Surprisingly Bad Gaming Performance

[hughlle]

I think your guessmate is pretty good here. The i3 and i7 SP3 was just rolled out on August 1st. You have to think it's really unlikely Microsoft would release an updated machine this year. Waiting for the next gen processor is really a zero-sum game. While broadwell will give the SP a nice performance bump everything else will get a similar bump so it won't move up the chart.

And then people will still find something to be unhappy with.

 

[GreyFox7]

And then people will still find something to be unhappy with.

Exactly. Negative Nellies crawl out from everywhere like bugs in the Amazon.

 

[Kif]

I think you're slightly missing my point. Let me say that I have a high end desktop - I can run Battlefield 4 ultra at 80+FPS. I don't expect my portable device to match this.

My issues with Surface Pro 3, or my expected issues, are that the stylus doesn't track as far from the screen and that the fan will be on a lot more than I'm used to. The stylus could be very bad for palm rejection. I like that my SP2 stylus attaches magnetically to the device, I like where the Windows button is - we will have to see.

I hope the new features will be enough to offset this for me, and I hope that these drawbacks won't be too bad, but it depends on how you use it.

It sounds like some of those issues should be taken up with Microsoft support. I've open so many support tickets with Apple they practically know me by voice alone.

 

[Liam2349]

It sounds like some of those issues should be taken up with Microsoft support. I've open so many support tickets with Apple they practically know me by voice alone.

None of it will change, they are all hardware features. Reduced tracking distance by moving to N-trig, no magnetic stylus by design, windows button moved by design... I'll have mine on the 28th and I'll see what I think to it.

 

[hughlle]

Exactly. Negative Nellies crawl out from everywhere like bugs in the Amazon.

Yup. Just like the compromises with the sp3, there will be compromises if sp4. If Microsoft maintain the form factor and dimensions so as to get the increase in performance because of added thermal headroom, people will complain that its new, it should be thinner and lighter with better battery. And if Microsoft make it thinner, at a hit in performance, people will complain that it throttles and that they don't care about form factor. When buying a product, other than hardware issues that might not get reported in reviews, rare, I always take user reviews and gripes as nothing but something to read, and stick to a trusted reviewer, such as anand, or Lisa. They review things as a job, they understand that you cannot get emotionally involved with the product. With user feedback, everything seems to be personal.

 

[Kif]

My issues with Surface Pro 3, or my expected issues, are that the stylus doesn't track as far from the screen and that the fan will be on a lot more than I'm used to.
The stylus could be very bad for palm rejection.

Sorry, just meant these items. I thought they were specific issues you were having. Now that I'm re-reading the thread it doesn't sound like you have a SP3 so never mind it was my mistake.

 

[be77solo]

Its not even the CPU 15W TDP that is the limiting factor, its a separate controller that gimps the performance to keep something else cooler. See this post and watch his video for a clear picture of what is going on. Bottom line, the SP3 is simply an inferior performing machine by a design.

http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/microsoft/62921-surface-pro-3-problems-thread-68.html#post407440

And to answer the question regarding how the SP3 plays the very games Microsoft advertises it to play? They start out great, but then after a few minutes start to stutter/lag and become unenjoyable. The SP2 by comparison keeps a steady framerate and plays them great.

 

[hughlle]

Its not even the CPU 15W TDP that is the limiting factor, its a separate controller that gimps the performance to keep something else cooler. See this post and watch his video for a clear picture of what is going on. Bottom line, the SP3 is simply an inferior performing machine by a design.

http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/microsoft/62921-surface-pro-3-problems-thread-68.html#post407440

And to answer the question regarding how the SP3 plays the very games Microsoft advertises it to play? They start out great, but then after a few minutes start to stutter/lag and become unenjoyable. The SP2 by comparison keeps a steady framerate and plays them great.

I had seen a few lol videos that looked slightly laggy. I wonder if there is any legal ramification to them advertising it to play it? Probably not. I recall the joy of unboxing my shuttle sn26p that was lacking the most important part of it, even the box it came in advertised the hewtpipes, but nope, nothing to be done.

A thought though. This Panay 20 percent performance gain over the sp2, is it even specified what is even meant by performance? Battery, audio, screen, short term CPU demand, WiFi speed?

 

[be77solo]

A thought though. This Panay 20 percent performance gain over the sp2, is it even specified what is even meant by performance? Battery, audio, screen, short term CPU demand, WiFi speed?

Pure salesmanship... perhaps the 20% faster we were to open our wallets ha

 

[Liam2349]

Pure salesmanship... perhaps the 20% faster we were to open our wallets ha

Well he knows how to make it look good. I was watching the reveal thinking "surely they can't improve the... fakk, friction hinge!". It was pretty disappointing when anandtech uncovered the truth about SP3 but it's great that they did.

I reckon SP4 will be basically the same as SP3, just more powerful.

 

[Kif]

Well he knows how to make it look good. I was watching the reveal thinking "surely they can't improve the... fakk, friction hinge!". It was pretty disappointing when anandtech uncovered the truth about SP3 but it's great that they did.

I reckon SP4 will be basically the same as SP3, just more powerful.

Yes I was also glad when Anandtech uncovered the truth about the SP3. His review is the reason I bought a SP3.

Here's a direct quote for he's review:

"Surface Pro 3 is easily the best design Microsoft has put forward. If you were intrigued by the previous designs, this is the first one that should really tempt you over. I was a fan of the original Surface Pro, and with Surface Pro 3 I think Microsoft has taken the hardware much closer to perfection. At this point the design needs more help on the software side than hardware, which is saying a lot for the Surface Pro hardware team. Personally I'd still rather carry a good notebook and a lightweight tablet, but if you are looking for a single device this is literally the only thing on the market that's worth considering. I don't know how big the professional productivity tablet market is, but it's a space that Microsoft seems to have almost exclusive reign over with its Surface line. With its latest iteration, Microsoft is serving that market better than ever."

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8077/microsoft-surface-pro-3-review/8

 

[Liam2349]

Yes I was also glad when Anandtech uncovered the truth about the SP3. His review is the reason I bought a SP3.

Here's a direct quote for he's review:

"Surface Pro 3 is easily the best design Microsoft has put forward. If you were intrigued by the previous designs, this is the first one that should really tempt you over. I was a fan of the original Surface Pro, and with Surface Pro 3 I think Microsoft has taken the hardware much closer to perfection. At this point the design needs more help on the software side than hardware, which is saying a lot for the Surface Pro hardware team. Personally I'd still rather carry a good notebook and a lightweight tablet, but if you are looking for a single device this is literally the only thing on the market that's worth considering. I don't know how big the professional productivity tablet market is, but it's a space that Microsoft seems to have almost exclusive reign over with its Surface line. With its latest iteration, Microsoft is serving that market better than ever."

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8077/microsoft-surface-pro-3-review/8

That review made me sad, but by the end of it, I was much happier about it. Looking forward to testing it out.