NVIDIA RTX Spark: Can the All-in-One Chip Run Games?

NVIDIA now makes the whole computer chip. RTX Spark puts an NVIDIA processor, a GeForce-class Blackwell graphics card and up to 128 GB of memory on one superchip, and the first Windows laptops with it went on sale on October 16, 2026. NVIDIA promises "AAA games at 1440p at over 100 fps". The first reviews tell a more complicated story. Here is what RTX Spark is, how fast it really is in games, and which games do not work yet.

Quick answer: RTX Spark is an Arm chip with a 20-core CPU, a 6,144-core Blackwell GPU and up to 128 GB of shared memory. In games it performs a bit below an RTX 5070 Laptop GPU: about 77 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p Ultra without frame generation. Most games run through emulation, and games whose anticheat does not support Arm, such as Call of Duty, Battlefield 6 and EA's titles, may not start. Laptops start at $2,599. It is a great machine for AI and creative work, but not the best value for gaming.

What is NVIDIA RTX Spark?

Until now, a gaming PC used a processor from Intel or AMD and a separate NVIDIA graphics card, each with its own memory. RTX Spark combines all three into a single chip, built with MediaTek:

	RTX Spark (20-core)	RTX Spark (18-core)
CPU	NVIDIA Grace, Arm: 10 Cortex-X925 performance cores (up to 4.0 GHz) + 10 Cortex-A725 efficiency cores	18 Arm cores
GPU	Blackwell RTX, 6,144 CUDA cores	Blackwell RTX, 5,120 CUDA cores
Memory	32, 48, 64 or 128 GB LPDDR5X, shared by CPU and GPU	24 or 32 GB
Memory bandwidth	Up to about 300 GB/s
AI performance	Up to 1 petaflop (FP4)
GPU power (Surface Laptop Ultra)	About 80 W

The big idea is unified memory. A normal gaming laptop's graphics card has 8 to 12 GB of VRAM. On RTX Spark, the GPU can use most of the 128 GB, which matters a lot for running large AI models and for huge 3D scenes. For games, it means you will not run out of video memory, but the GPU itself is the limit.

New to these terms? Our guide CPU Bottleneck Explained explains how the processor and the graphics card share the work in a game.

Which laptops have RTX Spark?

NVIDIA says RTX Spark laptops are available worldwide from launch day, with more systems to follow:

• ASUS ProArt P14 and ProArt P16
• Dell XPS 16
• HP OmniBook Ultra and OmniBook X 14
• Lenovo Yoga Pro 9n
• Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra
• MSI Prestige N16 Flip AI+ and Prestige N16

Prices start at $2,599. The Surface Laptop Ultra goes from $2,599.99 (18-core, 24 GB, 512 GB) to $3,699.99 (20-core, 32 GB, 1 TB), $4,299 (64 GB) and $5,899 for the top 128 GB model. These are thin creator laptops, not gaming laptops: none of them has a separate graphics card.

How fast is RTX Spark in games?

This is what the first reviews measured on the Surface Laptop Ultra (20-core RTX Spark):

Game and settings	RTX Spark	For comparison	Source
Cyberpunk 2077, 1080p Ultra, no upscaling	76.6 FPS (min 58)	RTX 5070 Laptop: 98.3 FPS	Notebookcheck
Cyberpunk 2077, 1440p Ultra	54.6 FPS		Notebookcheck
Cyberpunk 2077, 1080p Ultra, DLSS + frame generation	104 to 130 FPS		PCWorld
Baldur's Gate 3, 1080p Ultra	97.4 FPS		Notebookcheck
Final Fantasy XV, 1080p High	95.7 FPS	RTX 5070 Laptop: 140.3 FPS	Notebookcheck
Control Resonant, 1440p High, 3X frame generation	109.2 FPS		Tom's Hardware
Gears of War: E-Day, about 1080p High, 2X frame generation	77.7 FPS		Tom's Hardware

What this means:

• Raw performance is close to an RTX 5070 Laptop GPU, but a bit behind, about 20 to 30% slower in the tests above. Notebookcheck describes the GPU as "very similar" to an RTX 5070 Laptop.
• NVIDIA's "over 100 FPS at 1440p" needs frame generation. In Tom's Hardware's test, Control Resonant reached 109 FPS with 3X frame generation, but input latency was around 78 ms, which you can feel in fast shooters.
• The CPU can hold games back. Games are made for Intel and AMD processors, so the Arm CPU has to translate them, and CPU-heavy games like Gears of War: E-Day suffer the most.

Want to compare with a normal gaming PC? Our RTX 50 vs RX 9000 guide and the FPS Estimator show what regular graphics cards get.

Will your games run on RTX Spark?

This is the biggest question. Two things decide it:

1. Emulation. RTX Spark laptops run Windows 11 on Arm. Most games are made for x86 processors (Intel and AMD), so Windows translates them with its Prism emulator. Most games work this way, but you lose some performance, and a few games have bugs. Notebookcheck saw performance problems in GTA V on the Surface Laptop Ultra that did not happen on another RTX Spark laptop.

2. Anticheat. This is the real wall. Anticheat programs run deep inside Windows, and Microsoft warns that games whose anticheat drivers are not made for Arm might not work. Emulation cannot fix this.

• Works (named by NVIDIA): ARC Raiders, Arknights: Endfield, Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Fortnite, Marvel Rivals, NARAKA: BLADEPOINT, Rocket League, RUST, THE FINALS, War Thunder, World of Tanks, World of Warships and Wuthering Waves. NVIDIA also names Cyberpunk 2077, Gears of War: E-Day, World of Warcraft and NBA 2K27 as launch titles.
• Not working at launch: Notebookcheck reports that Call of Duty, Battlefield 6 and F1 25 were not compatible when they tested.
• EA games with Javelin anticheat: support is planned for early 2027. Until then, games like FC 27 will not run. (On a normal PC, see FC 27 Not Launching or Crashing on PC if you have Javelin problems.)

Before you buy one for gaming, check that every online game you play is on the supported list. If you play Call of Duty, for example Modern Warfare 4, or EA's sports games, RTX Spark is not for you yet.

Is RTX Spark good for gaming?

For gamers: not yet. For $2,599 or more, you get gaming performance a bit below an RTX 5070 Laptop GPU, with game compatibility problems. A regular gaming laptop with an RTX 5070 or RTX 5070 Ti costs less, runs every game, and is faster. A desktop is even better value: see our Best Gaming PC Build Under $1000.

For creators and AI users: very interesting. No other Windows laptop gives a GPU access to up to 128 GB of memory. You can run large AI models locally, edit 8K video and render huge 3D scenes, even on battery. Reviewers were impressed here: Tom's Hardware says it "impresses in local AI, but gaming isn't its strong suit."

What would change our mind: cheaper models, native Arm versions of big games, and anticheat support from EA and Call of Duty. NVIDIA and Microsoft say more games are coming. If you can wait, the second wave of RTX Spark laptops will tell us much more.

More PC hardware guides on FpsGen

• RTX 50 vs RX 9000: which graphics card to buy
• Best Gaming CPUs in 2026
• The most popular GPUs on Steam and their FPS
• Can My PC Run It?: check any game in seconds

FAQ

What is NVIDIA RTX Spark?

A single NVIDIA superchip that combines an Arm processor (NVIDIA Grace, made with MediaTek), a Blackwell RTX graphics chip and up to 128 GB of shared memory. It powers Windows laptops that went on sale on October 16, 2026.

Is RTX Spark as fast as an RTX 5070?

Close, but slower. In Notebookcheck's tests it was about 20 to 30% behind a laptop with an RTX 5070 Laptop GPU, for example 76.6 FPS against 98.3 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p Ultra.

Can RTX Spark run all PC games?

No. Most games run through Windows' Prism emulator, but games whose anticheat does not support Arm may not start. Call of Duty, Battlefield 6 and F1 25 were not compatible at launch, and EA's Javelin anticheat is expected in early 2027.

How much does an RTX Spark laptop cost?

Prices start at $2,599. The Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra goes up to $5,899 with 128 GB of memory.

Can I buy RTX Spark for a desktop PC?

Not at launch. NVIDIA's partners have announced laptops from ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft and MSI.

Sources: NVIDIA's RTX Spark launch announcement (October 16, 2026), Microsoft's RTX Spark laptops page, and Surface Laptop Ultra reviews by Notebookcheck, Tom's Hardware and PCWorld. Supported game list and EA Javelin timing as reported by WindowsForum. FpsGen is not affiliated with NVIDIA.