i7/512GB order it or not?

[paovig00]

Hi everybody,

I would like to order a MS 3 i7 512GB, but after reading about problems with overheating and rebooting I am in doubt. If I have to spend such a money has to be for a good product!

I am not a gamer, basically I have to use it as a development study machine as like a media device. I use Visual Studio and SQL server (both last version) for development, Skype and Netflix as social/media tools. Then I use Office, Adobe Lightroom, Chrome and Internet Explorer!

At the moment I have a Toshiba with 256GB ssd and i am running out of space, so space is really important to me and I do not want to mess with data in a separate disk.

So base on your experience, should I have to order it or not? Based on the software I have to use do you think I can experience a lot of overheating?

Thanks in advance for the help!
Paolo

 

[GreyFox7]

The overheating was mostly with some early units prior to firmware updates. There probably are still some early units in the supply chain but once firmware updates are applied it's the same as any other.
Doing all the updates will take some time and it will get warm doing them, don't panic.

I have run a sustained performance test which causes the unit to run at max capacity and it will self regulate to maintain operational temperature without shutting down. Shutdown is the failsafe action and it might be possible under adverse circumstances but the firmware should keep things under control. That seems to be working as I haven't seen anyone posting about overheating lately.

There are a number of people here happily using the softwares you mention but I'll let them speak for themselves.

A microSD card could be mounted to an empty folder in your C drive which would make it seamlessly available. see Mount Points. I've not tried it but often thought doing that with the Downloads folder would be a good strategy. The key is the folder must be empty to start. but then you'd be limited to 128gb in downloads (max mSDcard size) ... maybe a subfolder of Downloads.

I think you would find the Surface a good choice.

 

[mtalinm]

go for it. I got the i7/256 and am crazy happy with it. wish I had splurged for the bigger disk!

yes, there were overheating problems in August, but the early September firmware updates solved it. so, you can ignore those threads saying that the i5 is the only one to get.

I would say there is probably an hour's worth of battery life less on the i7, so if that is a key issue for you then maybe go with i5.

 

[GreyFox7]

Oh, you mentioned Chrome... there have been some less than ideal or suboptimal issues with Chrome, perhaps Google will fix it soon. I see the Chrome fans posting its praises with each new release... as they would be expected to do. you'll have to decide for yourself if it meets your needs. Personally I'm not a Chrome fan, totally nonpulsed by it.

 

[sharpuser]

Surface Pro 3 i7 512 - I have that machine. No overheating. No noise. No "fan" - except for me. Also have 128GB SanDisk SDXC.

I don't use Chrome much.

 

[JoshB]

I purchased the i7/256 and have never had an overheating issue. It works perfect for me. I decided to go with the 256 and add a 128GB SD to save $400 to spend on accessories instead

 

[Chris Stephen]

Hi there.

I have the SP3 i7 512GB and concur with everything GreyFox7 said.

Productivity apps aside, I just wanted to add that I got sucked into playing Microsoft Mahjong on my Surface and noticed that after a little while the fan comes on and the back right hand side is a little warm but I've never had any issues with over heating, rebooting, blue screens, etc. As a matter of fact, when I play this same game on my Dell E7440 from work (which has similar specs except its a laptop), the fan comes on too. So there is nothing unusual with the fan on the SP3.

If you push it hard, you may hear the fan, but it's so quiet compared to other laptops you may not even notice it.

My SP3 i7 512GB works great and I love it. Except for the crappy rear camera but that's another story....

Rest assured, the SP3 i7 512GB is a great purchase. Just remember that whatever you decide to get, the SP3 is not upgradeable. So, as an example, if say 2 years down the road from now you might get to a point where a 256GB SSD might not be enough for you anymore and if you wanted more disk space, you are sadly out of luck. Yes you could use a SD card, but they are much slower than an SSD.

Good luck!

 

[InspectHerGadget]

I love my i7/256G.

The only thing I would say and I have been the owner of every Surface except the first Pro, is I don't particularly like them as tablets. It can be handy sometimes to use them as a tablet, but the iPad is what I always reach for.

As a laptop though with the handy ability to use as a tablet sometimes, it is just great and I use the pen for writing job notes daily.

 

[bluegrass]

I have an i7 512 and have not had any problems. I think it's a giddyapp machine. Disk drives fill up faster than you can imagine but if you keep only the necessary apps & data on the local SSD this should work fine for most people. You can always plug in a couple gig portable USB 3 drive. I carry one with me all the time. Ya. I was in scouts as a kid.

 

[GreyFox7]

I love my i7/256G.

The only thing I would say and I have been the owner of every Surface except the first Pro, is I don't particularly like them as tablets. It can be handy sometimes to use them as a tablet, but the iPad is what I always reach for.

As a laptop though with the handy ability to use as a tablet sometimes, it is just great and I use the pen for writing job notes daily.

The great thing about the Surface is... it's whatever you want it to be, Tablet or Laptop or Writing Pad. I use mine more as a tablet and I have an iPad but since getting the Surface it's collecting dust.

When I need though my Surface docked with dual monitors, full size wireless keybd and mouse, printer, wired Ethernet, external HDD or SSD is great, you'd never suspect its all running off such a small device.

On the go with attachable keybd its a perfectly workable laptop or tablet as the need arises.

 

[GreyFox7]

I have an i7 512 and have not had any problems. I think it's a giddyapp machine. Disk drives fill up faster than you can imagine but if you keep only the necessary apps & data on the local SSD this should work fine for most people. You can always plug in a couple gig portable USB 3 drive. I carry one with me all the time. Ya. I was in scouts as a kid.

For those really big jobs a portable USB 3 SSD rocks.

 

[paovig00]

Thanks to all.
I definitely clear my mind...I will buy an i7 512, and i will start enjoying a new real experience!