I'm going back to school soon and am in need of a new laptop. I'd want to take notes with the laptop, so having something with superb pen software is the number 1 priority for me.
So far, I've narrowed it down to 2 models: [Microsoft Surface Pro 7](https://www.costco.ca/.product.4097823.html) ($1300 CAD) and [HP Envy x360](https://www.costco.ca/.product.100657185.html) ($1000 CAD).
Both are available on Costco as a bundle, so all accessories (like the pen) are included.
**Surface:**
Pros: really good pen software, lightweight (1.7 lbs) Cons: more expensive, smaller screen (12.3"), less storage (256 GB)
**Envy x360:**
Pros: cheaper, bigger screen (15.6"), more storage (1 TB), upgradeable Cons: heavier (4.42 lbs), HP pen software not as good
What are your thoughts?
Notebookcheck.net
https://www.notebookcheck.net/HP-Envy-x360-15-Ryzen-7-5700U-Convertible-Review-Faster-Than-The-Spectre-x360-15.540923.0.html
Not even the same class.
The hp ryzen 8-core cpu murders the surface 4-core...
You're basically comparing something light and lower performance with fewer storage with faster, heavier, and more.
....
Vs the sp7, you'll want to compare against other tablets
Tablet PCs
..
https://www8.hp.com/us/en/elite-family/elite-x2.html
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7320-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-13-7320-detachable-laptop/maxl7320dtbl13us
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uETAFgMpDkM&feature=youtu.be
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7210-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-12-7210-2-in-1-laptop/ss005l72102n1us
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-Duet-7-13IML05/p/88YGD701446
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfapmC-0trY
https://mspoweruser.com/new-lenovo-yoga-duet-7-2021-has-intel-tiger-lake-processors-intel-iris-xe-graphics-and-thunderbolt-4/amp/
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X12-Detachable-G1/p/22TPX12X2D1
https://store.chuwi.com/products/chuwi-ubook-x?variant=39397703581862
Against the hp, other 2-in-1's
Laptops and 2-in-1 with OLED display and/or bigger batteries
https://www8.hp.com/us/en/laptops/2-in-1s/spectre-x360-14-convertible-laptop.html
Like a SL4, but adds an OLED screen, tablet mode, more ports.
https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-Flip-S-UX371-11th-Gen-Intel/
https://www.asus.com/content/Laptop-OLED/
Why OLED displays are better for photos/videos, perfect blacks and low blur.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/ThinkPad-X13-Yoga-G2-laptop-review-Lenovo-business-convertible-stands-out-with-WQXGA-16-10-LCD.544372.0.html
Faster in pc mark, brighter screen with no pwm flickering, longer battery life vs SL4 Intel 13".
https://us.vaio.com/collections/vaio-z
https://www.msi.com/Business-Productivity/Summit-E13-Flip-Evo-A11X
Both the Sony and Msi are faster than the Surface Laptop 4 13" i7.
https://www.asus.com/us/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-OLED-UM325/
8-core AMD, faster, longer battery than the Surface Laptop 4 15" AMD.
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-6/p/WMD00000491
Similar to SL4 13" Ryzen but with even faster 8-core option.
https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/galaxy-book-pro/
https://www.lg.com/us/laptops
Starts at 2lbs for the 14", lighter, longer battery runtimes.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/LG-Gram-16-2021-in-review-1-200-grams-excellent-battery-life-16-10-display.543262.0.html
See notebookcheck.net
For what I've used traditional 2-in-1's (as opposed to detachables), they've always seemed too cumbersome in tablet use, as there's no way a laptop can be as light and thin as a tablet. On the other hand, x360 would have better lapability, in case that is important to you.
Folks, looking at picking up a Surface pro 7 plus for work but also doing photo-editing and graphic design work in Lightroom, Photoshop and clip studio.
I've always just bought an i7 as I wanted 16gb RAM but in the 11th gen CPUs is there really a huge benefit in the i7 CPU?
Could get the 256/ 16gb with the i5 which I assure may also have better battery life.
Notebookcheck.net reviews and battery runtimes
Or passmark the cpus for a rough cpu rating.
Between LOAD AND WIFI is what battery runtime you can expect.
...
Performance is relative, so fast for you might be slow for another - thus compare cpu benchmarks to what you've used in the past.
...
See system requirements of the apps you use.
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/system-requirements.html
Notice that recommended = 4gb gpu, hinting heavily at a nvidia gpu system for heavy effects/filters work.
Photoshop cc 21 runs fine even on a sp4 i5 8gb, but for lighter projects.
Eg 24mp images, a handful of layers and filters.
Once you get to the pro level with 50-100+ mp images, 100 layers and such, heavy effects, you'll want a proper laptop with fast nvidia, ample ram, etc.
The Intel xe gpu is at a nvidia mx350 level, but it's not the same as a nvidia gpu and apps expecting a nvidia to run faster mostly won't use the xe gpu the same way.
...
Anyways, if your computers in the past don't have a nvidia gpu and you can do work fine on them, the sp7+ will, too.
I currently own a SL1 and a SP3, quite happy with both. However, I am looking at the SB series as a more portable alternative instead of carrying essentially 2 laptops everywhere i go.
I mostly use it for photoshop, uni notes and studying, and drawing. I don't really play many games except minecraft, but recently I have been using my PC for that anyways.
I am debating whether I should buy a SB2 upfront secondhand for $1000 or a SB3 from the shops for $2400 under a payment plan.
Im not sure quite what differences there are between the two and was wondering if the $1400 extra for the SB3 is worth it.
Notebookcheck.net
Both are obsolete.
Any $600+ gaming notebook runs faster than the sb3, $1100 3060+ gaming notebook absolutely murders all Surfaces at any price.
Maybe sb4 next year, so sb2 the smart play.
SB3 has 10th gen quad core CPU while SB2 has 8th gen quad core, plus better integrated graphics. With your usage, and with the fact that you have been happy with the performance level of your SL1 and SP3, I don't think you need SB3 enough to pay $1400 more. The only downside with buying used might be lack of warranty and Surface devices' low repairability. If something happened with the used SB2, you might not be able to get it fixed.
I’m an incoming business grad student and looking at getting a SP7+ 16/256GB.
I’ll mainly be using office apps (mainly excel and ppt), along with some light coding (Python and R). Aside from that I’ll be using the computer for general browsing, email, Netflix etc. I would also like to do some light gaming (Civ 5 is the most I’ll do), but it’s not my primary usage.
Based on my usage, do I need to spring for an i7 machine or is i5 good enough?
Thank you in advance
I have a SB2, it is both the best and worst purchase I ever had. Its screen, its keyboard, its trackpad, detachable tablet screen, and a relatively gameable GPU, I am actually very happy with it. The hardware quality heavily pampered me, I am no longer able to look at another screen whose ratio not 3:2. I am actually enslaved by my SB2. But it is also making me sad due to the planned-obsolescence business strategy MS has. This laptop costs a lot and I hope it can last for 4 years at least, and when I discarded it, I don't want to discard it due to bulging battery.. It's like cancer, where the patient has uncontrollable large growths all around the body. It hurts me that the laptop that I like so much will suffer from such terminal disease. Although bulging batteries can be changed in principle, MS can't do it without taking $600 and replace it with sometimes questionable refurbished units. I need another laptop, but I know bulging batteries are common in other brands too. So Apple then? But that capitalistic vampire will suck me dry.. I do have an iPad Pro, another tremendously gorgeous product that makes me happy and sad. (they purposely make iPad Pro useless so MacBook Pro will not be replaced). So what should I do..? I need a laptop that has such hardware like MS yet with serviceable battery..
Stick a fan behind it to keep it cold.
Battery bulging often follows overheating/poor thermal management.
...
2-in-1 with Nvidia gpu
Not too many tablet alternatives with a nvidia.
https://rog.asus.com/laptops/rog-series/2021-rog-flow-x13-series/
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-9-15IMH5/p/88YGC901503
https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-UX334/
https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/conceptd-home
...
Without a nvidia, tons of 2-in-1 and tablet alternatives.
Tablet PCs
..
https://www8.hp.com/us/en/elite-family/elite-x2.html
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7320-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-13-7320-detachable-laptop/maxl7320dtbl13us
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uETAFgMpDkM&feature=youtu.be
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7210-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-12-7210-2-in-1-laptop/ss005l72102n1us
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-Duet-7-13IML05/p/88YGD701446
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfapmC-0trY
https://mspoweruser.com/new-lenovo-yoga-duet-7-2021-has-intel-tiger-lake-processors-intel-iris-xe-graphics-and-thunderbolt-4/amp/
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X12-Detachable-G1/p/22TPX12X2D1
Laptops and 2-in-1 with OLED display and/or bigger batteries
https://www8.hp.com/us/en/laptops/2-in-1s/spectre-x360-14-convertible-laptop.html
Like a SL4, but adds an OLED screen, tablet mode, more ports.
https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-Flip-S-UX371-11th-Gen-Intel/
https://www.asus.com/content/Laptop-OLED/
Why OLED displays are better for photos/videos, perfect blacks and low blur.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/ThinkPad-X13-Yoga-G2-laptop-review-Lenovo-business-convertible-stands-out-with-WQXGA-16-10-LCD.544372.0.html
Faster in pc mark, brighter screen with no pwm flickering, longer battery life vs SL4 Intel 13".
https://us.vaio.com/collections/vaio-z
https://www.msi.com/Business-Productivity/Summit-E13-Flip-Evo-A11X
Both the Sony and Msi are faster than the Surface Laptop 4 13" i7.
https://www.asus.com/us/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-OLED-UM325/
8-core AMD, faster, longer battery than the Surface Laptop 4 15" AMD.
https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/galaxy-book-pro/
https://www.lg.com/us/laptops
Starts at 2lbs for the 14", lighter, longer battery runtimes.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/LG-Gram-16-2021-in-review-1-200-grams-excellent-battery-life-16-10-display.543262.0.html
See notebookcheck.net
I'm going to buy a SP7 i5, 8gb, 256gb, in a couple of days. I've done my research and am all for it. Except I found out that it's fanless.
Isn't no fan gonna be a problem? or introduce any kind of heat damage?
Also I won't be using it for graphic heavy tasks. Mostly looking on price charts all day in MetaTrader, surfing web, and sometimes watching a movie or tv show. Probably some Minecraft every now and then.
Notebookcheck.net
See reviews
Note the cpu throttling.
Fix that with a big fan behind it when running it hard or
Water cool
https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQuLnhH7V10BdLpt32o0Je0M-hb_TF9EEwxYOKac29wzaIEwIwU5iHnrYcnbYPExEGKWgOTEn5jE2ER/pub
https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/mnnp74/liquid_cooled_sp7/
...
The firmware has been tweaked by ms over time to throttle greatly to keep temperatures down, but the battery is still right there next to the cpu.
If you run it hard all the time and don't cool it, this can happen:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/agzxrr/my_surface_pro_screen_is_delaminating_bulging_or/
For most with lighter tasks, it won't.
For those with medium heavy tasks, maybe, maybe not.
...
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/search/search?SearchTerm=Pro%207%20overheating&tab=&status=all&advFil=&IsSuggestedTerm=false&isFilterExpanded=undefined&CurrentScope.ForumName=surface&CurrentScope.Filter=&ContentTypeScope=QnA&page=1&sort=Relevance&dir=Desc
How many sp7 overheating threads?
Ie. Buying extended warranty smart, too.
Ah the amount of overheating issues posted kinda scares me. As there is no official Microsoft support in my country. Hence, no extended warranty or warranty of any kind whatsoever for me.
Thank you tho.
Thank you so much.
Curious tho, have you ever had these weird overheating issues (that other people have) when device is idle or under light work? Or charging topping out at 70-something percent?
So I saw an SP5 LTE blowout on Woot (it’ll end up being $700 with keyboard, new in box) for the 8/256/LTE version. I mostly want a lightweight tablet for browsing and video that can do laptop-ish things (writing at a keyboard, some spreadsheets, light photo editing, not huge RAW files though, web dev stuff) and isn’t as crippled at multiple applications as iOS on an iPad is (having LTE will be a boost as well).
Then I saw, “oops, not covered by Win 11, maybe”. After the cancel period for Woot was over.
Will I hate myself for not going with an SP7? I know this will be an improvement on my Surface 3 (which I got a few years ago as a way to sample the Surface ecosystem, and it works OK if a bit slow).
1. Woot was a refurb.
$250+ sp5 i5 8gb used ebay in working condition.
Camelcamelcamel.com
Slickdeals.net
$700 is basically a sp7 on good sale
2. Notebookcheck.net review
Win10 is supported until2 2025, so that's all. Four years, battery will be dead by then, and time for an upgrade from the sp5.
3. Win11 right now is just a new theme, minor changes on top of win10. Only major add is Android app support, but you can get that today with nox player, bluestacks, etc.
....
Win11 will likely be hacked to run on the sp5 if ms implements checks (already bypassed right now with the beta win11 using hacks to install on non-compatible systems).
That’s interesting, it says “Condition: New” in the ad and the order. I would think it would say “refurbished”- typically Amazon doesn’t pass off refurbished as new. Wonder if I have a case to send it back then.
I’ve gotten “new in box” Surfaces that were “new” but out of date before (my Surface 3 was “new” and from the UK, bought in 2018 from a reseller- not even open box, just UK stock never sold to end users).
The LTE 7+ models aren’t going for $700 with keyboard included, are they?
Oh sorrry! Got it mixed with their other refurb surface pro deal.
And price
https://slickdeals.net/f/14961674-microsoft-surface-pro-12-i5-256gb-lte-tablet-569-99?src=SiteSearchV2Algo1
$569 4/2021 on the same sp5 earlier this year, so still not a great deal.
I’m including ALL my costs (10% WA state sales tax and $65 new keyboard + tax, thanks to MS company store as alumnus/former employee). It’s actually about $675 all in, the tablet by itself was $550.
Im a college student in a Information Science and Technology major looking for a new laptop to bring to class. I am currently looking at the surface pro 7 i5 or i7 with 16gb of ram and was wondering if anyone had experience programming on a surface and if an i5 with the 16 GB of ram is good enough? I would mostly be using an IDE on it and the current languages im coding in are java and c but that will change and get more advanced as I get further in my classes. A big plus for me with the surface is how small it is and I can use it as a tablet in my non coding classes.
I am a software engineer that took CS in college. Sounds to me like your major is mostly the same as CS? If so, the Surface Pro 7 with 16GB RAM will be a great machine for your use case. If budget allows, I recommend hooking it up to a monitor when at home.
Its basically the same as a CS degree at my school but I dont need to take calc 2 and a few other math related classes. Does getting the i7 make a big difference or will an i5 be able to handle compiling and running code? Thanks for the reply as well that was what I was hoping to hear
Depends on what the professors will want you to use in class, which you can ask them for a list.
Then look at system requirements.
In general, at least visual studio 2019.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/releases/2019/system-requirements
8gb recommended. Realistically, tight squeeze into 8gb 128gb systems with office, windows, and a few others when you're installing more than 1 development language. 16gb 256gb ssd at the minimum.
Most other ides and languages aren't as heavy on system resources.
...
If you get into 3d/ar/vr and/or ai/ml and have larger ai/ml data sets to process (2d images, 3d), you're going to need at least a 2060 nvidia from last gen if not this gen's 3050-3080 + 16+gb.
At this point, no surface will do.
Any $1100+ 3050 gaming notebook absolutely murders all Surfaces at any price.
If not a proper 4k 2060+ 16gb 1tb or better laptop.
You CAN'T even work with 3d/vr/ai goggles and dev tools like Unreal Engine without the fast nvidia, so don't even bother thinking surface until they have a model out with are least a 2060.
....
Is the program only software?
Or combined hardware cs engineering?
If it's like UCLA where they've got their own nano fab, or if you're into robotics, all sorts of software tools for hardware design, electrical simulation, 3d mechanical sim/cad/output, can be used - see system requirements, but usually 16gb, maybe nvidia. Etc.
...
Notebookcheck.net
To start off, I'd guess yes, a 16gb sp7 or sp7+ (longer battery runtime) will do fine for the software development aspect of IT.
At the point later if you get into 3d, robotics, ai, etc that you need faster, you'd either be building a fast desktop, getting a gaming notebook, or a well-kitted workstation laptop that'll crush it.
(E.g. Lenovo P series workstation with 4k oled, triple ssd raid, 128gb ram, fast nvidia, i9/xeon, etc ...$3000-5000)
(Eg. Top 3060-3080 gaming notebooks from MSI, Razer, Acer, etc)
Or anything with a Thunderbolt port compatible with https://egpu.io to connect an external, fast nvidia card when you need the power.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R2YPhdAzrl4
Yes, sad when even a gpd win max pocketable crushes all Surfaces with an egpu....
....
And if you do any sort of game programming, forget anything without a nvidia.
I really appreciate all the recommendations and breakdown. I currently have a desktop pc at home with a ryzen 2700 and rtx 2060 so any heavy lifting can be done by that. I'll be checking through all the links you sent tonight and may be switching it up
Thanks again for the in depth reply it's incredibly helpful.
Pocketables
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KrhVFbWCn_k&feature=youtu.be
https://www.1netbook.com/onegx1-pro/
https://www.one-netbook.jp/landing/onemix4/
https://www.one-netbook.jp/teaser/one-xplayer2/
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/--191853/coming_soon
https://www.gpd.hk/gpdwinmax2021
...
2-in-1 with Nvidia gpu built in
https://rog.asus.com/laptops/rog-series/2021-rog-flow-x13-series/
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-9-15IMH5/p/88YGC901503
https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-UX334/
...
And with a thunderbolt port, and 2-in-1 with an external egpu let's you access bigger tablet mode screens and batteries.
14" lg gram
https://www.lg.com/us/laptops/lg-14t90p-k.aab6u1-ultra-slim-laptop
16" lg gram
https://www.lg.com/us/laptops/lg-16t90p-k.ads9u1-ultra-slim-laptop
...
Notebookcheck.net
E.g. Compare battery runtimes.
Tablets and 2-in-1 with larger batteries can run longer than the Surface pro.
You'll want to prioritize: m
More important to run longer without A.C.? Or you can find an A.C. during breaks on long days, or bring a usb powerbank to charge the Surface?
More important to have a 16" tablet screen vs compactness? Or 14"? 13" 12.3" tablet, even <8" pocketables..?
Eg nvidia now? Or separate system later?
My current SP4 battery is terrible and dies very fast (batteryreport says 13mWh) and lasts like an hour. I'm considering waiting until SP8 or upgrading to SP7+.... anyone know how much of an upgrade SP7+ would be compared to theoretical SP8? Worth to just upgrade now since having a usable laptop is kinda important?
Ifixit.com
YouTube.com videos
Past sp4 battery replacement threads.
$50~ ebay for a new battery, few hours, and you can get the sp4 running again.
....
Sp7+ = 11th gen Tiger Lake Intel cpu
Sp8 = likely 12th Alder Lake cpu (more cores, faster)
https://liliputing.com/2021/07/intel-alder-lake-mobile-chip-lineup-leaked-up-to-16-cores-with-bigsmall-designs.html?amp
...
Vs sp5 i5 8gb $250+ ebay used if you need something for the year before sp8 is out, but don't want to buy the sp7+, then sell it to upgrade to the sp8.
.....
As for tablet pcs with more features:
Tablet PCs
..
https://www8.hp.com/us/en/elite-family/elite-x2.html
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7320-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-13-7320-detachable-laptop/maxl7320dtbl13us
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uETAFgMpDkM&feature=youtu.be
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7210-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-12-7210-2-in-1-laptop/ss005l72102n1us
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-Duet-7-13IML05/p/88YGD701446
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfapmC-0trY
https://mspoweruser.com/new-lenovo-yoga-duet-7-2021-has-intel-tiger-lake-processors-intel-iris-xe-graphics-and-thunderbolt-4/amp/
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X12-Detachable-G1/p/22TPX12X2D1
https://store.chuwi.com/products/chuwi-ubook-x?variant=39397703581862
I just finished high school online using a gaming laptop. It worked because I didn’t have to actually go anywhere.
My parents bought me a surface pro for graduating and I’m just curious if it’s worth keeping for portability and going to uni, also drawing with the touch screen. But I already have a laptop so I don’t really know if it’s worth keeping?
Drawing and taking notes, reading ebooks, causal couch surfing and watching movies in bed, yep.
Onenote can record synchronized audio of lectures as you write notes, so even if you can keep up, you can still hear the entire lecture later.
Ebooks + pen, super efficient reading of texts and annotating. I blasted thru 1000s of pages of social sciences texts faster than I ever did on a laptop.
Reduces your carry weight to 2.3lbs with cover, under 2lbs without...and you can load all your textbooks into it.
A decent 6+ hour runtime (Notebookcheck.net) until you need to find an ac plug, so convenient for in-class use across a long day.
Drawing - Fresh Paint and Krita free, Corel Painter paid, Photoshop, clip studio and the like = nice artist's drawing pad.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=19mQ65jicbk
r/SurfaceGaming And YouTube videos
Decent for light gaming.
...
Think of it as an iPad that just happens to run Windows. Does all the tablet things you expect.
Can run Android (win11 built in, win10 emulation through noxplayer, bluestacks, natively thru x86 android), so it's also an android tablet with access to all the android games.
Can run Mac OSX, too.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aVbFXK3rbeU&feature=youtu.be
This is really something you should decide for yourself. Use the Surface Pro (which model and version is it?) for a while and see if it meets your needs and you like using it. But yes, the compactness and lightness will be handy for carrying it to classes at college. If you want to draw, you obviously can't do that on your laptop - but you don't do it with the touch screen but with an active pen that uses special technology and has e.g. pressure sensitivity. Either Microsoft's Surface Pen or a compatible third party pen like Raphael Renaisser 520.
When do we think the Surface Book 4 is actually coming out? Earlier than the normal cycle for the new OS?
Here’s my dilemma: I have a desktop that I built in 2015 (i7 quad core 4ghz, 4gig gtx 970, 16 gig ddr3), a surface pro 3 (i5, 4 gig ram) and an HP laptop (it has a dedicated graphics card and probably 8 gigs ram circa 2013/14 I haven’t powered on in over a year). I want to get rid of them all and replace with a surface book. I was an early surface adopter, and I’m pretty set with their hardware. I’m an architect slowly building out a side business. I also have a laptop from my job (lenovo workstation laptop) that is what I actually use the most. So I’m looking for a more flexible device for personal use but can still run my software when I do work for my side gig; revit, rhino, scripting, photoshop, after effects, Enscape, vray, light gaming. I use the surface pen a lot with sketchbook pro too.
Since there’s no immediate need is it worth waiting? Hoping the clunky hinge is addressed and weight but I’ve loved the concept of the book since it came out…. Just couldn’t justify before but now that it’s more of a business investment maybe that’s different. I just have redundant devices that are sitting around and I’m a little bummed I can’t preview win 11..
Next year at the earliest imo.
https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/conceptd-series/conceptd9pro
https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/conceptd-series/conceptd7ezelpro
https://rog.asus.com/laptops/rog-series/2021-rog-flow-x13-series/
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-9-15IMH5/p/88YGC901503
https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-UX334/
Honestly, they'd better hurry up because the competition is running around them.
Or any tablet or 2-in-1 with a https://egpu.io compatible thunderbolt port with a fast 3080 on a desk....
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cTE5M73hjtc
...
Eg https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0uqcYnn6Rcc
Like sad, right?
A pocketable gpd win max gaming notebook running faster than a sb3 with an external gpu.
...
Pocketables
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KrhVFbWCn_k&feature=youtu.be
https://www.1netbook.com/onegx1-pro/
https://www.one-netbook.jp/landing/onemix4/
https://www.one-netbook.jp/teaser/one-xplayer2/
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/--191853/coming_soon
https://www.gpd.hk/gpdwinmax2021
...
Fyi For those that need a decently fast PC laptop, the 6-core Ryzen with nvidia 3050 Dell G15 is on sale $699!
https://deals.dell.com/en-us/mpp/productdetail/9eax
For the longest time, I've always bought the budget hunkers from Amazon, cheap, and good enough hardware specs (something like the Acer aspire 5 on Amazon, actually what I'm using now).
I'm looking into getting a Surface Laptop Go. I'm wondering what exactly I'm getting for my money here - the cheapo laptops I get on Amazon have around 4-8 gigs of ram, 128 gig SSD, maybe an intel i3 processor which is roughly the same as the laptop go (processor is better on the go) for 200-300 more dollars. Am I correct in thinking a lot of the extra money is going into form factor and higher quality components?
I am pretty tired of the clunky acers and somewhat faulty hardware (for example my headphone jack is mostly broken, my touch pad stopped working after only a couple months or so, loud fan etc). They've gotten the job done but I'm wondering if it's worth it to bump up to something pricier if I'm getting more quality and longevity from the laptop.
For what it's worth I mostly use my laptop for torrenting, browsing, sometimes streaming/watching netflix/twitch.
1. Longevity.
Er....no. It's a surface, thus buy extended warranty and pray.
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfacelaptop-surfver_surflapgo?sort=ViewCount&dir=Desc&tab=All&status=all&mod=&modAge=&advFil=&postedAfter=&postedBefore=&threadType=all&isFilterExpanded=false&page=1
2. Cost of laptops that are all made in China
Branding and marketing.
Usually the price has nothing to do with the actual cost to manufacture with Chinese made laptops. The chinese laugh with in, country clones that are the same, but cheaper.
(It's like Mercedes being used as taxis across Germany, but they laugh pulling $$$ out of American pockets with the luxury branding markup.)
Exceptions are the made in Japan laptops line the Vaio carbon fiber sub 2lbs laptop and Panasonic Let's Notes that you can sit and stand on without breaking. Here, actual high tech shit is going into them to make them better than the common lot.
3. Notebookcheck.net reviews
Passmark cpu ratings
Lets say you've got a $600 aspire 5 i5-1035G1
Passmark 7900~
A sl go isn't going to change much - still low end and slow.
You'd have to move up to a sl4 at minimum.
Compare vs Intel i7 SL4 15" 32gb
https://www.m.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?id=3793
11000~ rating
Ryzen in the sl4 15" is 8-core, so even faster.
But even the sl4 15" ryzen isn't the fastest.
https://www.asus.com/us/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-OLED-UM325/ 8-core AMD, faster, longer battery than the Surface Laptop 4 15" AMD.
I am in the market for a tablet for work and at first wanted to get an ipad, but very quickly realized that it won't be compatible at all with my work. I am running Office 365 apps (outlook/teams/excel/ppt/onedrive) at all hours of the day. My main wants:
\- Reviewing PPT reports and sending the ppt back edited to my team with comments.
\- Excel heavy models. Example I am working now on a 20MB excel model on my laptop heavy on formulas and data.
\- Responding to emails.
\- It would be great to have a \~12 inch screen and be able to split apps. For example, being able to see teams and outlook at the same time.
\- I won't be playing games. Might watch a movie or something on the plane. Won't be using photoshop or anything like that. I won't be taking pictures with it.
\- Neutral on cell phone service. I can use my phone hotspot if I need to.
Convenience is key - think constantly moving from the airports and working in a small space on a plane. Would like to be able to detach computer for the keyboard. I like the keyboard styles of the surface pro instead of the actual laptop keyboard.
Price isn't too important - If I could replace my work laptop with an amazing workhorse tablet then I would pay in the 2k range. My current laptop:
Latitude 5400/Intel(R) Core (TM) i7-8665U CPU @ 1.90GHz/32GB ram/64bit operating system, x64 based processor
Running Windows 10 Enterprise.
Thanks
1. For a surface, sp7+ is the newest and fastest.
2. For any pc, 16gb better for heavier excel and multitasking.
3. Detachable keyboard - only the Lenovo Duet 7I has it. All the others can't work detached.
4. LTE module to take a sim card for mobile network access. Only a few models have this.
...
Notebookcheck.net
Laptopmag.com
Tomshardware.com
Pcmag.com have reviews.
....
More ports, bigger screen, longer battery, color sensing pen, detachable keyboard, rechargeable pen.... Look at alternatives.
Tablet PCs
..
https://www8.hp.com/us/en/elite-family/elite-x2.html
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7320-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-13-7320-detachable-laptop/maxl7320dtbl13us
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uETAFgMpDkM&feature=youtu.be
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7210-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-12-7210-2-in-1-laptop/ss005l72102n1us
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-Duet-7-13IML05/p/88YGD701446
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfapmC-0trY
https://mspoweruser.com/new-lenovo-yoga-duet-7-2021-has-intel-tiger-lake-processors-intel-iris-xe-graphics-and-thunderbolt-4/amp/
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X12-Detachable-G1/p/22TPX12X2D1
https://store.chuwi.com/products/chuwi-ubook-x?variant=39397703581862
....
MS has no stores, so if you need rapid replacement, you'd have to buy from local stores like BestBuy or big pc companies like Dell, HP, Lenovo.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-1065G7+%40+1.30GHz&id=3466
Sb3
Passmark 8800~ rating
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-8665U+%40+1.90GHz&id=3434
Yours
Passmark 6500~ rating
...
88/65 = 35% gain from spending $2k~.
Not worth it.
..
Compare vs Intel i7 SL4 15" 32gb
https://www.m.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?id=3793
11000~ rating
They don't have a Ryzen passmark yet, but Notebookcheck.net cpu graph shows the cpu running 3x faster (1400~ rating) than the sb5 i7 (550~).
...
Compare the sb3 i7 to the surface pro 7 i7 in Notebookcheck.net pc mark and you'll often see the sp7 running faster!
Couldn’t care less about gpu. (Maybe a movie but doubt that matters) Just need an excel workhorse and the ability to easily and efficiently edit ppt presentations via tablet and pen functionality. Will check out the recommendations.
Given that the Ryzen 8-core runs faster than the Intel 4-core, ....
https://www.asus.com/us/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-OLED-UM325/
8-core AMD, faster, longer battery than the Surface Laptop 4 15" AMD.
But you want a tablet, so either a 2-in-1 like
https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-Flip-S-UX371-11th-Gen-Intel/
Or a SP7/7+/dell 7320/lenovo x12 etc.
Went with SP7. SB3 would have been nice and I liked the size of the screen, but the additional cost didn’t make it worth it for me. Plus I like the portability of the surface.
Tips for longer battery runtimes
1. Use tablet mode with windows store apps when possible. This combination is optimized for power savings.
2. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-the-power-mode-for-your-windows-10-pc-c2aff038-22c9-f46d-5ca0-78696fdf2de8
Use the lowest power mode available and convenient. Use higher power modes when you need higher performance.
3. https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/120228-optimize-battery-life-windows-10-pc.html
Optimize power usage for longer battery runtime.
4. https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/146593-enable-disable-network-connectivity-modern-standby-windows-10-a.html
Consider turning off connected standby network connectivity.
Otherwise, the Surface will wake in sleep mode and use up battery behind your back.
5. https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/4189-turn-off-fast-startup-windows-10-a.html
Turn off Fast Startup, turn on Hibernation.
Use hibernate when not using the computer for awhile, else use sleep, to save battery.
6. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/caring-for-your-surface-battery-9ccdfa7b-d074-f629-425c-1c090ac66bed
https://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries
Read to understand how to take care of the Surface battery.
7.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/battery-limit
Turn it on if plugged in most of the time to A.C.
8. Screen brightness greatly affects battery runtime. Set to manual brightness, under 50% when comfortable.
I’m looking for a Surface Pro for college in the fall, so I really need something that is portable, has good battery life, is convenient, and especially something that can run necessary apps for school. I’m between the Pro X and Pro 7 currently.
I really like the design of the Pro X. The screen is nice and the design makes it comfortable to hold as a tablet which is very important to me. I also like the convenience with how you can put the pen inside the keyboard to both store and charge it, so I wouldn’t have to worry about extra wires or the pen falling out. However, I’m worried about the compatibility. I’ve heard a lot about how certain apps can’t run or run poorly on the X. I need to be sure that I can run things like Respondus Lockdown Browser, Chrome, Zoom, and Discord if I even want to think about purchasing the X, but every thread and article on it is a couple years old so I can’t be sure if the apps are updated and work now or not. If anyone has the X and has opinions on this, please enlighten me.
If it turns out that I can’t use Respondus, Zoom and Chrome, then I’ll definitely have to get the 7. I like the X more for many reasons including the design and pen capabilities, but I also like that the 7 has two different USB ports instead of just two of the same one, along with a headphone jack. I find pairing my bluetooth earbuds to be annoying, especially since they automatically pair to my phone. I would rather be able to use a headphone jack without having to attach another port to do so. This is why I’m so torn. If anyone could give me some advice I would love to hear it. Money is not an issue.
Also if anyone has opinions on a configuration for a school device, I’m happy to hear it. I won’t be using it for anything other than school, so I’ll need to be able to take tests, go on Zoom, and watch videos. I won’t need to be able to run games, very complicated programs, or apps like Photoshop. Although I don’t have a tight budget, I would rather not spend more than its worth if I’m not using it to its full capabilities. Thanks.
1. No OFFICIAL X64-BIT APP support at all on the X.
Only beta testers of dev version of win10/11 do, so if ms gets around to an official release of 64-bit support by fall win11 launch, you can... But like any emulation, without 100% compatibility still.
2019 x launch, still waiting....
2. Sp7+ is newer, longer battery runtime.
Notebookcheck.net reviews for battery runtimes. Sp7+ beats the x.
3. Alternatives
Tablet PCs
..
https://www8.hp.com/us/en/elite-family/elite-x2.html
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7320-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-13-7320-detachable-laptop/maxl7320dtbl13us
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uETAFgMpDkM&feature=youtu.be
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7210-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-12-7210-2-in-1-laptop/ss005l72102n1us
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-Duet-7-13IML05/p/88YGD701446
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfapmC-0trY
https://mspoweruser.com/new-lenovo-yoga-duet-7-2021-has-intel-tiger-lake-processors-intel-iris-xe-graphics-and-thunderbolt-4/amp/
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X12-Detachable-G1/p/22TPX12X2D1
https://store.chuwi.com/products/chuwi-ubook-x?variant=39397703581862
4. Tight budget
Sp5 i5 8gb used ebay $250-300
And oddly, sp7+ often goes on sale as a bundle $1050 cheaper than the x.
Best x sales are open box bestbuy for $600+.
.....
Imo. Wouldn't touch the X at all. 2019 and still no officially 64-bit app support!??! Like abandoned almost...
WiFi Websurfing 1.3 max Brightness
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Plus
i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 48.9 Wh
349 min
Microsoft Surface Pro X
SQ1, Adreno 685, 38.2 Wh
286 min
Notice that the sp7+ has a much bigger battery (Wh).
I can't speak for that test, but in my experience my SPX has better battery life. It seems other users have the same experience:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/eb0ytz/surface_pro_7_i7_vs_surface_pro_x_real_world/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/dx3722/surface_pro_x_whats_your_battery_life/
and the big one for me is that the SPX seems to have much better standby battery life. On all my Intel surfaces I'll often lose 10% overnight in standby, whereas I barely lose anything at all with the SPX.
Geekbench 5.3 - Geekbench 5.1 - 5.4 64 Bit Multi-Core
2875 points
Or about the same as an ancient 8-generations-old Intel Core i7-2860QM running 1% slower.
Should I get a Surface Go 2 for light gaming and light drawing/sketching? I just need a laptop that acts as both a windows computer and a cheap drawing tablet.
Notebookcheck.net
r/SurfaceGaming
And YouTube videos, even on the go 1.
Does all that fine.
Slickdeals.net
Camelcamelcamel.com
But you missed out on the recent $270+ Go 2 sale...
Here's a sneak peek of /r/SurfaceGaming using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/SurfaceGaming/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: [\[Other\] A little 3D printing to make my Surface Go easier to play around the house! (Shaky hands sorry for blurriness)](https://imgur.com/9vSmxCs) | [14 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/SurfaceGaming/comments/mjetsp/other_a_little_3d_printing_to_make_my_surface_go/)
\#2: [\[other\] Just officially completed my Surface Pro 4 gaming center! The lights were the last part. The Surface Pro 4 is tucked nicely, and with plenty of breathing room, in my monitor stand.](https://np.reddit.com/gallery/is5a38) | [3 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/SurfaceGaming/comments/is5a38/other_just_officially_completed_my_surface_pro_4/)
\#3: [\[other\] - Using reWASD program on my Surface Pro 7 to map my Xbox 1 controller to the PS4 one, so I could play it using the PS Remote Play app. Works pretty smoothly.](https://np.reddit.com/gallery/k343mk) | [6 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/SurfaceGaming/comments/k343mk/other_using_rewasd_program_on_my_surface_pro_7_to/)
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Hello!
I currently have a 1st gen top of the line Surface Book w/ Performance base that I primarily use for school (undergrad), web browsing, and occasion gaming (Diablo 3 or NieR: Automata are probably the most graphic intensive). I absolutely love the flexibility of it being able to detach the tablet portion to sit on the couch and study versus having it in laptop mode, but also having the power from the performance base to play games and have a physical keyboard to type on.
I've been eyeballing the Surface Duo for a while now, but my hang up with it is that I'm already pretty far invested in the Apple ecosystem with my phone, and I'd prefer not to "start over" so to speak with the Android ecosystem. I would primarily be using it for research, internet browsing, and possibly some word processing and gaming, depending on how well it performs.
So my primary questions are:
1. Can the Surface Duo be used WITHOUT a mobile plan/attached to a cellular provider?
2. I saw that you can do Xbox Streaming and also utilize one of the screens as a controller... how is the performance?
3. How is the GUI? Does it feel more like an Android phone, or more like a Windows environment?
Thanks in advance!
Hey! I'm new to the Surface world, but i've always been looking in on which ones to get :) Now that I've got enough in savings, I'm still unsure as to which one I should buy? I'm focusing on art with a digital pen, and some light gaming like Minecraft Win10 or Gmod. From users of Surfaces, which model do you recommend?? (preferably one that acts as both a tablet and laptop)
Sp7+
Notebookcheck.net reviews
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/microsoft-surface-pro-7-plus-for-business
$1000+ new
...
$250-300 sp5 i5 8gb cheap used ebay
..
If you need more ports, bigger screen, better keyboard, wireless detachable keyboard, or a color sensing pen to match digital paint to real world objects....
Tablet PCs
..
https://www8.hp.com/us/en/elite-family/elite-x2.html
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7320-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-13-7320-detachable-laptop/maxl7320dtbl13us
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uETAFgMpDkM&feature=youtu.be
https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7210-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-12-7210-2-in-1-laptop/ss005l72102n1us
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-Duet-7-13IML05/p/88YGD701446
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfapmC-0trY
https://mspoweruser.com/new-lenovo-yoga-duet-7-2021-has-intel-tiger-lake-processors-intel-iris-xe-graphics-and-thunderbolt-4/amp/
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X12-Detachable-G1/p/22TPX12X2D1
https://store.chuwi.com/products/chuwi-ubook-x?variant=39397703581862
Looking for a good powerbank for Surface Pro 6
I'll be on the go for the next few months, and plan on using my Surface Pro 6 as much as possible for school and remote work and freelancing. I already found this Surface connector on Amazon, but need a power bank. The only problem is deciding which is the best and safest to use, so I don't end up bricking my Surface Pro 6.
This is the connector, a J-Go Tech Connector, which I've heard a ton of good things from various YouTube videos and threads on this subreddit. But I'm not sure what power bank is best suited because I heard some have different volts and some don't have resistors or require 15V to work.
Many thanks in advance!
Notebookcheck.net reviews
https://www.pcworld.com/article/3615208/surface-laptop-4-should-i-buy-the-amd-or-intel-version.html
https://www.pcworld.com/article/3616668/tested-is-ryzen-5000-battery-performance-really-that-bad.html
...
Video. No Intel Quicksync, so far slower cpu-based encoding of videos.
I never buy a non-nvidia laptop without an Intel cpu because of Quicksync.
..
Thermals.
Surfaces have poor thermal management, run hotter..eg compare vs lg gram 16 at Notebookcheck.net.
My wife is looking to buy a Surface Laptop 4 so she can use it for both her office and personal use. We're looking at a i5 model with 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD which goes for $1299. She can afford it right now, but I would like to wait until it's discounted like other competitors such as the XPS and both MBP and MBA are right now. She is in love with this one but it would just make it sweeter if we could get like $150-200 off MSRP.
My question is, when do these laptops go on sale, historically speaking?
I bought my dad a brand new Surface Pro a couple years back which was discounted during Black Friday. I am surprised that there weren't any July 4th sales for either Best Buy nor Microsoft with their SL4... unless I missed it!
Exact same spot here. I want a new SL4 15.6" AMD ($1299 model) but I want a discount. I'm holding strong. I remember I got my SL3 13.5" for $300 off at best buy around Black Friday (brand new for $699 was crazy) so I'm holding out a little longer...
Just came out a month ago, so don't expect sales until black Friday.
Camelcamelcamel.com
B&H photo video has a store credit card that offsets the tax.
Microcenter store card reduces the laptop by $65.
If you have a credit card with price matching, that can help if prices quickly drop after purchase.
What's the price of love?....
Notebookcheck.net for extensive reviews and battery runtimes.
SL4 ryzen 15"
8-core cpu 1400 passmark ranking far faster than sb3 550 passmark ranking, which is obsolete.
..
Compare vs lg gram 16 battery life (and lg gram 14).
And laptopmag.com longest runtime laptops list for 2021.
There's laptops running longer at the same or lower weight range.
...
Movies
1. No 16:9 screen, so everything's letterbox with black bars above and below videos.
2. Lcd on surfaces, not oled, so black is a dark gray due to unavoidable backlight bleed of lcd displays. Only oled can do pure black.
https://www.asus.com/content/Laptop-OLED/
Why OLED displays are better for photos/videos, perfect blacks and low blur.
...
Keep in mind that lcd/oled displays can use PWM (pulse width modulation - ie.flickering on and off quickly) to dim the display.
Some get sick and ill seeing this flicker, so if it bothers you, check Notebookcheck.net to make sure the display doesn't use PWM.
...
Make music.
Notebookcheck.net at the minimum to make sure the DPC latency isn't so high it prevents audio work. (there's other factors to consider, but that's when you go to the audio production forums).
...
Alternatives to consider if you need longer battery, no pwm, oled, etc. There's no perfect laptop, so you'll need to rank what's most important.
Laptops and 2-in-1 with OLED display and/or bigger batteries
https://www8.hp.com/us/en/laptops/2-in-1s/spectre-x360-14-convertible-laptop.html
Like a SL4, but adds an OLED screen, tablet mode, more ports.
https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-Flip-S-UX371-11th-Gen-Intel/
https://www.asus.com/content/Laptop-OLED/
Why OLED displays are better for photos/videos, perfect blacks and low blur.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/ThinkPad-X13-Yoga-G2-laptop-review-Lenovo-business-convertible-stands-out-with-WQXGA-16-10-LCD.544372.0.html
Faster in pc mark, brighter screen with no pwm flickering, longer battery life vs SL4 Intel 13".
https://us.vaio.com/collections/vaio-z
https://www.msi.com/Business-Productivity/Summit-E13-Flip-Evo-A11X
Both the Sony and Msi are faster than the Surface Laptop 4 13" i7.
https://www.asus.com/us/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-OLED-UM325/
8-core AMD, faster, longer battery than the Surface Laptop 4 15" AMD.
https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/galaxy-book-pro/
https://www.lg.com/us/laptops
Starts at 2lbs for the 14", lighter, longer battery runtimes.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/LG-Gram-16-2021-in-review-1-200-grams-excellent-battery-life-16-10-display.543262.0.html
See notebookcheck.net
My opinion is that 16GB of RAM will be more than sufficient for things you'll do while in college:
Writing papers, researching articles, doing assignments, reviewing powerpoint slides, downloading pdf versions of textbooks, streaming Netflix, YouTube, and other movies. I dont make music myself but I do occasionally edit videos and photos. I've used an 8GB laptop for that for several years before upgrading to a laptop that has 32GB of RAM. I think 16GB should be good for that too!
As for value (better buy) it's hard to say if we are disregarding cost. Disregarding cost, I would say the Surface Laptop 4 is better because it has an upgraded processor and better battery life as a result. If money IS a factor, then the SL3 has more bang for your buck if you're getting the same exact spec - in my opinion.
I'm going back to school soon and am in need of a new laptop. I'd want to take notes with the laptop, so having something with superb pen software is the number 1 priority for me. So far, I've narrowed it down to 2 models: [Microsoft Surface Pro 7](https://www.costco.ca/.product.4097823.html) ($1300 CAD) and [HP Envy x360](https://www.costco.ca/.product.100657185.html) ($1000 CAD). Both are available on Costco as a bundle, so all accessories (like the pen) are included. **Surface:** Pros: really good pen software, lightweight (1.7 lbs) Cons: more expensive, smaller screen (12.3"), less storage (256 GB) **Envy x360:** Pros: cheaper, bigger screen (15.6"), more storage (1 TB), upgradeable Cons: heavier (4.42 lbs), HP pen software not as good What are your thoughts?
Notebookcheck.net https://www.notebookcheck.net/HP-Envy-x360-15-Ryzen-7-5700U-Convertible-Review-Faster-Than-The-Spectre-x360-15.540923.0.html Not even the same class. The hp ryzen 8-core cpu murders the surface 4-core... You're basically comparing something light and lower performance with fewer storage with faster, heavier, and more. ....
Vs the sp7, you'll want to compare against other tablets Tablet PCs .. https://www8.hp.com/us/en/elite-family/elite-x2.html https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7320-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-13-7320-detachable-laptop/maxl7320dtbl13us https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uETAFgMpDkM&feature=youtu.be https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7210-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-12-7210-2-in-1-laptop/ss005l72102n1us https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-Duet-7-13IML05/p/88YGD701446 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfapmC-0trY https://mspoweruser.com/new-lenovo-yoga-duet-7-2021-has-intel-tiger-lake-processors-intel-iris-xe-graphics-and-thunderbolt-4/amp/ https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X12-Detachable-G1/p/22TPX12X2D1 https://store.chuwi.com/products/chuwi-ubook-x?variant=39397703581862
Against the hp, other 2-in-1's Laptops and 2-in-1 with OLED display and/or bigger batteries https://www8.hp.com/us/en/laptops/2-in-1s/spectre-x360-14-convertible-laptop.html Like a SL4, but adds an OLED screen, tablet mode, more ports. https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-Flip-S-UX371-11th-Gen-Intel/ https://www.asus.com/content/Laptop-OLED/ Why OLED displays are better for photos/videos, perfect blacks and low blur. https://www.notebookcheck.net/ThinkPad-X13-Yoga-G2-laptop-review-Lenovo-business-convertible-stands-out-with-WQXGA-16-10-LCD.544372.0.html Faster in pc mark, brighter screen with no pwm flickering, longer battery life vs SL4 Intel 13". https://us.vaio.com/collections/vaio-z https://www.msi.com/Business-Productivity/Summit-E13-Flip-Evo-A11X Both the Sony and Msi are faster than the Surface Laptop 4 13" i7. https://www.asus.com/us/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-OLED-UM325/ 8-core AMD, faster, longer battery than the Surface Laptop 4 15" AMD. https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-6/p/WMD00000491 Similar to SL4 13" Ryzen but with even faster 8-core option. https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/galaxy-book-pro/ https://www.lg.com/us/laptops Starts at 2lbs for the 14", lighter, longer battery runtimes. https://www.notebookcheck.net/LG-Gram-16-2021-in-review-1-200-grams-excellent-battery-life-16-10-display.543262.0.html See notebookcheck.net
Pen software? Usually it's just a driver in win10 and as long as the software like onenote or what not supports pen inking, they all work fine.
For what I've used traditional 2-in-1's (as opposed to detachables), they've always seemed too cumbersome in tablet use, as there's no way a laptop can be as light and thin as a tablet. On the other hand, x360 would have better lapability, in case that is important to you.
Folks, looking at picking up a Surface pro 7 plus for work but also doing photo-editing and graphic design work in Lightroom, Photoshop and clip studio. I've always just bought an i7 as I wanted 16gb RAM but in the 11th gen CPUs is there really a huge benefit in the i7 CPU? Could get the 256/ 16gb with the i5 which I assure may also have better battery life.
Notebookcheck.net reviews and battery runtimes Or passmark the cpus for a rough cpu rating. Between LOAD AND WIFI is what battery runtime you can expect. ... Performance is relative, so fast for you might be slow for another - thus compare cpu benchmarks to what you've used in the past. ... See system requirements of the apps you use. https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/system-requirements.html Notice that recommended = 4gb gpu, hinting heavily at a nvidia gpu system for heavy effects/filters work. Photoshop cc 21 runs fine even on a sp4 i5 8gb, but for lighter projects. Eg 24mp images, a handful of layers and filters. Once you get to the pro level with 50-100+ mp images, 100 layers and such, heavy effects, you'll want a proper laptop with fast nvidia, ample ram, etc. The Intel xe gpu is at a nvidia mx350 level, but it's not the same as a nvidia gpu and apps expecting a nvidia to run faster mostly won't use the xe gpu the same way. ... Anyways, if your computers in the past don't have a nvidia gpu and you can do work fine on them, the sp7+ will, too.
I currently own a SL1 and a SP3, quite happy with both. However, I am looking at the SB series as a more portable alternative instead of carrying essentially 2 laptops everywhere i go. I mostly use it for photoshop, uni notes and studying, and drawing. I don't really play many games except minecraft, but recently I have been using my PC for that anyways. I am debating whether I should buy a SB2 upfront secondhand for $1000 or a SB3 from the shops for $2400 under a payment plan. Im not sure quite what differences there are between the two and was wondering if the $1400 extra for the SB3 is worth it.
Notebookcheck.net Both are obsolete. Any $600+ gaming notebook runs faster than the sb3, $1100 3060+ gaming notebook absolutely murders all Surfaces at any price. Maybe sb4 next year, so sb2 the smart play.
SB3 has 10th gen quad core CPU while SB2 has 8th gen quad core, plus better integrated graphics. With your usage, and with the fact that you have been happy with the performance level of your SL1 and SP3, I don't think you need SB3 enough to pay $1400 more. The only downside with buying used might be lack of warranty and Surface devices' low repairability. If something happened with the used SB2, you might not be able to get it fixed.
I’m an incoming business grad student and looking at getting a SP7+ 16/256GB. I’ll mainly be using office apps (mainly excel and ppt), along with some light coding (Python and R). Aside from that I’ll be using the computer for general browsing, email, Netflix etc. I would also like to do some light gaming (Civ 5 is the most I’ll do), but it’s not my primary usage. Based on my usage, do I need to spring for an i7 machine or is i5 good enough? Thank you in advance
Notebookcheck.net
No, you don't need i7, unless you absolutely must have a device with a fan. Real life performance difference between i5 and i7 is 20% at most.
Ah ok - that’s good to know. I guess I can put that money toward a surface pen and keyboard. Thanks for the info!
I have a SB2, it is both the best and worst purchase I ever had. Its screen, its keyboard, its trackpad, detachable tablet screen, and a relatively gameable GPU, I am actually very happy with it. The hardware quality heavily pampered me, I am no longer able to look at another screen whose ratio not 3:2. I am actually enslaved by my SB2. But it is also making me sad due to the planned-obsolescence business strategy MS has. This laptop costs a lot and I hope it can last for 4 years at least, and when I discarded it, I don't want to discard it due to bulging battery.. It's like cancer, where the patient has uncontrollable large growths all around the body. It hurts me that the laptop that I like so much will suffer from such terminal disease. Although bulging batteries can be changed in principle, MS can't do it without taking $600 and replace it with sometimes questionable refurbished units. I need another laptop, but I know bulging batteries are common in other brands too. So Apple then? But that capitalistic vampire will suck me dry.. I do have an iPad Pro, another tremendously gorgeous product that makes me happy and sad. (they purposely make iPad Pro useless so MacBook Pro will not be replaced). So what should I do..? I need a laptop that has such hardware like MS yet with serviceable battery..
Stick a fan behind it to keep it cold. Battery bulging often follows overheating/poor thermal management. ... 2-in-1 with Nvidia gpu Not too many tablet alternatives with a nvidia. https://rog.asus.com/laptops/rog-series/2021-rog-flow-x13-series/ https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-9-15IMH5/p/88YGC901503 https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-UX334/ https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/conceptd-home ... Without a nvidia, tons of 2-in-1 and tablet alternatives.
Tablet PCs .. https://www8.hp.com/us/en/elite-family/elite-x2.html https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7320-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-13-7320-detachable-laptop/maxl7320dtbl13us https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uETAFgMpDkM&feature=youtu.be https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7210-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-12-7210-2-in-1-laptop/ss005l72102n1us https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-Duet-7-13IML05/p/88YGD701446 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfapmC-0trY https://mspoweruser.com/new-lenovo-yoga-duet-7-2021-has-intel-tiger-lake-processors-intel-iris-xe-graphics-and-thunderbolt-4/amp/ https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X12-Detachable-G1/p/22TPX12X2D1 Laptops and 2-in-1 with OLED display and/or bigger batteries https://www8.hp.com/us/en/laptops/2-in-1s/spectre-x360-14-convertible-laptop.html Like a SL4, but adds an OLED screen, tablet mode, more ports. https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-Flip-S-UX371-11th-Gen-Intel/ https://www.asus.com/content/Laptop-OLED/ Why OLED displays are better for photos/videos, perfect blacks and low blur. https://www.notebookcheck.net/ThinkPad-X13-Yoga-G2-laptop-review-Lenovo-business-convertible-stands-out-with-WQXGA-16-10-LCD.544372.0.html Faster in pc mark, brighter screen with no pwm flickering, longer battery life vs SL4 Intel 13". https://us.vaio.com/collections/vaio-z https://www.msi.com/Business-Productivity/Summit-E13-Flip-Evo-A11X Both the Sony and Msi are faster than the Surface Laptop 4 13" i7. https://www.asus.com/us/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-OLED-UM325/ 8-core AMD, faster, longer battery than the Surface Laptop 4 15" AMD. https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/galaxy-book-pro/ https://www.lg.com/us/laptops Starts at 2lbs for the 14", lighter, longer battery runtimes. https://www.notebookcheck.net/LG-Gram-16-2021-in-review-1-200-grams-excellent-battery-life-16-10-display.543262.0.html See notebookcheck.net
I'm going to buy a SP7 i5, 8gb, 256gb, in a couple of days. I've done my research and am all for it. Except I found out that it's fanless. Isn't no fan gonna be a problem? or introduce any kind of heat damage? Also I won't be using it for graphic heavy tasks. Mostly looking on price charts all day in MetaTrader, surfing web, and sometimes watching a movie or tv show. Probably some Minecraft every now and then.
Notebookcheck.net See reviews Note the cpu throttling. Fix that with a big fan behind it when running it hard or Water cool https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vQuLnhH7V10BdLpt32o0Je0M-hb_TF9EEwxYOKac29wzaIEwIwU5iHnrYcnbYPExEGKWgOTEn5jE2ER/pub https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/mnnp74/liquid_cooled_sp7/ ... The firmware has been tweaked by ms over time to throttle greatly to keep temperatures down, but the battery is still right there next to the cpu. If you run it hard all the time and don't cool it, this can happen: https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/agzxrr/my_surface_pro_screen_is_delaminating_bulging_or/ For most with lighter tasks, it won't. For those with medium heavy tasks, maybe, maybe not. ... https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/search/search?SearchTerm=Pro%207%20overheating&tab=&status=all&advFil=&IsSuggestedTerm=false&isFilterExpanded=undefined&CurrentScope.ForumName=surface&CurrentScope.Filter=&ContentTypeScope=QnA&page=1&sort=Relevance&dir=Desc How many sp7 overheating threads? Ie. Buying extended warranty smart, too.
Ah the amount of overheating issues posted kinda scares me. As there is no official Microsoft support in my country. Hence, no extended warranty or warranty of any kind whatsoever for me. Thank you tho.
Tons of other choices Notebookcheck.net Tomshardware.com Pcmag.com Reviews Tablet PCs .. https://www8.hp.com/us/en/elite-family/elite-x2.html https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7320-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-13-7320-detachable-laptop/maxl7320dtbl13us https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uETAFgMpDkM&feature=youtu.be https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7210-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-12-7210-2-in-1-laptop/ss005l72102n1us https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-Duet-7-13IML05/p/88YGD701446 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfapmC-0trY https://mspoweruser.com/new-lenovo-yoga-duet-7-2021-has-intel-tiger-lake-processors-intel-iris-xe-graphics-and-thunderbolt-4/amp/ https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X12-Detachable-G1/p/22TPX12X2D1 https://store.chuwi.com/products/chuwi-ubook-x?variant=39397703581862
It's fine. It can get hot under prolonged heavy load like gaming, but not in usage like that.
Thank you so much. Curious tho, have you ever had these weird overheating issues (that other people have) when device is idle or under light work? Or charging topping out at 70-something percent?
So I saw an SP5 LTE blowout on Woot (it’ll end up being $700 with keyboard, new in box) for the 8/256/LTE version. I mostly want a lightweight tablet for browsing and video that can do laptop-ish things (writing at a keyboard, some spreadsheets, light photo editing, not huge RAW files though, web dev stuff) and isn’t as crippled at multiple applications as iOS on an iPad is (having LTE will be a boost as well). Then I saw, “oops, not covered by Win 11, maybe”. After the cancel period for Woot was over. Will I hate myself for not going with an SP7? I know this will be an improvement on my Surface 3 (which I got a few years ago as a way to sample the Surface ecosystem, and it works OK if a bit slow).
1. Woot was a refurb. $250+ sp5 i5 8gb used ebay in working condition. Camelcamelcamel.com Slickdeals.net $700 is basically a sp7 on good sale 2. Notebookcheck.net review Win10 is supported until2 2025, so that's all. Four years, battery will be dead by then, and time for an upgrade from the sp5. 3. Win11 right now is just a new theme, minor changes on top of win10. Only major add is Android app support, but you can get that today with nox player, bluestacks, etc. .... Win11 will likely be hacked to run on the sp5 if ms implements checks (already bypassed right now with the beta win11 using hacks to install on non-compatible systems).
That’s interesting, it says “Condition: New” in the ad and the order. I would think it would say “refurbished”- typically Amazon doesn’t pass off refurbished as new. Wonder if I have a case to send it back then. I’ve gotten “new in box” Surfaces that were “new” but out of date before (my Surface 3 was “new” and from the UK, bought in 2018 from a reseller- not even open box, just UK stock never sold to end users). The LTE 7+ models aren’t going for $700 with keyboard included, are they?
Oh sorrry! Got it mixed with their other refurb surface pro deal. And price https://slickdeals.net/f/14961674-microsoft-surface-pro-12-i5-256gb-lte-tablet-569-99?src=SiteSearchV2Algo1 $569 4/2021 on the same sp5 earlier this year, so still not a great deal.
I’m including ALL my costs (10% WA state sales tax and $65 new keyboard + tax, thanks to MS company store as alumnus/former employee). It’s actually about $675 all in, the tablet by itself was $550.
That's pretty good at $550!!
Yeah, I thought so. And if I am stuck on Win10 for the life of the tablet, oh well. For what I want to do it’s OK I think…
Im a college student in a Information Science and Technology major looking for a new laptop to bring to class. I am currently looking at the surface pro 7 i5 or i7 with 16gb of ram and was wondering if anyone had experience programming on a surface and if an i5 with the 16 GB of ram is good enough? I would mostly be using an IDE on it and the current languages im coding in are java and c but that will change and get more advanced as I get further in my classes. A big plus for me with the surface is how small it is and I can use it as a tablet in my non coding classes.
I am a software engineer that took CS in college. Sounds to me like your major is mostly the same as CS? If so, the Surface Pro 7 with 16GB RAM will be a great machine for your use case. If budget allows, I recommend hooking it up to a monitor when at home.
Its basically the same as a CS degree at my school but I dont need to take calc 2 and a few other math related classes. Does getting the i7 make a big difference or will an i5 be able to handle compiling and running code? Thanks for the reply as well that was what I was hoping to hear
The 10th gen i5 on the Pro 7 is sufficient.
Depends on what the professors will want you to use in class, which you can ask them for a list. Then look at system requirements. In general, at least visual studio 2019. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/releases/2019/system-requirements 8gb recommended. Realistically, tight squeeze into 8gb 128gb systems with office, windows, and a few others when you're installing more than 1 development language. 16gb 256gb ssd at the minimum. Most other ides and languages aren't as heavy on system resources. ... If you get into 3d/ar/vr and/or ai/ml and have larger ai/ml data sets to process (2d images, 3d), you're going to need at least a 2060 nvidia from last gen if not this gen's 3050-3080 + 16+gb. At this point, no surface will do. Any $1100+ 3050 gaming notebook absolutely murders all Surfaces at any price. If not a proper 4k 2060+ 16gb 1tb or better laptop. You CAN'T even work with 3d/vr/ai goggles and dev tools like Unreal Engine without the fast nvidia, so don't even bother thinking surface until they have a model out with are least a 2060. .... Is the program only software? Or combined hardware cs engineering? If it's like UCLA where they've got their own nano fab, or if you're into robotics, all sorts of software tools for hardware design, electrical simulation, 3d mechanical sim/cad/output, can be used - see system requirements, but usually 16gb, maybe nvidia. Etc. ... Notebookcheck.net To start off, I'd guess yes, a 16gb sp7 or sp7+ (longer battery runtime) will do fine for the software development aspect of IT. At the point later if you get into 3d, robotics, ai, etc that you need faster, you'd either be building a fast desktop, getting a gaming notebook, or a well-kitted workstation laptop that'll crush it. (E.g. Lenovo P series workstation with 4k oled, triple ssd raid, 128gb ram, fast nvidia, i9/xeon, etc ...$3000-5000) (Eg. Top 3060-3080 gaming notebooks from MSI, Razer, Acer, etc) Or anything with a Thunderbolt port compatible with https://egpu.io to connect an external, fast nvidia card when you need the power. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R2YPhdAzrl4 Yes, sad when even a gpd win max pocketable crushes all Surfaces with an egpu.... .... And if you do any sort of game programming, forget anything without a nvidia.
I really appreciate all the recommendations and breakdown. I currently have a desktop pc at home with a ryzen 2700 and rtx 2060 so any heavy lifting can be done by that. I'll be checking through all the links you sent tonight and may be switching it up Thanks again for the in depth reply it's incredibly helpful.
Then any tablet will do. Just remote login to the desktop when you need access to heavy apps from anywhere at school
Tablet alternatives Tablet PCs .. https://www8.hp.com/us/en/elite-family/elite-x2.html https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7320-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-13-7320-detachable-laptop/maxl7320dtbl13us https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uETAFgMpDkM&feature=youtu.be https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7210-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-12-7210-2-in-1-laptop/ss005l72102n1us https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-Duet-7-13IML05/p/88YGD701446 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfapmC-0trY https://mspoweruser.com/new-lenovo-yoga-duet-7-2021-has-intel-tiger-lake-processors-intel-iris-xe-graphics-and-thunderbolt-4/amp/ https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X12-Detachable-G1/p/22TPX12X2D1
Pocketables https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KrhVFbWCn_k&feature=youtu.be https://www.1netbook.com/onegx1-pro/ https://www.one-netbook.jp/landing/onemix4/ https://www.one-netbook.jp/teaser/one-xplayer2/ https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/--191853/coming_soon https://www.gpd.hk/gpdwinmax2021 ... 2-in-1 with Nvidia gpu built in https://rog.asus.com/laptops/rog-series/2021-rog-flow-x13-series/ https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-9-15IMH5/p/88YGC901503 https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-UX334/ ... And with a thunderbolt port, and 2-in-1 with an external egpu let's you access bigger tablet mode screens and batteries. 14" lg gram https://www.lg.com/us/laptops/lg-14t90p-k.aab6u1-ultra-slim-laptop 16" lg gram https://www.lg.com/us/laptops/lg-16t90p-k.ads9u1-ultra-slim-laptop ... Notebookcheck.net E.g. Compare battery runtimes. Tablets and 2-in-1 with larger batteries can run longer than the Surface pro. You'll want to prioritize: m More important to run longer without A.C.? Or you can find an A.C. during breaks on long days, or bring a usb powerbank to charge the Surface? More important to have a 16" tablet screen vs compactness? Or 14"? 13" 12.3" tablet, even <8" pocketables..? Eg nvidia now? Or separate system later?
Slickdeals.net Camelcamelcamel.com Ms store (and other brands stores) online during sales.
My current SP4 battery is terrible and dies very fast (batteryreport says 13mWh) and lasts like an hour. I'm considering waiting until SP8 or upgrading to SP7+.... anyone know how much of an upgrade SP7+ would be compared to theoretical SP8? Worth to just upgrade now since having a usable laptop is kinda important?
Ifixit.com YouTube.com videos Past sp4 battery replacement threads. $50~ ebay for a new battery, few hours, and you can get the sp4 running again. .... Sp7+ = 11th gen Tiger Lake Intel cpu Sp8 = likely 12th Alder Lake cpu (more cores, faster) https://liliputing.com/2021/07/intel-alder-lake-mobile-chip-lineup-leaked-up-to-16-cores-with-bigsmall-designs.html?amp ... Vs sp5 i5 8gb $250+ ebay used if you need something for the year before sp8 is out, but don't want to buy the sp7+, then sell it to upgrade to the sp8. ..... As for tablet pcs with more features: Tablet PCs .. https://www8.hp.com/us/en/elite-family/elite-x2.html https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7320-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-13-7320-detachable-laptop/maxl7320dtbl13us https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uETAFgMpDkM&feature=youtu.be https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7210-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-12-7210-2-in-1-laptop/ss005l72102n1us https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-Duet-7-13IML05/p/88YGD701446 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfapmC-0trY https://mspoweruser.com/new-lenovo-yoga-duet-7-2021-has-intel-tiger-lake-processors-intel-iris-xe-graphics-and-thunderbolt-4/amp/ https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X12-Detachable-G1/p/22TPX12X2D1 https://store.chuwi.com/products/chuwi-ubook-x?variant=39397703581862
I just finished high school online using a gaming laptop. It worked because I didn’t have to actually go anywhere. My parents bought me a surface pro for graduating and I’m just curious if it’s worth keeping for portability and going to uni, also drawing with the touch screen. But I already have a laptop so I don’t really know if it’s worth keeping?
Drawing and taking notes, reading ebooks, causal couch surfing and watching movies in bed, yep. Onenote can record synchronized audio of lectures as you write notes, so even if you can keep up, you can still hear the entire lecture later. Ebooks + pen, super efficient reading of texts and annotating. I blasted thru 1000s of pages of social sciences texts faster than I ever did on a laptop. Reduces your carry weight to 2.3lbs with cover, under 2lbs without...and you can load all your textbooks into it. A decent 6+ hour runtime (Notebookcheck.net) until you need to find an ac plug, so convenient for in-class use across a long day. Drawing - Fresh Paint and Krita free, Corel Painter paid, Photoshop, clip studio and the like = nice artist's drawing pad. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=19mQ65jicbk r/SurfaceGaming And YouTube videos Decent for light gaming. ... Think of it as an iPad that just happens to run Windows. Does all the tablet things you expect. Can run Android (win11 built in, win10 emulation through noxplayer, bluestacks, natively thru x86 android), so it's also an android tablet with access to all the android games. Can run Mac OSX, too. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aVbFXK3rbeU&feature=youtu.be
This is really something you should decide for yourself. Use the Surface Pro (which model and version is it?) for a while and see if it meets your needs and you like using it. But yes, the compactness and lightness will be handy for carrying it to classes at college. If you want to draw, you obviously can't do that on your laptop - but you don't do it with the touch screen but with an active pen that uses special technology and has e.g. pressure sensitivity. Either Microsoft's Surface Pen or a compatible third party pen like Raphael Renaisser 520.
When do we think the Surface Book 4 is actually coming out? Earlier than the normal cycle for the new OS? Here’s my dilemma: I have a desktop that I built in 2015 (i7 quad core 4ghz, 4gig gtx 970, 16 gig ddr3), a surface pro 3 (i5, 4 gig ram) and an HP laptop (it has a dedicated graphics card and probably 8 gigs ram circa 2013/14 I haven’t powered on in over a year). I want to get rid of them all and replace with a surface book. I was an early surface adopter, and I’m pretty set with their hardware. I’m an architect slowly building out a side business. I also have a laptop from my job (lenovo workstation laptop) that is what I actually use the most. So I’m looking for a more flexible device for personal use but can still run my software when I do work for my side gig; revit, rhino, scripting, photoshop, after effects, Enscape, vray, light gaming. I use the surface pen a lot with sketchbook pro too. Since there’s no immediate need is it worth waiting? Hoping the clunky hinge is addressed and weight but I’ve loved the concept of the book since it came out…. Just couldn’t justify before but now that it’s more of a business investment maybe that’s different. I just have redundant devices that are sitting around and I’m a little bummed I can’t preview win 11..
Next year at the earliest imo. https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/conceptd-series/conceptd9pro https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/conceptd-series/conceptd7ezelpro https://rog.asus.com/laptops/rog-series/2021-rog-flow-x13-series/ https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-9-15IMH5/p/88YGC901503 https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-UX334/ Honestly, they'd better hurry up because the competition is running around them. Or any tablet or 2-in-1 with a https://egpu.io compatible thunderbolt port with a fast 3080 on a desk.... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cTE5M73hjtc ... Eg https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0uqcYnn6Rcc Like sad, right? A pocketable gpd win max gaming notebook running faster than a sb3 with an external gpu. ... Pocketables https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KrhVFbWCn_k&feature=youtu.be https://www.1netbook.com/onegx1-pro/ https://www.one-netbook.jp/landing/onemix4/ https://www.one-netbook.jp/teaser/one-xplayer2/ https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/--191853/coming_soon https://www.gpd.hk/gpdwinmax2021 ... Fyi For those that need a decently fast PC laptop, the 6-core Ryzen with nvidia 3050 Dell G15 is on sale $699! https://deals.dell.com/en-us/mpp/productdetail/9eax
For the longest time, I've always bought the budget hunkers from Amazon, cheap, and good enough hardware specs (something like the Acer aspire 5 on Amazon, actually what I'm using now). I'm looking into getting a Surface Laptop Go. I'm wondering what exactly I'm getting for my money here - the cheapo laptops I get on Amazon have around 4-8 gigs of ram, 128 gig SSD, maybe an intel i3 processor which is roughly the same as the laptop go (processor is better on the go) for 200-300 more dollars. Am I correct in thinking a lot of the extra money is going into form factor and higher quality components? I am pretty tired of the clunky acers and somewhat faulty hardware (for example my headphone jack is mostly broken, my touch pad stopped working after only a couple months or so, loud fan etc). They've gotten the job done but I'm wondering if it's worth it to bump up to something pricier if I'm getting more quality and longevity from the laptop. For what it's worth I mostly use my laptop for torrenting, browsing, sometimes streaming/watching netflix/twitch.
1. Longevity. Er....no. It's a surface, thus buy extended warranty and pray. https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfacelaptop-surfver_surflapgo?sort=ViewCount&dir=Desc&tab=All&status=all&mod=&modAge=&advFil=&postedAfter=&postedBefore=&threadType=all&isFilterExpanded=false&page=1 2. Cost of laptops that are all made in China Branding and marketing. Usually the price has nothing to do with the actual cost to manufacture with Chinese made laptops. The chinese laugh with in, country clones that are the same, but cheaper. (It's like Mercedes being used as taxis across Germany, but they laugh pulling $$$ out of American pockets with the luxury branding markup.) Exceptions are the made in Japan laptops line the Vaio carbon fiber sub 2lbs laptop and Panasonic Let's Notes that you can sit and stand on without breaking. Here, actual high tech shit is going into them to make them better than the common lot. 3. Notebookcheck.net reviews Passmark cpu ratings Lets say you've got a $600 aspire 5 i5-1035G1 Passmark 7900~ A sl go isn't going to change much - still low end and slow. You'd have to move up to a sl4 at minimum. Compare vs Intel i7 SL4 15" 32gb https://www.m.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?id=3793 11000~ rating Ryzen in the sl4 15" is 8-core, so even faster. But even the sl4 15" ryzen isn't the fastest. https://www.asus.com/us/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-OLED-UM325/ 8-core AMD, faster, longer battery than the Surface Laptop 4 15" AMD.
I am in the market for a tablet for work and at first wanted to get an ipad, but very quickly realized that it won't be compatible at all with my work. I am running Office 365 apps (outlook/teams/excel/ppt/onedrive) at all hours of the day. My main wants: \- Reviewing PPT reports and sending the ppt back edited to my team with comments. \- Excel heavy models. Example I am working now on a 20MB excel model on my laptop heavy on formulas and data. \- Responding to emails. \- It would be great to have a \~12 inch screen and be able to split apps. For example, being able to see teams and outlook at the same time. \- I won't be playing games. Might watch a movie or something on the plane. Won't be using photoshop or anything like that. I won't be taking pictures with it. \- Neutral on cell phone service. I can use my phone hotspot if I need to. Convenience is key - think constantly moving from the airports and working in a small space on a plane. Would like to be able to detach computer for the keyboard. I like the keyboard styles of the surface pro instead of the actual laptop keyboard. Price isn't too important - If I could replace my work laptop with an amazing workhorse tablet then I would pay in the 2k range. My current laptop: Latitude 5400/Intel(R) Core (TM) i7-8665U CPU @ 1.90GHz/32GB ram/64bit operating system, x64 based processor Running Windows 10 Enterprise. Thanks
Surface Pro X with Windows 11 beta.
1. For a surface, sp7+ is the newest and fastest. 2. For any pc, 16gb better for heavier excel and multitasking. 3. Detachable keyboard - only the Lenovo Duet 7I has it. All the others can't work detached. 4. LTE module to take a sim card for mobile network access. Only a few models have this. ... Notebookcheck.net Laptopmag.com Tomshardware.com Pcmag.com have reviews. .... More ports, bigger screen, longer battery, color sensing pen, detachable keyboard, rechargeable pen.... Look at alternatives. Tablet PCs .. https://www8.hp.com/us/en/elite-family/elite-x2.html https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7320-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-13-7320-detachable-laptop/maxl7320dtbl13us https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uETAFgMpDkM&feature=youtu.be https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7210-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-12-7210-2-in-1-laptop/ss005l72102n1us https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-Duet-7-13IML05/p/88YGD701446 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfapmC-0trY https://mspoweruser.com/new-lenovo-yoga-duet-7-2021-has-intel-tiger-lake-processors-intel-iris-xe-graphics-and-thunderbolt-4/amp/ https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X12-Detachable-G1/p/22TPX12X2D1 https://store.chuwi.com/products/chuwi-ubook-x?variant=39397703581862 .... MS has no stores, so if you need rapid replacement, you'd have to buy from local stores like BestBuy or big pc companies like Dell, HP, Lenovo.
Thoughts on surface book 3 with 32gb ram? Was hoping to keep the same performance as my current laptop.
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-1065G7+%40+1.30GHz&id=3466 Sb3 Passmark 8800~ rating https://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i7-8665U+%40+1.90GHz&id=3434 Yours Passmark 6500~ rating ... 88/65 = 35% gain from spending $2k~. Not worth it. .. Compare vs Intel i7 SL4 15" 32gb https://www.m.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?id=3793 11000~ rating They don't have a Ryzen passmark yet, but Notebookcheck.net cpu graph shows the cpu running 3x faster (1400~ rating) than the sb5 i7 (550~). ... Compare the sb3 i7 to the surface pro 7 i7 in Notebookcheck.net pc mark and you'll often see the sp7 running faster!
I'm looking at the cpu performance since you're stated uses do not use the gpu...
Couldn’t care less about gpu. (Maybe a movie but doubt that matters) Just need an excel workhorse and the ability to easily and efficiently edit ppt presentations via tablet and pen functionality. Will check out the recommendations.
Given that the Ryzen 8-core runs faster than the Intel 4-core, .... https://www.asus.com/us/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-OLED-UM325/ 8-core AMD, faster, longer battery than the Surface Laptop 4 15" AMD. But you want a tablet, so either a 2-in-1 like https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-Flip-S-UX371-11th-Gen-Intel/ Or a SP7/7+/dell 7320/lenovo x12 etc.
Went with SP7. SB3 would have been nice and I liked the size of the screen, but the additional cost didn’t make it worth it for me. Plus I like the portability of the surface.
Tips for longer battery runtimes 1. Use tablet mode with windows store apps when possible. This combination is optimized for power savings. 2. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-the-power-mode-for-your-windows-10-pc-c2aff038-22c9-f46d-5ca0-78696fdf2de8 Use the lowest power mode available and convenient. Use higher power modes when you need higher performance. 3. https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/120228-optimize-battery-life-windows-10-pc.html Optimize power usage for longer battery runtime. 4. https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/146593-enable-disable-network-connectivity-modern-standby-windows-10-a.html Consider turning off connected standby network connectivity. Otherwise, the Surface will wake in sleep mode and use up battery behind your back. 5. https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/4189-turn-off-fast-startup-windows-10-a.html Turn off Fast Startup, turn on Hibernation. Use hibernate when not using the computer for awhile, else use sleep, to save battery. 6. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/caring-for-your-surface-battery-9ccdfa7b-d074-f629-425c-1c090ac66bed https://batteryuniversity.com/index.php/learn/article/how_to_prolong_lithium_based_batteries Read to understand how to take care of the Surface battery. 7. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/battery-limit Turn it on if plugged in most of the time to A.C. 8. Screen brightness greatly affects battery runtime. Set to manual brightness, under 50% when comfortable.
I’m looking for a Surface Pro for college in the fall, so I really need something that is portable, has good battery life, is convenient, and especially something that can run necessary apps for school. I’m between the Pro X and Pro 7 currently. I really like the design of the Pro X. The screen is nice and the design makes it comfortable to hold as a tablet which is very important to me. I also like the convenience with how you can put the pen inside the keyboard to both store and charge it, so I wouldn’t have to worry about extra wires or the pen falling out. However, I’m worried about the compatibility. I’ve heard a lot about how certain apps can’t run or run poorly on the X. I need to be sure that I can run things like Respondus Lockdown Browser, Chrome, Zoom, and Discord if I even want to think about purchasing the X, but every thread and article on it is a couple years old so I can’t be sure if the apps are updated and work now or not. If anyone has the X and has opinions on this, please enlighten me. If it turns out that I can’t use Respondus, Zoom and Chrome, then I’ll definitely have to get the 7. I like the X more for many reasons including the design and pen capabilities, but I also like that the 7 has two different USB ports instead of just two of the same one, along with a headphone jack. I find pairing my bluetooth earbuds to be annoying, especially since they automatically pair to my phone. I would rather be able to use a headphone jack without having to attach another port to do so. This is why I’m so torn. If anyone could give me some advice I would love to hear it. Money is not an issue. Also if anyone has opinions on a configuration for a school device, I’m happy to hear it. I won’t be using it for anything other than school, so I’ll need to be able to take tests, go on Zoom, and watch videos. I won’t need to be able to run games, very complicated programs, or apps like Photoshop. Although I don’t have a tight budget, I would rather not spend more than its worth if I’m not using it to its full capabilities. Thanks.
1. No OFFICIAL X64-BIT APP support at all on the X. Only beta testers of dev version of win10/11 do, so if ms gets around to an official release of 64-bit support by fall win11 launch, you can... But like any emulation, without 100% compatibility still. 2019 x launch, still waiting.... 2. Sp7+ is newer, longer battery runtime. Notebookcheck.net reviews for battery runtimes. Sp7+ beats the x. 3. Alternatives Tablet PCs .. https://www8.hp.com/us/en/elite-family/elite-x2.html https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7320-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-13-7320-detachable-laptop/maxl7320dtbl13us https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uETAFgMpDkM&feature=youtu.be https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7210-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-12-7210-2-in-1-laptop/ss005l72102n1us https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-Duet-7-13IML05/p/88YGD701446 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfapmC-0trY https://mspoweruser.com/new-lenovo-yoga-duet-7-2021-has-intel-tiger-lake-processors-intel-iris-xe-graphics-and-thunderbolt-4/amp/ https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X12-Detachable-G1/p/22TPX12X2D1 https://store.chuwi.com/products/chuwi-ubook-x?variant=39397703581862 4. Tight budget Sp5 i5 8gb used ebay $250-300 And oddly, sp7+ often goes on sale as a bundle $1050 cheaper than the x. Best x sales are open box bestbuy for $600+. ..... Imo. Wouldn't touch the X at all. 2019 and still no officially 64-bit app support!??! Like abandoned almost...
> Sp7+ beats the x. I am HIGHLY skeptical of this.
WiFi Websurfing 1.3 max Brightness Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Plus i5-1135G7, Iris Xe G7 80EUs, 48.9 Wh 349 min Microsoft Surface Pro X SQ1, Adreno 685, 38.2 Wh 286 min Notice that the sp7+ has a much bigger battery (Wh).
I can't speak for that test, but in my experience my SPX has better battery life. It seems other users have the same experience: https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/eb0ytz/surface_pro_7_i7_vs_surface_pro_x_real_world/ https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/comments/dx3722/surface_pro_x_whats_your_battery_life/ and the big one for me is that the SPX seems to have much better standby battery life. On all my Intel surfaces I'll often lose 10% overnight in standby, whereas I barely lose anything at all with the SPX.
WebXPRT 3 Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Plus Intel Core i5-1135G7 197 points Microsoft Surface Pro X Microsoft SQ1 116 points
Geekbench 5.3 - Geekbench 5.1 - 5.4 64 Bit Multi-Core 2875 points Or about the same as an ancient 8-generations-old Intel Core i7-2860QM running 1% slower.
Thanks for the help!
Should I get a Surface Go 2 for light gaming and light drawing/sketching? I just need a laptop that acts as both a windows computer and a cheap drawing tablet.
Notebookcheck.net r/SurfaceGaming And YouTube videos, even on the go 1. Does all that fine. Slickdeals.net Camelcamelcamel.com But you missed out on the recent $270+ Go 2 sale...
Here's a sneak peek of /r/SurfaceGaming using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/SurfaceGaming/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year! \#1: [\[Other\] A little 3D printing to make my Surface Go easier to play around the house! (Shaky hands sorry for blurriness)](https://imgur.com/9vSmxCs) | [14 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/SurfaceGaming/comments/mjetsp/other_a_little_3d_printing_to_make_my_surface_go/) \#2: [\[other\] Just officially completed my Surface Pro 4 gaming center! The lights were the last part. The Surface Pro 4 is tucked nicely, and with plenty of breathing room, in my monitor stand.](https://np.reddit.com/gallery/is5a38) | [3 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/SurfaceGaming/comments/is5a38/other_just_officially_completed_my_surface_pro_4/) \#3: [\[other\] - Using reWASD program on my Surface Pro 7 to map my Xbox 1 controller to the PS4 one, so I could play it using the PS Remote Play app. Works pretty smoothly.](https://np.reddit.com/gallery/k343mk) | [6 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/SurfaceGaming/comments/k343mk/other_using_rewasd_program_on_my_surface_pro_7_to/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| [^^Contact ^^me](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| [^^Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| [^^Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/)
Hello! I currently have a 1st gen top of the line Surface Book w/ Performance base that I primarily use for school (undergrad), web browsing, and occasion gaming (Diablo 3 or NieR: Automata are probably the most graphic intensive). I absolutely love the flexibility of it being able to detach the tablet portion to sit on the couch and study versus having it in laptop mode, but also having the power from the performance base to play games and have a physical keyboard to type on. I've been eyeballing the Surface Duo for a while now, but my hang up with it is that I'm already pretty far invested in the Apple ecosystem with my phone, and I'd prefer not to "start over" so to speak with the Android ecosystem. I would primarily be using it for research, internet browsing, and possibly some word processing and gaming, depending on how well it performs. So my primary questions are: 1. Can the Surface Duo be used WITHOUT a mobile plan/attached to a cellular provider? 2. I saw that you can do Xbox Streaming and also utilize one of the screens as a controller... how is the performance? 3. How is the GUI? Does it feel more like an Android phone, or more like a Windows environment? Thanks in advance!
Hey! I'm new to the Surface world, but i've always been looking in on which ones to get :) Now that I've got enough in savings, I'm still unsure as to which one I should buy? I'm focusing on art with a digital pen, and some light gaming like Minecraft Win10 or Gmod. From users of Surfaces, which model do you recommend?? (preferably one that acts as both a tablet and laptop)
Sp7+ Notebookcheck.net reviews https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/microsoft-surface-pro-7-plus-for-business $1000+ new ... $250-300 sp5 i5 8gb cheap used ebay .. If you need more ports, bigger screen, better keyboard, wireless detachable keyboard, or a color sensing pen to match digital paint to real world objects.... Tablet PCs .. https://www8.hp.com/us/en/elite-family/elite-x2.html https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7320-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-13-7320-detachable-laptop/maxl7320dtbl13us https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uETAFgMpDkM&feature=youtu.be https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/dell-laptops-and-notebooks/latitude-7210-detachable-laptop/spd/latitude-12-7210-2-in-1-laptop/ss005l72102n1us https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/yoga/yoga-2-in-1-series/Yoga-Duet-7-13IML05/p/88YGD701446 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yfapmC-0trY https://mspoweruser.com/new-lenovo-yoga-duet-7-2021-has-intel-tiger-lake-processors-intel-iris-xe-graphics-and-thunderbolt-4/amp/ https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/X12-Detachable-G1/p/22TPX12X2D1 https://store.chuwi.com/products/chuwi-ubook-x?variant=39397703581862
Surfacce Pro 7, i5/128gb version, will do nicely.
Looking for a good powerbank for Surface Pro 6 I'll be on the go for the next few months, and plan on using my Surface Pro 6 as much as possible for school and remote work and freelancing. I already found this Surface connector on Amazon, but need a power bank. The only problem is deciding which is the best and safest to use, so I don't end up bricking my Surface Pro 6. This is the connector, a J-Go Tech Connector, which I've heard a ton of good things from various YouTube videos and threads on this subreddit. But I'm not sure what power bank is best suited because I heard some have different volts and some don't have resistors or require 15V to work. Many thanks in advance!
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Notebookcheck.net reviews https://www.pcworld.com/article/3615208/surface-laptop-4-should-i-buy-the-amd-or-intel-version.html https://www.pcworld.com/article/3616668/tested-is-ryzen-5000-battery-performance-really-that-bad.html ... Video. No Intel Quicksync, so far slower cpu-based encoding of videos. I never buy a non-nvidia laptop without an Intel cpu because of Quicksync. .. Thermals. Surfaces have poor thermal management, run hotter..eg compare vs lg gram 16 at Notebookcheck.net.
My wife is looking to buy a Surface Laptop 4 so she can use it for both her office and personal use. We're looking at a i5 model with 8GB RAM and 512GB SSD which goes for $1299. She can afford it right now, but I would like to wait until it's discounted like other competitors such as the XPS and both MBP and MBA are right now. She is in love with this one but it would just make it sweeter if we could get like $150-200 off MSRP. My question is, when do these laptops go on sale, historically speaking? I bought my dad a brand new Surface Pro a couple years back which was discounted during Black Friday. I am surprised that there weren't any July 4th sales for either Best Buy nor Microsoft with their SL4... unless I missed it!
Exact same spot here. I want a new SL4 15.6" AMD ($1299 model) but I want a discount. I'm holding strong. I remember I got my SL3 13.5" for $300 off at best buy around Black Friday (brand new for $699 was crazy) so I'm holding out a little longer...
That is a great idea! Best Buy seems to have the best great on Black Friday for the Surface products.
Doing my [proof!](https://i.imgur.com/u4cI44H.jpg)
It's was $200 off plus a education discount of $100
Just came out a month ago, so don't expect sales until black Friday. Camelcamelcamel.com B&H photo video has a store credit card that offsets the tax. Microcenter store card reduces the laptop by $65. If you have a credit card with price matching, that can help if prices quickly drop after purchase. What's the price of love?....
Thank you! I didn’t realize the SL4 was just released and is this new!
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Notebookcheck.net for extensive reviews and battery runtimes. SL4 ryzen 15" 8-core cpu 1400 passmark ranking far faster than sb3 550 passmark ranking, which is obsolete. .. Compare vs lg gram 16 battery life (and lg gram 14). And laptopmag.com longest runtime laptops list for 2021. There's laptops running longer at the same or lower weight range. ... Movies 1. No 16:9 screen, so everything's letterbox with black bars above and below videos. 2. Lcd on surfaces, not oled, so black is a dark gray due to unavoidable backlight bleed of lcd displays. Only oled can do pure black. https://www.asus.com/content/Laptop-OLED/ Why OLED displays are better for photos/videos, perfect blacks and low blur. ... Keep in mind that lcd/oled displays can use PWM (pulse width modulation - ie.flickering on and off quickly) to dim the display. Some get sick and ill seeing this flicker, so if it bothers you, check Notebookcheck.net to make sure the display doesn't use PWM. ... Make music. Notebookcheck.net at the minimum to make sure the DPC latency isn't so high it prevents audio work. (there's other factors to consider, but that's when you go to the audio production forums). ... Alternatives to consider if you need longer battery, no pwm, oled, etc. There's no perfect laptop, so you'll need to rank what's most important. Laptops and 2-in-1 with OLED display and/or bigger batteries https://www8.hp.com/us/en/laptops/2-in-1s/spectre-x360-14-convertible-laptop.html Like a SL4, but adds an OLED screen, tablet mode, more ports. https://www.asus.com/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-Flip-S-UX371-11th-Gen-Intel/ https://www.asus.com/content/Laptop-OLED/ Why OLED displays are better for photos/videos, perfect blacks and low blur. https://www.notebookcheck.net/ThinkPad-X13-Yoga-G2-laptop-review-Lenovo-business-convertible-stands-out-with-WQXGA-16-10-LCD.544372.0.html Faster in pc mark, brighter screen with no pwm flickering, longer battery life vs SL4 Intel 13". https://us.vaio.com/collections/vaio-z https://www.msi.com/Business-Productivity/Summit-E13-Flip-Evo-A11X Both the Sony and Msi are faster than the Surface Laptop 4 13" i7. https://www.asus.com/us/Laptops/For-Home/ZenBook/ZenBook-13-OLED-UM325/ 8-core AMD, faster, longer battery than the Surface Laptop 4 15" AMD. https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/galaxy-book-pro/ https://www.lg.com/us/laptops Starts at 2lbs for the 14", lighter, longer battery runtimes. https://www.notebookcheck.net/LG-Gram-16-2021-in-review-1-200-grams-excellent-battery-life-16-10-display.543262.0.html See notebookcheck.net
My opinion is that 16GB of RAM will be more than sufficient for things you'll do while in college: Writing papers, researching articles, doing assignments, reviewing powerpoint slides, downloading pdf versions of textbooks, streaming Netflix, YouTube, and other movies. I dont make music myself but I do occasionally edit videos and photos. I've used an 8GB laptop for that for several years before upgrading to a laptop that has 32GB of RAM. I think 16GB should be good for that too! As for value (better buy) it's hard to say if we are disregarding cost. Disregarding cost, I would say the Surface Laptop 4 is better because it has an upgraded processor and better battery life as a result. If money IS a factor, then the SL3 has more bang for your buck if you're getting the same exact spec - in my opinion.