A week using Nvidia RTX Spark laptops: everything we learned about the new chip
A costly new chip
Nvidia’s N1X is an Arm-based system-on-a-chip for laptops and small desktop computers. It combines Nvidia Blackwell graphics with unified memory intended to support large local AI models, and is positioned against offerings from Apple, Intel, AMD and Qualcomm.
The tested laptops include Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra, Asus’s ProArt P16, Lenovo’s Yoga 9n 2-in-1 and HP’s OmniBook Ultra. The systems with the 20-core processor have 6,144 CUDA cores; tested memory configurations range from 32GB to 128GB.
Everyday apps mostly work
Antonio Di Benedetto found Windows on Arm far more usable than it was several years ago, citing a wider selection of native Arm applications and Microsoft’s Prism emulation for many x86 programs. He uses Adobe Photoshop and Premiere in native Arm versions, and said Lightroom Classic worked without noticeable problems despite being x86-based.
Sean Hollister used an RTX Spark laptop for work and personal tasks with apps including Signal, Discord, Audacity, CapCut and Evernote. He reported that his usual software continued to work, though he sometimes encountered slow or unreliable app behavior; refreshing Evernote restored notes that had disappeared after switching apps.
Testing is still underway
The laptops are aimed at developers, coders and content creators who may also want local AI capabilities and gaming features such as DLSS 5. The writers said their testing time was limited, so their report offers early impressions rather than a full scored review of each laptop.
Di Benedetto said specialized software available only for x86 could still be a barrier, as could the desire to play games without compatibility concerns. Hollister identified gaming and AI as the main sources of difficulty, while everyday applications generally gave him little reason to think about whether they were native or emulated.
Key points
- Three writers tested five Nvidia RTX Spark laptops over a week.
- The tested N1X configuration has 20 CPU cores and 6,144 CUDA cores.
- Prices for the tested laptops range from $3,199.99 to $6,999.99.
- Everyday apps generally worked, but gaming and AI remained areas to test further.