Can RTX Spark Replace My MacBook Pro?

Summary
Tom Honeyands (The Tech Chap) reviews new Windows laptops powered by NVIDIA’s ARM-based RTX Spark (N1X) system-on-a-chip, evaluating whether they can rival Apple’s M-series MacBooks. He benchmarks an ASUS ProArt P16 equipped with RTX Spark and 128 GB of unified memory against an Apple M5 Max MacBook Pro 16 and a 2025 RTX 5090-equipped laptop, assessing plug-in vs. battery performance, thermals, and local AI capabilities.

What is shown

• Hardware showcases of various RTX Spark laptops including the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9n, ASUS ProArt P14 and P16, Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra, and MSI Prestige 16 Flip AI+ [00:38 - 01:18, 03:56 - 04:12].
• System specifications UI on Windows displaying the “NVIDIA RTX Spark N1X (6144-core GPU, 20-core CPU)” and 128 GB LPDDR5 unified memory [02:03 - 02:08, 08:55 - 09:03].
• Gaming compatibility and anti-cheat errors (“Windows on ARM is not supported”) when trying to launch titles like Valorant, PUBG, and Battlefield, contrasted with working gameplay on Cyberpunk 2077, Forza Horizon 6, and Helldivers 2 [05:47 - 07:05].
• Multitasking stress test unplugged from wall power running Blender Cycles rendering, Premiere Pro 4K timeline playback, and Fortnite simultaneously [07:23 - 07:46].
• Synthetic and creative benchmark charts across Geekbench 7.1, Cinebench 26, 3DMark Steel Nomad/Speed Way, Premiere Pro 4K export, AI object masking, PugetBench, and Blender Cycles [09:09 - 11:11].
• Thermal evaluation using a Topdon smartphone-attached FLIR thermal camera comparing the chassis and keyboard deck heat of the M5 Max MacBook Pro, RTX Spark ASUS laptop, and RTX 5090 laptop under sustained Blender load [11:51 - 12:38].
• Demonstration of local on-device AI workflows, including Windows setup prompt “Choose your AI agent”, ComfyUI image/video generation using Flux.2 Klein and LTX 2.5, Hermes Agent, and DaVinci Resolve text-prompt editing [13:43 - 15:35].

Claims & numbers

• The presenter notes that RTX Spark N1X features an integrated SoC design with a 20-core CPU, a 6,144-core Blackwell RTX GPU, and up to 128 GB of shared LPDDR5 memory [02:03, 08:28 - 09:01].
• The presenter states the RTX Spark architecture operates within an 80 W maximum TDP envelope (typically 45 W to 80 W) [13:08 - 13:15].
• In Geekbench 7.1 CPU tests, the presenter reports Spark achieves 2,660 single-core / 24,345 multi-core on AC power, retaining 2,635 / 22,132 on battery (approx. 91–99% retention), while the RTX 5090 laptop drops from 2,633 / 16,819 plugged to 1,895 / 14,271 on battery [09:09 - 09:29].
• In 3DMark Steel Nomad, the presenter reports the RTX 5090 drops from 4,885 plugged to 2,177 on battery (a ~55% reduction), while Spark drops only from 2,999 plugged to 2,546 on battery [09:31 - 09:50].
• In Premiere Pro 4K exports, the presenter claims the Spark took 7m 55s plugged in and 7m 59s on battery, compared to the RTX 5090 machine taking 7m 06s plugged in but jumping to 10m 15s on battery [10:20 - 10:37].
• In Premiere Pro AI object masking, the presenter reports the Spark took 11 seconds compared to 70 seconds on the 2025 RTX 5090 laptop and 12 seconds on the M5 Max [10:41 - 10:49].
• The presenter states retail prices for RTX Spark laptops start around £2,500 / $2,500 and reach above £7,000 / $7,000 for top-tier configurations [16:38 - 16:47].

Notable quotes

• “This is an all-in-one system on a chip. You’ve got the processor, the graphics, the unified memory, everything on one chip.” [02:25]
• “The Spark, like the MacBook, is able to achieve almost the same performance on battery—92%—with the Ryzen chip falling further behind.” [09:22]
• “Would I switch back from my MacBook? Not yet, but the Sparks have come a lot closer than any other Windows laptop that I’ve tested.” [15:56]

Assessment
This is an authentic hands-on hardware review combining benchmark analysis and event footage from NVIDIA Editor’s Day 2026. Performance and battery retention figures are substantiated through live demos and side-by-side comparative graphs, while early ARM compatibility caveats with anti-cheat software are candidly demonstrated.

Described by gemini-3.8-flash on 2026-10-15 from the video’s audio and frames.