Nvidia RTX Spark — an ARM-based superchip for Windows laptops
Nvidia RTX Spark — an ARM-based superchip for Windows laptops
Nvidia RTX Spark (formerly known by the codename N1X) is Nvidia’s first consumer chip for PCs—unveiled on June 1 during Computex in Taipei. It is ARM architecture, which the company is developing in collaboration with Microsoft to—as it claims—redefine the Windows PC.
Let’s get one thing straight right away: this is Nvidia’s first chip of its kind, but it’s not the first ARM chip in the Windows world—Qualcomm did it first (Snapdragon X), and Apple has already switched its Mac computers to ARM. The new chip is set to be featured in pre-built laptops and mini-PCs in the fall of 2026, from partners such as Microsoft, Dell, HP, ASUS, Lenovo, and MSI.
| Parameter | RTX Spark (N1X) |
|---|---|
| Architecture | ARM — Grace CPU + Blackwell GPU, NVLink-C2C interconnect |
| Processor | 20-core NVIDIA Grace (a project with MediaTek) |
| Memory | up to 128 GB of unified (300 GB/s) |
| AI Performance | approx. 1 petaflop (FP4) |
| GPU Performance | similar to the mobile RTX 5070 (according to NVIDIA) |
| Process | TSMC 3 nm |
| Power consumption | approx. 45–80 W |
| Availability | Available only on pre-built PCs; launching in fall 2026 |
This is the most common question regarding ARM-based PCs. Things are better now than they were a few years ago: many popular applications (e.g., Chrome, Premiere Pro, Blender, DaVinci Resolve) run natively on Windows on ARM, and programs written for x86 are run in the background by the Prism emulator, which translates instructions in real time.
In gaming, Nvidia has announced a partnership with anti-cheat developers (m.in. (Fortnite, Valorant, League of Legends, PUBG) and full support for its graphics stack—DLSS, Reflex, and G-SYNC. However, some niche tools may still cause issues, so it’s worth checking compatibility with your specific software setup.
- Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra
- Dell XPS 16
- HP OmniBook X 14 and OmniBook Ultra 16
- ASUS ProArt P14 and ProArt P15
- Lenovo Yoga Pro 9n
- MSI Prestige N16 Flip AI (Acer and Gigabyte devices are expected to be added later)
Just declarations for now, no results
Nvidia speaks of RTX Spark in the highest terms, but has not provided any hard, independent benchmarks—the comparison to the mobile RTX 5070 and the “1 petaflop” claim are merely the manufacturer’s assertions. It is also an early, premium platform aimed primarily at creators and AI professionals. We won’t know its true value until the first devices are tested this fall.
So you’ll have to wait a bit for laptops with RTX Spark. If you’re tempted by an AI-PC right now, there are powerful Copilot+ models based on x86 chips available for purchase—we’ve listed them below.