Surface pro 3 will have an i5-4300U processor, should I wait for the i7?

[kozak79]

According to the penny arcade review:
Penny Arcade - Surface Pro 3
The i5 SP3 he got from microsoft lacks in performance. He says they removed the performance profile and there is no way to activate it, and with the higher resolution screen makes it noticeably slower than an SP2. He said he's waiting for an i7 version to see if it fixes the performance issues he's having.

I'm guessing to keep it cool while being thinner and no extra fans, they had to limit the turbo boost performance.

 

[jnjroach]

It is because it is a connected standby enabled machine....

 

[mcsenerd]

Boy...that Penny Arcade mini-review really gives me pause. I was seriously considering pre-ordering the i5/256GB model, but I think I too will wait it out a bit. I'd love to have the increased screen real estate and aspect ratio, but not so much that I'd be willing to give up the performance I have today with my i5/256GB SP2. I think I'll wait for the next Intel iterations before hopping on an upgrade.

 

[starstreak]

Yes. Exactly. MS increased resolution but same gpu. The i7 should have the intel 5000 gpu but I doubt that would increase the speed enough.

 

[bamaster]

Boy...that Penny Arcade mini-review really gives me pause. I was seriously considering pre-ordering the i5/256GB model, but I think I too will wait it out a bit. I'd love to have the increased screen real estate and aspect ratio, but not so much that I'd be willing to give up the performance I have today with my i5/256GB SP2. I think I'll wait for the next Intel iterations before hopping on an upgrade.

Yeah, but when he had performance issues, he was at full max resolution. And of course, while using graphics demanding software. I use Photoshop, too, but there's no way I'd use it at max resolution on a 12" display. He acknowledges that when dropping down the resolution, the performance improved. And while I expect to use the digitizer, I won't be using it like he does so there won't be any issues with the Start button.

What worries me is that he says, "Down around 1650x1050 it is positively snappy but gives me black bars at the top and bottom of the screen." Does this mean that if I wanted a 1600-ish resolution that I'd get black bars? There's no legible resolution that would make use of the full screen? 1440 may be too low. Hmm...

On my SP2, I have it at full 1920x1080, but I have text at 125% and Google Chrome at 125%, too. That makes everything easier to read. Maybe I'll have to do this with the SP3.

 

[kozak79]

But why get a tablet with a dense dpi screen and then running it at low resolution? That's like getting an HD TV but forcing everything to SD resolution. If I'm paying for 2160x1440 screen, I expect to run at that resolution with no compromises.

Also, not sure if the Intel Drivers will let you make custom resolutions, (with Nvidia drivers you can make your own resolution), but you can make 1920x1280, with no black bars or 1650x1100. You just need to stay with a 3:2 aspect, if the driver has those resolutions or will let you make custom ones.

 

[mcsenerd]

But why get a tablet with a dense dpi screen and then running it at low resolution? That's like getting an HD TV but forcing everything to SD resolution. If I'm paying for 2160x1440 screen, I expect to run at that resolution with no compromises.

This...

It reminds me much of when Apple introduced the first iPad with Retina display. The internals weren't much changed from the iPad 2 really and the GPU/CPU just couldn't really keep up with the resolution. It wasn't until the next iteration (which they rushed out a near 6 months after the first retina iPad release I might add) that the performance finally trumped that seen on the iPad 2. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and think that we're seeing a similar story here. The next Surface Pro will be the "one" to get.

 

[drolem]

If I were to buy the Surface Pro 3 I will surely get the i7 model.

I5 model is exactly the same as the Surface pro 2. The only difference is a bigger screen and slimmer body.

Plus a slightly better battery life and the practically any position kickstand.

Unless you do some really heavy duty computing, I don't think the i7 will make much of a difference in real life usage.

Personally, I think the SP3 is a much better device, and I expect an $200 or so cut on the remaining SP2 inventory once the SP3 starts selling.

If MS plan to keep selling 10.6" tablets in the future, they may want to create a smaller version of SP3 because after you compare the two -- I think it's a no brainer for most.

 

[kevinlevrone]

Personally, I think the SP3 is a much better device, and I expect an $200 or so cut on the remaining SP2 inventory once the SP3 starts selling.

If MS plan to keep selling 10.6" tablets in the future, they may want to create a smaller version of SP3 because after you compare the two -- I think it's a no brainer for most.

The problem is that many people will find the SP3 too large for a tablet (even if it's a good size for a laptop). Because of the screen size, there really is no "one size fits all" in this market. I for one, would prefer a 11" diagonal with a 3:2 or even 16:10 form factor. 12" is just too large and I can't see myself carrying that device everywhere (and working more) like I do with the SP2.

 

[thegrinch]

The problem is that many people will find the SP3 too large for a tablet (even if it's a good size for a laptop). Because of the screen size, there really is no "one size fits all" in this market. I for one, would prefer a 11" diagonal with a 3:2 or even 16:10 form factor. 12" is just too large and I can't see myself carrying that device everywhere (and working more) like I do with the SP2.

Agreed - I'm really on the fence regarding the screen size. I want to demo it in person before I commit. Additionally, I'm going to wait for the inevitable Broadwell SP release before I jump in - perhaps they'll introduce other models/sizes then; I'm betting on a early Nov debut of broadwell.

 

[eallan]

Agreed - I'm really on the fence regarding the screen size. I want to demo it in person before I commit. Additionally, I'm going to wait for the inevitable Broadwell SP release before I jump in - perhaps they'll introduce other models/sizes then; I'm betting on a early Nov debut of broadwell.

Buying the sp3 day 1 due to finally getting rid of 16:9. I'm SO HAPOY with Microsoft for the display.

 

[macmee]

Buying the sp3 day 1 due to finally getting rid of 16:9. I'm SO HAPOY with Microsoft for the display.

16:9 is great for landscape reading