Asus and NVIDIA are teaming up to bring consumers a brand new laptop fitted with arguably the most powerful mobile graphics processor ever.
The new ProArt StudioBook One has just been announced, but it's already being touted as a powerhouse among modern laptops. The key lies in the device's built-in Quadro RTX 6000 GPU, which NVIDIA says can yield "desktop-like" performance.
The RTX 6000 was first introduced to help give desktop PCs with more juice to better handle graphics-heavy tasks. While NVIDIA's GeForce GTX- and RTX-line of processors are meant for casual users and gamers, its Quadro GPUs are geared toward professionals who rely on 3D and video rendering software.
There's no word yet on how much an Asus ProArt StudioBook One would cost. Quadro RTX desktop GPUs typically fetch somewhere between $3,600 and $4,000 at their most affordable. If this is any indication, then it doesn't look like the new StudioBook One will be cheap.
Asus ProArt StudioBook One
Under the hood, the ProArt StudioBook One will have a 9th-gen Intel Core i9 processor and a 64 GB DDR4 RAM to better handle the demands of graphics-heavy tasks. It will also feature 1 TB worth of NVMe SSD, which offers a much faster storage performance compared to older SATA hard drives.
Rounding out the laptop's internals are a 90-watt-hour battery, three Thunderbolt 3 ports, and WiFi 5 technology.
The StudioBook One will have a 15-inch 4K UHD display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The screen is said to be Pantone Validated, which means it can cover the full range of Pantone Matching System colors. It will also be able to display the entirety of Adobe RGB's color spectrum.
Quadro RTX 6000 GPU
Asus' ProArt StudioBook One has some pretty impressive specs so far, but its biggest selling point is still its Quadro RTX 6000 GPU. By putting the graphics processor into a laptop, NVIDIA hopes to finally close the performance gap between desktop PCs and mobile devices.
The chipmaker hasn't released the specs details of the mobile RTX 6000 yet aside from its 24 GB of GDDR6 RAM, but experts believe they could be a lot closer to those of its desktop counterpart.
The GPU's PC version features 4,608 CUDA cores, 576 tensor cores, and 72 RT cores. It also performs at 10 Giga Rays per second. By comparison, NVIDIA's high-end GeForce RTX 2080 Ti has 4,352 CUDA cores, 544 tensor cores, and 68 RT cores.
Having a laptop that performs as close to that of a GTX 1080 Ti or RTX 2080 Ti desktop PC is definitely good news for professionals. Both GeForce chips are well-known for their superb graphics yield, but they demand too much in terms of cooling and power. This makes them unfit for mobile devices.
To add the mobile Quadro RTX 6000 to the StudioBook One, NVIDIA designed titanium vapor chambers to help cool the GPU even up to 300 watts. The company chose to use titanium instead of other materials likely because of its thermal efficiency and relatively light weight.
Interestingly enough, the Asus ProArt StudioBook One will reportedly have its integrated CPU and GPU placed right behind its display. This is an odd design choice given that both components are known to be the hottest parts of a computer.
