Mini PCs have always felt like compromises. You get something small and quiet, but you sacrifice performance. You get decent connectivity, but thermal throttling kills sustained workloads. The ASUS ExpertCenter PN54 is less of trade-offs, but it gets closer than anything I’ve tested recently.
At just 130mm x 130mm x 34mm, the PN54 is genuinely tiny — smaller than a passport and thinner than most smartphones are wide. But inside that minuscule chassis, ASUS has crammed AMD’s latest Ryzen AI 7 350 processor with its XDNA2 NPU, up to 64GB of DDR5-5600 memory, and enough ports to drive four 4K displays simultaneously. It’s the kind of device that makes you question why desktop towers even exist.
The good stuff
The PN54’s party trick is its AI performance. AMD’s XDNA2 NPU delivers up to 50 TOPS of AI processing power — that’s 5x faster than the previous generation and enough to qualify this as a “Copilot+ PC.” In practice, that means genuinely useful AI features like real-time voice transcription, AI-enhanced video calls, and local image generation that don’t bog down the main processor.
I tested the AI capabilities with various workloads, and the results were genuinely impressive. that you can actually feel in real-world use. AI upscaling in video calls looked noticeably better,
The connectivity story is equally compelling. This tiny box includes Wi-Fi 7 (seriously fast), Bluetooth 5.4, dual 2.5G Ethernet ports, six USB ports including USB4, two DisplayPort 1.4 outputs, and HDMI 2.1. I successfully ran a four-monitor setup at 4K resolution without any hiccups — something that would require a much larger desktop just a few years ago.
ASUS also nailed the user experience details. The tool-free chassis design means you can upgrade RAM or storage by literally just pushing a latch and lifting off the bottom panel. No screws, no plastic clips that will inevitably break. The included VESA mount makes it trivial to hide behind a monitor, and the optional second Ethernet port opens up interesting networking possibilities for power users.
The not-so-good stuff
But the PN54 isn’t perfect. Gaming performance, while improved over the previous generation, still lags behind dedicated graphics solutions but this isn’t your gaming device.
Storage is limited to two M.2 slots, which is generous for a device this size but might feel constraining if you’re coming from a full desktop.
AI actually matters here
What sets the PN54 apart from generic mini PCs is how well AMD’s AI acceleration works in practice. The built-in microphone and speaker mean you can actually use voice commands effectively, and the fingerprint reader provides quick, secure authentication.
The AI performance gains show up in unexpected places too. Video transcoding is noticeably faster thanks to AI-assisted encoding. Photo editing benefits from AI-powered noise reduction and upscaling. Even web browsing feels snappier with AI-enhanced ad blocking and content optimization.
Good Stuff:
- Genuinely impressive AI performance
- Incredible port selection and display support
- Tool-free upgrade design
- Excellent build quality and compact size
- Wi-Fi 7 and dual 2.5G Ethernet
Bad Stuff:
- Limited gaming performance
- Only two storage slots
Should you buy it?
The ASUS ExpertCenter PN54 succeeds because it doesn’t try to be everything to everyone. If you need a compact workstation that can handle AI workloads, drive multiple 4K displays, and fit behind a monitor, this is probably your best option right now. The AI capabilities aren’t just marketing fluff — they’re genuinely useful features that make day-to-day computing more efficient.
But if gaming is a priority, or if you need maximum performance per dollar, you’re better off with a traditional desktop or gaming laptop.
For business users, creative professionals working with AI tools, or anyone who wants desktop-class performance in an impossibly small package, the PN54 delivers. It’s not cheap, but it’s very, very good at what it does.
The ASUS ExpertCenter PN54 is available now starting at $699 for the base configuration. Review unit provided by ASUS.
