Crow47 Posted March 9, 2016 Posted March 9, 2016 Hey, OCC, long time no post! Anyways, the last few days I've been using a first-generation Surface Pro, and as someone who generally prefers full-sized laptops, I've been blown away by how much I've enjoyed using the thing, despite being an older device. The pros and cons for me break down something like this: Pros... Runs a full 64-bit x86 OS 3rd-gen i5 is perfectly sufficient for most any task that I would do on such a device SSD, while small by today's standards, operates very well Whole GUI seems to render at 60 FPS, making for an extremely smooth experience Fantastic screen Reassuringly solid build quality Cons... Battery is average Type cover touchpad is awkward Wifi occasionally has trouble reconnecting after resuming from standby Small SSD 1920x1080 is not an ideal resolution for a productivity tablet How does OCC feel about the Surface line? Is there anyone here that has a newer Surface, or even the Book? What do you use it for? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClayMeow Posted March 9, 2016 Posted March 9, 2016 I was really tempted by the laptop when it was announced, but I was kind of turned off when I found out that even the high-end model would have trouble running modern games despite an NVIDIA GPU Looks sexy though. I would totally get the lower-end one if all I cared about was having a non-gaming portable solution. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gebraset Posted March 10, 2016 Posted March 10, 2016 I love the idea that the Surface line delivers, but from utilizing a Surface Pro 3 for work purposes, I can say that I wouldn't purchase one myself. It just gets too hot too easily, and the body of the device is prone to scratches in just a few weeks of use. Additionally, I'm not a fan of the inability to open up the device for repairs or upgrades, and the type cover trackpad is downright awful (attempting to click on items usually makes the cursor move just as I'm pressing down). Overall, I'm sure that your device is great (what price did you pay?) and I enjoy the idea of a tablet and laptop replacement that the Surface lineup boasts, but I just don't like certain things about them. For casual users, the Surface lineup is stellar, but I can't recommend it as a daily driver for those who spend a large portion of their day on a computer. The latest lineup of Surface devices might change my opinion, but I haven't been able to get my hands on one quite yet. Also, any idea if people are successful in running Linux builds on these? I haven't looked into it at all, but I'm just curious if you've heard of anyone doing it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow47 Posted March 10, 2016 Posted March 10, 2016 I love the idea that the Surface line delivers, but from utilizing a Surface Pro 3 for work purposes, I can say that I wouldn't purchase one myself. It just gets too hot too easily, and the body of the device is prone to scratches in just a few weeks of use. Additionally, I'm not a fan of the inability to open up the device for repairs or upgrades, and the type cover trackpad is downright awful (attempting to click on items usually makes the cursor move just as I'm pressing down). Overall, I'm sure that your device is great (what price did you pay?) and I enjoy the idea of a tablet and laptop replacement that the Surface lineup boasts, but I just don't like certain things about them. For casual users, the Surface lineup is stellar, but I can't recommend it as a daily driver for those who spend a large portion of their day on a computer. The latest lineup of Surface devices might change my opinion, but I haven't been able to get my hands on one quite yet. Also, any idea if people are successful in running Linux builds on these? I haven't looked into it at all, but I'm just curious if you've heard of anyone doing it. From what I can see online, I got a decent deal at $250 for the unit, charger, two type covers (one backlit), and the pen. The tablet itself is in great shape. I've found I've been using it a lot for reading, since the 1080p display actually works ok in portrait mode. Have you tried the keyboard cover of the SP4? I've heard good things about it, and I'd be curious to see what kind of leap in quality Microsoft was able to pull off. Looks like people have been able to get Ubuntu running on your exact model of Surface. I think it'd be fun for kicks to load up XP on there and vainly try to use the touchscreen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gebraset Posted March 10, 2016 Posted March 10, 2016 That does sound like a pretty good deal, congratulations on the purchase. I've seen the new type covers in person, but haven't been able to utilize one whatsoever. From my understand the key travel on the keyboard has been improved and the touchpad looks to be larger, but I'm not sure how it all feels compared to the type cover of the SP3. I'm sure it's better, but I don't know if it would live up to a traditional keyboard and trackpad found on something like a laptop or ultrabook. Interesting, thanks for sharing the article. I'm using Ubuntu as my daily driver, but can't see the benefit of the Linux OS over Windows on a Surface product due to the limitations outlined in the article. Then again, it has been some two years, so who knows if the issues are fixed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wevsspot Posted March 10, 2016 Posted March 10, 2016 Glad that this topic came up. I've been looking for a more portable and lighter device for business trips. My ancient 6 pound MSI laptop is getting too heavy for these old shoulders. Still runs great though and just rips through Windows 10. It had XP Pro on it when I originally bought it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow47 Posted March 10, 2016 Posted March 10, 2016 That does sound like a pretty good deal, congratulations on the purchase. I've seen the new type covers in person, but haven't been able to utilize one whatsoever. From my understand the key travel on the keyboard has been improved and the touchpad looks to be larger, but I'm not sure how it all feels compared to the type cover of the SP3. I'm sure it's better, but I don't know if it would live up to a traditional keyboard and trackpad found on something like a laptop or ultrabook. Interesting, thanks for sharing the article. I'm using Ubuntu as my daily driver, but can't see the benefit of the Linux OS over Windows on a Surface product due to the limitations outlined in the article. Then again, it has been some two years, so who knows if the issues are fixed. Thank you! I feel like I got a decent deal. What it is actually doing, though, is looking at newer Surfaces because I would not mind having something with a little more battery and more storage. I hear the new Surfaces are due in October, so maybe I'll wait until then. Is the Ubuntu UI even set up for touch screen devices? Come to think of it I don't think I've ever seen Ubuntu used that way before aside from that video I linked. Glad that this topic came up. I've been looking for a more portable and lighter device for business trips. My ancient 6 pound MSI laptop is getting too heavy for these old shoulders. Still runs great though and just rips through Windows 10. It had XP Pro on it when I originally bought it If you want something fast and portable I think the Surface is a great option. While not ideal for gaming, they're perfect for productivity applications. Kudos to you for getting so much life out of your machine! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
potatochobit Posted March 11, 2016 Posted March 11, 2016 surface 3 is AMAZING anything lower is garbage though not because of the hardware if you got on old one cheap, it's great to use Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow47 Posted March 11, 2016 Posted March 11, 2016 surface 3 is AMAZING anything lower is garbage though not because of the hardware if you got on old one cheap, it's great to use Can I ask why you feel the earlier models are garbage? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
potatochobit Posted May 12, 2016 Posted May 12, 2016 (edited) because anything using windows RT is garbage and cannot install and run windows programs like a normal computer if you just want to watch a video or use a calculator, the old surface are fine but you can do that on any other device if you want your surface tablet to be just like using your home desktop windows 10 computer, it must be a surface 3 or higher Edited May 12, 2016 by potatochobit Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waco Posted May 12, 2016 Posted May 12, 2016 because anything using windows RT is garbage and cannot install and run windows programs like a normal computer if you just want to watch a video or use a calculator, the old surface are fine but you can do that on any other device if you want your surface tablet to be just like using your home desktop windows 10 computer, it must be a surface 3 or higher Only one Surface model ran RT...no? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp9801 Posted May 12, 2016 Posted May 12, 2016 because anything using windows RT is garbage and cannot install and run windows programs like a normal computer if you just want to watch a video or use a calculator, the old surface are fine but you can do that on any other device if you want your surface tablet to be just like using your home desktop windows 10 computer, it must be a surface 3 or higher Only one Surface model ran RT...no? The Surface and Surface 2 ran on RT, while every other model has been the full Windows. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now