Microsoft appears set to debut a brand-new tier in its portable PC lineup. Details circulating ahead of an anticipated product reveal point to the Surface Laptop Ultra, a high-end notebook centered around Nvidia's RTX Spark platform. According to reported specifications published by Windows Central and an earlier Windows 11 driver leak, the base configuration will start at $2,000 in the US.
That entry-level $2,000 machine is tipped to carry an 18-core CPU, 5,120 CUDA cores, and 24GB of LPDDR5X unified memory. The unified memory architecture means the system is not held back by traditional discrete VRAM ceilings, making it aimed directly at running larger artificial intelligence workloads locally. With 24GB on tap, the base configuration should support running a 4-bit quantized version of models like Qwen3.8-27B.
For users who need to run denser local models without bottlenecking on memory, Microsoft reportedly has wider configurations planned. The Surface Laptop Ultra will offer 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB unified RAM options. Given that Microsoft starts the bidding at two grand for the lowest tier, pricing for fully loaded 128GB variants will likely climb swiftly into stratospheric territory.
Higher Cores and Controlled Wattage
A second, more capable variant of the RTX Spark chip is also on the slate. Driver leaks point to a 20-core CPU configuration paired with 6,144 CUDA cores. Pricing for that 20-core version remains unconfirmed, and the leaks did not reveal what storage capacity comes paired with any of the tiers.
Thermal and power targets look dialed in for sustained output rather than raw brute force. Previous reporting indicates the RTX Spark machine targets a 110W power envelope. That wattage puts it below the heavy power draw of bulky desktop-replacement gaming laptops while aiming to maintain consistent performance without aggressive thermal throttling.
Microsoft will not have the RTX Spark hardware category to itself for long. Asus is also preparing to introduce its ProArt P14 and ProArt P16 laptops built on the same Nvidia silicon. Those machines will similarly start with 24GB of unified memory out of the gate, using liquid metal thermal compound to keep temperatures in check.
With an official hardware presentation expected within hours, full confirmation of retail availability, regional launch schedules, and storage configurations should arrive shortly.
CDFiled by The Computing Desk
Laptops, desktops, processors, graphics cards and the operating systems that run on them.
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