Will the i3 be enough for Office and browsing?

[mitchellvii]

Does the i3 have the Intel HD Graphics Control Panel? If so where can I download it?

Tried downloading the 4200 HD to get the control panel but it said it was incompatible and would not install. Gamma and contrast were good when I first turned on machine but now after updates colors a bit blown out and blacks not as dark.

Need to get control over colors and gamma. Need that control panel.

 

[mitchellvii]

Ok, figured out the HD Control Panel thing. You can download the latest 4200 drivers for the i3 here:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?DwnldID=23885&lang=eng&ProdId=3718

Download the zip file and not the exe. Unzip it. Then go to device drivers and delete your current graphics driver along with supporting files. After reboot go to the folder where you unzipped the display driver and click setup. Let it run and reboot.

You can now access your HD Control Panel by left clicking the desktop and adjust things like gamma, etc. I turn gamma down to .6 on my screen and it looks AMAZING.

Good luck.

 

[mitchellvii]

Its interesting but this i3 feels faster than the i5 in my laptop.

 

[drolem]

True! Except that I can't seem to find any fault with the i5 that I am running - at least as of now. It is performing brilliantly.

Well, there are some issues, though none of them are earth shattering. I'm still having issues with Wi-Fi and BT, and a few random FW bugs, for example.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Well, there are some issues, though none of them are earth shattering. I'm still having issues with Wi-Fi and BT, and a few random FW bugs, for example.

Oh sure...not to undermine any individual experience, but I have personally not experienced ANY of them.

 

[mitchellvii]

Oh well, perception is reality. When I first looked at the SP3 in the store I was disappointed. Most likely because of 1) store lighting, 2) viewing a small device in an expansive space made it seem even smaller and 3) years of expectations after being disappointed with the original Surface Pro. But now that I actually have it here at home in my office or on the sofa I am loving it. And so far, even with all updates I've had none of the issues others are experiencing. Of course that could change and the thing could explode tomorrow. But right now, this is the computer I have always wanted.

SSD SPACE UPDATE:
Ok, after loading all my programs (Access 2003, Office 2007, Photoshop, Flash Professional, SharePoint Designer and a bunch of apps such as Hulu, YouTube, etc., I have 23.8 GB free.

I was able to achieve this by:
1) Offloading the recovery partition to a thumb drive.
2) Disabling hibernate.
3) Deleting all files from windows/software distribution/download after updates have been installed.
4) Emptying out recycle.

Left virtual memory in place as I don't really need more space. Anything else I can offload to the sdcard.

SPEED UPDATE:
For browsing and 90% of what I use a computer for, this unit seems very fast and quite adequate. The only slowdown I notice so far from my i5 is how quickly my database main form runs its initial queries and loads. Maybe a few seconds longer. But once it is up, it runs just as fast as on my i5.

Still may end up upgrading to the i5 but for the same price I can get a docking station or (almost) a new Moto 360. I'm also still concerned that the i5 and above may be too much juice for this slim form factor. The i3 may just be the sweet spot for the average business user.

 

[mitchellvii]

Is it just me or does the top left back of the tablet itself (behind the volume button) seem like the natural place for the pen holder loop? Sure it can be seen on the back but who cares? I would always have the pen, keyboard or not. Have heard there are also aftermarket solutions - will look into them.

Seems like an easy solution would have been for MS to simply put a narrow padded slot in the stop left edge of the tablet where the user could slide the metal clip of the pen into for storage. Would take no space and yet be securely held. MS really missed an opportunity there.

 

[malberttoo]

Is it just me or does the top left back of the tablet itself (behind the volume button) seem like the natural place for the pen holder loop? Sure it can be seen on the back but who cares? I would always have the pen, keyboard or not. Have heard there are also aftermarket solutions - will look into them.

Seems like an easy solution would have been for MS to simply put a narrow padded slot in the stop left edge of the tablet where the user could slide the metal clip of the pen into for storage. Would take no space and yet be securely held. MS really missed an opportunity there.

I think on the next go around, Microsoft should make a small receptacle, right in the middle of the ventilation channel on all 4 sides (so total of 4 receptacles) where a special pen loop/holder would snap/plug into the channel. You'd have a sturdy holder for the pen, and then the user could move the holder as the device was moved about and needs changed.

I'll have to draw a pic I suppose to make it more clear.

 

[mitchellvii]

Just so impressed with this i3. Worked on some pretty complex animations in Flash Professional and everything was as smooth (or smoother) than on my i5 ultrabook. While menus and icons were smallish they were definitely usable.

Photoshop was the same. Opened and ran smoothly with no noticeable hangups.

Unless you plan on gaming a lot, doing some hard core 3D animations or need a lot of hard drive space, the i3 really is a strong option for the SP3. I can see why they waited to sell this. If they had released the i3 on launch day they would have sold a lot fewer i5's. What they really need is a 128GB i3 for $899.

 

[drolem]

Oh sure...not to undermine any individual experience, but I have personally not experienced ANY of them.

Well, Wi-Fi is hardly ever connecting to the corporate network I use -- I have to click "Connect", even though "Connect automatically" is checked.

Also, try this: sleep the SP3, attach the type cover, disconnect the type cover, then try to wake up the SP3 with the home button.

 

[daveyp]

Is it just me or does the top left back of the tablet itself (behind the volume button) seem like the natural place for the pen holder loop? Sure it can be seen on the back but who cares? I would always have the pen, keyboard or not. Have heard there are also aftermarket solutions - will look into them.

Seems like an easy solution would have been for MS to simply put a narrow padded slot in the stop left edge of the tablet where the user could slide the metal clip of the pen into for storage. Would take no space and yet be securely held. MS really missed an opportunity there.

I ordered some small neodymium disk magnets to maybe get a more stable pen mounting place.

Just so impressed with this i3. Worked on some pretty complex animations in Flash Professional and everything was as smooth (or smoother) than on my i5 ultrabook. While menus and icons were smallish they were definitely usable.

Photoshop was the same. Opened and ran smoothly with no noticeable hangups.

Unless you plan on gaming a lot, doing some hard core 3D animations or need a lot of hard drive space, the i3 really is a strong option for the SP3. I can see why they waited to sell this. If they had released the i3 on launch day they would have sold a lot fewer i5's. What they really need is a 128GB i3 for $899.

Agree. Even the new baytrail quads are adequate for most things, and the i3 is of course noticeably faster than them. I wouldn't have complained if it had a slightly higher clock rate given it does not have turboboost. But the only other y-proc is a mere 100mhz faster.

 

[nnthemperor]

Hey Mitch, have you tried scaling up to 200 and increasing text sizes on the metro side. Works best at those settings IMHO