NVIDIA RTX Spark laptop tested before launch, 6,144-core GPU reaches 2.2 GHz
© Fouquin A prototype Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra has provided an early look at NVIDIA RTX Spark performance. TechPowerUp forum member Fouquin says he has used the unreleased EV1.5 laptop for around one month. NVIDIA plans to launch RTX Spark laptops and compact desktops this fall.
The prototype uses the top RTX Spark N1X configuration with a 20-core Arm CPU and a Blackwell GPU featuring 6,144 CUDA cores. This unit also has 24GB of unified memory and a 512GB SSD. Testing began with the older GeForce 591.33 driver before moving to the 616.00 developer preview with CUDA 13.4 support.
© Fouquin RTX Spark performance remains limited by prototype software
In Cinebench 2024, the RTX Spark CPU scored 1,386 points in the multicore test and 123 points in the single-core test. Cinebench 2026 produced 5,771 and 540 points, respectively. These results were recorded with an 80W PL1 and 95W PL2 configuration.
The tester encountered several software and stability issues. GPU clock speeds fluctuated between 1.5 and 2.3 GHz in games, accompanied by periodic stutter. CUDA workloads in the Phoronix Test Suite failed to complete, leaving only Vulkan Compute and CPU BLAS tests available. The Best Performance profile also consumed another 8W to 12W without producing a measurable performance gain.
© Fouquin CPU reaches 100°C, GPU runs at up to 2.2 GHz
The 20-core CPU consumed around 35W to 37W and operated at approximately 2.6 GHz in Balanced mode after reaching 98°C to 100°C. Best Performance increased CPU power to between 44W and 50W, while clock speeds rose to around 2.8 GHz at 100°C. The Blackwell GPU operated at 80°C to 88°C while reaching 2.0 to 2.2 GHz, with brief temperature spikes to 90°C.
NVIDIA Max-Q reportedly limits the GPU to a default 50W TGP, resulting in sustained clock speeds between 1.55 and 1.95 GHz. GPU performance remained unchanged when switching between battery and external power. Driver 616.00 also raised desktop idle consumption to 12W in Balanced mode and 23W in Best Performance mode. These results come from prototype hardware and developer software, so they should not be treated as final retail performance.
Source: TechPowerUP
