That is how I saw it and I was woken up to ‘Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra: An AI powerhouse with a RAM issue’ an issue that made me frown. So we get “the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra has been unveiled, equipped with the Nvidia RTX Spark chip. There is no European equivalent of the starting price yet, with the $2,599 price tag from the U.S. serving as the best indication. For that price, you’re not getting a workstation: 8 cores, 24GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. However, the built-in magnetic USB-C charger is included as a premium-looking feature”, no no that is not the world we live in. We see the reported “With 128GB of memory, which provides the AI workstation with a reasonable amount of RAM for sophisticated AI models, the Surface Laptop Ultra costs nearly $6,000. At that price point, another alternative has been announced: the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, a mini-PC for developers that also features 128GB of RAM. Pre-orders have begun, and shipments are expected on October 16.” But then the article gives us the bottleneck. You see, it woke me up, because the is the same setting we had in 1992. A system dragged down by ram (different specs in those days) we are given “The problem facing the Surface Laptop Ultra, and many consumers, is the RAM crisis. Because memory is currently extremely expensive due to high demand, it isn’t necessarily appealing to purchase the hardware for AI on one’s own. The problem: since AI is then only available remotely, such as Claude, ChatGPT, or various models accessible via API, demand in that area grows, and the providers of these services purchase more memory. This is how the price spiral continues to spiral out of control. As a result, the entry-level model of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra is very limited. 24GB, although unified, is downright insufficient for AI. That’s the same amount offered by an RTX 4090 GPU; the difference is that, as a standalone graphics card, that chip operates much faster at the cost of significantly higher power consumption. But the rest of the PC still needs additional DRAM to run the system itself, so unified memory must strike a balance. Actually using 24GB for a single LLM is therefore unthinkable: the OS, other processes, and any applications also need memory space.”
For reference the MacBook Pro gives you 48GB Buy for $4,699.00 with 2TB of storage and this setting is what I call a flim flam option. Just give it a song with all the bells and whistles and se how that sails. So, as I see it, its kinda true to get “As a result, the entry-level model of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra is very limited. 24GB, although unified, is downright insufficient for AI” and there is the rub, the laptop is completely insufficient, but if they mention the high end of a component costing the same, it falls away. And when we see the added “But the rest of the PC still needs additional DRAM to run the system itself, so unified memory must strike a balance. Actually using 24GB for a single LLM is therefore unthinkable: the OS, other processes, and any applications also need memory space.” A setting of a NEW laptop where we see the need for massive required additions is not a new laptop, it it (as I personally see it) a refurbished prevue generation gaming laptop with a brand new logo. Is that what Microsoft has become? Old news with questionable hardware options?
So with that the article switches to Mac, making it a ‘but they are in the same setting” and we are given “Ultimately, consumers have little say when it comes to pricing. However, there is a choice between Apple and Microsoft. The Surface Laptop Ultra is explicitly a counterpart to the MacBook Pro with the M5 Pro chip. The specifications for the entry-level model are actually very similar: an 18-core CPU, 24GB of RAM, and Wi-Fi 7. However, Bluetooth 6 is missing from the Microsoft model, which “only” supports version 5.4.” Yet we aren’t given that Microsoft apparently offers 512Gb (not unlike my Android phone) but Apple has a 2TB storage a 40 core GPU with 48GB gives you a lot more for that ‘price’ and of course there is no mention that upgrading to more memory is $400 for 64GB, the step from that to 128GB is however $2000 and for a thousand more you upgrade storage to 4TB. I am in the middle needing that, but I have different settings. And whilst a vlogger wants to make that jump, wielding Adobe solutions like a magical wand that you wave and shout ‘Firefly Permissus’ because that is what vloggers (apparently) need nowadays to get their numbers up. As such the Mac approaches the “the Surface Laptop Ultra costs nearly $6,000” and as I see it, the specs of the Mac are decently better at that point (and you don’t have to shy away when people stare at the Microsoft logo on your laptop) but that is more of personal nature. But the setting of “24GB of RAM, and 512GB” is one that has thrown me for the longest time and as I see it Microsoft has something it pretends to be ‘the start of the upper class’ whilst it is nothing more than last seasons gaming laptop of Asus. As I see it Microsoft doesn’t learn, or its master in the boardroom is still unaware how the market reacts. And there is no real setting for memory, it is expensive, we see that and it is expensive all over. And that is not even the worst news, because that part isn’t given and we cannot blame the writer (or Techzine), you see, in other places we are given “SK Hynix warns of worst-Ever memory shortage in 2027” which implies that if you can afford it get it now, because the prices will go up drastically within 10-20 weeks. And that leaves Microsoft in a bind. Because that will make their Surface Laptop Ultra massively short and super expensive to make it fit. So, its not all their fault, they can blame their copilot for that. You see, this setting was clearly foretold with predictive analytics and as such with their (fake) AI. The fact that simple stupid me could see it shows you how shortcoming copilot is. Doesn’t it uses OpenAI’s large language models? And what exactly is Microsoft’s proprietary Prometheus model? It is OpenAI with a MSLogo? (I actually don’t know the answer here, I have never ever looked at Prometheus),
it makes me remember that guy who stole fire and gets ripped asunder by eagles again and again until time stops. The image was better captured by photographer Carl Bloch (they were called painters in those days) although Zeus had a more impressive beard and longer hair (in those days). And in case if you think it is rambling. You would be wrong. You see, Microsoft wanted a cool name, but Prometheus was (by all accounts) a thief, a deceiver and optionally a charlatan. Out there for his personal ‘needs’, the one we name pride now. And it has reference as this is the same setting we saw in 1994, 1999 and 2011. Microsoft stating (in those days) “We do’t expect any additional needs” which is a reference for memory (and storage) all whilst they already knew that their is a bonus for the additional needs and we get to pay for that. And as I saw it (in 1999) Asus was already more than aware and giving us more than we needed. So I merely see a return to old stupidity, or perhaps better stated short stopped settings all for the good of bonus sales and when they have you on board, you can stop with what you have of give more. And when we see what is actually required (which we are shown with) “24GB, although unified, is downright insufficient for AI” and that should have been clear straight out of the gates so, why didn’t Microsoft properly address that from the start?
Makes you wonder doesn’t it? Have a great day today
