Has any used/bought the 4gb ram model of the surface go

[tomcrew10]

I am just curious if anyone has used the lower end model of surface as I plan to buy one when it releases in the UK and can not afford the higher end model due to being a student on a tight budget. The issue is that it seems all reviewers review the 8gb model which is simply out of my price range.

side note the other machines I am using is a custom built pc as my main machine and a old asus laptop as my portable machine which only has 2gbs of ram.

thanks everyone for any feedback

 

[libra89]

This is a great question. I'm going to follow this thread but for now, Windows Central has a good article on this here:
https://www.windowscentral.com/surface-go-64gb-emmc-speed-test

 

[Alexander Long]

I am using the lowest spec one , as I only get it to replace my old Asus Vivo 8( run Atom but with pen for note taking)
so it is very nice, and perfect size for me, even smaller than original Surface Pro which I still have, and in a way it is run smoothier than my Main Surface Pro 3 (Core i5 /4GB /128GB) thanks to the newer graphic card. and even though it is not a SSD, I didn't see any noticeable lag (yet). so first impression is good so far, but might have to wait couple of days till real heavy use start to kick in.
but for me I only plan to use this as a on-the-GO windows device for note taking and light task, with heavy task handle on my surface Pro 3 or desktop remote to school server, this works for me.

 

[bulls96]

There may be a split split second delay when opening apps, although I really don't know how that compares to the higher models.

 

[Drael646464]

Well I can share my experience of using a 4/64 tablet with a weaker processor.

4gb is a windows sweet spot. You'll get really noticeably better performance than 2gb, but not all that noticeable difference from 8gb. You'll have to do some heavy multi-tasking, or heavy tasks to notice much of a difference, and even though I open 20+ tabs on my desktop browser, I never tend to do that on a tablet anyway.

eMMC is slower. But for the most part, it's only noticeable in certain situations. The biggest is large file copying, and installing or upgrading windows. You'll feel some delay there, it'll take about twice as long as SSD. Maybe a slight delay also when opening something heavy, like a power user application (say an adobe product), or a game. But for everyday performance, not so much. There is a speed difference, but it narrows on the key metric between SSD and eMMC - small chunks of random read/write, and on this metric eMMC is significantly faster than a conventional HDD. So for your every day light apps, UWP etc - it really doesn't make much difference.

It also helps for storage capacity on models like this you can get SD cards. You can if you like throw in a really big one, and because the bus is usb 3.1, you can likely get similar speeds to the internal SSD if you buy something with the speed rating. 64GB ones are a fair bit cheaper though ATM, and above 128gb you start to lose value per dollar.

Now this is all on an atom tablet where I can, believe it or not run some games - trine 2, tyranny, need for speed most wanted - some power apps - adobe illustrator, fruity loops. The Pentium is quicker than an atom, and closer to a core-m, so I think some of these things may be noteable quicker on the go. The newer intel graphics chipsets are pretty beast too for inbuilt graphics cards. So that may open up a lot of games that atoms are incapable of, as well as make the graphical experience/UI quicker. I think the pentiums also have more threads than atom? Not sure, but if that's true it'll kick up multi-tasking performance.

 

[fatclue_98]

When posting replies I'd implore users to specify if they're on S-Mode or 10 Pro. There is a distinct difference in performance as I've found out.

 

[Daniel Rubino]

FYI we shot a mini-review of this yesterday.

I like the 4GB version a lot. The hype about it being "bad" is waaaay overstated usually by people who have not touched it. It's totally fine for casual users and even some games. There's no real big difference between the two imo.

 

[wolfpack219]

When posting replies I'd implore users to specify if they're on S-Mode or 10 Pro. There is a distinct difference in performance as I've found out.

What have you noticed the differences to be?

 

[fatclue_98]

What have you noticed the differences to be?

Speed, pure and simple. There is some noticeable lag opening Office docs and even browsing through Windows Explorer. There is no lag or stuttering in S-Mode if you're using a 4GB device.

 

[ClintRo]

But I need CHROME!! lol

If I buy it will probably be for the 8GB because I will have to run it in regular mode with the Google "memory eating" Chrome.

 

[bulls96]

I havent used chrome as a primary browser in at least 3 years.

 

[ClintRo]

I tried to use Edge several different times not a big fan, just sometimes it lags and runs well sometimes but other it sucks. To inconsistent for me.

Chrome syncs with all my devices so well.

 

[fatclue_98]

I tried to use Edge several different times not a big fan, just sometimes it lags and runs well sometimes but other it sucks. To inconsistent for me.

Chrome syncs with all my devices so well.

I used to abhor Edge, have you tried it lately? Like since the April 2018 update?

 

[nate0]

I used to abhor Edge, have you tried it lately? Like since the April 2018 update?

It runs well. It can only keep getting better and better too. I was of the same thought. Edge was stinking it up there for a long while. Kept using it and have only watched it get better and better over the past 2 years.

 

[ClintRo]

It also had to cross platform with my Android phone and tablet.

 

[skstrials]

It also had to cross platform with my Android phone and tablet.

Edge on Android works very well too.

I have ditched Chrome after I heard of memory leak a couple years back. I am very happy with where Edge is now.

 

[ClintRo]

Well I have used edge quit a few times and still don't like it. So to each his own.

 

[Drael646464]

But I need CHROME!! lol

If I buy it will probably be for the 8GB because I will have to run it in regular mode with the Google "memory eating" Chrome.

Trouble is, nobody really needs the chromium engine anymore now that web apps are moving to pwa. Well, you might use it for extensions, but chrome apps themselves don't even run any more on PC. So you are literally running a complex rendering environment that is at least partially not being used. It's like having a diesel powered vibration function on a smartphone - it's redundant.

Even if you don't like edge, I'm SURE you could find a better browser. There are so many browsers.

 

[ClintRo]

On widows S mode what other browsers are available?

 

[Drael646464]

On widows S mode what other browsers are available?

Monument browser is one that comes to mind. Maxthon is another.

Never tried using either on a desktop though, so I can't say how good they are.

Also UC Browser has a UWP app I think.