ASUS ProArt P16 Launches With 128GB Memory at $7,000
The laptop runs large AI models locally on an Arm chip, but costs double the price of its gaming counterpart.
By Leila Santos ·
ASUS released the ProArt P16, the first notebook to use NVIDIA's RTX Spark system on a chip. The device targets creators who run artificial intelligence models locally, moving away from the Intel or AMD processors found in previous ProArt models. It is not designed for general consumers, according to a review published on October 23, 2026.
The price point is the primary barrier for most buyers. The base model starts at $2,800. The review unit, which includes 128GB of RAM, costs $7,000. That is a premium over the ASUS Zephyrus G16, a gaming laptop with an RTX 5070 and 240Hz OLED screen that sells for $2,124 at Best Buy. The Zephyrus offers better gaming performance and full compatibility with x86 software.
The hardware inside the P16 combines a 20-core Arm CPU with a Blackwell GPU. It supports up to 128GB of unified memory, a design similar to Apple's M-series chips. The chassis is made of aluminum and weighs 3.9 pounds. This is 0.8 pounds lighter than the 16-inch MacBook Pro. The 16-inch OLED display reaches 1,600 nits. Ports include three USB-C connections, USB Type A, HDMI, a headphone jack, and an SD card reader. There is no Ethernet port.
Benchmark results were mixed. In PCMark 10 Applications, the P16 scored about 3,000 points lower than the ASUS A16 equipped with a Snapdragon X2 Elite chip. It also trailed slightly in Geekbench 6 single-threaded CPU tests. Graphics performance was stronger. The P16 beat a MacBook Pro with an M5 Max by 4,700 points in Geekbench 6 GPU testing. In Procyon's AI Computer Vision 2 test, the P16 scored 3,895 compared to 3,267 for the MacBook Pro.
In practical use, the laptop ran the Qwen3.8 27B model, which uses 42GB of RAM, with memory to spare. It also played Control: Resonant and Cyberpunk 2077 at high settings. In Control: Resonant at 1440p with ultra settings, medium ray tracing, and 4x frame generation, the P16 achieved 70 fps. Lowering the settings raised the frame rate to 120 fps. The fans produced loud noise during these tasks. Battery life in the PCMark 10 Applications test was 10 hours and 51 minutes. Performance did not drop when the laptop ran on battery power.
Compatibility remains a concern for gamers. Most titles rely on Microsoft's Prism emulator for the Arm CPU, which can reduce performance. Native Arm64 builds exist for Fortnite, DOTA 2, and Marvel Rivals. NVIDIA is working with anti-cheat companies, but some multiplayer games may still have issues. Adobe has ported its main software to the platform. Other multimedia applications have less certain support.
The reviewer noted that the black finish attracts fingerprints. They advised general users and gamers to wait at least a year before recommending the RTX Spark platform. AI professionals are the clear target buyers who can justify the cost.
Source: Engadget
