Windows laptops with NVIDIA RTX Spark outpaced MacBook Pro with M5 Pro in these benchmark tests

Principled Technologies benchmark testing compares three NVIDIA RTX Spark N1X laptops with an Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch on AI, gaming, and 3D workloads

REDMOND, WA, UNITED STATES, October 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Principled Technologies (PT) has released a report comparing the benchmark performance of Windows laptops powered by NVIDIA RTX Spark N1X with an Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch with Apple M5 Pro. PT tested the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra, HP OmniBook Ultra Laptop, and ASUS ProArt P16, each with NVIDIA RTX Spark N1X and 64 GB of unified memory, against the MacBook Pro on AI image and video generation, local large language model (LLM) inference, gaming, real-time 3D, and 3D rendering workloads.
According to the report, “Windows laptops with NVIDIA RTX Spark generate AI video up to 5.7x faster than a MacBook Pro with M5 Pro.” The report also states that, in llama.cpp testing on the Qwen3.5 27B model, “Windows laptops with NVIDIA RTX Spark reach the first token up to 2.1x faster than a MacBook Pro with M5 Pro.”

Key takeaways
• AI image generation: In the ComfyUI FLUX 2-KLEIN-4B-T2I-BASE benchmark, the Surface Laptop Ultra generated AI images up to 4.3x faster than the MacBook Pro with M5 Pro.
• AI video generation: In the ComfyUI LTX-2.3-T2V benchmark, the Windows laptops generated AI video up to 5.7x faster, the Windows laptops generated AI video up to 5.7x faster than the MacBook Pro (Surface Laptop Ultra: up to 5.4x)..
• Local AI responsiveness: In llama-bench testing with an 8,192-token prompt, the Windows laptops reached the first token up to 2.1x faster than the MacBook Pro.
• Gaming: The Surface Laptop Ultra delivered up to 44% more frames per second in the Cyberpunk 2077 built-in benchmark.
• Real-time 3D: With NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation, the Windows laptops rendered real-time 3D in the Unreal Engine 5 Editor at up to 5.1x more frames per second.
• Performance on battery: The Windows laptops delivered within 3% of their plugged-in performance in Blender and llama.cpp testing when running on battery.

Frequently asked questions
Which systems did PT test?
PT tested three Windows 11 Pro laptops with NVIDIA RTX Spark N1X—the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra, HP OmniBook Ultra Laptop, and ASUS ProArt P16—and an Apple MacBook Pro 16-inch with Apple M5 Pro running macOS Tahoe. All four systems had 64 GB of unified memory. The devices tested were pre-production units, and retail performance may vary.

Which benchmarks did PT use?
PT used ComfyUI image and video generation benchmarks, the Cyberpunk 2077 built-in benchmark, llama-bench with the Qwen3.5 27B model, and an Unreal Engine 5 Editor workload with the City Sample project, all with the devices plugged in. PT also used the Blender benchmark to test the Windows laptops both plugged in and on battery.

What do the results mean for buyers?
For creators, gamers, and professionals who run AI models locally, the results suggest that Windows laptops with NVIDIA RTX Spark can complete AI generation tasks in a fraction of the time the MacBook Pro with M5 Pro required, deliver smoother frame rates in games and real-time 3D, and keep nearly all of that performance when unplugged.

To learn more about the testing and results, read the full report, Benchmark testing: Windows PCs powered by NVIDIA RTX Spark.

About Principled Technologies, Inc.
Principled Technologies, Inc. is the leading provider of fact-based marketing and competitive analysis backed by transparent methodologies.

Principled Technologies, Inc. is located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. For more information, please visit www.principledtechnologies.com.

Sharon Horton
Principled Technologies, Inc.
press@principledtechnologies.com
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Facebook
YouTube
X