Hi!

[markjr84]

Hello everyone, Mark here!

I'm new to the forum.

I have joined because I am seriously looking at buying a surface pro 4, but I am balancing right in between "let's get one it'll be great" and "but what if it doesn't work for what I need it for"! So I am hoping to ask a few questions in the forums and get some advice in order for me to make an informed decision!

Thanks.

 

[Exhile]

There will be a lot of SP4s for sale on eBay as the SP5 is soon to come out this Spring. What will you be using an SP4 for?

 

[markjr84]

@Exhile

Hey there, Thanks for your reply.

I'm a bookkeeper so the biggest programs I'll be running are Sage Accounts and Sage Payroll. Otherwise it's just microsoft office.

My set up at the moment is a Lenovo Z510 i7 Laptop running the same programs. It's connected to the Dynadock which allows me to connect to 2 more screens, fast ethernet connection, multiple USBs etc

The reason for wanting a surface is to be able to do the same as I am doing at the moment but also with the tablet capability too. Plus it will be lighter and more convenient when I visit clients etc.

I am hoping the SP4 will be able to do what I'm doing with my laptop just as well or better.

 

[sharpuser]

Welcome, @markjr84 ,

It sounds like the Surface Pro 4 is indeed just what you need.

 

[markjr84]

Great, thanks!

There is just one other thing I have noticed on one of my final checks.

The cpu ranking on the CPU Benchmark site:

My Lenovo: PassMark CPU Lookup

and the SP4: PassMark CPU Lookup

The SP4 has a much lower Passmark score. Does this mean that the Lenovo could be more powerful?

Sorry to get into the nitty gritty, it's just I want to get it right!

 

[Exhile]

You are right Mark in that your i7 Lenovo Z510 is more powerful than the i7 SP4. This is because your i7 Lenovo Z510 has 4 cores/8 threads and 6MB of cache whereas the i7 SP4 has 2 cores/4 threads with 4MB of cache. However the SP4 is much smaller, lighter and more power efficient than your Lenovo Z510. Also, the SP4 can be used in tablet mode with a pen. It's a trade off of power vs. light mobile computing.

 

[markjr84]

Thank you @Exhile for your detailed response. I appreciate your help.

I now feel I have the information, just have to make the decision, (but I think I will move to the SP4!).

Thanks again