Surface Pro 3 or 4? Or neither?

[Fynbo]

Hi guys

I really need your help making a decision on whether to buy a Surface Pro 3 or a 4 - or perhaps neither.

Background info
I have my own web development business. My current pc is a 13" macbook air medio 2013 with a 128GB SSD, 4GB RAM and Intel Graphics 5000. I'm beginning to notice some lag with multiple windows and programs open as well as some serious lag with massive 'find and replace' commands in huge text files, ie. a database dump.

Surface Pro 3, 4 or neither?
I've been looking at getting a Surface Pro for a looooong time as I'd really like to be able to draw and take notes by hand on it. Currently the Surface Pro 3 (i5, 256GB, 8GB) is for sale at a Danish retailer for DKK 7.500. The closest Surface Pro 4 version to match the price is the M3 at 7.500 as well.

Questions

• Should I get the Pro 3 i5 256GB 8GB or the Pro 4 M3?
• How much of an upgrade are they over my current Macbook Air? For instance, the Pro 3 'only' has Intel Graphics 4400
• Which Pro has the fewest bugs? It's going to be used for work and needs to be at least as reliable as my Macbook Air.

 

[xandros9]

I want to say Pro 3 i5 just for the step up in performance, but when you say your Macbook Air has issues with those things, it makes me worry that you may need more horsepower than the ultrabook/hybrid category can offer.

I would think about how acceptable a pen-enabled tablet + more powerful laptop combination would be. But regardless I would wait for other people to chime in as well.

 

[dirtyvu]

Both SP3 and SP4 machines will be a good upgrade over that MB Air. I'd go with the SP3 which is fast and has room to grow. The only reasons for the M3 SP4 is a better screen than SP3 as well as fanless. I guess you could throw in Windows Hello which is very cool.

 

[Fynbo]

Thanks for your inputs, guys.

The Surface Pro 4 i5 4GB 128GB has come on sale for the same price as well.

So, the contenders are:

• Surface Pro 3 i5 8GB 256GB
• Surface Pro 4 4GB 128GB
• Surface Pro 4 M3

 

[eusty]

If it was me then the i5 would be the way to go, especially as you want a powerful machine.

The differences between the SP3 and 4 are minimal.

 

[lars2206]

I have previously written this piece on my thoughts:

a previous owner of the Surface Pro 3 - a device I really liked and enjoyed using. However, there were a few things that annoyed me. The biggest being the fan noise. I know some don't mind it or notice it, but it came on a lot while I used my machine, even though I'm not close to being a power user. I use my machine as a replacement laptop for casual surfing, managing my mails, watching videos etc... Nothing out of the ordinary. But with my Pro 3 the fan would kick in even while surfing certain webpages, and while having a few applications open at the same time.

Anyway, a few days ago I sold my Surface Pro 3, and decided to invest in the new Surface Pro 4, and since I didn't use much hard disk space or processing power, I was curious to check out the fanless M3 version. And it arrived today... My config lost a great deal of value here in Denmark - I guess there are not that much interest, or maybe people are more interested in the new Pro 4. So I ended up getting a little more then what I was able to buy the M3 version for.

Anyway, here are my thoughts:

- It is noticeable lighter and thinner then the previous model - really impressive.
- No fan, hurrah... Really really nice and doesn't get as warm as the Pro 3.
- Fast enough for my usage. Even installing updates were pretty fast. Before buying the i5 Pro 3 I tried out the i3 model, which took forever to install updates. Doing basic tasks, I don't feel much difference.
- Beautiful screen. I like the size of the black bezel around the screen now. Again, it is noticeable.

So I really recommend getting the M3 version. I don't mind scarifying more RAM, bigger hard drive and a bigger processor. This truly is a dream machine for me. Maybe not for you - but I thought I would share my thoughts for anyone considering doing the same.

 

[mr_fomo]

Having both a MB Air and a Surface Pro 4 in our household I don't think you'll be pleased by going for an SP 4.

While the SP4 is a pretty sweet hybrid, neither the keyboard or battery life matches a "real" laptop like the Dell XPS 13 or Macbook Air/Pro.
In terms of performance the SP 4 in similar configuration barely bests a last gen Macbook Pro (check e.g. the Arstechnica review)
For doing web development, a 4 MB Surface Pro 4 could be a problem, given that around 2GB is used for Win 10 alone.

Checking the danish pricerunner, once you factor in the keyboard for the SP 4, you are looking at similar prices to the XPS 13, HP Spectre 360 and Macbooks products.

While I dearly love my SP 4 for office work, books, note-taking and studying - I feel it's one compromise too far as a lap-top replacement.

 

[zkyevolved]

I have the SP4 256 / 8gb i5. If i had to pick between the 4GB model SP4 and the 8GB model SP3, I'd get the SP3. I decided to try and use my SP4 as my main machine for the last two weeks. I don't turn on my desktop at all. I have an adapter for the monitor and sculpt keyboard and mouse, as well as a USB Hub with ethernet etc.

So, what I noticed when I originally got the Sp4 4gb i5 is that I was running out of RAM VERY quickly when I replaced my desktop for the Sp4. The SP4 8gb model does much better with memory. So, since i'd prefer more ram and SSD over processing power - I'd go for the SP3 i5 256/8gb model. If you could though, go for the SP4 with i5 256 as it's a newer generation, very powerful CPU, fan hardly ever comes on with basic usage (like Wordament, Office documents, playing youtube, editing images with Fireworks, downloading and streaming TV series, etc). I'm not a heavy user, but I do use my device a lot (around 12 hours a day, for work and at home). I love how I can minimize everything for the day and use tablet mode when I'm at home, and go back to work the next day and continue with everything without having to worry about saving and syncing between machines.

First choice? SP4 256
Second choice? SP3 256

The SP4 m3 is a step up over the SP3 i3, but in a few years you might find yourself in the same situation and need a better more powerful device because maybe your usage has increased or app specifications and requirements will have changed as well. Go as big as you can right now to avoid future frustration if you see yourself using your device more and more.