For the past two years, Qualcomm has been the only real player to offer an ARM-based chip for Windows PCs. It started with the Snapdragon X Elite in 2024 which Qualcomm followed with the more powerful Snapdragon X2 series in late 2025. 

Qualcomm’s sole reign on the Windows-on-ARM (WoA) market is now officially over, all thanks to Nvidia. The latter announced its new ARM-based RTX Spark PC chips at Computex 2026, and Nvidia wants it to be the Apple Silicon moment for Windows.

The news sent Qualcomm’s stock tumbling more than 10% in premarket trading, wiping out over $10 billion in market value overnight. That reaction tells you a lot about how big a deal this really is.

So what exactly are these two chips, how do they compare, and who should you care about? Let’s break it down.

What Is the Nvidia RTX Spark?

RTX Spark is Nvidia’s answer to the growing wave of ARM-based, all-in-one chips, similar to what Apple’s been doing brilliantly with its M-series and Qualcomm has been working hard with the Snapdragon X lineup.

At its core, RTX Spark is based on the same GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip that powers Nvidia’s DGX Spark developer workstation. The company just repackaged it for everyday Windows laptops. It combines a custom ARM-based CPU (developed with MediaTek), a Blackwell RTX GPU, and an AI accelerator all on one chip, built on TSMC’s 3nm process with 70 billion transistors.

And the headline numbers are impressive. RTX Spark can pack up to 20 CPU cores, a 6,144-core Blackwell GPU, and up to 128 GB of unified memory. Nvidia claims it delivers over 1 petaflop of FP4 AI compute, which in simple terms is enough to run massive AI and Large Language Model (LLM) models locally. 

The CPU and GPU are connected together via Nvidia’s NVLink-C2C interconnect, which enables up to 600 GB/s of bandwidth between the two.

According to team green, devices powered by RTX Spark are set to arrive in autumn 2026 from major brands including ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Microsoft Surface.

What Is the Snapdragon X2 Elite?

Qualcomm launched the Snapdragon X2 series at its annual Snapdragon Summit in September 2025. It is the direct follow-up to the original Snapdragon X Elite from 2024, and it brings a meaningful generational step forward, especially in CPU performance.

The X2 family consists of three chips: the X2 Plus, the X2 Elite, and the top-of-the-line X2 Elite Extreme. All three are built on TSMC’s 3nm process and feature Qualcomm’s third-generation Oryon CPU cores, but the Extreme version is the one that gets the major attention.

The X2 Elite Extreme: Qualcomm’s Best Shot

The Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme (model number X2E-96-100) is Qualcomm’s most powerful laptop chip ever made. It packs 18 Oryon cores versus 12 cores in the first-generation Snapdragon X Elite. 

Those 18 cores are split into two groups: 12 fast “Prime” cores that can boost up to 5 GHz on two cores (and run at 4.4 GHz across all cores), and 6 “Performance” cores running at up to 3.6 GHz. Together, they share 53 MB of cache.

On the AI side, the X2 Elite Extreme includes an 80 TOPS NPU (Neural Processing Unit), which is Qualcomm’s dedicated AI engine. All three X2 Elite chips share this same NPU rating.

Benchmark numbers from Qualcomm’s own Snapdragon Summit testing were genuinely strong on the CPU side. In Cinebench 2024 and Geekbench 6.3 multi-core tests, the X2 Elite Extreme was able to match or beat Apple’s M4 Pro, scoring 1,964 and 23,693 points respectively.

Compared to the original Snapdragon X Elite, the X2 Elite Extreme offers roughly a 39% improvement in single-core performance and a 50% boost in multi-core performance. In gaming benchmarks, Qualcomm claims a 2.3x improvement over the previous generation.

The chip also supports up to 48 GB of LPDDR5x memory on a 192-bit bus (in the Extreme version), offers PCIe 5.0 storage, and handles up to three USB 4.0 ports. Laptops running the X2 Elite Extreme began arriving in the first half of 2026, including the ASUS Zenbook A16 which features the chip prominently.

GPU and Gaming: Qualcomm’s Weak Spot

Here is where things get complicated for Qualcomm. While the X2 Elite Extreme impresses on CPU tasks, the GPU side tells a different story.

In the demanding 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark, the X2 Elite Extreme managed just 1,306 points at 13 frames per second. Apple M4 Pro, in comparison, manages around 1620 points in the same test.

The Solar Bay and Steel Nomad Light scores were more respectable, but the GPU improvement is not nearly as dramatic as the CPU gains. One reviewer from Tom’s Hardware found that professional tools like AutoCAD were unsupported, and some games crashed or showed graphical errors when running under emulation on Windows ARM.

RTX Spark vs Snapdragon X2: Head to Head

This is where Nvidia has a structural advantage that Qualcomm simply cannot match right now.

AI Performance: RTX Spark delivers over 100 TOPS of on-device AI computing power. The Snapdragon X2 Elite’s NPU sits at 80 TOPS.

GPU Power: The RTX Spark’s Blackwell GPU supports DLSS 4.5, Nvidia’s AI-powered graphics upscaling technology that makes games look better and run faster. No Snapdragon chip has anything comparable. For gaming and creative work like video editing or 3D rendering, RTX Spark is in a completely different league.

Memory: RTX Spark supports up to 128 GB of unified memory. The X2 Elite Extreme tops out at 48 GB. For heavy AI workloads and large language models running locally, this is a massive difference.

CPU: This is more even. The X2 Elite Extreme is a very strong CPU performer, matching Apple’s M4 Pro in many tests. RTX Spark’s 20-core CPU will be tested properly when devices launch in autumn 2026, but based on Nvidia’s track record, expectations are high.

Software Ecosystem: This may be the most important difference of all. Nvidia brings CUDA — its developer software platform — to RTX Spark. For 15-plus years, virtually every major AI model, AI framework, and GPU-accelerated app has been built on CUDA. Meanwhile, Qualcomm has no equivalent. Snapdragon X laptops have also faced ongoing issues with app compatibility, where x86 apps running through Microsoft’s Prism emulation layer sometimes behave poorly.

Why Qualcomm Is Still Relevant

Despite all of this, Qualcomm is not out of the race. The Snapdragon X2 series chips are available right now, while RTX Spark laptops won’t arrive until autumn 2026. For buyers who need a capable ARM-based Windows laptop today, the X2 Elite Extreme is genuinely impressive, especially for CPU-heavy work, everyday productivity, and battery life.

Moreover, Qualcomm is targeting a broader market just like its smartphone chips. In fact, the company recently unveiled a Snapdragon C platform for affordable AI powered laptops. 

Meanwhile, RTX Spark is likely more aimed at creators, AI developers, and serious gamers willing to pay a premium. In fact, the starting price of the laptop could be around $1800. 

The Bottom Line

Nvidia’s RTX Spark is a serious statement of intent. It takes the company’s unmatched software ecosystem, combines it with genuinely next-generation hardware, and packages it into a laptop chip that can go head-to-head with Snapdragon X2 platform and even Apple M5 chips.

Qualcomm’s X2 series is also not a bad chip. On CPU performance, it holds its own against the best in the business. But the GPU weakness, the software compatibility headaches, and the relatively modest NPU performance all become harder to defend once RTX Spark laptops start hitting store shelves.

For buyers looking at Windows laptops today, the Snapdragon X2 Elite Extreme is a strong choice, particularly in machines like the ASUS Zenbook A16. But if you can wait until late 2026, RTX Spark could be worth holding out for.

For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.

Tech enthusiast? Get the latest news first! Follow our Telegram channel and subscribe to our free newsletter for your daily tech fix!

The post Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite vs Nvidia RTX Spark: ARM chip for Windows, but which is better? appeared first on Gizmochina.

Nvidia‘s upcoming RTX Spark laptops may end up costing a lot more than many expected, putting them directly in competition with Apple’s MacBook Pro lineup.

Fresh pricing estimates from a Morgan Stanley report suggest systems powered by the flagship N1x chip could start at around $2,899. Meanwhile, laptops based on the standard N1 platform are expected to begin at roughly $1,799. If those figures prove accurate, RTX Spark won’t be targeting the mainstream market. Instead, Nvidia appears to be aiming squarely at creators, developers, and power users willing to pay a premium.

The hardware itself is certainly ambitious. RTX Spark combines Nvidia’s ARM-based Grace CPU with a Blackwell RTX GPU, offering up to 20 CPU cores, 6,144 CUDA cores, and as much as 128GB of unified memory. Nvidia is also claiming up to 1 petaflop of AI performance, a figure that highlights just how heavily AI workloads are baked into the platform.

Gaming doesn’t seem to be an afterthought either. During Computex, Nvidia showcased Forza Horizon 6 running at over 100 FPS at 1440p, while partners repeatedly emphasized the platform’s ability to deliver high performance without the bulk usually associated with gaming laptops.

Several manufacturers are already on board. Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra, Dell’s refreshed XPS 16 Creator Edition, Asus’ ProArt P16 and P14, HP’s OmniBook X 14 and OmniBook Ultra 16, Lenovo’s Yoga Pro 9n, and MSI’s Prestige N16 Flip AI+ were all shown as part of the initial wave.

What’s perhaps more interesting is the scale Nvidia is aiming for. The company says the ecosystem could grow to around 30 laptop models and 10 desktop systems by the fall, with more devices expected from Acer and Gigabyte.

Of course, impressive specifications only tell part of the story. Windows on Arm still has questions to answer when it comes to software compatibility and real-world efficiency. Battery life will matter too, especially if Nvidia wants these machines to be viewed as genuine MacBook Pro alternatives rather than just powerful Windows laptops.

Still, RTX Spark is shaping up to be one of Nvidia’s most ambitious PC initiatives in years. The pricing may raise some eyebrows, but the company clearly isn’t trying to compete on affordability.

Don’t miss a thing! Join our Telegram community for instant updates and grab our free daily newsletter for the best tech stories!

For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.

(Via)

The post Here’s how much Nvidia’s RTX Spark-powered laptops could cost appeared first on Gizmochina.

NVIDIA has officially pulled the wraps off RTX Spark, a new Arm-based PC platform that could end up being one of the more interesting Windows launches of the year.

Announced by Jensen Huang during his Computex 2026 keynote, RTX Spark combines an NVIDIA Grace CPU, a Blackwell-based RTX GPU, and a large pool of unified memory into a single platform aimed at laptops and compact desktops.

The hardware itself is what makes the announcement stand out.

The CPU uses a 20-core Arm design developed in collaboration with MediaTek. According to NVIDIA, it combines ten Cortex-X925 performance cores with ten Cortex-A725 efficiency cores, a configuration that should look familiar to anyone following the smartphone chipset market. In a way, RTX Spark feels like NVIDIA taking ideas that worked well in flagship phones and scaling them up for PCs.

Then there is the GPU.

RTX Spark integrates a Blackwell graphics processor with 6,144 CUDA cores and fifth-generation Tensor Cores. NVIDIA claims up to 1 PFLOP of AI performance, which is the sort of figure that would have sounded absurd for a thin laptop not all that long ago.

Perhaps the most interesting part is the memory architecture. Instead of treating system memory and graphics memory as separate pools, RTX Spark uses up to 128GB of unified LPDDR5X memory shared across the entire system. For AI workloads especially, that could end up being just as important as the raw processing power.

NVIDIA is also leaning heavily on its existing software ecosystem. CUDA, TensorRT, DLSS, Reflex, ray tracing, and the rest of the RTX stack are all part of the package. That gives the platform an advantage that many Windows-on-Arm efforts have struggled with in the past: software support.

The company showed plenty of AI-focused demos during the keynote, but realistically, many buyers will probably care just as much about battery life and gaming performance. NVIDIA says RTX Spark devices can be as thin as 14mm while still delivering high-end graphics capabilities, although we’ll have to wait for independent testing to see how those claims hold up.

The first systems are expected from ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI, and Microsoft’s Surface division later this year.

There is still a lot we don’t know, including pricing and real-world battery life. But one thing is fairly clear already: NVIDIA is no longer content with supplying GPUs for PCs.

(Via)

The post NVIDIA RTX Spark’s custom 20-core Grace CPU details revealed appeared first on Gizmochina.

At Computex Taipei 2026, NVIDIA‘s CEO took the stage and officially unveiled the RTX Spark, the company’s first-ever processor built specifically for Windows PCs. It’s an Arm-based chip that packs a 20-core Grace CPU (built alongside MediaTek), a Blackwell RTX GPU with 6,144 CUDA cores, an NPU, and up to 128GB of unified LPDDR5X memory, all on a single TSMC 3nm package. 

As a result, NVIDIA says the RTX Spark is capable of 1 petaFLOP of AI performance. That’s a lot of zeroes.

The chip, formerly rumored under the codename “N1X,” is clearly NVIDIA’s answer to Apple silicon, and a direct challenge to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X series that’s been dominating the Windows on Arm conversation for the past year. 

And NVIDIA isn’t just bringing its hardware here. The full software stack, including CUDA, TensorRT, DLSS 4.5, Reflex, G-SYNC, and RTX ray tracing, is all coming along for the ride.

What is NVIDIA RTX Spark capable of?

So what can it actually do? NVIDIA says the RTX Spark can run 120 billion parameter AI models locally, handle 12K 4:2:2 video editing, render 3D scenes larger than 90GB, and push AAA games at 1440p above 100 frames per second. The latter is powered by DLSS 4.5 and Frame Generation, which NVIDIA has been shipping on its desktop cards for a while now.

Adobe is on board too, and not in a half-hearted way. The company is doing a complete architectural overhaul of both Photoshop and Premiere to support RTX Spark, promising up to 2x improvements in AI and graphics performance. Blackmagic Design, Blender, CapCut, ComfyUI, and OTOY have also signed on.

The laptops powered by the RTX Spark will be slim and trim. NVIDIA says 14mm of thickness, 3 pounds of weight, and availability in 14-inch and 16-inch sizes, with OLED displays and precision-machined aluminum chassis. 

The first PCs with the new chip will launch this fall from brands like ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft Surface, and MSI. 

One thing that’s missing is the actual benchmark numbers. It’s still a few months until fall, but we can expect leaks revealing some performance figures before that. 

For more daily updates, please visit our News Section.

Stay ahead in tech! Join our Telegram community and sign up for our daily newsletter of top stories! 

The post NVIDIA RTX Spark is here, and it wants to be the Apple Silicon moment for Windows PCs appeared first on Gizmochina.