Ongoing Experience with m3 version

[sporosarcina]

I got the m3/4/128 version of the 2017 Surface Pro as an upgrade for my aging Surface 3 (Atom) workhorse. I intend to chronicle my insights into everyday use of the m3 version in my job as a STEM field college professor and its use outside of school. There doesn't seem to be a lot written about the m3 versions, other than the traditional trashing by techies for being "underpowered and useless." I picked mine up for $600 with an included black type cover.

 

[sporosarcina]

First impressions...
Screen, wow, I mean the S3 had a 1080p screen and I never thought it was bad on the 10 inch screen, but just wow, the SP screen is a whole new level. The screen is clear, colorful, and the new aspect is nice (yeah Dan, I like 3:2 on a portable too).

Windows Hello: I set up the Windows Hello feature during setup and expected a little lag because of the m3 processor, but nope, the camera recognizes me right away and from a variety of angles. I'm never turning it off. Though using it may be causing a conflict with policies at my college (I'll have to look into it).

 

[sporosarcina]

General productivity: Office 365 is a breeze, yeah I'm sure that an i5 or i7 would be faster, but I have no complaints. Inking in OneNote (one of my biggest use scenarios) is a dream (I'm using the last gen pen) and Bluetooth connectivity to my Surface Arc mouse is flawless.

Games: I don't game a lot on my Surface, but I have tried a few games. Grim Dawn (successor to Titan Quest) runs well, though I turned down the resolution. At native resolution the text was too small, so I pulled it down to a little above 1080p and it is smooth at medium textures/effects. Considering how many games actually worked fine on the x7 of the Surface 3, I have hopes for some decent game performance on the sRPG, TBS, and RPG games that I like.

 

[sporosarcina]

First, a note on my "game reviews," I am not a benchmark fan, rather relying on simple assessment of "how it plays" for me. I don't play games that require high FPS counts and few jitters in interstitial movies is acceptable to me, as long as the overall game play is not affected.

For today's game I chose one that didn't work on my Surface 3, Age of Wonders 3. The game is graphically beautiful, but as a TBS game it doesn't need to have huge FPS counts. I toned down the resolution since, as usual, at the SP native resolution, the text and UI are too small for my eyes with progressive lens. Typically I run between 1080p and 1440p for most games.

Overall the game experience is smooth at Medium quality settings with only the occasional jitters in swift panning, definitely playable and enjoyable.

 

[hafttheworld]

I got the m3/4/128 version of the 2017 Surface Pro as an upgrade for my aging Surface 3 (Atom) workhorse. I intend to chronicle my insights into everyday use of the m3 version in my job as a STEM field college professor and its use outside of school. There doesn't seem to be a lot written about the m3 versions, other than the traditional trashing by techies for being "underpowered and useless." I picked mine up for $600 with an included black type cover.

I use other brand but same spec, since 2016. Cube Mix Plus, same as Galaxy Book 10.6, SP 2017 m3. Light work is ok but lag in CC2017.
Exceptional battery prolong under Ubuntu.

 

[libra89]

I got the m3/4/128 version of the 2017 Surface Pro as an upgrade for my aging Surface 3 (Atom) workhorse. I intend to chronicle my insights into everyday use of the m3 version in my job as a STEM field college professor and its use outside of school. There doesn't seem to be a lot written about the m3 versions, other than the traditional trashing by techies for being "underpowered and useless." I picked mine up for $600 with an included black type cover.

Thank you for this thread, it's much appreciated. I have seen a lot of the same things about the m3 and almost paid more for the i5. I'll be looking forward to reading more of what you have to say with your experiences.

 

[sporosarcina]

Today I connected the new SP to my 24" (1080p) monitor at work along with the Arc Mouse I usually use and a Wedge BT keyboard I have had since the days of the Surface RT. The screens were set up in extend mode with the SP being primary (though I would probably change that next time). I did not notice appreciable lag in the system (running off battery, I wanted to stress test) while running PowerPoint, Word, Edge (two-three tabs), and ChemDoodle (a Java based chemistry structure editor I use a lot). I was able to do all my work without hiccups. I did notice a slight scaling issue between the screens, it looked as though the interface in O365 on the 1080p monitor was scaling to the same as the higher DPI SP screen (e.g. larger mouse icons on the 1080 screen). It didn't bother me so I didn't dig into settings to adjust it.

 

[sporosarcina]

Today's work was using the SP in class. I was giving an Organic Chemistry talk on Carboxylic Acids and derivatives. This involved me using the SP wirelessly with a MS wireless adapter (1st gen). The maximum distance I get in the classroom is 25 feet, and I experienced no drop off. I used the pen repeatedly and had the tablet in presenter mode with no issues.

 

[sporosarcina]

Note for today, Windows Hello can recognize me through my safety goggles in lab.

 

[libra89]

Note for today, Windows Hello can recognize me through my safety goggles in lab.

Very cool!