Which surface pro 3 do I get confused

[OWENCOBB]

Hi guys i need help, I am looking to upgrade my original surface rt to a new pro 3 but I don't know what the differences are between an i3 i5 or i7, which one is going to do what I need it to as the prices drastically increase for the uk market,

Is it worth having a 64gb and then adding a micro sd card to give me more space or have the 128gb version.

 

[CrippsCorner]

What do you intend to use the Surface Pro 3 for? I personally wouldn't plump for the i3, but unless you're into graphically intense work (such as RAW photo editing/Photoshop etc.) or gaming you should be fine with the middle of the road i5. That's what I have on my original Surface Pro and it performs well.

I personally went for 128Gb and also added a 64Gb micro-SD card. Don't forget you can also get 128Gb micro-SD cards now. Again it comes down to your usage. For me all my music (around 60Gb! running out of space again) goes on the card, whereas all applications go on the SSD.

 

[OWENCOBB]

I won't be using it for programming or games just for general work really but I suppose it's down to the cost the sd cards to make up the gb so I might as well opt for the128gb in the first place

 

[CrazyT]

If all you're using the SP3 for is web browsing and Microsoft Office, then the i3 version will be plenty enough. Using that $200 saving between i3 and i5 version, you can also get the Type Cover 3 AND a 64GB microSD card. What do you think your most processor intensive activity would be? That will determine whether you'll need an i5 or whether the i3 is good enough.

 

[CrippsCorner]

The main reason I'd go for i5 over i3 even for more basic usage is simply to future proof your purchase. How long do you intend on keeping your Surface? I keep computers for 4 years or so, so I want it to last!

One thing to consider with SSD space Vs card space is that with the card you'll be able to plug it straight into your next Surface (or whatever) hassle free.

 

[OWENCOBB]

I suppose my most intense usage will be presentations in PowerPoint, using it for work spreadsheets like excel, web browsing and emails I'm not one for gaming etc, I might have music and videos on it and perhaps my photo library which as this stage consist of about 20,000 images, phot editing might be a possibility but not video editing that I do on my mac book pro or ipad

 

[leeshor]

The best answer is get the best one you can afford.

 

[bradhaak]

I preordered the 128 but changed it to the 256 when I saw that the 128 only has 4GB of RAM and the 256 has 8 GB.

The storage is not that important but the RAM is (for me).

 

[Cambo]

So if you are an every day user then the i5 would be fine? Or is it worth spending the extra amount to get the i7?

 

[bradhaak]

So if you are an every day user then the i5 would be fine? Or is it worth spending the extra amount to get the i7?

The i5 should be plenty of power for almost everyone.

I will be using mine purely for writing. Some web research and email, but mostly Word One Note and Scrivener. For my use the i3 would have probably been okay. But I tend to run a lot of apps open at once and would have hit the wall with 4 GB of RAM.

None of these machines are going to be great game systems because for the integrated graphics. They may be decent but that's about the best you can hope for, so you don't need an i7 processor for gaming. If you are doing a lot of serious graphics or video editing, or heavy financial modeling in Excel, you might need the i7. But for normal users that do word processing, email, web browsing, listening to music and watching YouTube videos, the i5 packs plenty of power.

The only other reason to go up to the top model is if you need the 512 GB of storage that will be available.

 

[CrippsCorner]

I suppose my most intense usage will be presentations in PowerPoint, using it for work spreadsheets like excel, web browsing and emails I'm not one for gaming etc, I might have music and videos on it and perhaps my photo library which as this stage consist of about 20,000 images, phot editing might be a possibility but not video editing that I do on my mac book pro or ipad

Interesting that you have a MacBook & iPad... seeing as though the Surface Pro 3 is meant to replace both these, will you be selling them lol?

 

[OWENCOBB]

Interesting that you have a MacBook & iPad... seeing as though the Surface Pro 3 is meant to replace both these, will you be selling them lol?

Not sure about the mac book pro as this generally stores all my pictures but the surface may be better inline with my work pc as this is all windows based