Can Surface RT go faster... with updates?

[wpcautobot]

Hello,

I am wondering what people's opinion is on whether or not the current Surface RT device will (and can) be updated to improve performance by a good margin. I actually love my Surface RT except for it being a bit slow. It's not that bad, but it's not snappy by any means. MS has been good with firmware updates for this device. Do you think the hardware is able to run if much faster if MS were to optimize it more? I realize this is just opinion stuff, but kinda fun to discuss.

Thanks.

 

[HeyCori]

The hardware is what it is. Software can be optimized but there's only so much that can be done. The tegra 3 is over a year old and I doubt there's a lot of untapped potential.

 

[ninjaap]

I find that the RT slows down when the battery is getting low. Must be some battery saving thing? Keep it charged, that's all I do.

 

[wpcautobot]

I haven't noticed any performance change dependant on battery charge level. That seems odd. I tend to agree with HeyCori in the likelihood that there isn't a lot of performance gains that can be given without a hardware change. Hopefully though we will see some.

 

[Reflexx]

Where do you see it running slow? Mine is pretty snappy.

I do make sure that I close background apps though.

 

[martinmc78]

The hardware is what it is. Software can be optimized but there's only so much that can be done. The tegra 3 is over a year old and I doubt there's a lot of untapped potential.

I would say theres a bit more to be had from the tegra 3. The blue updates will undoubtedly squeeze a bit more from the hardware but I think maybe by the end of the year or Q1 next year the current batch of RT's will be running as smoothly as possible

 

[berty6294]

There is always a way to squeeze speed (not necessarily power) out of a chip through software modifications. Now the thing is, RT is fast! It really is! I think people are confusing the OS speed for the apps speed, in which case I feel there is much more optimization needed! Whether this is the developers' fault or Microsoft's (I'm kinda thinking the later) the app environments need a speed boost!

 

[HeyCori]

Yeah, I think optimizing the current software will definitely make the Surface seem snappier. Some of the default apps are already pretty good like News, Maps, and Bing. However, apps can vary wildly in performance while doing fundamentally the same thing. The Hulu Plus app works pretty good. It loads fines and doesn't crash often but trying to use the Netflix app is maddening. The Netflix app lags, is slow to load titles and crashes a lot. Xbox Video seems fine but then I jump over to Xbox Music and it feels like I'm being punished. More powerful hardware will definitely help but even my desktop computer sucks with Xbox Music because it's just that bad. I also said this in a recent thread, but for all of the Tegra 3/Surface RT's shortcomings, there's a pretty sharp decline once you get past the RTs, iPads, and a handful of Android tablets. Performance on other tablets is often much worse. I'm still slightly astonished at what the Surface can do on a year old chip.

 

[Microsoftjunkie]

One tip I heard was to disable security essentials. Supposedly great increase in performance.

 

[shn'g]

There is always a way to squeeze speed (not necessarily power) out of a chip through software modifications. Now the thing is, RT is fast! It really is! I think people are confusing the OS speed for the apps speed, in which case I feel there is much more optimization needed! Whether this is the developers' fault or Microsoft's (I'm kinda thinking the later) the app environments need a speed boost!

Couldn't agree more with this! I think Microsoft has done a good job with the OS and don't have a problem with it, but the work on the app end needs some work.

 

[berty6294]

Yeah, I think optimizing the current software will definitely make the Surface seem snappier. Some of the default apps are already pretty good like News, Maps, and Bing. However, apps can vary wildly in performance while doing fundamentally the same thing. The Hulu Plus app works pretty good. It loads fines and doesn't crash often but trying to use the Netflix app is maddening. The Netflix app lags, is slow to load titles and crashes a lot. Xbox Video seems fine but then I jump over to Xbox Music and it feels like I'm being punished. More powerful hardware will definitely help but even my desktop computer sucks with Xbox Music because it's just that bad. I also said this in a recent thread, but for all of the Tegra 3/Surface RT's shortcomings, there's a pretty sharp decline once you get past the RTs, iPads, and a handful of Android tablets. Performance on other tablets is often much worse. I'm still slightly astonished at what the Surface can do on a year old chip.

Couldn't agree more with this! I think Microsoft has done a good job with the OS and don't have a problem with it, but the work on the app end needs some work.

The one that REALLY pisses me off is the People hub on Windows 8. It does nothing more than the People hub on Windows Phone but for some reason it is four times slower with 4 times the processing power behind it! Confuses the hell out of me!

 

[ctitanic]

I do not find my RT slow. You can make it a little faster by disabling MS essentials and turning off Windows Visual Effects.

 

[HeyCori]

I do not find my RT slow. You can make it a little faster by disabling MS essentials and turning off Windows Visual Effects.

Thanks for the tip! Turning off some of the unnecessary visual effects is definitely an improvement. It also solved a pet peeve of mines with Xbox Music. Now swiping up from the bottom doesn't lag nearly as much. Here are my settings.

I thought about turning off Microsoft Security Essential (though I can't remember how off hand). However, I'm still slightly worried about how it will affect browser security.

 

[Gary0173]

Awesome! It feels so much faster now!

 

[inteller]

The hardware is what it is. Software can be optimized but there's only so much that can be done. The tegra 3 is over a year old and I doubt there's a lot of untapped potential.

lol really? They aren't even using the 5th battery saving core for Connected Standby! There is a LOT Microsoft could and SHOULD do to improve (battery) performance.

 

[HeyCori]

lol really? They aren't even using the 5th battery saving core for Connected Standby! There is a LOT Microsoft could and SHOULD do to improve (battery) performance.

Better battery would be awesome. Wouldn't make the system faster though.

 

[inteller]

using your computer due to longer battery life vs not using because the battery is dead is technically faster.

 

[Lasse Clemmensen]

I would say theres a bit more to be had from the tegra 3. The blue updates will undoubtedly squeeze a bit more from the hardware but I think maybe by the end of the year or Q1 next year the current batch of RT's will be running as smoothly as possible

I've been digging around a bit bout the Tegra 3 and its 5th companion core, and found a few interesting things:

First of all new drivers for windows RT should be in the works, as indicated on the NVIDIA site:
Tegra 3 Multi-Core Super-Chip Processors ([SUP]**[/SUP] Windows RT support still under development)
Also:
Tegra 3 for Microsoft Surface RT does not feature the 4 plus 1 - Microsoft Community
some tech supporter from MS has said that the 5th core drivers is in the beta stage and that they would be released in near future!

On XDA they mention something bout the Tegra 3 in the Surface RT is underclocked cos it needs to conserve more power than its android equivalents, that has full access to the 5th powersaving core.
Tegra 3 Overclock..? - xda-developers

Also, it seems the Tegra 3 in the Surface RT is a bit more potent than what the NVIDIA website suggests:
Tegra 3+? - xda-developers

Just a little insight... there's still some performance gains to be had on the Surface RT! Hoping at least!

sorry for my bad English btw, not my first language.

 

[sportex]

Thanks for the tip! Turning off some of the unnecessary visual effects is definitely an improvement. It also solved a pet peeve of mines with Xbox Music. Now swiping up from the bottom doesn't lag nearly as much. Here are my settings.

http://i.imgur.com/30usuoY.jpg

I thought about turning off Microsoft Security Essential (though I can't remember how off hand). However, I'm still slightly worried about how it will affect browser security.

Wow what a difference this makes!!! But is there any kind of risk unchecking the boxes?

 

[HeyCori]

Wow what a difference this makes!!! But is there any kind of risk unchecking the boxes?

Nope, no risk at all. Although since then I've gone back and readjusted my settings to bring certain animations. It's just prettier lol.