Hesitating between Surface Book and Surface Pro 4?

[boltman2013]

Re: Hesitating between Surface Book and Surface Pro 4

Truthfully look at the Vaio Z Canvas over both SB and SP4 its near that $2K..I think its the best choice based on what you described

VAIO Z Canvas
Windows 10 Pro
Microsoft Signature Edition
Intel? Core™ i7 processor and Intel? Iris™ Pro Graphics 5200
2nd generation PCIe SSD with PCIe Gen.3 compatibility (up to 1TB) or SATA/M.2 for 256GB model
Up to 16GB of memory
IEEE802.11a/b/g/n/ac
12.3 inch LCD WQXGA+ 2560 x 1704 IPS display
Keyboard, Digitizer stylus (pen)
Touch Screen
$2,199

Wide gamut display
The wide gamut display of the VAIO Z Canvas has 95% coverage of the Adobe RGB spectrum, and matches the standard LCD monitor used by professionals when they check color. Now your work flow can extend beyond the office to client and site visits. The true, accurate color means you can optimize tasks and apply a precise finish to your work.

VAIO Z Canvas Pen
Color management compatible
The VAIO Z Canvas lets you calibrate and match colors on a single device. And since color profiles of graphic cards can be rewritten on the VAIO Z Canvas, color management is stress free with no interruption to your work flow.

VAIO Z Canvas Battery
Battery life that outlasts you
Other devices that use the powerful processor are heavy consumers of battery life that require a nearby power source and limit where you can be creative. Although it is a compact body, the VAIO Z Canvas is equipped with a 63Wh high capacity battery. This means you can start and finish your project wherever the inspiration strikes.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

Re: Hesitating between Surface Book and Surface Pro 4

Rendering packages like Maya are not your typical consumer software either. Maya will benefit greatly from every extra CPU core you can throw at it. All SP4s variants come with a dual core CPU, whereas any SurfaceBook variant includes a quad core CPU.

Just to get it out there for others but Surface Book is not quad core, it's dual core too.

 

[a5cent]

Re: Hesitating between Surface Book and Surface Pro 4

Just to get it out there for others but Surface Book is not quad core, it's dual core too.

Thanks! The first reviews I saw on the web incorrectly mentioned they had a 45W parts, all of which are quad cores. Now they are listed as using a 15W parts, which are all dual cores. Sorry for spreading FUD. :-/

 

[John M Beauchemin]

Re: Hesitating between Surface Book and Surface Pro 4

Hi,

I'm a french Illustrator/Concept Artist who want to drawing and painting on Surface.
I'm hesitating between SB and SP4. MAX BUDGET : 2000 $

Another artist, here. One big reason why I decided to go with the SP4 over the SB is battery life in tablet mode. The SB's battery life when disconnected from the KB is absolutely terrible.

I do use Maya and/or Max daily, but I have no intention of using them on the tablet. I'll mostly be using Photoshop. So if 3D heavy lifting is imperative, I do agree that you may need that discreet GPU that the SB offers.

I wonder if 8GB RAM would make a difference for 2d drawing on Photoshop or Sketchbook or Paint Tool SAI. I want to get the i7/8GB/256GB option for drawing on PS, light gaming (League of Legends, Hearthstone) and programming in future. Maybe ZBrush for 3d modelling. Will you recommend this for my needs? (I've already checked the performance of the games and they're great)

I ordered the same model. I think you'll be fine with those specs.

 

[Hardcore1973]

I am not an artist but I bought the Surface Book and the Surface Pro 4 and I still have not decided which to keep. Its tough because you will use the device the best way it was meant to be used. Right now typing on the Book so I mostly keep in laptop mode. Then when I use my SP4 I usually take the keyboard off and use it as a tablet 99% of the time. I feel more productive using the Book and love typing on it but I also love the portability of the SP4. I am going to take this week to decide. I have a flight on Friday and cannot decide which one to take with me. I know this doesn't really help but even owning them both makes the decision hard

 

[kjparfekt]

Interesting that you use the SP4 in tablet mode so much of the time. I'm finding the lightweight so refreshing and the keyboard convenient when i'm doing even a small amount of typing. So far I still reach for my ipad/iphone as media consumption devices which is when I assume I'd use the SP4 in tablet mode.

 

[henocksandy]

Re: Hesitating between Surface Book and Surface Pro 4

My friend who is also a Designer just checked both SB and SP4. Surface Book is an awesome device but for us its more of a laptop. We could use it like a clipboard which is awesome but we cant use it like that always because its a laptop first. I still find it weird when the display wobbles when i touch it. I checked the Surfaces Pro 4 and i really don't have even a bit of problem. Only thing which made me think was the display size which is not a big deal, if i had not seen the SB screen size then i would definitely think SP4 display is perfect for me. My friend ended up buying the SP4 and its awesome.

 

[jackzucker2000]

what about the pen wobble? Every demo I've seen of the SP4 displays jagged straight lines. Very disconcerting...

 

[Josh90210]

If your an artist like me and your having difficulty deciding between the SB and the Surface Pro 4, my recommendation is this.

The Surface Pro 4 for is tailored towards artists and graphic designers.

I say purchase the SP4 for its portability and 2D capabilites.

And purchase a quad capable PC later on for rendering.

The SB is a nice labtop, but its not really made for artists.

Besides, if you try 3D rendering on a tablet or a labtop your going to run into a wall, anyways.

Don't expect well polished rendering like you'd get out of a Rendering Farm from a portable device.

 

[onlysublime]

as a hobby artist, drawing on a laptop screen sucks. it really does. the wobble. the angle it's being held. it's why touchscreen laptops are only okay. the minute you poke the screen, the screen wobbles.

so if you want to use the Surface Books dGPU, you have to have it docked as a laptop. the kickstand is great for an artist. and it helps a touchscreen immensely. I can be tapping at the Surface Pro 4 screen and it remains rock steady. I can draw on the SP4 screen without the screen pushing backwards.

and you're completely wrong on the Intel CPU. All Surface Book machines also come with dual core i5 and i7, same as Surface Pro 4. It's the biggest hindrance against the MacBook Pro series which do have quad core options.

it ultimately comes down to form factor. If you mainly want a laptop that can occasionally be portable, you go with Surface Book. If you want a machine that incredibly flexible and are okay with sacrificing the laptop form, then Surface Pro 4 is an easy recommendation.

If Surface Book had much better specs than Surface Pro 4, you could make the argument. But currently, the only difference is comparing dGPU versus Intel Iris (only available with Core i7). So if you don't even option for the dGPU, the difference then is completely form factor.

as for rendering, you can't replace a desktop PC. And you don't want to waste a portable machine on rendering. I use my SP4 for designing my projects. If you look at my previous posts, I'm an avid Premiere Pro/After Effects user. A heavy Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator user. But I would not render any of my video projects on a portable machine when a desktop can do it so much better. Because while you're rendering on that portable machine, you pretty much can't do anything else. So I push all my assets to the desktop, render for the hours it needs and keep using my portable in the meantime.