Nvidia’s first RTX Spark laptops are priced up to £7,000
Nvidia’s first RTX Spark laptops are launching at premium prices, positioning them to compete with high-end MacBook Pros. The cost reflects their appeal to creators and people running AI locally, but it remains to be seen whether their performance justifies the expense.
Prices start at $2,599 for models with an 18-core CPU, 24GB of unified memory and 512GB of storage. A top-spec Asus ProArt P16 with a 20-core chip, 128GB of memory and 2TB of storage is listed at $6,999.99; a 48GB Surface Laptop Ultra costs $3,999.99. The laptops are due to launch this month, potentially from 16 October, amid high memory costs.
- RTX Spark laptops start at $2,599.
- The highest listed Asus model costs nearly $7,000.
- The range targets creators and local AI users.
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Nvidia is launching a new range of premium laptops called RTX Spark, designed for professionals who need powerful machines for creative work and running artificial intelligence tasks directly on their device. These computers use Nvidia's specialised chips to handle demanding jobs like video editing, 3D design and other computationally intensive work that would normally require sending files to online services.
The laptops are being priced at the premium end of the market, with basic models starting around £2,000 and the most powerful versions reaching up to £7,000. This puts them in direct competition with machines like Apple's MacBook Pro, marking Nvidia's first major venture into selling complete laptops rather than just the processors that go inside them.
Nvidia has partnered with manufacturers including Asus and Microsoft to produce these laptops, which are due to launch later this month. The premium pricing reflects both the cost of the specialised components and growing demand from professionals seeking machines powerful enough to run complex tasks locally without relying on cloud services.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Premium pricing is appropriate for specialised professional devices targeting creators and researchers with genuine technical requirements that justify the cost. High-performance components, large unified memory configurations, and specialised architectures command higher prices across the industry, and positioning these laptops competitively with established workstations like MacBook Pros reflects realistic component costs and market positioning for a niche professional segment.
The case against
The high prices risk limiting adoption and accessibility for a broader audience of skilled professionals and smaller creative enterprises who could benefit from these capabilities. Without independent performance benchmarks, the premium pricing appears speculative, and democratising access to AI development tools through more competitive pricing would better serve industry innovation and talent development.
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Originally published by The Verge as “Nvidia’s powerful RTX Spark laptops can cost up to $7,000”.