Surface Book owners: Are you upgrading to the Surface Book 2?

[Terry Tigner]

Considering that the Surface Book 2 now has a USB-C port, will you be upgrading?

If so, please share why? If not, why not?

100% all in!

I’ve owned a number of Surface devices and they just keep getting better and better: SP2, SP3, Surface, SP4 i7/512, SB i5/256. I got the original SB i7/512 in Nov 2015, but returned it to let them sort thru the Skylake bugs for a while. Then picked up the i5/256 as a SP4 backup last Black Friday and it has been a delight. I’ve also purchased the Huawei MateBook and the little Asus T102 10” - all at my local MS Store. I’ve tried to use the Dell XPS machines but I don’t like the fact that they have no pen and are not convertibles and the 16 x 9 screens are just too short and wide to be very useful for me. So glad MS is leading the way with 3:2 screens! The Surface line are my favorite computers above all else.

I’m working with my MS store manager to show up early on Nov 9th to order the 15” Surface Book with the GTX 1060 and the i7 16/1TB. It will be a joy to use this thing - both as a laptop and as the clipboard 15” 3:2 tablet!

Can’t wait!!

 

[hellohogo]

Davinci Resolve is the opposite. No one uses 16gb of RAM on it, but that gtx 1060 and all 6gb of vram
Easily get used after a few high taxing nodes are added. I’m buying the new to- end model, and I’ve had both generations of surface book so far.

 

[hellohogo]

Davinci Resolve is the opposite. No one uses 16gb of RAM on it, but that gtx 1060 and all 6gb of vram
Easily get used after a few high taxing nodes are added. I’m buying the new to- end model, and I’ve had both generations of surface book so far.

 

[Chris Vizzini]

Considering that the Surface Book 2 now has a USB-C port, will you be upgrading?

If so, please share why? If not, why not?

No, waaaaay too expensive. The pricing is ridiculous!

 

[Andrea Mangano]

Someone can help me?
I can't reply, I get the message Spam Threshold Exceeded.
Why?

 

[Andrea Mangano]

Hi, can somebody help me, please?
I can't reply, I get the message Spam Threshold Exceeded.
Why?

 

[wynand32]

I’m working with my MS store manager to show up early on Nov 9th to order the 15” Surface Book with the GTX 1060 and the i7 16/1TB. It will be a joy to use this thing - both as a laptop and as the clipboard 15” 3:2 tablet!

Can’t wait!!

I suspect (and I could be wrong), this isn't a machine that's going to quickly sell out. $3300 is a lot of money for a notebook.

 

[derylmccarty]

Will order on 9-11. SB2 512 i7 16. I actually don't need a 512, 256 would be just fine but giving up 8GB RAM not worth it. My day one SB has done me proud and am an inveterate note taker at the way too many meetings I go to. Gamer not so much, but 4.2 GHz processor will likely do access and excel with ease. I too had problems with drivers that glitch, still do. Screen (mDP to HDMI), Ethernet, KB (BT) and sculpt mouse (BT) just stop from time to time for 5-15 seconds then continue on with life as if nothing happened. However, I switched back to using the SB USB 3 connections for Screen and Ethernet and NOT using the Surface dock and strangely the problem no longer exists. So I concluded that it is the Dock drivers that are glitchy not so much the SB...hard to test for certain though. I am still getting the SB2, I can put up with a lot of crap for an almost doubling of the processor turbo speed. But I would certainly have even fewer qualms were the price closer to 2k than 3k.

 

[Curious_Al]

Nope, I bought my Top of the range SB with performance based a few months back. I hardly play games anyway so this thing still performs like a beast. Will probably wait a few more years before upgrading.

 

[Andrea Mangano]

Will order on 9-11. SB2 512 i7 16. I actually don't need a 512, 256 would be just fine but giving up 8GB RAM not worth it. My day one SB has done me proud and am an inveterate note taker at the way too many meetings I go to. Gamer not so much, but 4.2 GHz processor will likely do access and excel with ease. I too had problems with drivers that glitch, still do. Screen (mDP to HDMI), Ethernet, KB (BT) and sculpt mouse (BT) just stop from time to time for 5-15 seconds then continue on with life as if nothing happened. However, I switched back to using the SB USB 3 connections for Screen and Ethernet and NOT using the Surface dock and strangely the problem no longer exists. So I concluded that it is the Dock drivers that are glitchy not so much the SB...hard to test for certain though. I am still getting the SB2, I can put up with a lot of crap for an almost doubling of the processor turbo speed. But I would certainly have even fewer qualms were the price closer to 2k than 3k.

I have the same issues with Surface Dock, they have already replaced it one time and I've got the same issues within 3 days.
Yesterday I've updated the surface Dock firmware hoping it will mitigate the problems.

 

[doach5]

I compared them both and i didnt think 1.5 inches is that big a difference. With their 3.2 aspect ratio the 13.5 inch is 84.11 sq. in TSA. Bigger than a 14 inch trational screen.

A traditional 14 inch 16:9 screen is smaller at 83.69 sq. in

The 15 SB2 is 103.83 sq. in TSA. A trational 15.6 in 16:9 screen is slightly larger at 104.04 sq. in.

So between the 15 and 13.5 SB2, you are looking at 19 total inches more screen. The 13.5 will give you 11.23" x 7.49 and the 15 eill give you 12.48" x 8.32".

So that is only a 1.25 inch taller screen and a 0.83 inch wider screen. Bigger yes but i wouldn't call it somewhere in the middle of a 28 inch and 13.5 inch screen. The surface 28 studio is almost twice the size of the 15 SB2 at 23.3" x 15.53 and 361.85 sq. in.

 

[petvas72]

I have both generations here and I can say that for most people the first gen is good enough. If you don't mind to spend the money, then the SB2 is a better device.
If you need the extra power (4 CPU Cores & better GPU), then you have another reason to upgrade. If you don't then it's more of a luxury.

 

[JaimitoFrog]

Originally posted by wynand32

Originally Posted by Terry Tigner
I’m working with my MS store manager to show up early on Nov 9th to order the 15” Surface Book with the GTX 1060 and the i7 16/1TB. It will be a joy to use this thing - both as a laptop and as the clipboard 15” 3:2 tablet!

Can’t wait!!

I suspect (and I could be wrong), this isn't a machine that's going to quickly sell out. $3300 is a lot of money for a notebook.

Of course, it's the 15" i7/1TB SKU that is still sold out.

 

[garak0410]

I have both generations here and I can say that for most people the first gen is good enough. If you don't mind to spend the money, then the SB2 is a better device.
If you need the extra power (4 CPU Cores & better GPU), then you have another reason to upgrade. If you don't then it's more of a luxury.

I think you convinced me to hold on to my Gen 1 (i7, 515GB, 16GB) model for a while longer. It plays games "good enough" for me and I am OK with the 13.5".

 

[DCW1000]

I picked up a 15" Book 2 at the local MS Store November 20. I don't view this as an upgrade purchase because I am keeping my earlier Book, and the USB-C port, while a nice-to-have feature, was not a big factor in the decision. Dongles and adapters are everywhere, so it basically doesn't matter to me what port is provided. (Thunderbolt might have made my heart beat fast, but I'm not crippled by its absence.)

This machine simply fills a productivity gap between the earlier Book I already had (and will continue to use for its present purposes) and the Studio that is my main machine. To address a point made above, I can't see Microsoft ever putting 32Gb of RAM in a Book unless they simultaneously boost the feature set of the Studio. Otherwise they would create alternatives to their flagship device. As matters stand, the 15 inch Book 2 strikes me as a Studio Lite, and the smaller Book 2 at the upper end of the feature scale is a Studio Even Liter. From a marketing standpoint, those are not bad classes to be adding to the roster of Surface devices.

I'm not a gamer, but I understand why those who are might think the Book 2 doesn't go all the way to a desired destination.

The Book 2 is a great machine and I couldn't be happier with it.

 

[anon(601415)]

You can buy disposable laptops for $300-$700 every year or so, or you can spend a lot more and have a laptop that could easily last 5 years or more with proper care. Rather than wasting time switching laptops all the time, not to mention the horrible build quality, sad performance, and lack of features, I can purchase an SB2 (which I did) and expect it to last for many years and continue to perform very well during those years.

I did not previously own an SB1, but I always steer clear of the first generation of anything. I'm coming from an SP4, which is a fabulous machine. The main reason I switched from the SP4 to the SB2 is the graphics card -- I'm finding myself doing more graphics and video work for my clients in the last year. The SP4 isn't too bad for that stuff, but I can sure notice the performance difference with the dedicated graphics card. An additional benefit is the beautiful 15" screen on the SB2.

 

[xandros9]

You can buy disposable laptops for $300-$700 every year or so, or you can spend a lot more and have a laptop that could easily last 5 years or more with proper care. Rather than wasting time switching laptops all the time, not to mention the horrible build quality, sad performance, and lack of features, I can purchase an SB2 (which I did) and expect it to last for many years and continue to perform very well during those years.

I think you might overestimate the disposability of laptops in the mid-range. (Build quality can vary of course, but don’t be too quick to discount the $500+ range) Most any laptop from the past few years can pull normal duties reasonably well (performance-wise) with an SSD and ironically, I consider the Surface lineup to be the pinnacle of disposable computers. (Don’t get me wrong they are quite capable!)

The way they’re built means they are literally (or figuratively/uneconomical) impossible to repair like their Mac competitors. When the battery wears out, you can’t replace it and I remember $300 being the price for MS to switch out a Surface Pro 3(?) for a battery “replacement.” If ANYTHING breaks on those you’re going to have to replace the entire unit. Although if nothing goes wrong it’s a fine PC.

If longevity is a top selling point, going for a Dell Latitude, Lenovo ThinkPad or other business-grade computer is the way to go. They tend to be more durable and with more available parts, often designed to be serviced and upgraded by fleet owners, so on.

So instead of buying a $1000+ computer every few years or sooner if anything goes wrong for any reason, you can buy a $1000+ computer that you can upgrade (to varying degrees), get repaired more inexpensively and expect it to last longer for less. I just got a T430 ($350ish, a 2013 model) a few months ago and replaced the battery for $30. I sprung for a less svelte model than the Surface Book but it isn’t meant to be an ultraportable. The limiting factor is probably its graphics performance and newer PCs like your Book will certainly blow me away in that.

 

[NKP007]

Considering that the Surface Book 2 now has a USB-C port, will you be upgrading?

If so, please share why? If not, why not?

I have the same question