October 10, 2026 · Hardware · ~8 min read
ASUS Ascent GX10 vs NVIDIA DGX Spark — what's different and which to buy
The ASUS Ascent GX10 and the NVIDIA DGX Spark are the same computer inside: the same NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell chip, the same 128 GB of memory and the same AI performance. They differ in the case, the drive, the price and the warranty — and those four things decide which one to buy. If you're asking whether one is faster: no, it isn't.
We run two GX10 units every day as a two-node cluster, so this comparison mixes the spec sheets with what we know from using the hardware. Specs and prices were checked on October 10, 2026; prices for this platform are moving fast right now, so each one comes with a date and a source.
The same
- NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell chip
- 128 GB LPDDR5x unified memory, 273 GB/s
- up to 1 PFLOP of FP4 AI compute
- ConnectX-7 200 Gb/s networking for clustering
- NVIDIA DGX OS, preinstalled
Different
- drive: GX10 with 1, 2 or 4 TB; DGX Spark always 4 TB
- self-encrypting drive: listed for DGX Spark only
- case, cooling, weight
- price and availability
- warranty terms of the specific offer
Short answer: same chip, different box
Both machines are built on the same NVIDIA reference platform. According to both vendors' specifications, inside there's:
- the GB10 Grace Blackwell chip — 20 ARM cores (10 Cortex-X925 and 10 Cortex-A725) and a Blackwell GPU in one package;
- 128 GB of LPDDR5x memory shared by the CPU and GPU — NVIDIA lists 273 GB/s of bandwidth;
- up to 1 PFLOP of AI compute at FP4 precision;
- a ConnectX-7 200 Gb/s network card, the one used to link units into a cluster;
- NVIDIA DGX OS, installed at the factory.
How fast a model generates text depends mainly on memory and its bandwidth — and those are identical. So on the same model, both machines perform the same. The case and cooling affect how loud and warm the hardware runs, not its specification.
A note on naming: on its DGX Spark page, NVIDIA lists partner machines — from ASUS, Dell, HP and others — separately, as systems based on the GB10 chip. Strictly speaking, “DGX Spark” is NVIDIA's own version, but the platform is the same.
ASUS GX10 vs DGX Spark — comparison table
| ASUS Ascent GX10 | NVIDIA DGX Spark (Founders Edition) | |
|---|---|---|
| Chip | NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell | NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell |
| Memory | 128 GB LPDDR5x | 128 GB LPDDR5x |
| AI compute | 1 PFLOP (FP4) | up to 1 PFLOP (FP4) |
| Storage | 1 TB or 2 TB (PCIe 4.0), or 4 TB (PCIe 5.0) | 4 TB NVMe, self-encrypting |
| Networking | ConnectX-7 200 Gb/s, 10 GbE, Wi-Fi 7 | ConnectX-7 200 Gb/s, 10 GbE, Wi-Fi 7 |
| Ports | 4× USB-C (3 with DisplayPort, 1 for power), HDMI 2.1a | 4× USB-C (up to 3 with DisplayPort), HDMI 2.1a |
| Power supply | 240 W | 240 W |
| Size and weight | 150 × 150 × 51 mm, 1.48 kg | 150 × 150 × 50.5 mm, 1.2 kg |
| Operating system | NVIDIA DGX OS | NVIDIA DGX OS |
Two differences matter in a company. The first is storage: you can buy the GX10 with 1, 2 or 4 TB, while DGX Spark always has 4 TB. The second is a self-encrypting drive, which NVIDIA lists in the DGX Spark specification — ASUS doesn't mention it for the GX10. For a business keeping client documents on the machine, that's worth weighing.
ASUS GX10 price vs DGX Spark price — and why they keep changing
| Model | Price | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| DGX Spark Founders Edition, 128 GB, 4 TB | $3,999 at launch → $4,699 → about $6,950 | NVIDIA forum announcement of the $4,699 MSRP (February 2026); ServeTheHome on the ~$6,950 tier (October 3, 2026) |
| DGX Spark 64 GB (partner systems, incl. ASUS) | from $4,999 | NVIDIA, announced October 2, 2026; available from October 23, 2026 |
| ASUS Ascent GX10, 128 GB, 1 TB — US | $5,999 (backordered) | Excaliber PC, checked October 10, 2026 |
| ASUS Ascent GX10, 128 GB, 1 TB — Germany | from €5,399 incl. VAT (18 offers, up to €7,686) | Geizhals price comparison via heise, October 10, 2026 |
The reason for the jumps is memory prices. DGX Spark launched at $3,999; in February 2026 NVIDIA raised the Founders Edition MSRP to $4,699, citing worldwide constraints in memory supply, and in early October ServeTheHome put the 128 GB tier at about $6,950. At the same time, on October 2, 2026, NVIDIA announced a 64 GB version from $4,999, sold from October 23 by partners including ASUS. Practical takeaway: check how much memory a specific offer has. NVIDIA positions the 64 GB version for models up to 100 billion parameters; bigger models need 128 GB or two linked units.
Does the GX10 do everything a DGX Spark does?
On the software side — yes. The GX10 ships with NVIDIA DGX OS preinstalled: the same Ubuntu 24.04-based system for ARM with all of NVIDIA's drivers and libraries. The system dashboard links straight to NVIDIA's DGX Spark playbooks — step-by-step guides from running models in vLLM, through fine-tuning, to linking two units.
NVIDIA describes those playbooks as being for DGX Spark and doesn't list partner machines separately. But since the GX10 has the same chip and the same system, and its own dashboard points to them, in practice you use them the same way.
Can you cluster a GX10 with a DGX Spark?
Both have the same ConnectX-7 200 Gb/s card with two QSFP ports, which is how units are linked — directly with a cable, or through a network switch. NVIDIA describes both options in its playbooks, and on October 2, 2026 it announced a tool that detects connected units and configures the network between them.
To be fair: the NVIDIA materials we found describe linking identical DGX Spark units, not machines from different vendors. We haven't tested a mixed setup — our own cluster is two identical GX10 units. If you're planning a cluster, the simplest route is two identical units with the same amount of memory. How a cluster works in practice, how much memory it gives and which models it runs is on our DGX Spark cluster page, with our own measurements.
DGX Spark alternatives: other GB10 mini PCs
The GX10 isn't the only option. NVIDIA's DGX Spark page lists GB10-based systems from several partners, and the new 64 GB configuration is sold by Acer, ASUS, Dell, Gigabyte, HP and MSI. All of them share the same chip, so the comparison logic above applies: check memory (64 or 128 GB), storage, the drive's encryption, the case and the warranty of the specific offer — performance on the same model will be the same.
Which one to buy — practical criteria
Since performance is the same, the choice comes down to five questions:
- How much space do your models need? Large model files take from tens to over a hundred gigabytes each, plus documents, vector databases and working copies. 1 TB is enough for a few models; if you plan to test many or fine-tune, a bigger drive stops being a luxury.
- What's the price for the same storage? Compare a 4 TB GX10 with a 4 TB DGX Spark — not the cheapest version of one with the most expensive version of the other.
- Do you plan a second unit? Then choose the brand and configuration you'll buy again, and check that both are available.
- How much memory? For models above 100 billion parameters, the 128 GB version, not 64 GB.
- What warranty does the specific offer include? Terms differ by vendor, seller and region.
| Situation | Sensible choice |
|---|---|
| Lowest entry price, one or two models | GX10 with a 1 TB drive |
| Many models, fine-tuning, large document sets | GX10 4 TB or DGX Spark — compare prices on the day you buy |
| Hardware-level drive encryption required | DGX Spark (self-encrypting drive per NVIDIA's spec) |
| Planned cluster | two identical units from the same brand |
| Models above 100B parameters | the 128 GB version, not 64 GB |
Our ASUS GX10 review after daily use
It's not a lab test, but we use two GX10 units every day. As a cluster they run MiniMax M2.7 (230B) at 33–36 tokens per second and GLM 5.3 Flash (320B) as our everyday model. On a single unit we measured Bonsai 2 27B at 30–35 tokens per second. One lesson from those tests: for a single user, a gaming GPU with faster memory can beat the GB10 on small models; the GX10 wins with a team and with models too big for a graphics card.
Frequently asked questions
Is the ASUS GX10 slower than DGX Spark?
No. Both have the same NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell chip, the same 128 GB of LPDDR5x memory and the same claimed AI compute of up to 1 PFLOP at FP4. They differ in the case, cooling, storage, price and warranty, not in the chip's specification.
How much memory does the ASUS GX10 have?
128 GB of LPDDR5x shared by the CPU and GPU as standard. On October 2, 2026 NVIDIA announced a 64 GB configuration, sold from October 23 by partners including ASUS, positioned for models up to 100 billion parameters — so check the memory of a specific offer.
Does the ASUS GX10 run DGX OS?
Yes. According to ASUS's specification, the GX10 ships with NVIDIA DGX OS preinstalled — the same Ubuntu 24.04-based system for ARM as DGX Spark — and its dashboard links to NVIDIA's DGX Spark playbooks.
Can I cluster an ASUS GX10 with a DGX Spark?
Both have the same ConnectX-7 200 Gb/s network card, but the NVIDIA materials we found describe linking identical DGX Spark units, not machines from different vendors. We haven't tested a mixed setup; for a cluster, the simplest route is two identical units.
How much does the ASUS GX10 cost?
Prices are moving fast. On October 10, 2026 the 1 TB version was listed at $5,999 (backordered) by a US retailer and from €5,399 incl. VAT in Germany. For comparison, the DGX Spark Founders Edition MSRP rose from $3,999 at launch to $4,699 in February 2026, and ServeTheHome reported a 128 GB tier of about $6,950 in October.
What are the alternatives to DGX Spark?
Other GB10 machines: the ASUS Ascent GX10 and systems from Acer, Dell, Gigabyte, HP and MSI. They share the same chip, so performance on the same model is the same; compare memory, storage, drive encryption, price and warranty.
Sources
- ASUS, ASUS Ascent GX10 — tech specs — CPU, memory, storage options, DGX OS, ports, power supply, size and weight.
- NVIDIA, DGX Spark — specifications — 273 GB/s memory bandwidth, 4 TB self-encrypting drive, ports, partner GB10 systems. Checked October 10, 2026.
- NVIDIA Developer Forums, 2/23/2026 Price Change Announcement — Founders Edition MSRP from $3,999 to $4,699, citing memory supply constraints.
- NVIDIA, NVIDIA DGX Spark 64GB Gives Developers More Ways to Build and Scale Local AI (October 2, 2026) — 64 GB version from $4,999, available from October 23, 2026, cluster setup tool.
- ServeTheHome, NVIDIA DGX Spark 64GB Launched and Big 128GB GB10 Price Increases (October 3, 2026) — the ~$6,950 128 GB tier; 64 GB partners.
- ITPro, The Asus Ascent GX10 is a MiniPC with supercomputer ambitions for AI developers — DGX OS on the GX10 and the dashboard link to NVIDIA's playbooks.
- NVIDIA, DGX Spark Playbooks — running models, linking units directly and through a switch.
- GX10 prices: Excaliber PC (US) and heise price comparison (Germany), both checked October 10, 2026.
As of October 10, 2026. Prices come from public offers on the day we checked and change often — confirm them with the seller before you buy. Specifications according to the vendors.