Building and Testing the ROG NUC 14 Barebones Mini Gaming PC

A used ROG NUC 14 barebones unit picked up on eBay is assembled, upgraded, and tested to see what a compact RTX 4070 gaming PC can deliver at 1440p. The process covers part selection, installation, benchmarks, and real-game performance, along with a sponsor segment on discounted software keys.

■ Barebones Mini PC Overview
- Unboxing: ROG NUC 14 with Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and RTX 4070, stand, and 330W power supply
- Opening the case and looking at the internal layout, including three M.2 slots
- Non-ROG ASUS NUC 970 variant with the same specifications
■ Upgrades and Setup
- Installing 16GB of DDR5 SODIMM memory (2x8GB, 4800MT/s) and a 512GB SSD with Windows 11 preloaded
- Notes on current RAM, storage, and power-cable costs
- BIOS update and Armory Crate performance modes
■ Benchmark and Gaming Tests
- Geekbench 7, 3DMark Steel Nomad, and Time Spy scores
- Red Dead Redemption 2, Forza Horizon 6, Cyberpunk 2077, and Crimson Desert at 1440p with DLSS settings compared
- RAM and VRAM usage observations, including frame generation
■ Verdict and Sponsor Segment
- Cost perspective on building this setup versus buying new
- URCDKeys Windows 11 Pro and Office 2024 Professional Plus key discounts

This is aimed at viewers considering a small-form-factor gaming PC or browsing barebones listings on eBay. You will learn what parts are required, how the system is assembled, and what performance and memory limits to expect before deciding to build one.