Notebookcheck | Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra RTX Spark Review - The 2000-nits Mini-LED panel is a problem

[u/-protonsandneutrons-]

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Microsoft-Surface-Laptop-Ultra-RTX-Spark-Review-The-2000-nits-Mini-LED-panel-is-a-problem.1426103.0.html

[u/-protonsandneutrons-]

Measured from the AC side, idle power consumption:

6.7 W idle @ minimum brightness, no WLAN / BT, efficiency power mode

22.7 W idle @ max brightness, no WLAN / BT, balanced power mode

24.0 W idle @ max brightness, WLAN / BT, best performance power mode

Of course, max brightness puts out an eye-searing 1,000 nits.

//

With the larger iGPU + 48 GB RAM + 2 TB SSD, this is not much cheaper than a 16" MBP with the 40C M5 Max + 48GB RAM + 2 TB SSD: I think ~10% cheaper? But the MBP 16 M5 Max has massively faster CPU + much longer Wi-Fi battery life + cooler temps + somehow much faster in Cyberpunk 2077.

//

The other interesting thing, this is the first generic Arm Cortex-X CPU on Windows in a long time. Despite being two generations old (X925 - 2024 → C1 Ultra - 2025 → C2 Ultra - 2026) and at ~4.1 GHz, it matches or beats the fastest Panther Lake and Zen 5 SKUs in 1T perf, depending on the test. But still significantly, quite far behind Qualcomm and Apple on the Arm side.

From Notebookcheck's database, max scores:

CPU	Cinebench 2026 1T	Geekbench 6.7 1T	Geekbench 7.0 1T
Apple M6 @ 4.8 GHz	814 points	4,698 points	4,091 points
Apple M5 Max @ 4.6 GHz	739 points	4,366 points	3,766 points
QC X2EE 90 - Oryon V3 @ 5.0 GHz	677 points	4,038 points	3,357 points
NVIDIA N1X - X925 @ 4.1 GHz	549 points	3,096 points	2,722 points
Intel X9 388H - PTL @ 5.1 GHz	533 points	3,066 points	2,688 points
AMD R9 9955HX - Z5 @ 5.4 GHz	525 points	3,259 points	N/A
AMD R9 395+ - Z5 @ 5.1 GHz	468 points	2,978 points	2,698 points

Unfortunately, NBC doesn't have the updated AMD 495+, so I included the HX series, too, but they don't have GB7 scores for that one yet. And the X2EE 96 has the same 1T clocks as the X2EE 90 (using NBC's own laptop test results). The problem is Qualcomm CPUs are much faster and on the x86 side, Nova Lake and Zen 6 are a few quarters away at most and the idle power of the N1 series, at least from the laptop side, is atrociously high. Apple is relaxing in another zip code.

[u/Front_Expression_367 → u/-protonsandneutrons-]

"somehow much faster in Cyberpunk 2077."

Cyberpunk 2077 is native on Mac, while it isn't on WoA. Pretty sad thing to learn about the state of WoA gaming like this, lol.

"Despite being two generations old (X925 - 2024 → C1 Ultra - 2025 → C2 Ultra - 2026) and at ~4.1 GHz, it matches or beats the fastest Panther Lake and Zen 5 SKUs in 1T perf,"

Granted, both of the x86 competitors are also basically two generations old (or rather two years old), and not to mention that Zen 5 is on a decent node deficit (N4P rather than N3-class level node of the other two). And yeah, like you said, Nova Lake and Zen 6 will probably easily surpass the single core performance of this one.

[u/Worldly_Topic → u/-protonsandneutrons-]

The N1X doesn't even feel like an ARM CPU considering it's performance relative to the x86 CPUs. The Qualcomm and Apple CPUs are generations ahead.

[u/UpsetKoalaBear → u/Worldly_Topic]

It is because they are just using off the shelf ARM core designs, whereas Qualcomm and Apple make their own. The perf cores are a design from 2024.

[u/-protonsandneutrons- → u/Worldly_Topic]

Granted, Arm's is older and in the Arm uArch game, even 1-2 years can be a major uplift. Arm just doesn't have any of its latest IP near a WoA laptop, thus the smartphone scores are all we have.

Even Arm's generic CPU cores have had a +56% 1T uplift over two generations.

Arm IP	GB6.7	Relative
2024 → X925 - D9400	2,748 points	100%
2025 → C1U - D9500	3,562 points	130%
2026 → C2U - D9600 Pro	4,291 points	156%

X925 and C1U from NBC; C2U from Geekerwan. It's the same with Qualcomm and Apple (each with +36% over two generations).

Qualcomm IP	GB6.7	Relative
2024 → 8 Elite	3,215 points	100%
2025 → 8 Elite G5	3,741 points	116%
2026 → 8 Elite Extreme G6	4,377 points	136%

Apple IP	GB6.7	Relative
2024 → A18 Pro	3,479 points	100%
2025 → A19 Pro	3,883 points	112%
2026 → A20 Pro	4,733 points	136%

NVIDIA did themselves no favours in using relatively old IP.

[u/Artoriuz → u/-protonsandneutrons-]

These laptops have just been delayed far too many times. The GB10 was already late when it released last year.

[u/RogueHeroAkatsuki → u/-protonsandneutrons-]

I think its even more interesting to compare IPC(GB6 1T):

ARM IP (X925->C2U) + 24%
Qualcomm IP(8 Elite -> 8 EE G6) +17%
Apple(A18P -> A20P) +11%
AMD(8945hs -> hx 475) + 20%

Intel(288v -> 388h) +6% ☠️☠️☠️

[u/ADreamOfRain → u/-protonsandneutrons-]

Can somebody educate me on why Arm processors are so much faster than x86 ones? The difference is so much.

[u/RogueHeroAkatsuki → u/ADreamOfRain]

You can read on web about it. But basically its all about instructions set - fixed(ARM) and not fixed(x86).

This was not considered as flaw in 80s and 90s, but now it makes big impact due to modern CPUs relying heavily on Out of Order Execution*(OOE). On ARM CPUs OOE is a lot esier and more efficient than on x86. And nothing can shrink this gap, even though both AMD and Intel are using machine learning inside CPU.

Result is that if you compare Instructions per cycle(IPC) of CPUs then new Intel does:

-40% less work than Apple M6

-22-23% less work than Qualcomm X2EE or Nvidia N1X(Spark)

-23% less work than 6 years old Apple M1

In past x86 could compete because clocks speeds were a lot higher. However now we hit 6ghz wall years ago and ARM Socs have higher clocks with every generation. On the other hand gap in IPC is still very wide. Intel may never reach IPC performance of M1. Result is that Intel/AMD are losing distance to Apple. 6 years ago top x86 chips were competing with m1 max, now they barely hold against base M5

Basically x86 is doomed, and I'm not saying this as fan of ARM. Design is just flawed and there is barely anything that can be done to save it. Miracle only. ARM is faster and less complex which impacts energy efficiency.

You can ask - so why x86 'won' in 80s? Its simple - back then RAM was sparse and CISC processor needs less RAM to store instructions as often one CISC instruction is equal to few RISC instructions. Thats why Intel(and also Cirix and AMD) got more money for R&D and x86 temporarily ran away. Now its basically over, only reason why x86 is popular is backward compatibility. ARM alredy took over data centers, personal computers are next.

[u/ADreamOfRain → u/RogueHeroAkatsuki]

That was very informative. Thank you for taking the time to write this. 🙏

[u/Acrobatic-Monitor516]

has to be a bug. miniled with no LD is idiotic

[u/Shoddy_Meaning_7654 → u/Acrobatic-Monitor516]

Wait what the hell.

Did LG make this or something like false advertising fake mini LED?

[u/Appropriate_Ad8734 → u/Shoddy_Meaning_7654]

it’s not lg’s decision. microsoft designed and decided on those specs

[u/Shoddy_Meaning_7654 → u/Appropriate_Ad8734]

I wasn't being serious about LG I should have specified that I'm just taking the piss because they are infamous for making the worst LCDs on the market they make really good oleds but they make absolutely horrific LCDs like they are the worst on the market and it's not even close

[u/Appropriate_Ad8734 → u/Shoddy_Meaning_7654]

gotcha. lg has simultaneously some of the best and worst screens on the market. they can probably call that high dynamic range

[u/ADreamOfRain → u/Shoddy_Meaning_7654]

I can confirm. My Lenovo monitor has an LG panel and its contrast is horrific.

[u/varateshh → u/Shoddy_Meaning_7654]

I assume that is because they have had LCD production in China for ages and in 2024 sold their last Chinese factory. Now they purchase all LCD panels from Chinese companies.

[u/Shoddy_Meaning_7654 → u/varateshh]

Nah they sucked even in the early 2010s they made the worst LCDs and plasmas in the world.

[u/junglebunglerumble]

Pretty sure this is a bug. Other reviewers have said it does have dimming zones

[u/mcslender97]

But why tho? Single zone mini led for sth this premium?

[u/jhenryscott → u/mcslender97]

Because Microsoft is a make work program for engineers and product managers who can’t hang

[u/dropthemagic]

Typical Microsoft hardware trash. Not surprised really

[u/stonktraders → u/dropthemagic]

Their mouse and keyboards were pretty solid though, in 2000s early 2010s

[u/Iron_Maniac → u/dropthemagic]

Hasn't Microsofts hardware typically been pretty good? What have they put out that'd be considered trash?

[u/mrheosuper → u/Iron_Maniac]

The sf pro4 with self destructing display.

Surface book with problematic base.

Sf laptop 1/2 that basically you have to destroy it if you want to replace battery.

[u/rafalkopiec → u/mrheosuper]

they had such a good thing going with the surface book, if only they improved it further and allowed for upgrading base/display seperately…

[u/Alive_Wedding → u/Iron_Maniac]

The entire Surface tablet series was largely unusable junk that runs out of battery in 2 to 3 hours

[u/Hot-Software-9396 → u/dropthemagic]

I've been happy with my Surface Laptop 3 🤷

[u/bluefalcontrainer → u/dropthemagic]

Hired too many h1bs

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[u/momentsandlyf]

Not worth it, don't support, not a mac fan but pricing wise it is better for AI work.