What's new

Sell my SP4 and get a SB?

Afy

Member
Well the SB is finally coming to the UK. Personally am intrigued by it so should I dump my SP4 for an SB? I don't really do anything that needs a dGPU and if I did, I have my Dell XPS 9550 for it.
I certainly do not 'need' three machines.
 

hughlle

Super Moderator
Staff member
Does it offer you a feature that you actually need which your current machines can not offer?
 

Mikewired

Member
I have both right now, a SP4 m3 and a base SB. One is going back but I haven't decided which one yet. I like the SB's screen size for someone who is in the reading glasses stage of life, and the SB's battery is also a winner. Using the SB in clipboard mode is just makes you smile and it feels lighter than it really is. I want to use either in my daily work to take notes with the pen at job sites. The SP4 seems like the obvious choice for this but the SB could work. I will carry both for the next few days as I go back to work and se what works. I am leaning towards the SB, even though its about 500.00 more. The SB is the most mac like windows I have ever used.


SB pros
Coolness factor !!
screen size
battery life
usb on charger (vs m3 sp4)
!!!!!Yes you can play Spotify when the screen times out !!!!! SP3/4 cant do this - not sure why

SP4 pros
kickstand
smaller size
lighter weight
Use a Micro sd for more storage without sticking out!
just as powerful as most SB(excluding dgpu models)

I am sure there are more that I am not thinking of.
 
Last edited:
OP
A

Afy

Member
£2249 for the i7/16GB model is one heck of a premium. My XPS 9550 was cheaper than this, and even with a RAM upgrade to 32 GB not as expensive.
I think I am going to stick with my SP4 i7/16GB. :(
 

Niterider4

Active Member
I would not recommend the Surface Book to anyone, based on my experience. I would suggest waiting for the SB2, which will probably be what the SB1 was supposed to be.
 

Seneleron

Active Member
I would not recommend the Surface Book to anyone, based on my experience. I would suggest waiting for the SB2, which will probably be what the SB1 was supposed to be.

I couldn't disagree more with this statement, but honestly. . it's almost not worth it without the Nvidia GPU unless you REALLY have a need for the larger screen. the entry SB is essentially a larger SP4 in a less portable form factor. Yea, you'll get more battery life as a whole unit, but the SP4 isn't a bad performer in that category either. Best advice: decide what the right tool for the job is and go that way.

Buy it for the same reason I did...I liked it, and I wanted it!;)

Or this..:D
 

Niterider4

Active Member
I have the SB without the dGPU precisely because I want the larger screen and the extra battery life. I have no need whatsoever for the dGPU.

The reason I would not recommend the SB is because it is not reliable. In the real world, that's a deal breaker for me.
 

Mikewired

Member
My SB has been great until I dared turning the sleep back on. Yikes, the keyboard dosen't wake from sleep, the thing just won't wake up without pressing and fumbling with the power button for 5 minutes. I will just turn hibernate back on and set sceen sleep to 1 minute.
 

Orlbuckeye

Active Member
Well the SB is finally coming to the UK. Personally am intrigued by it so should I dump my SP4 for an SB? I don't really do anything that needs a dGPU and if I did, I have my Dell XPS 9550 for it.
I certainly do not 'need' three machines.
Well I was going to purchase a SP4 and I realized the SP4 plus the keyboard was almost as much as the SB. Plus i liked the higher resolution and the bigger screen on the SB.
 

Seneleron

Active Member
The reason I would not recommend the SB is because it is not reliable. In the real world, that's a deal breaker for me.

I'm starting to wonder about this. I had one issue early on with a corrupt driver, but aside from that my unit has been rock solid and stable. I'm sure I'm jinxing myself, but it's been over 2 weeks since I've had ANY issues [and that issue was the aforementioned corrupt driver]

It's been running SO well, I left my 2015 Blade AT HOME for my latest business trip [2 weeks all expenses paid in exile in the Inland Empire], and the SB is essentially my SOLE form of entertainment: my alarm clock, my communications hub, my spreadsheet editor, my gaming console, my journal pad. . . .

About the only thing I can think of that I may do different is I SHUT IT DOWN in the morning when I go to work. Sleep/hibernate is still a known and unfixed issue, so I don't tempt fate, but that's about IT.

The only reason I bring all this up is specifically BECAUSE mine's been so stable. It's a HECK of a lot more comfortable to work on with the additional vertical real estate, and while it doesn't push Diablo 3 at full resolution at max settings like the Blade does, it ALSO doesn't keep the CPU hovering in the 95c range EITHER.

All in all, I've had a great experience with my SB. Is it worth it over the SP4? ABSOLUTELY.

No, the real question is: how will it stack up after all the announcements from CES this week...
 

djaeby

New Member
I never have any problems with my SB2.. I gave my Surface to my granddaughter when she went to college because I prefer the Surface Book to the Surface, it’s just heavier than I like it. I use the SB in the house and the Surface Go for when I want to be mobile. I use the SB like a tablet more often than I do with the keyboard attached. I prefer writing to typing.
 
Top