For those waiting for the SP3 w/ the Corei7, why are you doing so?

[Bkr11]

My personal Surface is the original RT. I've been part of a proof of concept for the Surface Pro at my work and sadly I don't think it made the cut with our various systems/etc. I still have the option to hold on to it, but now I'm leaning toward purchasing my own SP3 and using our VDI connection to hook up to our network/programs/resources. If I do that I'd give back my employer-issued gear. I don't tax my computing resources for work. Outlook/Word/Excel and some other non-graphics/processing intensive applications is what I run.

I'm sure the current offering would be plenty for me, but there is a part of me that believes waiting for the top of the line Corei7 offering will make for an overall better experience over time. I'd be willing to pay for that, but I'm trying to be honest w/ myself and ask why.

So, back to the title of the thread, if you are waiting for the Corei7, why? Bonus thanks points to those who opine on the merits of waiting when you don't really *need* the extra power.

​Thanks.

 

[Laura Knotek]

My guess is that people who are waiting might want a device that is not just for work but for personal use, such as gaming.

 

[Racing Snake]

From my perspective, they're all released at the same time (here in the UK), so we have to wait anyway.

However, when I buy something, it has to be 'the best', it's one of my personal downfalls! lol
I don't want to be stretching the cpu in a couple of years time, as when 'investing' in a gadget such as this, I want it to be future proofed to a degree.

My current laptop (which I'll probably keep hold of for the time being), is a Dell i7-2720QM, and actually it's still holding up quite well, but it's 3 years old and I'm leaning towards more portability. I do a hell of a lot more travelling these days, and it's not practical to lug my 17" laptop (which weighs a ton!) around with me.

I could, if I wanted to be really strict, say I don't "need" an SP3 - then then who actually does! lol

 

[jrohland]

I'm currently rocking the i5/8/256. I am not taxing it from the CPU, RAM or storage standpoint so this is plenty of machine for my current needs. However, I will seriously consider the top of the line unit when it is available. Why? Because I have someone who wants my current model. If I am going to give it to that person, I will get myself a better one.

 

[tweedie]

I am waiting for i7 version purely because I suspect the what I planned to do with it might max out the cpu so need to squeeze every ounce of it. I don't have any experience of any surface pros so I can't say if i7 is much better/faster then i5

I would be using visual studio 2013 with a (web, mvc5) solution of about 5 projects of various libraries, vbox vms, mobile emulators with sql server 2008 running in background. Also running mongodb with node as well, and throwing in some java/android programming now and then. testing it with various unit testing apps and browsers. I don't want to be waiting more then 30 seconds to be compiling and publishing stuff.

I might be wrong and i5 would be sufficient for my purpose. So kinda waiting for performance benchmarks between i5 and i7, as well as how much battery difference it is. But if anyone is doing anything similar, I would be grateful if you could chime in with your experiences!

 

[anon(5383410)]

I'm a developer and will be running some resource intensive apps. Plus I like shiny toys.:angel:

 

[Ashalinia]

The Surface Pro 3 wouldn't be a great gaming device. HD Graphics 4400 vs. twin GTX 780s... yeah no. I think the vast majority of people getting the i7 version will be people who use many CPU intensive tasks (possibly simultaneously) or people who just like having the best of the best.

 

[salmanahmad]

Lol if I were to buy a Surface Pro 3 I would go for the Core i5 version, if you like gaming there are much better notebooks available with dedicated Nvidia GPUs, however they may not be as portable or have a 2K display.

Sent from my RM-914_im_mea3_380 using Tapatalk

 

[nasellok]

I'm an architect, and I have a feeling the i7 HD5000 8GB system will work perfectly for me. The i5 version would probably be sufficient, but I think the slightly better gpu and higher clocked processor will make a difference in opening large files (Software used: AutoCAD, Revit, Sketchup, Photoshop, Illustrator. I have a Dell Venue 8 Pro, and it is a really great device. It runs my software surprisingly well for what it is, but I really hate that it doesn't have hdmi out. It stutters a bit with larger files, but I just modeled a pretty big building in Sketchup, and it was totally fine. Processing an occasional rendering or animation is not going to happen on this device. I think the Surface Pro 3 would be able to handle what I want. I don't do crazy photo-real stuff, mostly schematic, so not super demanding on the CPU. I tried out the SP2, but didn't pull the trigger, but now that its so thin and has the awesome new kickstand I am totally into getting one.

 

[mister2d]

I'm an architect, and I have a feeling the i7 HD5000 8GB system will work perfectly for me. The i5 version would probably be sufficient, but I think the slightly better gpu and higher clocked processor will make a difference in opening large files (Software used: AutoCAD, Revit, Sketchup, Photoshop, Illustrator. I have a Dell Venue 8 Pro, and it is a really great device. It runs my software surprisingly well for what it is, but I really hate that it doesn't have hdmi out. It stutters a bit with larger files, but I just modeled a pretty big building in Sketchup, and it was totally fine. Processing an occasional rendering or animation is not going to happen on this device. I think the Surface Pro 3 would be able to handle what I want. I don't do crazy photo-real stuff, mostly schematic, so not super demanding on the CPU. I tried out the SP2, but didn't pull the trigger, but now that its so thin and has the awesome new kickstand I am totally into getting one.

I have the SP3 i5/8GB/256GB. Call me extremely skeptical that the i7 will result in any major gains. Have you read the Anandtech review of the SP3? I mean read the whole thing. You will see that Microsoft significantly throttles the CPUs in this chassis to keep it running within acceptable thermal limits. In the review you will see that any sustained CPU loads get throttled WAY down (below SP2 performance), and the SP2 actually outperforms the SP3 on many tests.

I'm a little disappointed with those findings, however I never purchased the SP3 for raw performance anyway. I needed better battery life coming from the first gen Surface, a non 16:9 display, and a much lighter chassis. I got all those in a nice package that I have today.

My advise... skip the i7 and get the high spec'd i5. It will be a waste of money in my opinion to get the i7.

 

[seangprice]

I've read the many reviews of the SP3 and I will agree that the i5/265 will probably give you the performance you need without the extra cost. The boost in the integrated graphics combined with the heavily throttled CPU will not gain you significant benefits. I would try the i5/265/8GB for 15-30 days, or whatever your retailer offers you before you spend more. I've been running/using my SP3 for about a week and without getting into hardcore gaming this machine handles my daily tasks as good if not better than my i7 Mid 2012 MacBook Pro.

 

[mister2d]

What is irrational frugality in this thread jrohland? If you are referring to my post, these tests were more on the scientific/engineering side of things. Hardly what I would call irrational. The reviewer even performed heat map testing of the entire chassis at full sustained loads.

 

[Bkr11]

FWIW I pulled the trigger today. I'll take my savings and put it toward my next Surface upgrade ;-)

 

[salmanahmad]

FWIW I pulled the trigger today. I'll take my savings and put it toward my next Surface upgrade ;-)

I would seriously recommend against it, unless portability is your only concern.

 

[mister2d]

FWIW I pulled the trigger today. I'll take my savings and put it toward my next Surface upgrade ;-)

Did you get it yet?

 

[Bkr11]

Did you get it yet?

Yes - stuck w/ the current "top of the line" offering rather than waiting for the corei7. I really couldn't rationalize why I would need the extra performance given what I do on my PCs.

 

[mister2d]

Yes - stuck w/ the current "top of the line" offering rather than waiting for the corei7. I really couldn't rationalize why I would need the extra performance given what I do on my PCs.

Cool. I figured as much. Looking at the performance plot, I went with the most storage and ram available.

 

[TechFreak1]

I'm saving up a tenner a week to get the i7 model, as I want something that will last me years to come. If I want to game on a PC heck you can build yourself a decent rig for 700 if you know where to shop around for parts (I have made three and sold them with just 10% mark up for my labor and time to relatives).. Things one must to when out of work to ease the boredom lol.