kristalsoldier
Well-Known Member
While it is indeed helpful, the problem with this is that the tiles look huge! I suppose it is a matter of aesthetics...some don't care, others do. Unfortunately, I happen to be part of the latter group.
Will the i3 be enough for Office and browsing?
- Thread starter mitchellvii
- Start date
While it is indeed helpful, the problem with this is that the tiles look huge! I suppose it is a matter of aesthetics...some don't care, others do. Unfortunately, I happen to be part of the latter group.
nnthemperor
Member
I don't really think the tiles look huge at that setting. Actually I think it is the best setting. Everything looks proportionate, but different strokes for different folks.
kristalsoldier
Well-Known Member
Hmmm...let me try it again and see.
OP
mitchellvii
Well-Known Member
Can't do 200 and make my database forms fit sadly.
mitchellvii, any regrets about choosing the i3 vs the i5? I'm probably going to pick up an SP3 today or tomorrow. Have been planning on the i5/8GB/256 for the past week or so. All I do is web browsing, MS Office, and PDF annotation. I also use Citrix for remote desktop connection to my office.
Obviously the i3 is fine for browsing and MS Office. But I'm curious if using something like Drawboard PDF with a 800-page PDF might make the i3 choke. Or, for that matter, how well it would handle Citrix remote desktop.
I'm not at all concerned about the 64GB storage, so if the i3/4GB can handle large PDF annotation and Citrix, then it would make sense for me to just save $500 and get the i3....
Edit: Come to think of it, I guess I used to have a 3rd gen i3 that I used for Citrix, and it worked just fine. So it seems the only question I really have is whether it is sufficient for large PDF annotation, as I never did that before on my old i3.
I'll throw in my 2c. I have an i3. I use it for office -- including access -- constantly. I also do some development on it (VS2013). I do a ton of PDF annotation. The i3 is completely fine for all of those things. It actually compares quite well with my much faster desktop as a result of the ssd storage. Compile and load times for vs2013 are much better on my sp3 than my desktop, for example. The idea that an i3 would be incapable of handily using access databases is, frankly, ridiculous. Even Photoshop runs just fine. Yes, an i5 is faster than an i3. According to Anandtech, for the sp3 the difference is about 20-30%. You guys make it sound like an i3 is the equivalent of a 12Mhz 8086. The added advantage for me is that it stays completely cool and I've heard the fan turn on maybe twice while updating.
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mitchellvii
Well-Known Member
I traded my i3 up for the i5. The extra speed is cool (yeah, it is noticeable in keyboard responsiveness and other things) and I like having more room on the ssd. But still, for most folks the i3 is more than sufficient.
Since I decided not to get the dock (due to the 64 degree angle) I figured I had already mentally spent that $200 so got the i5 instead.
Since I decided not to get the dock (due to the 64 degree angle) I figured I had already mentally spent that $200 so got the i5 instead.
I traded my i3 up for the i5. The extra speed is cool (yeah, it is noticeable in keyboard responsiveness and other things) and I like having more room on the ssd. But still, for most folks the i3 is more than sufficient.
Since I decided not to get the dock (due to the 64 degree angle) I figured I had already mentally spent that $200 so got the i5 instead.
Mitchellvii, I saw that on the i3 you would sometimes get the grey checkerboard while scrolling quickly through webpages. Did you think that was b/c the i3 wasn't capable of loading the pages quickly enough, or due to something unrelated to the i3? Does the i5 still do that? Are there any other specific annoyances you encountered on the i3 that you no longer encounter on the i5?
MartyB, do you ever encounter checkerboarding or other hiccups while scrolling around quickly?
I'm usually a bit of a spec whore, but I imagine we are going to see a Broadwell version of the Surface within the next 6-8 months, which--if I like the SP3--I will certainly upgrade to. So part of this whole analysis for me is trying to figure out which model of the SP3 will maintain a higher percentage of its value over the next 6-8 months. Not uncommon for the cheapest model to maintain the most value. But I guess the $999 i5 may give the $799 i3 a run for its money in terms of resale value.
I encoded a video using Handbrake this past weekend with my i3. While it took a lot longer than my desktop, it did so without any issues and it did not get hot, in fact I don't think it even got a little warm. I encoded a dvd rip of the Amazing Spider-man 2 (which is a 2 hr & 20 minute movie), into a mp4. It took 2 hrs to encode and used about 18% battery. To note, I was not doing anything else on the SP3 when I encoded the movie.
Interesting question. Yes, actually, but only in the app store. I only ever go there to laugh at the myriad SDK samples masquerading as actual apps, and the VLC fakes, though.
Let me add that I doubt the checkerboarding is about the i3, though. My RT does not do that, and not because it's so much faster.
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mitchellvii
Well-Known Member
The checkerboarding may be more of a Chrome problem than an SP3 problem. Even on my i5 I get it occasionally with the latest 64 bit release. But I have noticed the computer seems a bit quicker overall in general and of course the extra space is nice. With the i3 I occasionally got some keyboard lag in forums such as this one. Never get that with the i5.
My Access database is definitely quicker running queries on the i5 than the i3.
