- Dell’s new XPS RTX Spark desktop has been teased
- We don’t have technical specifications yet, but this mini PC could be a threat to Mac Studio
- Apple is struggling to produce this Mac, and compact PCs like the XPS model could drive buyers away, depending on the exact price.
Nvidia’s RTX Spark processor was one of the highlights of Computex 2026, with Team Green (along with Microsoft) promising nothing less than to “reinvent” the PC, and we just saw Dell’s effort on a mini PC with this CPU.
Wccftech got a glimpse of the Dell
It’s a compact case with the power button on the front, accompanied by a selection of ports including four USB Type-C and an HDMI port plus Ethernet. On the back of the XPS mini PC there are two more USB-C ports along with a microSD card slot.
While Wccftech discloses thermal information about a rival RTX Spark device, the Asus ProArt Mini PC, which targets 140W, we don’t know how much power Dell will supply to this XPS case.
We’re told the XPS mini PC will be powered by the N1X chip (the more powerful RTX Spark CPU, as expected) and up to 128GB of RAM on board. That large amount of memory makes it clear that this is a device intended for professional use and, specifically, to run AI locally.
Analysis: unleash a small but powerful rebellion?
I think it’s fair to say that reaction to the Dell XPS RTX Spark desktop has been somewhat mixed. As noted, we don’t have the full story on specifications yet and we’re also missing critical information in terms of pricing. Dell hasn’t indicated a retail price for this PC (we don’t have an official press release for the device yet) and the same goes for prices for other RTX Spark desktops (there are plenty of these entrants, including one from Microsoft and the aforementioned Asus hardware).
Taken together, what these compact PCs offer is an alternative to Apple’s Mac Studio at an opportune time when the latter is struggling to get stock. If you want a Mac Studio right now, there’s a clear problem: Apple has order lead times of four months or longer. On top of that, the maximum amount of RAM you can equip your Mac Studio with is currently 96GB, while some AI use cases demand much more than that (and that spec is only available with the much more expensive M3 Ultra variant; otherwise, you’re looking at a 64GB limit for the smaller Mac Studio).
So in an age where that’s increasingly an issue for developers and those involved in heavy AI work, RTX Spark machines could be an alternative to Apple’s PC: Dell’s XPS box will run up to 128GB.
The question is, can Dell put together stock that has that memory spec? Obviously, it faces the same RAM hurdles as Apple does right now. However, the biggest concern for many is exactly where the price of such a model could end up. The rumors we’ve heard so far indicate a price for the RTX Spark desktops that is above $4,000 in the US, possibly closer to $5,000 (and regional equivalents to that). Although, to be fair, a high-spec Mac Studio is also very expensive.
There may be people who want to wait for the M5 version of Mac Studio, of course, but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that. The RAM crisis is rumored to have shelved that upgrade for now, and that certainly wouldn’t be a surprise given all the stock issues with the current Mac Studio.
As for how all of this will play out, we’ll have to wait and see for now, as RTX Spark desktops (and laptops) won’t appear until September at the earliest. However, if you order a Mac Studio from Apple now, you still won’t have it by then.
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