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Best ASUS Living-Room Media PC Mini PC (2026)
The quick verdict
- Top pickASUS Chromebox 5aperformance percentile –
- Best fora living-room PC next to the TV
Rankings and scores come from the specs alone and are not affected by affiliate commissions.
Spec ruler
In short
Bottom line. Among 8 ASUS living-room media PC mini PC models, the ASUS Chromebox 5a, ASUS ExpertCenter PN55, ASUS ExpertCenter PN64, ASUS ExpertCenter PN65, and ASUS NUC 14 Pro Plus tie for first on the ranking score (our living-room media PC fit index 100/100).
These rankings compare 8 ASUS living-room media PC mini PC models using ASUS's official tech spec pages. joint No. 1, the ASUS Chromebox 5a: our living-room media PC fit index 100/100. Key specs of the Chromebox 5a: CPU tier 7/10; max RAM 16 GB; max LAN speed 1 Gbps; USB ports 7; display outputs 4; USB4/Thunderbolt not supported. On our own use-case index (built from the manufacturer specs), its strongest fit is a living-room media PC (100/100). joint No. 1, the ASUS ExpertCenter PN55: our living-room media PC fit index 100/100. Key specs of the ExpertCenter PN55: CPU tier 8/10; max RAM 48 GB; max LAN speed 2.5 Gbps; USB ports 6; display outputs 4; USB4/Thunderbolt supported. Compared with the first pick, the Chromebox 5a: ahead on CPU tier 8/10 vs 7/10, max RAM 48 GB vs 16 GB, max LAN speed 2.5 Gbps vs 1 Gbps, and 4 more; behind on USB ports 6 vs 7.
Top picks
joint No. 1: ASUS Chromebox 5a
- Our living-room media PC fit index 100/100
- CPU tier 7/10; max RAM 16 GB; max LAN speed 1 Gbps; USB ports 7
joint No. 1: ASUS ExpertCenter PN55
- Our living-room media PC fit index 100/100
- CPU tier 8/10; max RAM 48 GB; max LAN speed 2.5 Gbps; USB ports 6
- beats the top pick on CPU tier: 8/10 vs 7/10
Our CPU tier 8/10: more multitasking headroom
joint No. 1: ASUS ExpertCenter PN64
- Our living-room media PC fit index 100/100
- CPU tier 7/10; max RAM 16 GB; max LAN speed 2.5 Gbps; USB ports 5
- beats the top pick on max LAN speed: 2.5 Gbps vs 1 Gbps
100 GB copy: about 5 min vs about 13 min (theoretical)
Key specs at a glance
| Spec | Chromebox 5a | ExpertCenter PN55 | ExpertCenter PN64 | ExpertCenter PN65 | NUC 14 Pro Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USB4/Thunderbolt | No | YesWIN | No | No | YesWIN |
| Max RAM | 16 GB | 48 GBWIN | 16 GB | 48 GBWIN | 48 GBWIN |
| Max LAN speed | 1 Gbps | 2.5 GbpsWIN | 2.5 GbpsWIN | 2.5 GbpsWIN | 2.5 GbpsWIN |
| Volume | 1.27 L | 0.58 LWIN | 0.91 L | 0.91 L | 0.66 L |
| CPU tier (our rating, of 10) | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10WIN |
| USB ports | 7WIN | 6 | 5 | 7WIN | 7WIN |
Show every spec
| Spec | Chromebox 5a | ExpertCenter PN55 | ExpertCenter PN64 | ExpertCenter PN65 | NUC 14 Pro Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU tier (our rating, of 10) | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 10WIN |
| Max RAM | 16 GB | 48 GBWIN | 16 GB | 48 GBWIN | 48 GBWIN |
| Max LAN speed | 1 Gbps | 2.5 GbpsWIN | 2.5 GbpsWIN | 2.5 GbpsWIN | 2.5 GbpsWIN |
| USB ports | 7WIN | 6 | 5 | 7WIN | 7WIN |
| Display outputs | 4WIN | 4WIN | 3 | 3 | 4WIN |
| USB4/Thunderbolt | No | YesWIN | No | No | YesWIN |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 7WIN | Wi-Fi 6E | – | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Weight | 0.8 kg | 0.62 kg | 0.75 kg | 0.75 kg | 0.59 kgWIN |
| Volume | 1.27 L | 0.58 LWIN | 0.91 L | 0.91 L | 0.66 L |
| Metric (0–100) | Chromebox 5a | ExpertCenter PN55 | ExpertCenter PN64 | ExpertCenter PN65 | NUC 14 Pro Plus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home office fit | 86 | 93 | 78 | No data | 100 |
| Living-room media PC fit | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
| Homelab fit | 49 | 80 | 61 | 83 | 86WIN |
| Tiny desk setup fit | 17 | 56WIN | 36 | 36 | 52 |
The details
joint No. 1: ASUS ExpertCenter PN65
- Our living-room media PC fit index 100/100
- CPU tier 9/10; max RAM 48 GB; max LAN speed 2.5 Gbps; USB ports 7
- beats the top pick on CPU tier: 9/10 vs 7/10
Our CPU tier 9/10: more multitasking headroom
joint No. 1: ASUS NUC 14 Pro Plus
- Our living-room media PC fit index 100/100
- CPU tier 10/10; max RAM 48 GB; max LAN speed 2.5 Gbps; USB ports 7
- beats the top pick on CPU tier: 10/10 vs 7/10
Our CPU tier 10/10: more multitasking headroom
How we rank
- Specotomy's own fit index from ASUS's official tech spec pages (not a manufacturer score)
- equal scores share a rank
FAQ
- Which of these ASUS living-room media PC mini PC picks has the highest CPU tier?
- The ASUS NUC 14 Pro Plus, at 10/10.
- Which of these ASUS living-room media PC mini PC picks has the highest RAM ceiling?
- 3 models tie at 48 GB: the ExpertCenter PN55, ExpertCenter PN65, and NUC 14 Pro Plus.
- Which of these ASUS living-room media PC mini PC picks has the fastest built-in LAN?
- 4 models tie at 2.5 Gbps: the ExpertCenter PN55, ExpertCenter PN64, ExpertCenter PN65, and NUC 14 Pro Plus.
- Which of these ASUS living-room media PC mini PC picks has the most USB ports?
- 3 models tie at 7 ports: the Chromebox 5a, ExpertCenter PN65, and NUC 14 Pro Plus.
- Which of these ASUS living-room media PC mini PC picks has the most display outputs?
- 3 models tie at 4 outputs: the Chromebox 5a, ExpertCenter PN55, and NUC 14 Pro Plus.