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Surprisingly Bad Gaming Performance

baydude

Member
I'm tired of seeing comments like "If you're using the SP3 for gaming, you're doing it wrong"

That's like saying if you're using your Smartphone for anything other than making calls, you're doing it wrong.

If I buy a device that has an i7 CPU , 8GB of ram, HD5000 graphics regardless if it's a laptop or tablet, and it meets the minimum system requirements of all the games I play, then I expect it to play it just as well as a desktop w/ i7, 8gb ram and HD5000 equivalent graphics card!
 

Cothek

Active Member
If you're using the SP3 as a gaming device then you're doin' it wrong.

Not according to MS: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/why-surface/for-gaming

It's getting a little annoying hearing many in these forums tell everyone else how they should use their computer. The SP2 ran plenty of games, yes the were on low settings but for the casual gamer this was not a problem. I don't think anyone here expects this to perform anywhere near a desktop or gaming laptop but is it too much to ask that it would at least run as well as the previous version?

And let me stop you before before you go on another rant about the slimmer form factor or how most people wont this and that, bla, bla, bla...I don't care. The SP3 currently under-performs period.

(Ha! baydude your comment popped up whilst I was typing. And yes, I used whilst.)
 

toaf

Member
so i got my first SP1 to try it out and see how it worked for games/3d max/and my corel, worked WELL above what i thought it would do. 3 weeks later or so i EBAYed a SP2 512. worked great for my games/3dmax/corel. i would see how i would be abit mad if the SP3 didnt run them as good if not beter then a SP2. i hope they get it figured out for all the surface lovers that have upgraded, it's only fair.
 

gtext

Member
Not according to MS: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/why-surface/for-gaming

It's getting a little annoying hearing many in these forums tell everyone else how they should use their computer. The SP2 ran plenty of games, yes the were on low settings but for the casual gamer this was not a problem. I don't think anyone here expects this to perform anywhere near a desktop or gaming laptop but is it too much to ask that it would at least run as well as the previous version?

And let me stop you before before you go on another rant about the slimmer form factor or how most people wont this and that, bla, bla, bla...I don't care. The SP3 currently under-performs period.

(Ha! baydude your comment popped up whilst I was typing. And yes, I used whilst.)

I don't run games but.

Intensely productive, the Surface Pro 3 is also capable of running many of the most popular PC games, including League of Legends, Civilization V, and The Elder Scrolls Online.

In that statement they say "Many" so their not saying "All"
Also their saying "League of Legends, Civilization V, and The Elder Scrolls Online. Can it run those? I not their accountable for making a false statement.
If those are true their probably not legally accountable but morally they are.
 

leeshor

Well-Known Member
If I buy a device that has an i7 CPU , 8GB of ram, HD5000 graphics regardless if it's a laptop or tablet, and it meets the minimum system requirements of all the games I play, then I expect it to play it just as well as a desktop w/ i7, 8gb ram and HD5000 equivalent graphics card!

Unfortunately that just won't/can't happen. There is a vast difference between a mobile processor and a desktop processor. Good thought though.
 

Liam2349

Active Member
I'm tired of seeing comments like "If you're using the SP3 for gaming, you're doing it wrong"

That's like saying if you're using your Smartphone for anything other than making calls, you're doing it wrong.

If I buy a device that has an i7 CPU , 8GB of ram, HD5000 graphics regardless if it's a laptop or tablet, and it meets the minimum system requirements of all the games I play, then I expect it to play it just as well as a desktop w/ i7, 8gb ram and HD5000 equivalent graphics card!

No, because desktop i7s are far, far more powerful than mobile i7s. My i5-4670k in my desktop demolishes my Surface Pro 2, it's basically the best CPU for gaming - but the latest Haswell CPUs in Surface don't come close.. why? Because they are mobile versions, they aren't nearly as powerful. Laptops have better versions but still not close to desktop.

I play logic games on my Pro 2 and on my Note 3 phone, stuff like Minesweeper and Japanese crosswords, because they are light duty and work really well. I get wanting to run everything on a portable device because I've been there, but that's just not how the world works yet.

Sure, you can play Civ V on the lowest settings pretty well on Pro 2, but your battery life will be about 1.5 hours and I bet you could literally fry an egg on the back of it.
 

Liam2349

Active Member

Liam2349

Active Member
Not according to MS: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/why-surface/for-gaming

It's getting a little annoying hearing many in these forums tell everyone else how they should use their computer. The SP2 ran plenty of games, yes the were on low settings but for the casual gamer this was not a problem. I don't think anyone here expects this to perform anywhere near a desktop or gaming laptop but is it too much to ask that it would at least run as well as the previous version?

And let me stop you before before you go on another rant about the slimmer form factor or how most people wont this and that, bla, bla, bla...I don't care. The SP3 currently under-performs period.

(Ha! baydude your comment popped up whilst I was typing. And yes, I used whilst.)

Yes, it is disappointing to see the third gen Sufrace Pro having the same sustained performance as the first gen device, and being far worse than the second gen. It's hugely annoying that it has tonnes of nice, new features and that the pen tracking distance has been halved, that the stylus no longer clips to the screen, that performance is relatively crap, that the fan apparently comes on a lot more, but we'll just have to see.

I pre ordered one because Microsoft said you can try it out and see what you think, so I'll get a chance to compare it directly with my Pro 2 and decide which side the grass is greener on.
 

hughlle

Super Moderator
Staff member
And if the sp3 had been as thick as the sp2 to offer the same performance everyone would have complained that for a new device it should have been thinner. In this kind of situation, Microsoft can never win. Why did people believe that this device would perform the same as the sp2 just because its a new product (using pretty much the same components..) Surely the dimensions and reviews were a bit of a give away?
 

Niekess

New Member
To make a friend of mine happy. Will the Pro 3 run games like Sims 3 fine? I know it does on her Pro 1. Also any effects of the heat showing up, like the yellow line on the Pro 1?
 
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