The Specs and the Spend
Real talk: Nvidia’s new RTX Spark chip is finally landing in laptops from heavy hitters like Dell, Lenovo, MSI, HP, Asus, and, of course, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra. If you’re eyeing one of these, you’re looking at a starting price of $2,599 for the base model, which nets you an 18-core CPU, 24GB of unified memory, and 512GB of storage. Lowkey, that’s giving high-end MacBook Pro energy, though Apple usually throws in an extra 512GB of storage for a similar price point.
The 'RAMageddon' Reality Check
But here’s where the vibes get a little expensive. If you’re a creator or someone trying to run serious local AI, you’re going to want those beefy specs—and that’s where the price jumps to the moon. A fully kitted-out Asus ProArt P16 with a 20-core chip, 128GB of unified memory, and 2TB of storage will run you a casual $6,999.99. Even mid-tier options, like a 48GB model of the Surface Laptop Ultra spotted on Best Buy, sit at $3,999.99.
It’s not exactly breaking news that top-tier tech costs a fortune—you can easily push a 16-inch MacBook Pro toward $10,000 if you max it out—but this "RAMageddon" situation is making high-end upgrades seriously painful for our wallets.
Why it matters
These machines are clearly targeting power users and AI devs who need maximum local compute. Whether the performance jump actually justifies the eye-watering cost remains to be seen when the first wave of devices starts shipping on October 16th. Say less—we’ll be watching to see if they actually live up to the hype.
