New ASUS Laptop Targets AI Creators With High Price Tag

The personal computing landscape is shifting as major hardware makers experiment with new architectures to handle the growing demands of artificial intelligence. On October 23, 2026, a review was published regarding the ASUS ProArt P16, the first laptop to utilize NVIDIA's new RTX Spark chip.

The device represents a significant departure from traditional PC design. Instead of relying on Intel or AMD processors, the P16 runs on a system-on-a-chip that integrates a 20-core Arm CPU with a Blackwell GPU. This architecture mirrors Apple's M-series designs and allows for up to 128GB of unified memory within a slim chassis. The primary benefit of this configuration is its ability to run large local AI models efficiently, a feature that Microsoft and NVIDIA have heavily promoted as a reinvention of the PC.

While the hardware is impressive, the cost is the most significant barrier for potential buyers. The laptop starts at $2,800, but the price rises sharply with additional memory. The specific unit reviewed, equipped with 128GB of RAM, costs $7,000. For gamers, the value proposition is less clear. Although the machine handles titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Control: Resonant well, consumers can find dedicated gaming laptops with comparable or better performance for significantly less money.

Build quality remains a strong point for the ProArt P16. The aluminum chassis is sturdy, and the 16-inch OLED display is exceptionally bright at 1,600 nits. At 3.9 pounds, it is lighter than the 16-inch MacBook Pro. The port selection is robust, including three USB-C connections, a full-size SD card reader, and HDMI, though it lacks an Ethernet port.

Benchmark results present a mixed picture of the platform's capabilities. The P16 scored roughly 3,000 points lower in PCMark 10 Applications tests compared to an ASUS A16 equipped with a Snapdragon X2 Elite chip. It also trailed slightly in Geekbench 6 single-threaded CPU tests. However, its graphics and AI performance are superior. It outperformed a MacBook Pro with an M5 Max chip by 4,700 points in GPU testing and led in AI computer vision and image generation benchmarks.

In practical use, the laptop successfully ran the Qwen3.8 27B model, which requires 42GB of RAM, with ample memory to spare. Gaming performance was solid, achieving 70 fps in Control: Resonant at ultra settings with ray tracing enabled. Lowering the settings increased this to 120 fps. NVIDIA claims the graphics hardware is comparable to the RTX 5070 mobile GPU while consuming less power.

Compatibility is an ongoing concern for the ecosystem. Most games rely on Microsoft's Prism emulator for the Arm CPU, which can reduce performance and cause stability issues. While native builds exist for titles like Fortnite and DOTA 2, some multiplayer games may still struggle. Software support is also uneven, with Adobe providing key applications but other multimedia tools lacking certainty.

Less favorable aspects include a black finish that attracts fingerprints and a battery life of ten hours and 51 minutes in standard tests. This is notably lower than the 15-plus hours found in many premium laptops. Performance did not degrade when the laptop was unplugged, a positive trait for a high-performance machine.

The review concludes that AI professionals are the ideal target audience for this device. For general users or gamers, the recommendation is to wait at least a year. In the meantime, alternatives like the ASUS Zephyrus G16 offer better gaming value and full compatibility at a lower price point.