SP4 i5 vs. SP5 m3 (both 4GB)

[quarmz]

Hi all

I've been eyeing the Surface Pro for a while and decided to wait for SP5 to come out before making a decision.

At present, I can get the SP4 i5/4GB and the SP5 m3/4GB for roughly the same price and I'm looking for guidance on which is the better buy.

I'm specifically interested in anyone's thoughts re speed/processing power. My intention is to use this as the primary PC. Most of the day will be at work using the MS Office suite (PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, etc. and often open together) and a few tabs on the browser (since we're using Google for email/storage). I don't do any coding or Photoshopping, more PPT presentations and some basic Excel modelling, take notes on OneNote, and lots and lots of emails on Gmail. When I'm at home, it's really just internet browsing, Youtubing, admin stuff at home, maybe watch some movies, etc. I don't currently game at all, and unlikely to get into it in the future. Both at work and home, I do like the option of plugging in a monitor for a bigger screen, and may consider getting the docking station (in case that makes a difference). I want this to last 3 years minimum and ideally 5 years.

Any thoughts based on the above usage would be greatly appreciated. I'm leaning towards SP5 for the better battery, newer generation CPU, slightly better design, but was concerned that I may find its performance slow / laggy on the m3 and that it's better to go for the SP4 simply for the i5 CPU (the included pen is a nice bonus too).

Thank you!

Quarmz

 

[Exhile]

4GB of RAM may not be enough for what you're doing. Are you choosing 4GB because of price constraints?

 

[quarmz]

Yes price is a big consideration here.

I'm guessing you feel it's not any of the individual apps that will cause issues with 4GB only but the fact that I'm using them together?

 

[Exhile]

Yes price is a big consideration here.

I'm guessing you feel it's not any of the individual apps that will cause issues with 4GB only but the fact that I'm using them together?

If you're using one app at a time then 4GB should be enough but running multiple apps at the same time will surely cripple your Surface unless you have 8GB of RAM..

 

[quarmz]

I see...so if I was simply using it at home for Web browsing and videos then 4GB would probably be enough. But since I'm also planning to use it for work, then the 8GB sounds like minimum, esp if I want it to last a few years.

Thanks for the guidance!

 

[theveterans]

If you can get the SP4 i5/8GB/256 for the price of the new SP i5/4GB, that's a good deal. Only difference between 7th and 6th gen is the faster GHz and the updated hardware decoding for 10-bit HVEC codec

 

[clouds5]

Most of the day will be at work using the MS Office suite (PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, etc. and often open together) and a few tabs on the browser (since we're using Google for email/storage). I don't do any coding or Photoshopping, more PPT presentations and some basic Excel modelling, take notes on OneNote, and lots and lots of emails on Gmail. When I'm at home, it's really just internet browsing, Youtubing, admin stuff at home, maybe watch some movies, etc.

I have the SP4 core m3 variant with 4gb ram and never had any issues with performance and/or ram. From what you are describing our workload is similar. I even use some audio software from time to time and I do some light gaming. But it really is fine. Granted I do have a gaming PC at home, so if my Surface was my only computer things might be different. But I really never feel like I don't have enough power, everything is snappy and smooth.
--> Anyway, I'd definitely go for the SP4 m3 or the new SP m3/i5 variants because they don't have fans! Also they are a little bit lighter, just a tiny bit - but I'll take it. I'd look for a good deal that includes the Pen/Keyboard depending on what you need. So if you're on a budget (like me and most people anyway...) be sure to not forget the additional cost there. The new SP does not come with a pen included, while the SP4 did.