As usual, your mileage may vary and blah blah blah, but I wanted to share my thoughts after 1 week of owning what is turning out be one of the best purchases I have ever made.
Why the SP2 256/8?
My goal was to replace an android tablet and a work laptop. I have been waiting for a machine that could actually do this.
I considered the Yoga2 i5 or i7 as a value alternative and ruled them out after reading the reviews of the color performance and the wifi issues, as well as after actually playing with an SP2 at the Amazon test center, aka Best Buy.
My laptop is a Dell Latitude 6430u with 16GB of RAM. I am a heavy RAM user so I knew I needed to get the 8GB version of the SP2, hence the 256 model. I will say now that if you don't use RAM heavily in your daily gaming/computing then the 256 is overkill. You could easily live with the 128 or the 64 and add MicroSD or a dock with a USB drive. I drive 2 monitors through an Anker USB 3.0 Docking Station. One is a 23" running at 1900 x 1080 and the other is a 19" at 1360 x 768. I cannot live without multiple monitors. I do too much design and editing between projects and documents.
I purchased from Microsoft Online Store and had no issues at all in the process. They did tell me the unit was back ordered until Dec 15th but it shipped last week. They had the Blue keyboard and not the purple. Purple would show dirt less and would be a better choice (again IMO).
Did it work?
Well, my IT guy and my boss both now want one, and that is nice, but the answer is YES. I use it all day on battery only and it makes it well over 8 hours. I am able to do everything I do on my laptop easily and just as efficiently.
I hooked the SP2 to the same USB cable I use for my laptop and it worked as if it had always been connected. It drives both monitors plus its own display if needed without a hiccup, PLUS an external HDD, a USB keyboard, and a Logitech Mouse.
What about playtime?
I cannot fault the SP2 too much here. It streams my Subsonic library, runs iTunes, plays all of my movies and connects to iheartradio and Tunein without a hitch. As far as games, I am not the biggest gamer in the world, but I have a Minecraft and Tankionline habit and it plays both as well as the laptop ever did with one exception. I have noticed that the Surface 2 Keyboard lags a bit while playing Tanki. I think it is the poor design of the arrow keys, which are not full sized and I have issues using them to drive the tank and only hitting one.
Surprises?
I was shocked at how easy this was to setup. Bear in mind I have two PCs on Windows 8.1 already (Work Laptop and Home PC). Just by entering the same Windows ID all of my tiles and programs were already there when it launched. I have also been surprised at how much i LOVE LOVE LOVE the stylus. It s the best stylus I have ever used or seen. it makes tablet mode a pleasure. I find that for just hopping on to check e-mail or the internet it is fast and amazingly easy.
Any advice?
If you need a device that can become a daily workhorse and handle anything you throw at at while also being portable and offering a convenient tablet mode, this is the device you have been waiting for (IMO).
If you buy it, update it fully and make the backup image first then immediately register at Microsoft and decide if you want the extended warranty (I did- despite Clark Howard and others always saying these are a waste of money I feel more secure knowing that i have coverage for 2 years including accidental damage)- see forums for steps to follow for each of these items.
I let it update itself and I have not seen any flicker or any of the other issues some have reported in the forums. i have not installed any of the alternate INTEL display drivers.
I did receive the OLD charger- the one with the single LED on the end versus the illuminated ring. I do not think there is any other difference in the chargers other than the ends.
I do find that the Stylus is easily knocked off the magnetic holder and plan to add a $3 pen loop as someone in these forums originally suggested.
Why the SP2 256/8?
My goal was to replace an android tablet and a work laptop. I have been waiting for a machine that could actually do this.
I considered the Yoga2 i5 or i7 as a value alternative and ruled them out after reading the reviews of the color performance and the wifi issues, as well as after actually playing with an SP2 at the Amazon test center, aka Best Buy.
My laptop is a Dell Latitude 6430u with 16GB of RAM. I am a heavy RAM user so I knew I needed to get the 8GB version of the SP2, hence the 256 model. I will say now that if you don't use RAM heavily in your daily gaming/computing then the 256 is overkill. You could easily live with the 128 or the 64 and add MicroSD or a dock with a USB drive. I drive 2 monitors through an Anker USB 3.0 Docking Station. One is a 23" running at 1900 x 1080 and the other is a 19" at 1360 x 768. I cannot live without multiple monitors. I do too much design and editing between projects and documents.
I purchased from Microsoft Online Store and had no issues at all in the process. They did tell me the unit was back ordered until Dec 15th but it shipped last week. They had the Blue keyboard and not the purple. Purple would show dirt less and would be a better choice (again IMO).
Did it work?
Well, my IT guy and my boss both now want one, and that is nice, but the answer is YES. I use it all day on battery only and it makes it well over 8 hours. I am able to do everything I do on my laptop easily and just as efficiently.
I hooked the SP2 to the same USB cable I use for my laptop and it worked as if it had always been connected. It drives both monitors plus its own display if needed without a hiccup, PLUS an external HDD, a USB keyboard, and a Logitech Mouse.
What about playtime?
I cannot fault the SP2 too much here. It streams my Subsonic library, runs iTunes, plays all of my movies and connects to iheartradio and Tunein without a hitch. As far as games, I am not the biggest gamer in the world, but I have a Minecraft and Tankionline habit and it plays both as well as the laptop ever did with one exception. I have noticed that the Surface 2 Keyboard lags a bit while playing Tanki. I think it is the poor design of the arrow keys, which are not full sized and I have issues using them to drive the tank and only hitting one.
Surprises?
I was shocked at how easy this was to setup. Bear in mind I have two PCs on Windows 8.1 already (Work Laptop and Home PC). Just by entering the same Windows ID all of my tiles and programs were already there when it launched. I have also been surprised at how much i LOVE LOVE LOVE the stylus. It s the best stylus I have ever used or seen. it makes tablet mode a pleasure. I find that for just hopping on to check e-mail or the internet it is fast and amazingly easy.
Any advice?
If you need a device that can become a daily workhorse and handle anything you throw at at while also being portable and offering a convenient tablet mode, this is the device you have been waiting for (IMO).
If you buy it, update it fully and make the backup image first then immediately register at Microsoft and decide if you want the extended warranty (I did- despite Clark Howard and others always saying these are a waste of money I feel more secure knowing that i have coverage for 2 years including accidental damage)- see forums for steps to follow for each of these items.
I let it update itself and I have not seen any flicker or any of the other issues some have reported in the forums. i have not installed any of the alternate INTEL display drivers.
I did receive the OLD charger- the one with the single LED on the end versus the illuminated ring. I do not think there is any other difference in the chargers other than the ends.
I do find that the Stylus is easily knocked off the magnetic holder and plan to add a $3 pen loop as someone in these forums originally suggested.
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