Microsoft Surface |OT| - Style, Performance, and Creativity in a Variety of Windows 10 Hardware

[Vanillalite]

We have a SP5, and we feel no need to upgrade.

That being said it's one of many computers in our house. We also have a speced out 4K HP spectre, a 13"MBP, gaming desktop ect...

 

[0VERBYTE]

When will we get our next look at the Surface DUO phone?

 

[fadedbones]

Whoa, didn't know there was a Surface thread!

Got my hands on a SB2 for general testing through work, which was great because I've been looking at Surface products to switch over to from my old laptop. I can't imagine using it as a tablet, ever, but the drawing mode would be great if I used it more often. In general it's a solid piece of hardware but was a pain in the ass to get started using right.

For folks who use it, are y'all more artistically inclined?

 

[2PiR]

waiting for surface book 3

 

[YaGaMi]

Definitely hold out for the SB3!
Surface Pro 7 is also very nice if you want to save money with your existing keyboard and pen.

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I want something different from the Pro line. So Book 3 seems worth waiting for.

 

[nexus]

I ended up ordering the Black Surface Laptop 3 for work. Seemed like a good balance of what I needed for the 999. 8gb of ram, 256 gb SSD and the 10th gen i5. Nice build quality and all of that. It's going to be plugged in for the most part so I'm not too worried about battery life. The 3:2 screen was a selling point too. I've been using a c302 asus chromebook for over a year and 16:9 kinda sucks sometimes, especially if a site has a persistent top or bottom bar.

Either way I'm excited. I haven't had a "premium" laptop in a long time, and never thought I'd end up with a Windows machine again but here we are.

 

[ghostemoji]

Thinking of spending some stimulus money on a Surface Book 2. I'm sure there is a Surface Book 3 on the horizon, but I just want something that can use Lightroom and Photoshop for some pretty standard photo editing on the go and a nice laptop otherwise. I'm going to skip the dedicated GPU as it's pretty overkill for what I want to use it for. The 15" model with a pen is $1,600 give or take right now which is the sweet spot for me.

Any reason to wait? A Surface Book 3 isn't going to be cheap.

Are there any competitors I should be looking at? The pen is a selling point for me.

 

[Stinkles]

Thinking of spending some stimulus money on a Surface Book 2. I'm sure there is a Surface Book 3 on the horizon, but I just want something that can use Lightroom and Photoshop for some pretty standard photo editing on the go and a nice laptop otherwise. I'm going to skip the dedicated GPU as it's pretty overkill for what I want to use it for. The 15" model with a pen is $1,600 give or take right now which is the sweet spot for me.

Any reason to wait? A Surface Book 3 isn't going to be cheap.

Are there any competitors I should be looking at? The pen is a selling point for me.

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Caveat: I work at MSFT but depending on roles, we are allowed to select our own PCs from any manufacturer

I have a surface book 2 and have had an excellent experience. 15 inch and I use with pen and the dock block.
I don't do a huge amount of power computing but it handles huge photoshop and video files with aplomb.

 

[dock]

ghostemoji Getting a Surface Book 2 for $1600 is an amazing deal. I enjoy the compact form of my Surface Pro but I often covet that 15" screen and extra power. Sounds like a good deal for the money.

 

[ghostemoji]

Caveat: I work at MSFT but depending on roles, we are allowed to select our own PCs from any manufacturer

I have a surface book 2 and have had an excellent experience. 15 inch and I use with pen and the dock block.
I don't do a huge amount of power computing but it handles huge photoshop and video files with aplomb.

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ghostemoji Getting a Surface Book 2 for $1600 is an amazing deal. I enjoy the compact form of my Surface Pro but I often covet that 15" screen and extra power. Sounds like a good deal for the money.

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I'm not sure if they discontinued the sku I was looking at or if they're just supply constrained due to the current pandemic, but after some legwork, I finally pulled the trigger and will have one in my possession mid next week! Excited.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[captainzombie]

I'm not sure if they discontinued the sku I was looking at or if they're just supply constrained due to the current pandemic, but after some legwork, I finally pulled the trigger and will have one in my possession mid next week! Excited.

Thanks for the feedback!

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I had a SP3 for a few years and loved that thing. We still have it here at home but I gave it to my kids about 2 years ago when I bought a Lenovo Yoga C930. While the Lenovo has been nice, I do miss the SP3 and was going to get a Surface Book 2 but held off due to the price. I keep wondering if a SB3 is on the way which I would like to move to and sell off my Yoga or give to one of my kids.

 

[Scullibundo]

I had a SP3 for a few years and loved that thing. We still have it here at home but I gave it to my kids about 2 years ago when I bought a Lenovo Yoga C930. While the Lenovo has been nice, I do miss the SP3 and was going to get a Surface Book 2 but held off due to the price. I keep wondering if a SB3 is on the way which I would like to move to and sell off my Yoga or give to one of my kids.

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Surface Book 3 might be hitting in June.

Microsoft readies new Surface products for virtual spring launches

Microsoft is continuing to gear up for expected virtual spring launches of its Surface Go 2, Surface Book 3, a new Surface Dock, and the delayed Surface Earbuds.

www.zdnet.com

 

[ghostemoji]

Whelp, the guy I got this from on eBay accidentally sent me two of them. Not sure how that happened. Pretty please so far though!

 

[THEVOID]

Whelp, the guy I got this from on eBay accidentally sent me two of them. Not sure how that happened. Pretty please so far though!

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Wow! Xmas comes early....Maybe?

 

[ghostemoji]

Wow! Xmas comes early....Maybe?

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I reached back out to them immediately. It was a small PC parts dealer on eBay, so I figure that might hurt pretty bad.

If I end up with a free one I'll try to cut someone here a deal. ;)

 

[ghostemoji]

Having been using this for about a week now... man I'm in love. As long as the performance remains such as it is right now, I'll be using this thing for years to come. Editing photos in Lightroom and Photoshop using the pen is a revelation. Absolutely love it.

 

[Vanillalite]

I'm gonna try and update the OP tonight with the latest offerings.

 

[Lozjam]

I just want to say.

I bought the Surface Go last November on sale, for $300. It is completely, my favorite piece of technology I have ever used. I was really even surprised how well it runs on 4 gigabytes of Ram. Now, I don't do any gaming at all, and I use it mostly for composing and web browsing. I love it so much, and I love how small and compact it is. It runs like a beauty too, surprisingly. Perfectly smooth.

 

[THEVOID]

I just want to say.

I bought the Surface Go last November on sale, for $300. It is completely, my favorite piece of technology I have ever used. I was really even surprised how well it runs on 4 gigabytes of Ram. Now, I don't do any gaming at all, and I use it mostly for composing and web browsing. I love it so much, and I love how small and compact it is. It runs like a beauty too, surprisingly. Perfectly smooth.

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I've had my trusty SP 4 for years and still runs like a dream. It's my favorite device for non-work. Got it from work because nobody wanted it, so I took it to try out and never gave it back. LOL! Had it for 3-4 years. It's such a great device for surfing the web and what not.

If it ever dies I'll buy another one for sure.

Edit: I'm due for a new keyboard and might splurge for the signature type cover.

 

[Peru]

Ordered an SP7 and ready to join the family!

 

[Vanillalite]

Updated the OP with new pics at the very least.

 

[Peru]

Got my SP7, using this as an opportunity to try out the new Chromium Edge browser as a main browser, to see how it works and what it may add to Windows-based productivity. Any experiences with it on these devices?

 

[dock]

Peru congrats on the SP7!! I use an SP6 heavily every day. What differences are you looking for from the Edge browser? I use Opera and Firefox. I stopped using Chrome years ago because it was so awful on the SP4.

 

[Peru]

Peru congrats on the SP7!! I use an SP6 heavily every day. What differences are you looking for from the Edge browser? I use Opera and Firefox. I stopped using Chrome years ago because it was so awful on the SP4.

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I guess I was just tired of Chrome and with a new Microsoft device wanted to see what it means when MS says it's "the only browser optimized for Windows 10", promising a speedy experience. Plus I can use the old Chrome tools without having to use Chrome.

 

[Marin-Lune]

LTTP and not exactly with the latest hardware, but got myself a second hand SP3 with very little mileage from my work. I had always been admiring the devices since the very first one got annouced and I'm so glad to finally have one, loving the form factor! Plenty powerful for what i need to do with it and I'm finding myself using it as a tablet more than I thought I would.

I think the device had been sitting in a drawer for years unused, unplugged and totally drained so it came as a pleasant surprise that the battery still holds for 4 to 5 hours.

 

[dock]

Marin-Lune I was working at Microsoft last year and lots of people still used Surface Pro 3. It manages to keep ticking nicely.

 

[THEVOID]

Got my SP7, using this as an opportunity to try out the new Chromium Edge browser as a main browser, to see how it works and what it may add to Windows-based productivity. Any experiences with it on these devices?

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It's been my go to browser on all my devices including my iPhone. It's really great and the constant updates are nice. Runs perfectly on my SP4 since the beta. I haven't had many, if any issues I could think of?

 

[MJForum Poster]

It's been my go to browser on all my devices including my iPhone. It's really great and the constant updates are nice. Runs perfectly on my SP4 since the beta. I haven't had many, if any issues I could think of?

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I've also really enjoyed the new Edge. Feels just enough like Chrome to be comfortable, but it's also trying to be a little different. Just need them to hurry up and finish implementing all the sync features

 

[dock]

Are there any hardware reviews for the Surface Book 3 15"? I'm seriously considering one to replace my Surface Pro 6 for daily game development work.

 

[Irminsul]

Are there any hardware reviews for the Surface Book 3 15"? I'm seriously considering one to replace my Surface Pro 6 for daily game development work.

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I don't think anyone has them yet. Or maybe they only had them for a short amount of time, I haven't seen any hardware reviews in any case.

I blindly bought the 13" version (512/32GB) anyway... 😬

 

[dock]

Review of the Surface Book 3 for Developers

I was offered a Surface Book 3 to use as a loaner over the the last 5 weeks. I ...

www.hanselman.com

There's a decent review here. Very positive.

 

[dock]

A few more reviews out now.

I will probably get the 32GB/512GB 15" SB3 and keep my Surface Pro 6 for non-work stuff.

 

[Irminsul]

A few more reviews out now.

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Any links? I'd be particularly interested in reviews of the 13" model, those seem to be nowhere to be found. But I'll also take more 15" reviews 😉

 

[MJForum Poster]

Review of the Surface Book 3 for Developers

I was offered a Surface Book 3 to use as a loaner over the the last 5 weeks. I ...

www.hanselman.com

There's a decent review here. Very positive.

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I've been trying to find a "companion" laptop or 2-in-1 to my desktop that would be used around the house, on the deck, or out (when this whole situation is over). Really torn between the new Dell XPS and this. Eager to see how well it reviews.

 

[dock]

Both of these reviews are for the 15" unit. I haven't seen any 13" reviews or impressions yet.

 

[Irminsul]

Both of these reviews are for the 15" unit. I haven't seen any 13" reviews or impressions yet.

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Thanks. Really strange that Microsoft seems to have prioritised sending out the 15" model.

At least to me, the 13" has the far better selling points -- dicrete GPUs at 13" are rather rare and an ultrabook 15W CPU is much more common than for 15" laptops. Ah well.

 

[dock]

Thanks. Really strange that Microsoft seems to have prioritised sending out the 15" model.

At least to me, the 13" has the far better selling points -- dicrete GPUs at 13" are rather rare and an ultrabook 15W CPU is much more common than for 15" laptops. Ah well.

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I suspect because the Surface Book got most of its press as a 13" device they're trying to push the larger size as a feature. It also distances it from iPad Pro and Surface Pro.

 

[SonofDonCD]

So I have an issue that I want to see if I can resolve without having to do a ton of manual labor, but this is a software issue, not a hardware question. I didn't see or know of a thread that dealt with those issues directly, so I figured I'd ask here.

I've had a used Surface Book Gen 1 for about two years now. It's done me very well; I don't know what I'd do without it. Not important. Anyway, I think one day the screen was turned on somehow while it was in its soft case, which was also in my bookbag while I was commuting. I hadn't used it afterwards for a while, but the next time I did, the screen was coming apart from the seams on the left-hand side. I think the battery was bloating. It still worked, even to this day. But I didn't know how long that would last, so I got another tablet/screen half for the Surface Book to replace it. It was an upgrade as well, going from an i5/256GB SSD/8GB RAM to i7/512GB SSD/16GB RAM. It works great with my older keyboard base.

My issue isn't hardware, though. I want to see how to clone the SSD on the old Surface Book and put it on the new one. I have TONS of programs and such that I just don't want to have to manually install everything. It would take a long time, especially finding the installation files. If it's possible/relatively painless, great! If not, then let me know.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[koshiro]

I suspect because the Surface Book got most of its press as a 13" device they're trying to push the larger size as a feature. It also distances it from iPad Pro and Surface Pro.

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They did this with Surface Book 2 as well. It was so frustrating as someone interested in a 13.5" model as the reviewers often didn't even specify, so you had to go by the specs when they listed them!

My assumption at the time was that Microsoft were pushing the 'powerhouse' thing, and the 15" model has a stronger graphics card (due to more space, better cooling etc).

 

[dock]

I have just placed my pre-order! Excited!
Surface Book 3 15" i7 32GB, with 512GB SSD.

Planning to get a BaseQi MicroSD card adapter and continue to keep a 400GB or so card in there for slow data.
I'll use an external 1TB SSD for big PC games, so I can try some PC gaming for a while.

I also just bought a set of Artograph Pad Pucks, because I plan to draw and sculpt on the Surface Book. A little tricky to locate but I found a UK art shops with them.

 

[mandiller]

I've had desktop PCs my whole life, but with two kids and no space to set one up anymore, I've gone for my first-ever laptop. I spotted a fantastic sale on a Surface Pro 6 i7 256GB a few days ago and now I'm the proud owner of a Surface ^_^

I'm loving this thing so far. I picked up the new cherry red typecover to go with it (the Surface Pro is black) and it's perfect for using on the couch at night, even just as a tablet. I've got a couple of oldish games running on it and it can run Stellaris fine, so I'm good. I'm glad I bought it, especially at this price.

 

[MJForum Poster]

I have just placed my pre-order! Excited!
Surface Book 3 i7 32GB, with 512GB SSD.

Planning to get a BaseQi MicroSD card adapter and continue to keep a 400GB or so card in there for slow data.
I'll use an external 1TB SSD for big PC games, so I can try some PC gaming for a while.

I also just bought a set of Artograph Pad Pucks, because I plan to draw and sculpt on the Surface Book. A little tricky to locate but I found a UK art shops with them.

Click to shrink...

Interesting accessory, I hadn't seen those before.

Also - 13.5" or 15"? The features and power of the 15" sound appealing, but I can't help but think that a 15" tablet would be impractical/unwieldy.

 

[dock]

MJForum Poster I got the 15". I plan to keep my Surface Pro 6 for travelling, because I totally agree that the larger devices are really unwieldy! I just started a remote work job, so I don't expect to be travelling much over the next year or so, even after lockdown eases up.

mandiller Congrats!! The Surface Pro 6 is amazing. I'm typing on one right now, running a 4k external monitor. I've been using it for game development for the last year and once you get a large microSD card in there it has loads of potential. I'm keeping my Surface Pro 6 for non-work stuff.

 

[MJForum Poster]

MJForum Poster I got the 15". I plan to keep my Surface Pro 6 for travelling, because I totally agree that the larger devices are really unwieldy! I just started a remote work job, so I don't expect to be travelling much over the next year or so, even after lockdown eases up.

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Interesting. I like the fact that the 15" has the fan and XBox Connect but man, cannot see myself spending that kind of cash for a 4 core CPU on a device I want to last 5-6 years. Especially because my use of the tablet would not be as extensive as artists and creative professionals - it would really just be for marking up documents and doing system diagrams.

 

[dock]

Interesting. I like the fact that the 15" has the fan and XBox Connect but man, cannot see myself spending that kind of cash for a 4 core CPU on a device I want to last 5-6 years. Especially because my use of the tablet would not be as extensive as artists and creative professionals - it would really just be for marking up documents and doing system diagrams.

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I totally agree that it is overpriced! My main reasons for choosing it are that I already have the Surface Pen and Dock, and it's a very flexible option for my game development work and artwork for the next 3 years.

I'm a little salty to learn that the Surface Dock 1 doesn't supply enough power to the Surface Book 3, but I'm hoping that most of the time it'll be okay. I definitely can't justify spending ~£300 extra on a new dock and cables.

 

[dock]

Pretty balanced review and criticism from Linus Tech Tips.

 

[DarkChronic]

I'm in the market for a new laptop (currently have a 2012 Macbook Air) and was thinking of making the switch to a Surface. I already own a fairly newish iPad so I don't think I'm looking at the Book 3. How is the Laptop 3? Not sure if I want to go 13 or 15 inch yet. I don't do any video editing or anything like that. It would be for work and pleasure.

 

[Thatguy]

I'm in the market for a new laptop (currently have a 2012 Macbook Air) and was thinking of making the switch to a Surface. I already own a fairly newish iPad so I don't think I'm looking at the Book 3. Are is the Laptop 3? Not sure if I want to go 13 or 15 inch yet. I don't do any video editing or anything like that. It would be for work and pleasure.

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Take a look at the Book 2. It's the same chassis as the Book 3 but you'll probably find way better deals. Specs are fairly similar. You can run Star Citizen on a Book 2.

 

[Cookie]

Just ordered myself a Surface Pro X, it will be my first Surface device. I originally ordered a Surface Go 2 but after being able to see it in person today I decided I wanted a bigger form factor. This is replacing my 12.9" iPad Pro and 13" MacBook Pro. I thought I would be good with the 10.5" Go 2 because I last had an 11" MacBook Air but I think my desires have changed over the years.

I'm looking forward to jumping in! Does anyone have any recommendations for good Surface Pro X ARM64 apps? I know the selection isn't amazing but this is 90% a wordpress writing machine for me, I have a Windows desktop PC, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini for 'real' computing.

 

[dock]

How is the Laptop 3? Not sure if I want to go 13 or 15 inch yet. I don't do any video editing or anything like that. It would be for work and pleasure.

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The Surface Laptops are really nice and slim, and lovely to use. The Alcantara material wears and stains worse than most laptops, and can be especially bad if you wear make-up or ever eat anywhere near your computer. Just something to be careful with.