One easy change makes Microsoft's Surface Laptop Ultra with RTX Spark a better gaming system

Microsoft's Surface Laptop Ultra with RTX Spark aims to be a versatile device for both work and gaming. Its key features include a vented keyboard designed to keep critical WASD keys cool during heavy use, a 120Hz screen capable of reaching up to 2000 nits brightness with HDR support, and built-in speakers that are reportedly among the best heard on a laptop.

However, the 3270x2180 screen resolution poses challenges for gaming due to the heavy demand placed on DLSS upscaling, particularly given the smaller pixel count compared to a standard 4K display. The 3:2 aspect ratio further complicates matters as it distorts content when scaled to fit standard gaming resolutions, and windowed mode can strain the eyes due to its small size.

While Microsoft has included a custom resolution of 1600x1024 on the device, which is less than half of its native resolution, this lower resolution image may appear soft even after applying DLSS. To optimize performance and sharpness, a custom resolution of 1764x1176 at 120Hz was created. This resolution provides a better balance between resolution and image quality, enabling a 1764x1176 custom resolution via the Nvidia Control Panel.

After implementing this adjustment, the Surface Laptop Ultra showed significant performance improvements, achieving 83.4 FPS average, 42.9% 1% low FPS, and an average input latency of 67.8 ms with DLSS Quality upscaling. This setup proved more efficient than using the RTX 3080 Mobile in a 17-inch gaming laptop, which consumed more power (250W) and weighed nearly double the Surface Laptop Ultra.

Overall, the Surface Laptop Ultra offers a more portable and less power-hungry solution for gaming, with improved input latency and reduced visual distortion.