ASUS NUC 16 Pro X9 388H Now in Singapore: S$3,390 & S$4,420

The top of the ASUS NUC 16 Pro range has arrived in Singapore. SourceIT now lists two Intel Core Ultra X9 388H configurations: 32 GB LPDDR5X / 1 TB at S$3,390 and 64 GB LPDDR5X / 1 TB at S$4,420, both with Windows 11 Pro and official ASUS Singapore warranty. The X9 388H was the headline chip when ASUS announced the NUC 16 Pro at CES 2026 in January, and it has taken until now to reach local stock after the Core Ultra 7 356H and X7 358H configurations landed in March. This post explains what the X9, its Arc B390 graphics and 50 TOPS NPU add over the lower tiers, lays out the complete NUC 16 Pro price ladder, and says who should buy which one.

What the Core Ultra X9 388H brings

The X9 388H is the flagship of Intel's Core Ultra Series 3 (Panther Lake) mobile line, built on Intel's 18A process for the compute tile. Published specifications list 16 cores: four Cougar Cove performance cores boosting to 5.1 GHz, eight Darkmont efficiency cores and four low-power efficiency cores, with 18 MB of L3 cache. Power is configurable, with a 25 W base and up to 80 W turbo on the chip itself; in the NUC 16 Pro's 0.7-litre chassis ASUS runs it in a 65 W class envelope, with the same toolless access to the two M.2 slots as the rest of the family.

Two things separate the X9 from the Core Ultra 7 356H one rung down. The first is graphics: the X-series chips carry the Intel Arc B390, a 12-core Xe3 integrated GPU clocked up to 2.5 GHz, versus the 4-Xe3-core graphics on the 356H. The second is memory: the X-series uses soldered LPDDR5X at 9600 MT/s, which gives the B390 the bandwidth it needs, whereas the 356H uses two DDR5 SODIMM slots. Both chips carry Intel's NPU 5 at 50 TOPS INT8, and the X9 platform totals 180 TOPS across CPU, GPU and NPU, which is the figure ASUS quotes for the NUC 16 Pro's AI performance. The practical result is a mini PC that runs 7B to 14B parameter models at usable speed through Ollama or LM Studio, handles Copilot+ features on the NPU without touching the GPU, and still drives four displays over two HDMI 2.1 and two Thunderbolt 4 ports.

The full ASUS NUC 16 Pro ladder in Singapore

All five run Windows 11 Pro and share the chassis: 144 x 117 x 42 mm, two M.2 2280 slots (PCIe 5.0 and 4.0, up to 16 TB), dual 2.5GbE, two Thunderbolt 4, two HDMI 2.1, four USB-A 10 Gbps, Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0. Prices are at time of writing; the product page shows the live figure.

Why the 64 GB X9 exists

Because LPDDR5X is soldered on the X-series, the memory you order is the memory you keep. The 32 GB unit is the right office or Teams Rooms machine with headroom. The 64 GB unit is for local AI: a 14B model at 8-bit precision, or a 30B-class model at 4-bit, needs the extra memory to sit alongside Windows and your applications, and the Arc B390 can share that LPDDR5X pool as graphics memory. If you intend to run models larger than that, the NUC is the wrong tier; the Ascent GX10 with 128 GB of unified memory starts at S$7,200. Our AI hardware calculator maps parameter count and quantisation to the memory you need.

X9 388H vs Core Ultra 7 356H: which to choose

The 356H at S$2,155 is the better business desktop if upgradeable memory matters more than graphics: its two SODIMM slots take up to 128 GB, it costs S$1,235 less than the 32 GB X9 and its NPU is the same 50 TOPS. The X9 is the better choice if the box will run local models, drive demanding creative or CAD applications on integrated graphics, or serve as a compact workstation where the B390's 12 Xe3 cores replace a discrete card. Between the X7 358H at S$2,935 and the X9 at S$3,390, both have the B390 and 32 GB; the X9 buys higher clocks and the flagship bin. Our ASUS NUC buyer's guide compares all of these with the NUC 15 Pro and Pro+, which remain on sale from S$1,070.

Who should buy the NUC 16 Pro X9 388H

Developers and analysts running local models on Windows. The 64 GB unit is the most capable Windows mini PC in the ASUS range for Ollama, LM Studio and Copilot+ workloads short of a discrete GPU.

Creative and engineering desks in small offices. Four-display output, Thunderbolt 4 for external storage or an eGPU, and the B390 for viewport and encode work, in 0.7 litres.

Organisations standardising on the NUC 16 Pro. The whole ladder shares one chassis, one mount and one driver set, so a fleet can mix S$1,955 Core Ultra 5 units for general desks with X9 units for power users.

If you need CUDA on Windows, the ROG NUC with an RTX 5060 to 5080 Laptop GPU is the next step; if the agent will run all day on an NPU at low power, consider the Ascent QN10 at S$2,375. The ASUS Agent Computer guide lines all of them up.

Buying the ASUS NUC 16 Pro X9 388H in Singapore

SourceIT is an authorised ASUS reseller and lists the full NUC 16 Pro range with official ASUS Singapore warranty, including the three-year commercial warranty on business NUC models. Order the X9 388H 32 GB / 1 TB at S$3,390 or the X9 388H 64 GB / 1 TB at S$4,420 through Request for Quotation on the product page, call (65) 6978 3502, or email Sales@sourceit.com.sg. We are GeBIZ and Vendors@Gov registered for government and education orders, and volume pricing applies on fleet quantities. Browse the whole family in the ASUS NUC collection.

Frequently asked questions

What is the price of the ASUS NUC 16 Pro X9 388H in Singapore? S$3,390 for the 32 GB / 1 TB configuration and S$4,420 for 64 GB / 1 TB at SourceIT, both with Windows 11 Pro.

What are the Core Ultra X9 388H specifications? Sixteen cores (4 performance, 8 efficiency, 4 low-power efficiency), up to 5.1 GHz, Intel Arc B390 graphics with 12 Xe3 cores up to 2.5 GHz, a 50 TOPS NPU and 180 platform TOPS, on Intel's 18A process.

Can I upgrade the memory on the X9 model? No. The X7 and X9 use soldered LPDDR5X-9600, so choose 32 GB or 64 GB at purchase. The Core Ultra 5 and Core Ultra 7 356H models use DDR5 SODIMMs, upgradeable to 128 GB on the 356H.

Is the NUC 16 Pro X9 good for local AI? It is the strongest Windows mini PC in the ASUS range for 7B to 14B models, and the 64 GB unit extends that to 30B-class models at 4-bit. For 70B models you need an Ascent GX10.

What is the difference between X7 358H and X9 388H? Both have the Arc B390 and soldered LPDDR5X; the X9 is the higher-clocked flagship bin and is the only one offered with 64 GB in our range.

Does it come with the ASUS commercial warranty? Yes, business NUC models carry a three-year commercial warranty in Singapore when bought through an authorised reseller.