Microsoft debuts Surface RTX Spark Dev Box — Nvidia-powered mini-PC helps devs get ready for an agentic Windows

Microsoft debuts Surface RTX Spark Dev Box — Nvidia-powered mini-PC helps devs get ready for an agentic Windows

Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Threads @FreedmanAE and BlueSky @andrewfreedman.net . You can send him tips on Signal: andrewfreedman.01 ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-24/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Andrew E. Freedman Social Links Navigation Senior Editor Andrew E. Freedman is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware focusing on laptops, desktops and gaming. He also keeps up with the latest news. A lover of all things gaming and tech, his previous work has shown up in Tom's Guide, Laptop Mag, Kotaku, PCMag and Complex, among others. Follow him on Threads @FreedmanAE and BlueSky @andrewfreedman.net . You can send him tips on Signal: andrewfreedman.01

User of Computers sooo this is just a Spark with more OEM control? got it. Reply

ezst036 Admin said: helps devs get ready for an agentic Windows So Microsoft is still not actually listening. Not really. Valve is eating Windows's lunch, Microsoft has announced some lip service half-measures hoping that will calm the restless peasants comparing it to SteamOS but in the end, it's full speed ahead with the Windows-11-ification of Windows 12. Reply

leoneo.x64 I counted. Based on the picture, there are 840 square vents, with 4 vents inside each. Out of the 840 vents, 4 are blocked by the windows logo. So 836 big vents or 3,344 small vents. Not 1000 vents by any measure Reply

alan.campbell99 I think I have other words to describe it instead of 'agentic', most aren't printable. Reply

dva852 Interesting form factor. That huge aluminum grill is presumably for passive cooling? Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL 2) with support for Nvidia's CUDA technology will also come out of the box, along with PowerShell7. Dollars to donuts, first thing devs will do is to nuke the Windows/WSL2 install for plain ol' Linux. I'm wondering if the DGX Spark stack will be plug compatible. DGX Spark is now $4.7K. That'll serve as a reference price point. MS dev box should be less, sans the 200Gbps NIC. Reply

timecop1818 leoneo.x64 said: I counted. Based on the picture, there are 840 square vents, with 4 vents inside each. Out of the 840 vents, 4 are blocked by the windows logo. So 836 big vents or 3,344 small vents. Not 1000 vents by any measure You're absolutely right! There are 21 rows and 40 columns, and 4 vents are covered by the logo. And just kook down at that bottom-left corner. You see that emblem? It’s not just a logo; it’s a tactical override. That Windows-style flag is bolted directly over four of the primary vents, and it is a move of pure, industrial defiance. While every other card on the market is begging for airflow, the Spark is slamming the door shut on the competition. Reply

dva852 timecop1818 said: There are 21 rows and 40 columns, and 4 vents are covered by the logo. That grill looks like a nightmare for dust bunnies. Cleaning won't be just a wipe. You have to disconnect everything, take it outside, and use an air duster. Count me not a fan (hahah). BTW, for a fuller picture of what Microsoft is up to at Build, here's the Cliff's note version of the event. Much of it isn't pertinent to (consumer) Windows. But it shows what Microsoft is focusing on for its AI efforts, some of which will culminate inside consumer Windows. Call it a preview. gw0HBKJlX-w View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gw0HBKJlX-w Reply

mikeztm ezst036 said: So Microsoft is still not actually listening. Not really. Valve is eating Windows's lunch, Microsoft has announced some lip service half-measures hoping that will calm the restless peasants comparing it to SteamOS but in the end, it's full speed ahead with the Windows-11-ification of Windows 12. Microsoft is listening. Just not to you but to the enterprise customers. They need agentic solutions and will pour money into it. Microsoft cannot afford to lose to a not even trying Mac mini server farm. Valve has no say in enterprise environment so they are not competing. Reply

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