · Performance mode compared with factory Balanced mode; Core Ultra X7 358H review unit

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 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

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

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

Robtech tested the NUC 16 Pro with a Core Ultra X7 358H, not the catalog configuration's Core Ultra X9 378H.

Review-unit identification · Core Ultra X7 358H review unit

The review unit had 64 GB of soldered LPDDR5x memory running at 8,533 MT/s.

Hardware inspection · 64 GB onboard memory

Robtech showed the chassis opening with a lever and no tools, with cooling provided for both M.2 slots.

Internal inspection

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

ASUS identifies the exact NUC16GDKW9 configuration on its US specifications page but does not publish a US MSRP there, so the catalog does not assign a value score or convert a foreign-market price.

Manufacturer US pricing check · NUC16GDKW9, Core Ultra X9 378H, 64GB onboard memory, no storage or OS

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

Level1Techs described current-kernel Linux support as a first-class experience and showed a Thunderbolt external GPU working plug-and-play.

Linux compatibility and Thunderbolt eGPU check · Core Ultra X7 358H review unit

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