I'm considering to buy the SP3 but i need help and some infos

[sparalo]

Hello,
I'm almost sold with the i3 edition, but the i5 / 256 Gb version still bugs me, maybe because i think that it will be handy for other purposes in the future.

My needs for the SP3 are:
- Microsoft Word 2013
- HD Videos
- Visual Studio 2013 (c++)
- And 38 Gb of data (more or less)

I will be watching videos while coding or writing in word 90% of the time. My "goal" is to be able to do that everywhere i am: "increased productivity" (maybe)
I will upgrade it to Win 9.

I cant find any video online about some user who "works" that way.

I would like to know:

1) While playing videos for 1-2 hours and coding | writing:
a. Does it get hot / noisy?
b. Does the battery handle this workload? (from a full charge)

2) How much space there will be left after installing all the hotfixes + office + VS2013?

3) I'm worried about bringing with me that tiny glass, and not bringing it around jeopardize why i'm buying the SP3 in the first place.

4) Where is the 2 years insurance for spills and drops in the eu??? [Microsoft Complete]

I already know that i will be pissed off by the low space. It remembers me when i had my first pc with a 40 gb Maxtor hdd in the stone age.
I have the money to buy the i5 / 256 gb, but by taking the i3 version i save 450 euro which is a lot.

Anyway 1) and 3) are the most important questions.

Thanks to everybody for ANY advice and sorry for my english =P

 

[Coreldan]

How about just considering the lower i5 config? That's "only" like 200€ more than the i3?

 

[sparalo]

How about just considering the lower i5 config? That's "only" like 200€ more than the i3?

Eheh nice post. And nice avatar too =P

Well, I must say that at home I have a 16 TB NAS, and an i7 3770k with the Gasper DZ77GA-70K for heavy tasks such as compressing / playing Thief 4 =D
So the SP3 will not be my main pc.

Your advice is very nice for the extra storage, but maybe i don't need the i5 power.
But then the +200 will get me closer to the tempting i5 with 8 Gb of ram, which may be beneficial for Win 9.
So it will become 450 eur + the cost of upgrading to win 9 and here we go to 2000! xD

The 38 Gb that i need on the SP3 is a kind of the worst case scenario. I also have a 32 Gb usb 3.0 drive >P
Thanks Coreldan i m still thinking about your advice :amaze:

 

[RajeevT]

3) I'm worried about bringing with me that tiny glass, and not bringing it around jeopardize why i'm buying the SP3 in the first place.

What "tiny glass"? The screen? If that's a major concern then probably no tablet will satisfy you.

If space is a concern you can always add a MicroSD card (won't help for Modern apps and even some desktop apps on Win8.1 though unless you do some non-standard things like creating hard links).

 

[Coreldan]

I'm personally going for i3 config, but then again I don't know how much that coding (or more so the compiling I suppose) will tax the machine and I don't have any need for doing heavier tasks myself, so I'm fine with i3 config. Slightly bummed about the low'ish storage available on it, but luckily there is the micro SD slot. I have a 32gb MicroSD in my Surface RT now that I will put to my SP3 as it arrives, might consider a bigger one (with faster speeds) a bit later, but anything that isn't crucial to have on the built in SSD can go there.

But if you would be OK with the i3 except for the storage, the lower i5 config would be a golden midway there. Sure, 8gb of RAM would be nicer but 450€ more is already a price of a decent laptop. But at the same time if just storage is the problem, just slap in a 64-128gb class 10 MicroSD card, those go for like 40-50€ (64gb) if you find a good deal You should be able to install desktop apps on those just fine too.

Carrying around such an expensive device sure is scary first. My Surface RT managed just fine for almost the 2 years I've lugged it around. I had my fiancee make it a nice protective sleeve from this soft fabric and I always have the touch cover attached to it to also protect the screen. The device still looks pristine. Dropping it is obviously a different thing, but no matter what device you bring, you can't really drop it much and expect it to last.

 

[sparalo]

My space concerns are for videos only, not apps. So a 64 gb micro sd card will do the trick.
The screen is very thin, i saw the "iFixit" video which is quite scary.
Of course no glass will "survive" a drop, but my concerns are more about putting it flat on a desk or by pressing with the fingers near the borders or near the camera.

I think that i will go with the i3 and buy a case.
Indeed i'm scared about carrying it around without an insurance that covers the screen lol. I would like to use it for at least 2 years...

thank you guys for allowing me to think with a different prospective

 

[RajeevT]

Ok, so you meant "thin" and not "tiny" glass. Got it!

Of course no glass will "survive" a drop, but my concerns are more about putting it flat on a desk or by pressing with the fingers near the borders or near the camera.

I don't think you have anything to worry about the screen breaking during normal usage, but if you believe in extended warranties then definitely go for MS Complete if it's available to you.