ASRock Industrial has quietly introduced four new NUC mini-PCs tailored for industrial and IIoT deployments, leveraging Intel’s Core Ultra Series 3 processors under the ‘Panther Lake-H’ codename. These are among the first branded systems to adopt Intel’s latest mobile-on-desktop chips, which were unveiled just months earlier.

The new lineup—NUC Box-358H, NUCS BOX-358H, NUC BOX-325, and NUCS BOX-325—targets environments requiring reliability, compact form factors, and high-performance connectivity. All models are TAA-compliant, ensuring they meet federal procurement standards for government and enterprise use.

A Matter of Thickness

The four NUCs are divided into two chassis categories: two with a thicker profile (117.5 x 110 x 49 mm) and two with a slimmer design (117.5 x 110 x 38 mm). Despite the difference in size, both variants share key features, including active cooling for the system-on-chip and a barebones construction—meaning buyers must supply their own RAM and storage.

Key Specs: Memory, Storage, and Connectivity

  • Memory: All models support DDR5 SO-DIMMs via two slots, with compatibility for both standard SO-DIMMs and CSODIMMs—a compact form factor ideal for space-constrained industrial builds.
  • Storage: Two M.2-2280 slots are included, one of which supports Gen 5 speeds, offering flexibility for NVMe SSDs.
  • Wireless: Built-in Intel BE200 Wi-Fi 7 ensures high-speed wireless connectivity, while the thicker models add a second 2.5 GbE Ethernet port for wired redundancy.
  • Display: Quad outputs include two HDMI 2.1, a DisplayPort 2.1 via a 40 Gbps USB4/Thunderbolt 4 port, and a DisplayPort 1.4a through a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C port.
  • Power: All units use a 19V, 120W power brick.

These configurations position the NUCs as versatile workstations for digital signage, edge computing, or automation control, where multi-display setups and high-speed data transfer are critical. The inclusion of Thunderbolt 4 and Wi-Fi 7 further future-proofs them for bandwidth-heavy tasks.

Who Should Care?

The thicker models may appeal to applications needing extra cooling headroom or additional Ethernet ports, such as network-attached storage or server-like workloads. Meanwhile, the slimmer variants could suit kiosks, digital displays, or embedded systems where space is at a premium.

Pricing for the lineup starts at $250, though exact model pricing hasn’t been disclosed. ASRock Industrial’s focus on industrial-grade reliability and modularity makes these NUCs a compelling option for businesses upgrading from older DDR3/DDR4 systems—or those eyeing Intel’s next-gen Core Ultra 400 ‘Nova Lake’ chips expected later in 2026.