i5/128. Runs hot during several apps including video. Many have reported this. Its fine for word processing and surfing but not for processor intensive apps. Its also slower than the SP2.
who's NOT upgrading to sp3?
- Thread starter mtalinm
- Start date
i5/128. Runs hot during several apps including video. Many have reported this. Its fine for word processing and surfing but not for processor intensive apps. Its also slower than the SP2.
AnandTech just released it's SP3 review.
It looks like that the SP3 is SLOWER than the SP2 for the same specs.
This is because the cooling isn't as good as the SP2, due to the thinnest of the device (allows 1 fan, and is thinner, reducing heatsink surface area)
Fan noise is also more noticeable on the SP3 than SP2
Also, if you press hard on the pen, to reach maximum pressure detection, you see the glass touching the LCD display, resulting in ripple effect as if you touch your LCD screen of your desktop computer, or laptop without touch screen. The glass is not as string to the thinner design they had to go with.
Source: AnandTech | Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Review
Beside the screen glass weakness, it looks like with Boradwell (Intel 5th gen CPU) these problems could be corrected, as it is expected to consume less power.
It looks like that the SP3 is SLOWER than the SP2 for the same specs.
This is because the cooling isn't as good as the SP2, due to the thinnest of the device (allows 1 fan, and is thinner, reducing heatsink surface area)
Fan noise is also more noticeable on the SP3 than SP2
Also, if you press hard on the pen, to reach maximum pressure detection, you see the glass touching the LCD display, resulting in ripple effect as if you touch your LCD screen of your desktop computer, or laptop without touch screen. The glass is not as string to the thinner design they had to go with.
Source: AnandTech | Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Review
Beside the screen glass weakness, it looks like with Boradwell (Intel 5th gen CPU) these problems could be corrected, as it is expected to consume less power.
kristalsoldier
Well-Known Member
If you knew this, then why did you buy it? And, if you have it and are dissatisfied with it, why don't you return it? Why are you wasting your time here moaning about it? Do you think people here will rely on your opinions when we can turn to (1) personal experience and (2) to expert reviews like Anand's as linked above?
benjitek
Active Member
mg:He's just expressing his opinion, no need to be so negative towards him.
Philtastic
Active Member
Dude, have you even done any reading on this? You're blurting out complete fabrication. The Surface Pro 2 performs just as well as ultrabooks that use equivalent hardware. I have no idea where you're getting your info from (my post demonstrates that more expensive and heavier and larger ultrabooks can have dedicated graphics: that was it - it looks like you didn't actually read the link). Of course the SP2/SP3 is not going to outperform an ultrabook that weighs 1.5-3 pounds heavier and 2-5 inches larger than it, many of which don't even have solid-state drives either to allow them to be at the price that they're at.
For example, Engadget's performance chart on this page:
Microsoft Surface Pro 2 review: a tablet that works best as a laptop
For its form factor, performance, and price, it completely annihilates its competition which is why I got one.
kundas1
Well-Known Member
^^^ and you're missing my point! The tablet costs as much as the ultrabooks with dedicated video cards but can't perform like them! You said it your self! So why should I buy a MS TABLET at the same price as a ultrabook? They're over pricing their tablets... that's it that's all.. /end post
After seeing the AnandTech review, and the reviews of others in the forum - I am really glad I didn't succumb to temptation and buy a Pro 3. I'll wait until Pro 4 until (hopefully) Microsoft fixes the issues with the Pro 3 (particularly sustained performance, fan noise, weak display, gaming performance, wifi implementation, battery life, etc.)
I was hoping to get the i7, but if the i5 has all of these issues - it is making me really worried about what that device is going to be like wrt thermals, battery life, and performance.
I was hoping to get the i7, but if the i5 has all of these issues - it is making me really worried about what that device is going to be like wrt thermals, battery life, and performance.
macmee
Active Member
I bought a SP2 as soon as it came out. Big mistake, infinite problems.
Let the people who already bought the SP3 be the beta testers this time. I'm waiting until i7. If it's just as f***ed as the SP2 was at that point, then I'll avoid it like the plague.
Meanwhile my SP2 and battery cover are great. I wish OS X ran better on it though.
Let the people who already bought the SP3 be the beta testers this time. I'm waiting until i7. If it's just as f***ed as the SP2 was at that point, then I'll avoid it like the plague.
Meanwhile my SP2 and battery cover are great. I wish OS X ran better on it though.
Philtastic
Active Member
... ultrabooks that are 1.5-3 pounds heavier, 3-5" bigger, non-touchscreen, and no solid-state drive. That's why the Surface costs a lot: you pay for things to be smaller. If all you wanted was performance, why not get a desktop for the same price as an ultrabook but would be 2-3x faster and cheaper?!?!?! That's the incredible question that you are asking.
EDIT: Maybe what's confusing you is that the "ultrabook" designation has a really big range of sizes. You can have ultrabooks that are almost as light as the Surface (but generally don't have dedicated graphics - those are the ones in that Engadget link) but you can also have ones that weigh almost as much as "normal" laptops (4-5 pounds) and these are the ones with dedicated graphics.
The only one that is even close to the Surface Pro 2 in terms of weight is the Asus Zenbook at 3.2 pounds and 13.3" (http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?item_id=065230): that's 1.2 pounds over the base SP2 and 2.7" more diagonal space taken up. It also costs over $1400 without a solid-state drive which is the component that gives the biggest improvement in terms of how fast the system feels. The dedicated video card that it has is an Nvidia 730M which is about 85% faster than the Intel integrated 4400 (using www.videocardbenchmark.net for numbers), which is to say that it's still shit that won't run anything well at 1080p. You might be able to turn some settings up to medium on games at 720p, maybe low settings at 1080p. Almost all of the other "ultrabooks" with better video cards are over 4 pounds.
Last edited:
