Surface Pro 4 Core m3 vs Surface Pro 3 Core i5

[nufcfanatic]

The official website of the Microsoft Store Singapore says that it will start shipping the new Surface Pro 4 at 19 November. The cheapest model which is the core m3 are SGD1400 which is more expensive compared to the older SP3 core i5 which is SGD1350.
I'm planning on picking up one of those two, which one do you think I should choose? And why?
And I also want to to know whether the new Intel core m3 is god or not? How it compares to the older core i5 used in SP3.
Any suggestions are much appreciated.

Thank you

 

[ioaniro]

this discussion should cover most of your questions:
http://forums.windowscentral.com/microsoft-surface-pro-4/391966-should-i-return-my-i5-m3-model.html

 

[nufcfanatic]

this discussion should cover most of your questions:

Thank you, but the case is that the core m3 model is not any cheaper, it is more expensive. is the old i5 faster and snappier compared to the new m3? if they perform the same i will get the m3. if the multitasking runs better with the i5, i will get the i5

 

[WildKarrde]

Best I can tell, the new m3 performs about as well as the Haswell i5 in my SP2, which is pretty darn good.

But for the same price, I'd take the i5 SP4. The new i5 has significant gains over the old one.

 

[boltman2013]

Get the M3.... as fast as the i5SP3 and fanless. Plus all the improvements in the screen and audio, security, pen and is lighter.

 

[WildKarrde]

^^ The M3 also has a smaller battery though, which was a really poor move on Microsoft's part, IMHO.

 

[boltman2013]

^^ The M3 also has a smaller battery though, which was a really poor move on Microsoft's part, IMHO.

Smaller battery saves weight and still meets the 9 hour specification...don't underestimate the weight savings in a device like this m3: 1.69lbs (766 grams) i5: 1.73lbs (786 grams) iPadAir2 0.96342lb (437 grams) does not seem "that much" but in a device like this form factor every gram makes a difference. Especilly when you add in the keyboard(s) and dongles to your bag.

 

[WildKarrde]

I'm coming from an SP2, so I understand the significance of the weight difference. But I also carried two power covers with my SP2. Longevity far outweighs a few extra grams in my book, so I think it's important to let prospective buyers know the whole story.

As for the 9hr specification, that's looking like bull, best I can tell. The most I have gotten so far is 5 hours, with light usage, power saver mode, screen at 15% brightness and using hibernate, not sleep. I did just turn off Connected Standby though, so hopefully those extra power options can help me get closer to that 9 hours... but if they advertise 9 hours it shouldn't take extensive modification to get there.

That said... if the m3 is truly capable of 9 hr battery life, then I suppose it is a pretty good package, considering the i5 doesn't seem to hit it.

 

[boltman2013]

I'm coming from an SP2, so I understand the significance of the weight difference. But I also carried two power covers with my SP2. Longevity far outweighs a few extra grams in my book, so I think it's important to let prospective buyers know the whole story.

As for the 9hr specification, that's looking like bull, best I can tell. The most I have gotten so far is 5 hours, with light usage, power saver mode, screen at 15% brightness and using hibernate, not sleep. I did just turn off Connected Standby though, so hopefully those extra power options can help me get closer to that 9 hours... but if they advertise 9 hours it shouldn't take extensive modification to get there.

That said... if the m3 is truly capable of 9 hr battery life, then I suppose it is a pretty good package, considering the i5 doesn't seem to hit it.

You to can get 9 hours IF you duplicate their scenario. As for it should be better well that is not the way it is is it? Pretty much everyone overstates battery when used in actual use cases.

 

[ioaniro]

^^ The M3 also has a smaller battery though, which was a really poor move on Microsoft's part, IMHO.

I already saw this info in another thread but where does this come from? I was convinced the batteries are the same, there's no mention of a smaller battery anywhere I looked. I see the charger is lower rated which means the battery charges slower but the capacity is the same no?

 

[snakebitten]

The 4 Gig cap on RAM is the M3 deal-breaker. I would LOVE to have the fan-less M3! Everything about its "less moving parts" is appealing to me. And I am betting it screams compared to processors of yesterday. But 4 gigs of ram in a device that can't be updated later?
Alas, I have a new I5-8-256, just to get the 8 Gigs

 

[ioaniro]

For me too, went for the i5/256/8gb because of the same reasons. But the battery is the same between the two models (m3 and i5) or at least I haven't seen anything to say different.

 

[snakebitten]

Don't know about the battery size debate, but I do know that the battery life is less than advertised. And it is like EPA gas mileage ratings, in that it is usually not real-life numbers.
But I also do believe that battery life will likely increase, and probably significantly, as the drivers and software continue to get massaged to take advantage of all the new potential of the Skylake capabilities.

Until then, I really don't have much angst. I tweaked my "Battery Saver" settings to be less like a last-breath lifesaver feature, and more like a I can live with these settings 80% of the time settings. I have all mission-critical functions working with Battery Saver on. Thus with just a quick click of that convenient "Battery Saver" button, I extend the battery life by as much as 100%.

 

[WildKarrde]

The 4 Gig cap on RAM is the M3 deal-breaker. I would LOVE to have the fan-less M3! Everything about its "less moving parts" is appealing to me. And I am betting it screams compared to processors of yesterday. But 4 gigs of ram in a device that can't be updated later?
Alas, I have a new I5-8-256, just to get the 8 Gigs

I considered the m3 version as well, but 4GB of ram was the biggest bottleneck I had with my SP2, so spending a ton of money to get 4GB of RAM again was out of the question for me.

 

[WildKarrde]

I already saw this info in another thread but where does this come from? I was convinced the batteries are the same, there's no mention of a smaller battery anywhere I looked. I see the charger is lower rated which means the battery charges slower but the capacity is the same no?

Here's an article from PC World which confirms that the m3 model has a smaller battery.
Surface Pro 4 teardown confirms fanless m3 design, smaller battery | PCWorld

 

[snakebitten]

I considered the m3 version as well, but 4GB of ram was the biggest bottleneck I had with my SP2, so spending a ton of money to get 4GB of RAM again was out of the question for me.

Yep!
If my SP2 had 8 Gigs of Ram, I wouldn't have my SP4 now.

That article on battery size says the Surface Pro 4 battery is smaller than the SP3 battery It doesn't say the M3 SP4 has a smaller battery than the I5-I7 SP4. Am I missing something?

 

[zkyevolved]

I'd argue logic. Since the M3 uses a lot less power, the battery life is almost identical to the i5/i7 versions. Therefore, where is the power saving feature? You can get to two arguments:
1) the m3 isn't as power efficient or
2) the battery size is smaller, coupled with a more efficient processor and no fan, they were able to save some cash on the saved battery and fan and keep the same battery life.

 

[WildKarrde]

Yep!
If my SP2 had 8 Gigs of Ram, I wouldn't have my SP4 now.

That article on battery size says the Surface Pro 4 battery is smaller than the SP3 battery It doesn't say the M3 SP4 has a smaller battery than the I5-I7 SP4. Am I missing something?

I'm pretty sure the SP4 battery is the same size as the SP3 battery... but I don't remember where I read that.

I'd argue logic. Since the M3 uses a lot less power, the battery life is almost identical to the i5/i7 versions. Therefore, where is the power saving feature? You can get to two arguments:
1) the m3 isn't as power efficient or
2) the battery size is smaller, coupled with a more efficient processor and no fan, they were able to save some cash on the saved battery and fan and keep the same battery life.

1) Well, the m3 is certainly more power efficient, as it certainly uses less power than either the i5 or i7. Where are the power savings in this case? I guess your power bill, as small of a difference as it may be. Problem is, with the smaller battery, you will see no real world benefits of lesser power consumption because at best, the m3 model is designed to have comparable battery life to it's bigger processor brothers, not exceed them, as it well should have.

2) And therein lies the rub. They put less battery in the m3 unit to save money, therefore increasing profits. It was a smart business move, tons of people are still buying the m3 model even though it has only comparable battery life to its bigger brothers.

But I'd like to present a 3rd scenario here.
3) With Connected Standby disabled, I was able to underclock my CPU (current max is 50%). So I'm now using way less power, yet I still have the full sized battery that came with my i5 model. Using only 50% may seem kind of absurd, but I've still got processing power to spare for 90% of the time I'm using my SP4. I've been running about 2 hours and I've only used 20% of my battery.

I propose that scenario 3 is the best of both worlds, and would suggest that the i5 model really is the better option for the same price as the m3, unless you are considerably sensitive to the weight of your device.

 

[GatsbyGlen]

Those with the M3, what Watt hours (Wh) is your battery capacity rated at? My i5 device is 39Wh. I'm wondering if the M3 is the same.

 

[boltman2013]

Those with the M3, what Watt hours (Wh) is your battery capacity rated at? My i5 device is 39Wh. I'm wondering if the M3 is the same.

My M3...

DESIGN CAPACITY 38,152 mWh
FULL CHARGE CAPACITY 41,077 mWh


Via Battery Report