This is what the $6,000 Surface RTX Spark dev box looks like

The Surface Laptop Ultra may have been the highlight of Microsoft’s AI-focused Windows event, but the company also showed off another intriguing piece of high-end hardware. The $6,000 Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, a powerful desktop computer optimized for AI development.

Microsoft offered a preview of the device earlier this year, but we’ve only just gotten our first look at it. The company has already called it a “compact PC,” but after reviewing it in person, I’m not sure that’s how I’d describe it.

It may be relatively compact for its power, but it’s still a beast of a machine. It’s covered in air vents, making it look a bit like an oversized Lego brick. The box itself is relatively thin, but it is long. And because it sits on a raised base, it will take up significant space on most desks. It’s also surprisingly heavy. Microsoft didn’t share weight but I had trouble gripping it with one hand. It weighs at least 5-6 pounds, maybe a little heavier, and the base makes it difficult to hold.

Karissa Bell for Woozad.

That said, I don’t think it’s really a portable machine. This seems more in line with Apple’s vision for Mac Studio, an equally beefy desktop computer (albeit with a smaller overall footprint). The Surface RTX Spark Dev Box has a 6,1444-core GPU, 128GB of memory, and a 2TB SSD. We didn’t get to see it powered up at Microsoft’s event, but I’m curious how much heat this thing will lag behind with more intensive tasks. It’s covered in 1,000 air vents, so heat management was clearly a priority.

Karissa Bell for Woozad

It has a decent number of ports, although I suspect some might be disappointed that there aren’t more. On the back are three USB-C ports, a headphone jack, an HDMI port, Ethernet and USB-A. This should be enough for a decent monitor and the peripherals you want to connect, although unlike the Mac Studio, there’s no card slot.

The Surface RTX Spark Dev Box is available for pre-order now for $5,999.99.