ummm Why is the Core M3 BETTER than the i5?

[Rebeska]

But its "just a Dell" and not a Surface.... trust me the Dell just run your hand around the outer edge of the screen and feel the lip and do the same to any surface and feel perfection... you will see the quality is in surface not Dell. I spent hours comparing all the OEM stuff with Surface..get Surface and you will thank me later.

Do not get spec enamored with i7 or 4 core skylake look at quality first at these prices. Nothing and I mean nothing eclipses Surface in any brand. If it does not have Windows Hello and pen support in this day and age just say NO say yes to Surface.

How can you talk bad about a product you've never tried? I have considered the Surface many times before, but I miss something all the time. As long as Microsoft insists on exclude things like LTE, I will consider other options.

I'm also very unsure of how well Intel Core i5 or i7 are on tablets. I think that the Surface Pro 3 is hot in the store (not super hot but quite warm). Others also report that the Intel Core i5/i7 is warm and that the fan is running (even if the fan does not roar in any way).

The Dell XPS 12 also has the Intel Core m5 with 8GB of RAM. The base model of the Surface Pro 4 has the Intel Core m3 with 4GB of RAM. Substantial difference if you ask me.

Not to forget the Thunderbolt 3 x2 and a more rigid keyboard.

There is Dell Active Stylus for Dell XPS 12. I don't care too much about how good the pen is because I'm not an illustrator. I will just paint for fun and take notes or signing. Nothing fancy.

 

[boltman2013]

How can you talk bad about a product you've never tried? I have considered the Surface many times before, but I miss something all the time. As long as Microsoft insists on exclude things like LTE, I will consider other options.

I'm also very unsure of how well Intel Core i5 or i7 are on tablets. I think that the Surface Pro 3 is hot in the store (not super hot but quite warm). Others also report that the Intel Core i5/i7 is warm and that the fan is running (even if the fan does not roar in any way).

The Dell XPS 12 also has the Intel Core m5 with 8GB of RAM. The base model of the Surface Pro 4 has the Intel Core m3 with 4GB of RAM. Substantial difference if you ask me.

Not to forget the Thunderbolt 3 x2 and a more rigid keyboard.

There is Dell Active Stylus for Dell XPS 12. I don't care too much about how good the pen is because I'm not an illustrator. I will just paint for fun and take notes or signing. Nothing fancy.

I tried fro hours everything in Microsoft Store.... the surface is pretty much the best computer as it has ZERO compromises when it comes to Windows 10. The others do. Not to mention the display and the fit and finish.

 

[Rebeska]

I tried fro hours everything in Microsoft Store.... the surface is pretty much the best computer as it has ZERO compromises when it comes to Windows 10. The others do. Not to mention the display and the fit and finish.

Again, have you tested the XPS 12 in real life? Or any other XPS 2015?

I disagree with you that the Surface has zero compromises. I can name several, some of which are crucial for me. Dell should also have great displays.

I don't mean that the Surface isn't good too. Of course they are, I consider them myself. However, it seems XPS 12 suit my needs better.

 

[boltman2013]

Again, have you tested the XPS 12 in real life? Or any other XPS 2015?

I disagree with you that the Surface has zero compromises. I can name several, some of which are crucial for me. Dell should also have great displays.

I don't mean that the Surface isn't good too. Of course they are, I consider them myself. However, it seems XPS 12 suit my needs better.

Then get it but miss out on Hello and have to buy a lesser pen if you want it... compromises

 

[Rebeska]

Then get it but miss out on Hello and have to buy a lesser pen if you want it... compromises

It comes with a keyboard at least.

 

[boltman2013]

It comes with a keyboard at least.

Agree each has its plus and minus..but when it comes to supporting Windows 10 features SP4 and SB are the reference series.... plus I believe better keyboard, display, sound and build quality.

It was important for me to find a device that checked all the feature boxes without compromise. Not many support Hello so that narrowed it way down for me.

 

[Rebeska]

Agree each has its plus and minus..but when it comes to supporting Windows 10 features SP4 and SB are the reference series.... plus I believe better keyboard, display, sound and build quality.

It was important for me to find a device that checked all the feature boxes without compromise. Not many support Hello so that narrowed it way down for me.

Windows Hello isn't too high on my list, such as LTE and USB Type-C. Same with cool/fan. I want the Intel Core M in a tablet and XPS 12 has better Intel Core M and twice as much memory.

 

[anon(5383410)]

Better should probably say quieter in the thread title

 

[boltman2013]

Better should probably say quieter in the thread title

I believe its better for the following reasons..

1. Designed specifically for the Surface Pro 4 (Partnership with Intel)
2. No moving parts ( More reliable)
3. Less heat (More reliable)
4. Silence (Heavenly)
5. Cheaper (Able to buy other stuff)

I go back to my opinion IF you think you need more INVEST in Surface Book or other...pointless to do it on SP4.
So yes its better.

 

[ParoleGA]

​If you need more computing power, the Dell XPS 13 uses the 4 core Skylark processors rather than the low power duel cores in the SP4 and SB.

The XPS 13 does not use a quad core Skylake. It uses an i5-6200U or i7-6500U, both dual core. The XPS 15 uses a quad core; either an i5-6300HQ or i7-6700HQ. While the i5 in the 15" is a quad core, it is only capable of a single thread per core (4 Cores, 4 Threads), while the i7 is a 2 thread per core chip (4 cores, 8 threads).

The Surface Pro 4 uses either m3-6Y30, i5-6300U, or i7-6650U. The Surface Book does not offer the M series processor, the i5 is the same 6300U, while the i7 is the 6600U, which is the same chip/same clock as the SP4's i7, with a lower iGPU option.

The i5 and i7 in the XPS 13 and SP4/Book are really the same chip with different clocks. The SP/SB use higher clocks, so theoretically, should perform faster but run hotter. Perceived difference is likely negligible, and the cooling system of each would likely have a greater felt impact (in performance, and possibly noise). I haven't played with the XPS or SP4, but the SB with dGPU should beat all in processor performance, simply because it splits the heat load to two different thermal environments. Aside from the benefits of having a dGPU, it should also throttle the CPU less, when graphics performance is needed.

So, the SP4/SB (except the m3) should best the XPS 13 in performance benchmarks, assuming equally efficient cooling. Other considerations (noise - I don't know which is noisier, preferred form factor, style, etc.) should inform your decision. The XPS 15 should beat them all, but it is in a different class. It is hard to fit, cool and feed (power) a quad core chip, in a 13"ish form factor. That's why no one, that I'm aware of, has done it to date.

XPS 13:
Intel Core i5-6200U - FJ8066201930409 Mobile processor
Intel Core i7-6500U - FJ8066201930408 Mobile processor

XPS 15:
Intel Core i5-6300HQ - CL8066202194632 Mobile processor
Intel Core i7-6700HQ - CL8066202194635 Mobile processor

Surface Pro 4 Options:
SR2EN (Intel Core M m3-6Y30)
Intel Core i5-6300U - FJ8066201924931 Mobile processor
Intel Core i7-6650U - FJ8066202499212 Mobile processor

Surface Book i7:
Intel Core i7-6600U - FJ8066201924950 Mobile processor

 

[Rebeska]

The XPS 13 does not use a quad core Skylake. It uses an i5-6200U or i7-6500U, both dual core. The XPS 15 uses a quad core; either an i5-6300HQ or i7-6700HQ. While the i5 in the 15" is a quad core, it is only capable of a single thread per core (4 Cores, 4 Threads), while the i7 is a 2 thread per core chip (4 cores, 8 threads).

The Surface Pro 4 uses either m3-6Y30, i5-6300U, or i7-6650U. The Surface Book does not offer the M series processor, the i5 is the same 6300U, while the i7 is the 6600U, which is the same chip/same clock as the SP4's i7, with a lower iGPU option. The XPS 12 looks to have an i5-4210U.

The i5 and i7 in the XPS 13 and SP4/Book are really the same chip with different clocks. The SP/SB uses higher clocks, so theoretically, should perform faster but run hotter. Perceived difference is likely negligible, and the cooling system of each would likely have a greater felt impact (in performance, and possibly noise). I haven't played with the XPS or SP4, but the SB with dGPU should beat all in processor performance, simply because it splits the heat load to two different thermal environments. Aside from the benefits of having a dGPU, it should also throttle the CPU less, when graphics performance is needed.

So, the SP4/SB (except the m3) should best the XPS 13 in all performance benchmarks, assuming equally efficient cooling. Other considerations (noise - I don't know which is noisier, preferred form factor, style, etc.) should inform your decision. The XPS 15 should beat them all, but it is in a different class. It is hard to fit, cool and feed (power) a quad core chip, in a 13"ish form factor. That's why no one, that I'm aware of, has done it to date.

XPS 13:
Intel Core i5-6200U - FJ8066201930409 Mobile processor
Intel Core i7-6500U - FJ8066201930408 Mobile processor

XPS 15:
Intel Core i5-6300HQ - CL8066202194632 Mobile processor
Intel Core i7-6700HQ - CL8066202194635 Mobile processor

Surface Pro 4 Options:
m3 - SR2EN (Intel Core M m3-6Y30)
i5 - Intel Core i5-6300U - FJ8066201924931 Mobile processor
i7 - Intel Core i7-6650U - FJ8066202499212 Mobile processor

Surface Book i7:
Intel Core i7-6600U - FJ8066201924950 Mobile processor

XPS 12:
Intel Core i5-4210U Mobile processor - CL8064701477802

No, the new XPS 12 has Intel Core m5, not Intel Core i5.

Otherwise, it's true that the XPS 15 has quad core processor and not the XPS 13. XPS 13 has dual core.

 

[ParoleGA]

No, the new XPS 12 has Intel Core m5, not Intel Core i5.

Otherwise, it's true that the XPS 15 has quad core processor and not the XPS 13. XPS 13 has dual core.

You are probably right, that must have been an older generation. I am not having any luck with a SKU on the yet to be released current gen. I removed the info from my post.

 

[anon(5383410)]

I believe its better for the following reasons..

1. Designed specifically for the Surface Pro 4 (Partnership with Intel)
2. No moving parts ( More reliable)
3. Less heat (More reliable)
4. Silence (Heavenly)
5. Cheaper (Able to buy other stuff)

I go back to my opinion IF you think you need more INVEST in Surface Book or other...pointless to do it on SP4.
So yes its better.

It's less powerful and cannot be used for resource or graphically intensive applications so no, not better. Four of the five of your bullet points stem from the fact that it's less powerful. The first one is totally irrelevant.

 

[boltman2013]

It's less powerful and cannot be used for resource or graphically intensive applications so no, not better. Four of the five of your bullet points stem from the fact that it's less powerful. The first one is totally irrelevant.

Again in a device like the Surface 4 the M3 is definitely the one to get... new, silent efficient and better graphic performance. Not to mention cheapest. Any more you should not be looking at SP4..just becuse Microsoft wants you to you should be smarter...go Surface Book if you want more power... why would you invest another $500 to get to a decent i5 with 8GB or another $1000 for an i7? That's crazy as you are in Surface Book land . Trust me the SP4 begins and ends at the M3 anything higher look elsewhere at screens larger than 12.3 "

 

[ParoleGA]

Again in a device like the Surface 4 the M3 is definitely the one to get... new, silent efficient and better graphic performance. Not to mention cheapest. Any more you should not be looking at SP4..just becuse Microsoft wants you to you should be smarter...go Surface Book if you want more power... why would you invest another $500 to get to a decent i5 with 8GB or another $1000 for an i7? That's crazy as you are in Surface Book land . Trust me the SP4 begins and ends at the M3 anything higher look elsewhere at screens larger than 12.3 "

They are all new, they are called Skylake.

Efficiency is the ability to do a given task with less energy. The only way this could be correct is if you ask very little of your processor. Given it can't do equal work, it couldn't do the same work with less energy.

It is not nearly as good at graphic performance, you are just being silly now.

Technically, they are all silent. It doesn't need a fan, because again, it cant do the work needed to get hot enough. And if you ask it to, it is going to throttle down to extremely slow speeds, because it has no fan to cool it off.

It's a fine chip, if you don't need to do much. It's also great if the sound of a fan makes you a sad panda. If all you are doing is web surfing and checking email, save yourself some more dough and get a $99 Kindle Fire. It also has no fan.

 

[boltman2013]

They are all new, they are called Skylake.

Efficiency is the ability to do a given task with less energy. The only way this could be correct is if you ask very little of your processor. Given it can't do equal work, it couldn't do the same work with less energy.

It is not nearly as good at graphic performance, you are just being silly now.

Technically, they are all silent. It doesn't need a fan, because again, it cant do the work needed to get hot enough. And if you ask it to, it is going to throttle down to extremely slow speeds, because it has no fan to cool it off.

It's a fine chip, if you don't need to do much. It's also great if the sound of a fan makes you a sad panda. If all you are doing is web surfing and checking email, save yourself some more dough and get a $99 Kindle Fire. It also has no fan.

Kindle fire cant run programs , do Hyper V or has the best screen on the planet. The M3 does and it has no fan so no noise at all. The i5 and i7 have FANS and are way less efficient and not the fans you want

 

[Devhux]

Oh god! A FAN!! Everybody step back from that powerful tablet! It makes NOISE!!!

Who cares if it can run some games, handle Photoshop or some video editing.... It has a FAN and that is EVIL!!! KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!!

As for efficiency, it means diddly squat if the performance isn't there for the tasks someone might want the machine for. Surface Book isn't for everyone (as a matter of fact, I'm returning mine as I just don't trust the hinge mechanism - too many random issues seen already on my unit). I've also decided that the primary uses for my machine will be docked at my desk, or in tablet mode (with occasional laptop use). Guess what offers better battery life for my scenario? Surface Pro! I'm also not willing to limit myself to 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage either, so that rules out the Core m3 model completely for me. One machine also suits my work flow better than 2 or 3.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[anon(5383410)]

Again in a device like the Surface 4 the M3 is definitely the one to get... new, silent efficient and better graphic performance. Not to mention cheapest. Any more you should not be looking at SP4..just becuse Microsoft wants you to you should be smarter...go Surface Book if you want more power... why would you invest another $500 to get to a decent i5 with 8GB or another $1000 for an i7? That's crazy as you are in Surface Book land . Trust me the SP4 begins and ends at the M3 anything higher look elsewhere at screens larger than 12.3 "

Sorry, you lost me when you said an m3 gives "better graphic performance" than an i5. That doesn't even make sense.

 

[mertzi]

Oh god! A FAN!! Everybody step back from that powerful tablet! It makes NOISE!!!

Who cares if it can run some games, handle Photoshop or some video editing.... It has a FAN and that is EVIL!!! KILL IT WITH FIRE!!!!

Actually that's almost exactly how I feel about fans below 120mm. Laptop fans give me the shivers with that horrible high pitch whine even at low rpm's, one of the worst sounds on earth, like chalkboard scraping.

 

[tritoui]

FYI: We now have a Core m Surface Pro 4 in the house along with the Core i5 we used for the review. We'll be taking a closer look at it this week and I'll be doing some benchmarks over the weekend.

Initial impression: It's a solid device, really impressive. I agree, though, it would have been killer to have an 8GB RAM version.

Hi Daniel, when do you plan to publish your sp4 m3 review ?