Gaming on Surface Pro 3 - i3 or i5?

[Brad Lambert]

I love my Surface 2, and never expected to find any Pro model so attractive... But wow, am I smitten. I would like to upgrade to the SP3, however I am finding it difficult to determine if it would be capable of running some less-intensive games.

The only ones I can think of desiring to run would be Civilization, Sim City, and most importantly The Sims 4 upon its release.

Would the base model i3 processor be capable of running these games? (Specifically Sims 4.) Or should I shell out the extra cash for the i5? I know that my day to day wouldn't require that speed, but I want to play me some Sims.

Thanks!
Brad L.
Nokia Lumia 1520

 

[Blacklac]

So the storage space on the i3 is enough for you? Cause that's pretty limiting right there, especially if your going to toss a few PC games on it.

 

[Fred Mertz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-8h4e_jZSE

This video should give you an idea of what an i3 won't be able to do as this is being tested on an i5 and Batman is very sluggish at full frame. I'm debating whether or not I get an i5 or i7.​

 

[Jas00555]

i5. Mainly because if you're going to put those huge games on it, you're going to need more storage.

 

[Brad Lambert]

The i3 has 64GB, that is huge for physical storage space in my situation... My OneDrive is home to all my hundreds of gigabytes of files and I use a 64GB microSD card for anything I need immediate access to, essentially my music library. This would leave the onboard SSD storage for Sims 4. Storage is not a concern in this decision making, I am talking solely about the processing and graphics capabilities for the purposes of playing one or two specific games.

Is the i5 capable of mid-to-upper range graphics in these games? I have just never owned a PC capable of running Sims 3 smoothly, however I have only owned Windows RT devices for the past two years or so. I just don't understand the capabilities of these processors or if Intel Integrated Graphics is now somehow good? When I last purchased a PC Intel Integrated was horrid.

Thanks y'all.

Brad L.
Nokia Lumia 1520

 

[Gken]

Integrated graphics have honestly come a long way compared to computers a few years ago. If you can afford it the i7 HD500 will run most games at medium setting rather ok (newer games at 30 fps). The HD4400 which is in the i5 and i3 versions will obviously be a little less, Anandtech has a great article if you want to read about it.

AnandTech | A Look at Intel HD 5000 GPU Performance Compared to HD 4000

This article helped me a lot if you are technical and a gamer.

 

[onlysublime]

Intel integrated graphics have forever been bad. There's no getting around that. Intel graphics are never meant for gaming.

If you're getting a Pro machine and intend on using it as a PC replacement or intend on using it for a long time, get as much storage as possible.

As for the i3 versus i5, if you can afford it at all, get the i5. It's a huge step up on the i3. i3 is better than Atom/Bay Trail and it's better than Celeron, but it's still pretty crappy.

Don't forget how big PC games and programs are. If you're accustomed to Windows apps or Android or iOS apps which are 25 MB to 2 GB in size, you'll be in shock how big PC programs and games are.

 

[garak0410]

Intel integrated graphics have forever been bad. There's no getting around that. Intel graphics are never meant for gaming.

If you're getting a Pro machine and intend on using it as a PC replacement or intend on using it for a long time, get as much storage as possible.

As for the i3 versus i5, if you can afford it at all, get the i5. It's a huge step up on the i3. i3 is better than Atom/Bay Trail and it's better than Celeron, but it's still pretty crappy.

Don't forget how big PC games and programs are. If you're accustomed to Windows apps or Android or iOS apps which are 25 MB to 2 GB in size, you'll be in shock how big PC programs and games are.

Side note...I've installed Windows games on a MicroSD before and while load times are slower, it works great and saves storage...