TX Spark Laptops Are Here: Pricing, Specs, and Who Should Buy

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Microsoft and Nvidia made RTX Spark laptops official at Wednesday's Surface event. Preorders are open, and Paul says the first systems ship Friday, October 16. On Windows Weekly 1004, Paul Thurrott and Leo Laporte break down the hardware and pricing. They also cover Microsoft's pitch for "hybrid intelligence" and who these machines are actually for.

What Is RTX Spark?

RTX Spark is Nvidia's new Arm-based platform for Windows 11 on Arm. It pairs a Blackwell GPU with CUDA support, an Arm CPU, and a pool of unified memory. The goal is to run demanding AI and creative workloads locally rather than in the cloud.

Microsoft's 15-inch Surface Laptop Ultra is the flagship, with RTX Spark laptops also coming from ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and MSI. Smaller desktop systems are on the way, including Microsoft's $6,000-and-up Surface RTX Spark Dev Box.

Pricing: Not as Bad as Feared, but Still Premium

Paul had hinted that pricing wouldn't be as steep as many expected. Here is how the Surface Laptop Ultra configurations break down, as Paul read them off Microsoft's site during the show:

• $2,599: 24GB RAM, 18-core CPU, 5,120 GPU cores (Paul called the 24GB base "garbage")
• About $3,700: 32GB RAM, with the higher-end 20-core CPU and 6,144 GPU cores
• $5,900: 128GB RAM, which was already sold out when Paul checked
• 48GB and 64GB options also exist

Paul will review an HP OmniBook Ultra 16 first. HP also has a 14-inch OmniBook X 14 coming.

Hybrid Intelligence: Local First, Cloud When Needed

The big software theme was what Microsoft calls hybrid intelligence. Windows will run local AI first and when you're offline, then use the cloud when a task requires it. Users will be able to set limits, such as capping spending on an AI subscription. Paul has been calling this "orchestration" for years and said it beats making people pick models from a dropdown.

Local models mentioned on the show included Nvidia's Nemotron, coming to RTX Spark, and DeepSeek V4 Flash, which Paul said runs in about 60GB of RAM. Windows ML is meant to handle running models across the different processor types in these chips. Microsoft's new Copilot app was built with this local-first model in mind, and its Autopilot agent can work only against data on your PC if you want.

The pitch for businesses is keeping proprietary data on-premises. Leo noted that a DGX Station for Windows, a tower aimed at companies, is coming later this year. He estimated it at $100,000 and up, but Microsoft hasn't announced pricing.

Who Are These Laptops For?

Paul and Leo agreed RTX Spark machines are for builders, not casual users. Paul sees 32GB as the sweet spot for creators using tools like Photoshop and Premiere. The 128GB configurations are for the "AI nerds": developers, data scientists, and anyone running several agents or large models at once. Paul said that capacity lets you run models that were frontier-class only three to six months ago.

One feature Paul found interesting is the ability to assign RAM between the GPU and apps, which he compared to the classic Mac OS.

Windows 11 Evolves: AI in Search and Agent Safety

Microsoft is also moving AI into Windows search, which Davuluri called "where intent begins." Inline actions let you do things like switch on dark mode or Bluetooth, adjust brightness, or send a text through Phone Link. The search experience is already in the experimental Insider builds that shipped during the show. For agents, Microsoft is building containers that keep them within set limits.

Despite rumors, Microsoft didn't signal that Copilot+ PCs are going away. The RTX Spark laptops are Copilot+ PCs too.

What to Watch For

• Battery life. Microsoft claims 99% performance on battery versus plugged in. Paul wants to see it tested.
• Thermals. Leo noted Nvidia's earlier DGX Spark boxes run hot, and these laptops will need serious cooling.
• Gaming. Windows on Arm compatibility has been inconsistent. Paul saw Doom: The Dark Ages run at high frame rates on the platform, and Call of Duty is planned for RTX Spark in 2027.

Also on This Episode

• Paul's hands-on with the $1,100 Lenovo Googlebook 15, which he says is missing basic file-management features that even the iPad has.
• Why 8GB Windows laptops, including one Intel Wildcat Lake test unit, aren't worth buying.
• Microsoft's leaked Project Aion prototype and the many times it has tried to move past Windows.
• Gears of War: E-Day, and Windows 98 in your browser at desktop98.com.

The Bottom Line

RTX Spark brings CUDA-class local AI to Windows laptops, with prices starting at $2,599 and climbing to about $5,900 for the 128GB model. Whether the battery, thermal, and gaming claims hold up is the next question, and reviews are coming within days.

Watch or listen to Windows Weekly 1004: twit.tv/shows/windows-weekly/episodes/1004