Surface Pro vs RT vs Windows 8 Laptop?

[deadwrong03]

Im kinda stuck i want to get a surface, and the rt really to try it out...but heres my scenario...

Pretty much i have about a 2 yr old laptop i was going to get rid of and get a touch screen laptop hopefully around $600 ish with Windows 8 on it. I primarily use my laptop for downloading music, movies, etc zipping/ and opening rar files etc typing a few documents here and there.....and basically downloading whatever i want through the browser and file managing on the tablet. I also burn cds from time to time as well

Is the Surface Pro capable of replacing a laptop? i use the video chat apps alot as well so im looking for a web cam to be on it. which would be the best way to go pro rt or a windows 8 laptop?

originally i was gonna get a laptop and either a rt or a pro but i thought about it laptop and a surface especially rt is pretty much buying the same thing twice so im trying to figure it out now

 

[Po_MD]

Yes. The only stipulation would be battery life and storage. As for what is best I am going Pro

 

[wpguy]

$600 for a touch laptop or tablet running Windows 8 is not going to offer you much in terms of selection. For example, the best match available at Staples is the Samsung ATIV 500T (Samsung ATIV Touch Screen Smart PC 500T | Staples?).

If you do have your heart set on a Surface Pro or other device with similar specs, you should double your budget. (Don't forget to include tax.)

 

[anon(5370748)]

Im kinda stuck i want to get a surface, and the rt really to try it out...but heres my scenario...

Pretty much i have about a 2 yr old laptop i was going to get rid of and get a touch screen laptop hopefully around $600 ish with Windows 8 on it. I primarily use my laptop for downloading music, movies, etc zipping/ and opening rar files etc typing a few documents here and there.....and basically downloading whatever i want through the browser and file managing on the tablet. I also burn cds from time to time as well

Is the Surface Pro capable of replacing a laptop? i use the video chat apps alot as well so im looking for a web cam to be on it. which would be the best way to go pro rt or a windows 8 laptop?

originally i was gonna get a laptop and either a rt or a pro but i thought about it laptop and a surface especially rt is pretty much buying the same thing twice so im trying to figure it out now

I was able to do everything you mentioned on a 6-year-old laptop once I put an SSD in it. It sped the computer up an insane amount and was the best $200 I've ever spent on an upgrade for any computer. You could put one of these in the laptop you have, and put the drive that's in there already into an external enclosure that plugs into the USB port, and probably have a super-fast computer that does everything you want except for touch.

I honestly wouldn't plan on getting rid of your laptop and replacing it with a tablet if that's the only computer you're going to have. Here's why: Neither the Surface nor the Pro can burn CDs right out of the box - you'll need an external USB DVD burner for that. Neither of them have much storage space if you do a lot of movies and music, so you'll want to budget for an external drive as well. If you're going to use it on the couch, typing can be a problem (even with the type cover as I discovered), so you'll want a lap desk or something to prop the tablet up on and give a flat surface for the keyboard. If you don't type much, you can use the on-screen keyboard. Battery is also an issue on the Pro if you're not near a plug a lot. Not so much on the RT.

As was mentioned before, you're not going to get a very good touch-capable Win8 laptop. In fact, it may not even be as good as your current two-year-old one (depending on which one you have). Many of the smaller touch-capable laptops don't come with CD drives anymore either.

So, it really depends on what you want your final setup to be. If your main interest is having fun with a new touch device, keep the laptop and get an RT to play and surf with and keep the laptop for burning and music management (~$600-$700). If you really want to replace your current computer with something smaller with touch, up your budget by a few hundred dollars and get a small laptop with a DVD burner (or a USB DVD burner), and probably and external hard drive or NAS for more space if you do a lot of movies and music ($800-$1000). If you just want your current computer to go faster, put in an SSD (~$200). Win 8 is another $100, but without touch, you really don't need that yet.

 

[ChrisInSD]

If you want a computer to burn CDs then obviously the Pro is not for you. If you want a computer that care store large movies and other big files then the Pro is not for you. If you just want a tablet to surf the web and be able to "touch" it, the Pro is a bulky waste of money.

If, on the other hand, you want what is arguably the first generation of the future of computing--a fully featured computer in tablet form with an OS designed to operate effectively for users as a tablet or as a desktop/laptop computer, then consider the Surface Pro. If you want a computer that combines beautiful hardware with "most" of the functionality that you need day to day on a computer, then consider the Pro.

Many reviewers have suggested this device is compromised--it is neither a good tablet or a good computer. I would suggest this misses the point--the Surface Pro is not a tablet, it is a crazy svelte all-in-one PC running the only OS available that gives it tablet like qualities. As far as being a good computer, this thing stacks up quite nicely to a MacBook Air which is really its most direct competitor (a tiny computer with high-end hardware and price point).

Would I use this thing as a tablet all the time? No. The fact that I can when I want to--brilliant. Surface is only going to get better with time--this form factor and OS design is the future.

As far as Surface RT, I apologize to any fans, but that device was a distraction from the main show. Unless you love the form factor or Windows 8 and want to put your PC documents on your tablet, I don't know why I'd recommend it. Similarly, the BlackBerry Playbook tablet makes no sense to most people, but if you also own a BlackBerry smartphone it is quite useful so I guess a case can be made for it in some circumstances. I do think, however, that the entire Windows RT effort seems to be a waste of resources to me. Hardware technology will improve and the need for this underpowered OS will be obsoleted soon enough.

If you need a truly full function computer with CD ROM/DVD, big screen, built-in keyboard etc then I'd take a pass. If you want something that's as much a design statement as a generally useful day-to-day computer and are OK with paying more for that, then get Surface Pro.

 

[Dewg]

I think Surface RT will have a future, in so much as it's lower cost for those that are looking just for an iPad consumption-style device (with Office capability!!). As you said, things are going to get better - including Apps in the RT App Store. Other benefits including longer battery life (at least for awhile until Intel releases some new chips), reduced virus attack potential (not running x86 makes it harder to infect with current Windows malware), lighter weight, cooler operation, etc.

It will likely be Surface RT for consumers (couch tablet), and Surface Pro for prosumers and business users who need more application support.

 

[bauerbach]

At one point, I considered this topic... and even added "vs desktop" into the mix.

as time went on, my conclusion was... the RT really offers very very little to me. Its just not on my radar. I have a smart phone, and the gap between it and a surface pro is far too slim, while the gap between a smart phone and a laptop, the RT still sits too close to the former for me.

So then I had surface pro, laptop, and desktop... could any of these be eliminated? the laptop seems to be the one on the chopping block for me... If the desktop owns the home, the surface is clearly more mobile...

But what about gaming and power applications on the road? can the surface pro carry the load? maybe... but that 10" screen is a real bummer for diving into a spreadsheet...

4 days in and my thoughts have been largely validated. the surface pro is more than capable of medium duty daily mobile needs. thrown in a light messenger bag, its both comfortable and unassuming when called upon in a crowded room.

Still.... When I travel, and I find myself in a hotel room bored with nothing but live TV and my thoughts... I sure wish I had a video game to pass the time. That's where a nice 16" laptop comes along. Maybe one day Ill retire the laptop... make do with the 10" screen... my laptop isn't due to be replaced yet anyway. but at the moment, the laptop still has a home in my stable.

So to answer the original question... its not an either/or question, I believe the answer is "YES"

 

[deadwrong03]

well sounds like I should just pick up a new laptop or update it. But my whole point of getting a surface was wats the point of getting win 8 without touch screen to take advantage of the touch gestures

 

[anon(5370748)]

well sounds like I should just pick up a new laptop or update it. But my whole point of getting a surface was wats the point of getting win 8 without touch screen to take advantage of the touch gestures

Sounds like you might be happy with a Surface RT in addition to your laptop. You could use the RT to watch movies, travel with, play games on and have that touch screen experience, and then use the laptop for work and burning CDs and stuff.

Which laptop do you have?

 

[deadwrong03]

Sounds like you might be happy with a Surface RT in addition to your laptop. You could use the RT to watch movies, travel with, play games on and have that touch screen experience, and then use the laptop for work and burning CDs and stuff.

Which laptop do you have?

right now i have a HP G42 laptop im looking to upgrade it for better performace and get a new one with windows 8 on it already at the same time. so i was probably gonna sell mines and get a new laptop or get a laptop and eventually a surface