Buy Surface Pro 3 now or wait for 4

[Pack3028]

Hey everyone my question is pretty straight forward, should I buy a Surface Pro 3 now or wait till 4 comes out? I am only asking because I saw some rumors online that there will be a Surface Pro 4 coming out, but I am not sure when. Do you think with the specs of the i5 256gb model SP3 that it would be able to stand up to productivity for a few years? I am not sure how often Microsoft updates their lines or if they would wait for Windows 10 to release to debut the SP4, which Windows 10 is still a decent amount of time away.

I just logged onto Microsoft's website and noticed the price dropped for the SP3 so I am unsure if that is a sign or something Microsoft does from time to time.

 

[Jesse San Nicolas]

Its the never ending oxymoron that goes along with your question. i.e Should I get the Surface Pro 4, or wait for the Surface Pro 5?

Transitioning from a $4000 Alienware laptop to a $1300 SP3, I AM CONTENT WITH MY PURCHASE. Performance wise, my Alienware was about 3x more powerful in processor power (real world performance about 10x better), and 100x more powerful discrete graphics card wise. But it's a trade off, and I love my SP3, even with the occasional wifi issues, because of it's portability and funtionality.

Granted, I am wishing and hoping Microsoft will put a discrete GPU in the Surface Pro 4 when it comes out next year around summertime, but I am pretty surprised the SP3 can actually play some of my favorite games, at playable frame rates (albeit nowhere near my old Alienware).

I say you might as well get the SP3, as the SP4 is a ways off. Even with the amazing comparison here of the Intel Core M CPU, I honestly think the SP3 i3, i5, and i7 CPU's are more than adequate for most people.

Waiting for the next best thing is and endless loop of playing catch-up. The only problem is, you will never be caught up.

 

[Pack3028]

Its the never ending oxymoron that goes along with your question. i.e Should I get the Surface Pro 4, or wait for the Surface Pro 5?

Transitioning from a $4000 Alienware laptop to a $1300 SP3, I AM CONTENT WITH MY PURCHASE. Performance wise, my Alienware was about 6x more powerful in processor power, and 1000x more powerful graphics card wise. But it's a trade off, and I love my SP3, even with the occasional wifi issues, because of it's portability and funtionality.

Granted, I am wishing and hoping Microsoft will put a discrete GPU in the Surface Pro 4 when it comes out next year around summertime, but I am pretty surprised the SP3 can actually play some of my favorite games, at playable frame rates (albeit nowhere near my old Alienware).

I say you might as well get the SP3, as the SP4 is a ways off. Even with the amazing comparison here of the Intel Core M CPU, I honestly think the SP3 i3, i5, and i7 CPU's are more than adequate for most people.

Waiting for the next best thing is and endless loop of playing catch-up. The only problem is, you will never be caught up.

Thank you for your response, I agree with what your saying, its just difficult when it comes to most tech items because almost as soon as you buy it there's a new version out. Do you think the i5 256gb 8gig ram version would be able to run Adobe Creative Cloud fine without major issues? That is the model that I have been looking into picking up in a few days, then I have cash left for a type cover and other accessories to get started using it to its full potential.

 

[unruledboy]

what??? price dropped????

i am so going to buy another sp3 i5/8g

 

[unruledboy]

dude, just checked, same price.

 

[everalm]

SP2 prices had dropped before MS quietly took them of the store, they also were running some bundled deals for the i7 for a while IIRC.

 

[Zog1971]

Although the SP4 is inevitable and I am looking forward to it, I think you are probably going to be waiting until at least next summerish. I'm also still interested in hearing more how the new Intel chips will perform in the SP4. Everyone is so excited about the possibility of a fanless machine, as am I, but what about performance? I still need much more info.

Also, the MS store in the US is not showing any discount on the SP3. Where are you looking? I have some friends who are looking to purchase who may be interested in a discount!

If you are in the market now, I say go for the SP3! I love my i7, 256gb. To answer your question, I think both the i5 and i7 have several years of productivity in them. Obviously, it depends on your workflow. Last year, I went from a 2008 Macbook Pro to an older gen i5 SP1 and was delighted at how it performed. These are surprisingly powerful machines.

 

[GreyFox7]

{Snicker} My wisdom is not needed here as the previous posters nailed it.

 

[Jesse San Nicolas]

Thank you for your response, I agree with what your saying, its just difficult when it comes to most tech items because almost as soon as you buy it there's a new version out. Do you think the i5 256gb 8gig ram version would be able to run Adobe Creative Cloud fine without major issues? That is the model that I have been looking into picking up in a few days, then I have cash left for a type cover and other accessories to get started using it to its full potential.

Just install ACC Photoshop, and after a few hours of editing, it performed everything flawlessly on my i5/8GB SP3. Go for it, you wont be dissappointed.

 

[Matthew Reimer]

Working at staples we have the i5 4GB version for $799 for two weeks now. Might be ending this Saturday

 

[Kif]

Wouldn't expect a new Surface Pro model until springtime but you never know. Regardless the SP3 is great and I'm totally happy with it just as it is. The SP4, SP5, etc.. are all unknown entities at this time.

 

[Zog1971]

Thank you for your response, I agree with what your saying, its just difficult when it comes to most tech items because almost as soon as you buy it there's a new version out. Do you think the i5 256gb 8gig ram version would be able to run Adobe Creative Cloud fine without major issues? That is the model that I have been looking into picking up in a few days, then I have cash left for a type cover and other accessories to get started using it to its full potential.

To address the Adobe CC question, I use my i7 daily in Adobe CC with zero issues. I am a graphic design student. I researched a lot before buying, and many said that the i5 8gb was also working fine in Adobe CC. I ultimately opted for the i7 because of some deals going on at the time (student discount and no tax weekend) but I feel that I probably would have been just fine with the i5. I was also running Adobe CC on my i5 4gb SP1. I used this during my first semester of graphic design classes and didn't have issues with it (although, was just doing some very basic work in Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop). With the SP3, I would definitely go for the 8gb ram option as I think CC will require more memory as it moves forward.