ASUS Ascent GX10 for local AI: the DGX Spark's chip for less (2026)

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ASUS Ascent GX10 product page on ASUS UK, October 2026

The ASUS Ascent GX10 is ASUS's version of the NVIDIA DGX Spark: the same GB10 chip, the same 128 GB of shared memory and the same DGX OS Linux, in an ASUS case with a smaller SSD. Buy the 128 GB model. It runs Llama 3.3 70B and gpt-oss-120b, though big dense models write slowly. Expect to pay from £4,680 with 1 TB of storage. Our rating is ★★★★☆ 4/5. Still choosing? See which Mac or mini PC to buy for local AI.

Last updated 22 October 2026. Written by Annie, a search and digital marketing specialist. Based on the maker's specifications, UK prices and published benchmarks; I have not tested this machine myself. See the editorial policy.

ASUS Ascent GX10 at a glance for local AI: £4,680 with 128 GB and 1 TB, runs 70B models with Nvidia CUDA, rated 4 out of 5
ASUS Ascent GX10 at a glance. Prices from UK stores, checked 17 October 2026.

Key facts

  • What it is: a GB10 desktop from ASUS, built on NVIDIA's DGX Spark design and running NVIDIA DGX OS, an Ubuntu-based Linux.
  • Chip: NVIDIA GB10 Grace Blackwell: a 20-core Arm CPU (10 Cortex-X925 and 10 Cortex-A725) and a Blackwell GPU rated at 1 PFLOP at FP4.
  • Memory options: 64 GB or 128 GB of LPDDR5X-8533 unified memory. It is fixed at purchase and can't be upgraded. Storage can: one M.2 2242 slot takes up to 4 TB.
  • Usable for AI: there is no fixed GPU share, so the GPU can use almost all of it. One DGX Spark owner measured the OS and desktop taking about 6-7 GB, leaving roughly 120 GB of the 128 GB for models.
  • Memory bandwidth: 273 GB/s
  • UK price: from £4,680 (128 GB, 1 TB) at PCSpecialist, as checked 17 October 2026. Scan charges £4,999.99 and has it in stock.
  • Where to buy: PCSpecialist, Scan, CyberPower (business sales).
  • Best for: developers who want CUDA and NVIDIA's software with 128 GB, for less than the Spark.
  • Our rating (desk review, not hands-on): ★★★★☆ 4/5

On this page

Which AI models can the ASUS Ascent GX10 run?

With roughly 120 GB free for models, the 128 GB GX10 holds anything up to about 190B parameters at 4-bit (ASUS says up to 200B).

Memory optionBiggest model at 4-bitExample modelsPublished speed
128 GBAbout 190B dense; Llama 3.3 70B even fits at 8-bit (74.2 GB)Llama 3.3 70B (42.4 GB), gpt-oss-120b (59 GiB), Qwen3 32B (19.4 GB)gpt-oss-120b, vLLM, one user, decode-heavy test: about 45 tokens a second on the GX10 (StorageReview). Same chip on the DGX Spark, llama.cpp, MXFP4: 58.7 (llama.cpp)
64 GB (listed but not yet priced in the UK)About 56 GB is left for models, so about 85B; Llama 3.3 70B fits with a short conversationQwen3.8 27B (16.4 GB), Qwen3 32B (19.4 GB)No published figure

Long conversations slow it down: on the same chip, llama.cpp's gpt-oss-120b speed falls from 58.7 to 42.8 tokens a second with 32,000 tokens of context. Qwen3 235B-A22B (142.5 GB at 4-bit) needs two linked GB10 machines.

How fast is it?

The GX10 performs like any other GB10 machine. StorageReview tested it against the Founders Edition and found only small differences. That means the same split: very fast at reading prompts, much slower at writing answers, because generation is limited by the 273 GB/s memory.

Published figures for the GX10 itself (StorageReview, vLLM, one user at a time, overall throughput):

  • gpt-oss-120b: about 45 tokens a second in a decode-heavy test and 290 in a prefill-heavy test.
  • gpt-oss-20b: about 60 decode-heavy and 1,650 prefill-heavy.
  • Qwen3 Coder 30B-A3B, FP8: about 60 decode-heavy and 420 prefill-heavy.
  • Llama 3.1 8B, FP8: about 30 decode-heavy.

Published figures for the same chip in the DGX Spark, prompt reading first, then writing:

  • gpt-oss-120b, MXFP4, llama.cpp (February 2026): 2,444 reading, 58.7 writing (llama.cpp).
  • Llama 3.1 70B, Q4_K_M, Ollama 0.12.6: 1,911 reading, 4.4 writing (Ollama).
  • Llama 3.1 70B, FP8, SGLang: 803 reading, 2.7 writing (LMSYS).

So a 70B model reads your prompt hundreds of times faster than it writes the answer. Mixture-of-experts models such as gpt-oss-120b feel far quicker. Against AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ 395 in the HP Z2 Mini G1a, writing speed is about the same (56.6 tokens a second for gpt-oss-120b in kyuz0's llama.cpp tests on a Framework Desktop), but prompt reading on the GB10 is roughly three times faster.

Which version should you buy?

Buy the 128 GB GX10 with the 1 TB drive. At £4,680 it costs £569 less than the DGX Spark at Scan, and the only real loss is 3 TB of storage. Add a bigger M.2 2242 drive later if you fill it.

Skip the 64 GB version. It is not yet priced in the UK, and NVIDIA's US starting price for 64 GB GB10 machines is $4,999 (about £3,760, not a UK price). That is close to what the 128 GB GX10 costs here, for half the memory.

UK prices and where to buy

VersionMemoryStorageUK priceWhere to buy
Ascent GX10128 GB1 TB£4,680.00PCSpecialist
Ascent GX10 (90MS0371-M00040)128 GB1 TB PCIe 4.0£4,999.99Scan
Ascent GX10, open box128 GB4 TB£5,099.00Scan
Ascent GX10128 GB1 TB£5,199.00CyberPower
Ascent GX1064 GB1 TBNot priced, out of stockScan

All prices include VAT and were checked on 17 October 2026. PCSpecialist's price includes delivery and it offers 2 TB and 4 TB on request. CyberPower says it sells the GX10 through its business sales team. Prices have risen sharply this year: IT Pro quoted £3,640 in January 2026.

Hidden costs

  • Memory you can't add later. Choose 128 GB now.
  • Storage. 1 TB fills quickly with big models: gpt-oss-120b alone is 59 GiB. The slot takes the shorter M.2 2242 size, which IT Pro notes is less common than 2280.
  • Short warranty. UK sellers list 12 months.
  • Power. ServeTheHome measured 42-47 W at idle. Left on all year, that is about £104 at the October 2026 price cap rate of 26.32p per kWh. NVIDIA's February 2026 update cut the Founders Edition's idle power but did not help Dell's GB10 machine in Tom's Hardware's tests, and I found no new measurement for the GX10.
  • A screen and keyboard, unless you run it headless and connect from another computer, as LM Studio's guide describes.

Software: Ollama, LM Studio and the rest

The GX10 runs the same software as the DGX Spark. ASUS ships NVIDIA DGX OS with NVIDIA's AI stack, including CUDA, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Jupyter, TensorRT and NVIDIA NIM.

  • Ollama lists the GB10 as a supported GPU.
  • LM Studio has a Linux Arm build with a CUDA 13 version of its llama.cpp engine, made for GB10 machines. You can serve models from it to other computers on your network.
  • llama.cpp, vLLM, SGLang, TensorRT-LLM and ComfyUI all have step-by-step NVIDIA playbooks written for the Spark, which uses the same OS.
  • What doesn't run: Windows and Mac-only tools such as MLX. It is an Arm Linux machine.
  • Setup steps: keep DGX OS updated, and don't rely on nvidia-smi for memory use; NVIDIA says it shows "Not Supported" on GB10.

Noise, power and size

  • Size: 150 x 150 x 51 mm and 1.48 kg, so slightly heavier than the 1.2 kg Spark. Power comes from a 240 W external adapter.
  • Noise: IT Pro found the twin fans rarely rose above a loud whisper, even under load. ASUS calls its cooling QuietFlow. I found no published decibel figure for the GX10.
  • Measured power: ServeTheHome measured 42-47 W at idle (including the ConnectX-7 network card, even with nothing plugged into it), 120-130 W with the CPU loaded and under 200 W overall. StorageReview says it draws up to 180 W.
  • Heat: in StorageReview's vLLM tests the CPU peaked at 87.3°C and the GPU at 82°C, towards the warmer end of the GB10 machines it tested.

Who makes the ASUS Ascent GX10?

  • ASUSTeK Computer Inc., founded in 1989 in Taipei, Taiwan, and listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. It has more than 15,000 staff.
  • ASUS began by making motherboards and was the world's biggest motherboard maker by 1995.
  • The GX10 runs NVIDIA's DGX OS and software stack. Hardware warranty claims go to ASUS.
  • ASUS has a UK website with UK support and repair services.

What's good

  • The same GB10 chip, 128 GB and CUDA software as the DGX Spark, for less.
  • ServeTheHome praised the cooling, and IT Pro found it very quiet.
  • Storage is easy to upgrade, up to 4 TB in one slot.
  • Two 200 Gb/s ConnectX-7 ports let you link machines for bigger models.
  • Available from several UK retailers, and in stock at Scan.

What's not so good

  • Big dense models write slowly: 4.4 tokens a second for Llama 3.1 70B at 4-bit on the same chip.
  • UK prices have jumped from £3,640 in January to £4,680-£5,000.
  • The 1 TB drive in StorageReview's unit had the slowest writes of the drives in its GB10 tests.
  • Linux on Arm only. No Windows.
  • Idle power of 42-47 W is high for a small computer.

Who should buy it?

Buy the GX10 if you want an NVIDIA GB10 machine with CUDA and don't need 4 TB of storage. It suits developers, people building AI agents and anyone feeding long documents into models. If you mostly want fast chat with 70B dense models, its slow writing speed will disappoint. If you want Windows, look at the HP Z2 Mini G1a instead.

Buying in the UK

  • Availability: Scan, based in Bolton, has it in stock with free delivery and a next-day option. PCSpecialist sells it with delivery included. CyberPower sells it through its business team.
  • VAT: UK prices include VAT. There is no reason to import one; GOV.UK says goods over £135 from abroad pay import VAT, and possibly duty, to the courier.
  • Warranty: Scan lists a 12-month "Direct" warranty, so claims go to ASUS rather than Scan, with 7 days to report a dead-on-arrival unit. PCSpecialist lists a one-year limited hardware warranty.
  • Returns: Scan's terms give you 14 days from delivery to cancel, and you pay the return postage. Goods faulty on arrival can be refunded if returned within 28 days.

Interesting facts about the ASUS Ascent GX10

  • It won a Red Dot product design award in 2026, designed in-house by ASUS.
  • ASUS says it passed several MIL-STD 810H military durability tests.
  • NVIDIA sells its own Spark only with 4 TB. ASUS's 1 TB and 2 TB versions undercut it from the start: ServeTheHome listed them at $3,000 and $3,500 in the US, against $4,000 for the Spark at the time.

Alternatives to the ASUS Ascent GX10

  • NVIDIA DGX Spark - the same chip with a 4 TB SSD and NVIDIA's own warranty, £5,249 at Scan. Pick it if you want the reference model and lots of storage.
  • HP Z2 Mini G1a - AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ PRO 395 with 128 GB from £4,439.20, with Windows and up to three years' on-site cover. Pick it if you want Windows and don't need CUDA.
  • Framework Desktop - the same AMD chip as the HP in a repairable desktop. Pick it for similar writing speed in chat without CUDA.

Other GB10 machines on sale in the UK: the MSI EdgeXpert (128 GB, 4 TB) at £5,299 from Scan; the Gigabyte AI TOP ATOM (128 GB, 4 TB) at £5,299 from Scan; and the Dell Pro Max with GB10 (128 GB, 2 TB) at £8,316.28 from Dell UK, which includes on-site support. For the Lenovo ThinkStation PGX I found no in-stock UK listing; Avoira shows a US-specification 1 TB model as out of stock.

Our rating

AreaScore
Memory for AI4/5
Speed3/5
Value3/5
Software5/5
UK buying4/5
Overall★★★★☆ 4/5

The GX10 gives you everything that matters about the DGX Spark for up to £569 less. Choose it over the Spark unless you need 4 TB out of the box.

Frequently asked questions

Is the ASUS Ascent GX10 the same as the NVIDIA DGX Spark?

Inside, yes: the same GB10 chip, 128 GB of memory, ConnectX-7 networking and DGX OS. The case, cooling, storage options and warranty differ, and StorageReview found only small speed differences.

Can the ASUS Ascent GX10 run Llama 70B?

Yes. Llama 3.3 70B at 4-bit needs about 42.4 GB, so it fits easily in 128 GB. On the same chip, Ollama measured Llama 3.1 70B at 4-bit writing 4.4 tokens a second.

How much is the ASUS Ascent GX10 in the UK?

From £4,680 with 128 GB and 1 TB at PCSpecialist, or £4,999.99 at Scan, checked 17 October 2026.

Sources

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