Why I really dislike using my Surface Pro 2

[grumpy]

sorry but if you had read the forums a little better and educated yourself a little better, you wold have seen that the SP3 outperforms the SP2 in MOST cases and only through heavy GAMING does the SP2 fair a little better and throttles less... BUT THATS IT, the SP3 outperforms the SP2...

Perhaps you should take your own advice, because this is just not true (and I am comparing the SP3 to the 4300u SP2). The SP2 will outperform the SP3 in application requiring SUSTAINED CPU usage - this has been shown numerous times in the SP3 forum.

And I have never heard of on SP2 encountering a thermal shutdown due to Windows update...

100G is 100g for people like you who are complaining about it being heavy lol

Again, you don't know what you are talking about. I have never complained about it being too heavy.

 

[jnjroach]

Perhaps you should take your own advice, because this is just not true (and I am comparing the SP3 to the 4300u SP2). The SP2 will outperform the SP3 in application requiring SUSTAINED CPU usage - this has been shown numerous times in the SP3 forum.

And I have never heard of on SP2 encountering a thermal shutdown due to Windows update...

Again, you don't know what you are talking about. I have never complained about it being too heavy.

How quickly we all forget.... do you remember the December Firmware fiasco? There were all sorts of Performance and Power Management issues until they were fixed in March....

 

[grumpy]

How quickly we all forget.... do you remember the December Firmware fiasco? There were all sorts of Performance and Power Management issues until they were fixed in March....

I have forgotten nothing... I am simply not intent on whitewashing the obvious flaws at every opportunity. I was not personally affected by the December firmware, but I have had my share of problems with SP2, and I have been equally vocal about those (I still have not gotten a suitable replacement from MS). If anything, the SP3 demonstrates that MS has failed to learn from its past mistakes.

 

[djeemale]

Thanks for all your replies and suggestions. I was hoping to generate some interest and feedback.

I probably need to clarify a few things: Firstly, I was not suggesting there was any "better" alternatives out there nor that my experience was the norm. I was just stating that I am somewhat disappointed in the reliability of my particular Surface.

The initial list of issues is simply niggles, not at all the main reasons for my dissatisfaction (or the basis to reject the Surface). I do believe the issue is with a corrupted Windows install (hence my caveat in relation to Windows). Sadly, like the updates and shutdown issues, the factory reset process is also extremely flaky. I have done it once and the issues remain. My last comment that I may get new media and do a fresh install should have been a clue to my thinking there.

I REALLY WANT my Surface to be a reliable replacement for a laptop (not for my desktop) as I do stuff on the go. Until I can get it to be reliable, I will continue to lug about my 17" i7.

Again, thanks for all your welcome comments. I am still a fan of the Surface brand.

 

[malberttoo]

Thanks for all your replies and suggestions. I was hoping to generate some interest and feedback.

I probably need to clarify a few things: Firstly, I was not suggesting there was any "better" alternatives out there nor that my experience was the norm. I was just stating that I am somewhat disappointed in the reliability of my particular Surface.

The initial list of issues is simply niggles, not at all the main reasons for my dissatisfaction (or the basis to reject the Surface). I do believe the issue is with a corrupted Windows install (hence my caveat in relation to Windows). Sadly, like the updates and shutdown issues, the factory reset process is also extremely flaky. I have done it once and the issues remain. My last comment that I may get new media and do a fresh install should have been a clue to my thinking there.

I REALLY WANT my Surface to be a reliable replacement for a laptop (not for my desktop) as I do stuff on the go. Until I can get it to be reliable, I will continue to lug about my 17" i7.

Again, thanks for all your welcome comments. I am still a fan of the Surface brand.

Hey @djeemale, if you haven't already done so, you might want to consider doing a refresh or reinstall. Sounds like it would definitely fix some of your issues...

 

[jnjroach]

I have forgotten nothing... I am simply not intent on whitewashing the obvious flaws at every opportunity. I was not personally affected by the December firmware, but I have had my share of problems with SP2, and I have been equally vocal about those (I still have not gotten a suitable replacement from MS). If anything, the SP3 demonstrates that MS has failed to learn from its past mistakes.

What I'm saying is that these issues were fixed through Firmware Updates, so lets not write off the SP3, it took months for both the SP1 and SP2 to have all of the issues worked out.

 

[leeshor]

I think @malberttoo has the best suggestion. Start over.

 

[mcsenerd]

All I can talk about is my own "seat of the pants" experiences with both the SP2 (which I'm typing on right now) and my SP3 (which is sitting on the other side of me). I can say for certain that the last firmware upgrade on the SP3 was a definite turn for the better. I was constantly thinking about how much faster the SP2 felt in general usage than the SP3 since I got it before...but now...I really think that they're neck and neck (as they should be since they're both i5/256GB models). In any case, they're both fine machines, but overall...I'm afraid I too would have to give the nod to the SP3. I actually like the ntrig pen better for note taking. I think the weight and aspect ratio are wins, and finally I really miss the bluetooth buttons on the pen when I am using the SP2 now.

 

[stranger4all]

Thanks for all your replies and suggestions. I was hoping to generate some interest and feedback.

I probably need to clarify a few things: Firstly, I was not suggesting there was any "better" alternatives out there nor that my experience was the norm. I was just stating that I am somewhat disappointed in the reliability of my particular Surface.

The initial list of issues is simply niggles, not at all the main reasons for my dissatisfaction (or the basis to reject the Surface). I do believe the issue is with a corrupted Windows install (hence my caveat in relation to Windows). Sadly, like the updates and shutdown issues, the factory reset process is also extremely flaky. I have done it once and the issues remain. My last comment that I may get new media and do a fresh install should have been a clue to my thinking there.

I REALLY WANT my Surface to be a reliable replacement for a laptop (not for my desktop) as I do stuff on the go. Until I can get it to be reliable, I will continue to lug about my 17" i7.

Again, thanks for all your welcome comments. I am still a fan of the Surface brand.

Dude i have been using my SP2 Pro 4300 and never experienced these issues , as you can check on this forum there were many faulty devices in the market that were easily replaced by MS , my advise to you is to return the device and ask MS for a new device they will gladly give you a better machine. Peace !

 

[InspectHerGadget]

I returned my SP3 as I liked the pen and palm rejection better on SP2 which was totally solid.

I found the i7 SP3 though WAY FASTER like double the speed easily of my i5/8G/256G SP2, it had a better trackpad, a nicer screen. I still like the SP2 though, a place to carry my pen, palm rejection always works and it is important being left handed.

The SP2 scratches easily, the charger is fiddly but I still love it as it is a totally solid device that JUST WORKS.

 

[djeemale]

Just thought I'd better report back with some good news.

Since posting my initial disappointment with my SP2, I have taken the time to reinstall the OS (again). This time I ensured I only installed the important apps I use.

I am pleased to report that, so far, it has been reliable. The mouse connects every time and it starts up and shuts down as expected. I did have some trouble reconnecting my USB 4G (LTE) device, but that wasn't the fault of the Surface.

Long live the Surface Pro.

 

[InspectHerGadget]

Just thought I'd better report back with some good news.

Since posting my initial disappointment with my SP2, I have taken the time to reinstall the OS (again). This time I ensured I only installed the important apps I use.

I am pleased to report that, so far, it has been reliable. The mouse connects every time and it starts up and shuts down as expected. I did have some trouble reconnecting my USB 4G (LTE) device, but that wasn't the fault of the Surface.

Long live the Surface Pro.

That is good news. It is a pretty solid device but Windows 8.1 can get problems with malware or just software configuration and driver issues. A lot of things can happen so a complete refresh is not a bad idea.