Aoostar WTR Max vs ASUS NUC 14 Pro
Aoostar WTR Max is both faster and cheaper here - the default pick unless you need something specific from the other.
The verdict
- CPU
- Aoostar WTR Max has 1.2x the CPU throughput (28,612 vs 24,539 PassMark).
- Plex
- ASUS NUC 14 Pro transcodes more 4K HDR streams (~8 vs ~5).
- Idle power
- ASUS NUC 14 Pro idles lower (8W vs 38W) - cheaper to run 24/7.
- Networking
- Aoostar WTR Max has more NICs (4 vs 1) - better for a firewall or VLAN trunk.
Which wins for each job
| Job | Aoostar WTR Max | ASUS NUC 14 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Plex / Jellyfin | ~5 streams | ~8 streams win |
| Frigate NVR | add a detector | ~6 cameras win |
| Proxmox / VMs | 28,612 PassMark win | 24,539 PassMark |
| Firewall / router | 4 NICs win | 1 NICs |
| Local AI / LLM | no slot | no slot |
Approximate - capacity estimates from curated specs, the same logic as the recommender. Verify against your exact setup. Prices move; check the retailer.
Full specs
| Spec | Aoostar WTR Max | ASUS NUC 14 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price (list) | $659 | $660 |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS | Intel Core Ultra 7 155H |
| Cores / threads | 8 | 16 |
| PassMark | 28,612 | 24,539 |
| iGPU | Radeon 780M (RDNA3) | Arc (Xe) Iris Xe class |
| NICs | 4 | 1 |
| NIC model | Intel X710 10G SFP+ plus Intel I226 2.5G | Intel I226-LM |
| RAM max (GB) | 96 | 96 |
| M.2 free | 5 | 1 |
| PCIe slot | none | none |
| Idle (W) | 38 | 8 |
| TDP (W) | 54 | 28 |