Please help, opinions needed/appreciated

[tonysloth]

So I am pretty sure i decided on the SP4 now I ask I am looking at them and am torn between the I5 and the I7 model I figure that it would mean I could skip upgrading it as soon in the future do you think that the i5 to i7 model is really worth the extra cost I would still be getting the 256gb and 8 gb ram. It is just that every machine I have has an I7( for good reasons) I feel like i am cheating or doing something wrong getting an I5

 

[jnjroach]

So I am pretty sure i decided on the SP4 now I ask I am looking at them and am torn between the I5 and the I7 model I figure that it would mean I could skip upgrading it as soon in the future do you think that the i5 to i7 model is really worth the extra cost I would still be getting the 256gb and 8 gb ram. It is just that every machine I have has an I7( for good reasons) I feel like i am cheating or doing something wrong getting an I5

Only you can answer that one....

I wanted the i5/16/256 but is only available as a special order and I could get the i7/16/256 without a wait....

 

[tonysloth]

I wanted to get the I5 to save money but I do a fair amount of cad. I design jewelry 3d print and then cast the jewelry. I was reading the I5 isnt capable of 3d rendering anyone find that to be true? also I see an I7e model is it true some of them dont come with the IRIS 530? I saw in the forum someon said that there is an I7 with the HD 520. If the I5 isn't capable of 3d rendering would the I5 SB with dGPU be capable of 3d rendering? I wish they had an option to get one and you could trade it in for a better model. They do let you pay the $450 and replace any tablet only makes sense you should be able to upgrade to a better model at that time for a fee something like $200 more for ram, ssd, or cpu upgrade. Is the 128gb SSD really night and day when it comes to speed?

 

[jnjroach]

I wanted to get the I5 to save money but I do a fair amount of cad. I design jewelry 3d print and then cast the jewelry. I was reading the I5 isnt capable of 3d rendering anyone find that to be true? also I see an I7e model is it true some of them dont come with the IRIS 530? I saw in the forum someon said that there is an I7 with the HD 520. If the I5 isn't capable of 3d rendering would the I5 SB with dGPU be capable of 3d rendering? I wish they had an option to get one and you could trade it in for a better model. They do let you pay the $450 and replace any tablet only makes sense you should be able to upgrade to a better model at that time for a fee something like $200 more for ram, ssd, or cpu upgrade. Is the 128gb SSD really night and day when it comes to speed?

My i7/16/256 SP4 uses the HD 540:

 

[kristalsoldier]

I've used both (actually every Surface from Gen 1), the SP4 i5 is a better experience than an i7 SP3...

I would second this - also from personal experiences - used a SP3 (i5/4GB/128GB) since launch till a few months back. Current machine is SP4 (i5/8GB/256GB) and the experience is different and for the better. The machine is snappier; the display is gorgeous; thank god they lost that Windows button; runs much cooler - as in fans rarely, if ever, come on; feels a little more svelte; and perhaps because I bought it so late in the day, with all the updates that have come onstream since its release, I have found the SP4 to be stable and delivering as expected on battery life (approx 7-7.5 hours of sustained use). Good luck with your choice!

 

[tonysloth]

Thank you all for your opinions it has helped with my decision greatly. I haven't pulled the trigger yet due to all the talk that there might be a release of the surface 5 in the next couple of months. I have read that the sp4 I7 can do 3d rendering but the I5 can't do you guys find this to be true? If the I5 isn't capable in the sp4 format do you think it would be capable in the SB format with the dGPU or would you just stick with the SP4?

 

[Orlbuckeye]

SB with dGPU works great for some applications and causes issues for others, also in Clipboard Mode the SB uses a less powerful Intel HD GMA than the SP4...

I had a choice of the SB i7/16/256/dGPU or the SP4 i7/16/256 and chose the SP4 (actually I picked the i5 originally but I couldn't get the i5/16/256).

Yes but the dGPU can be set to be used only by certain applications and the i5 in the SB and the Surface Pro 4 both use the Intel HD 520 graphics. The Surface Pro 4 with the i7 does use the Intel HD 540 graphics with the Intel 6650U processor and the SB with i7 uses the Intel 6600U with the Intel 520 graphics.