SP4 256-i7-16 or SB 256-i5-dGPU

[bulls96]

THinking of upgrading my current SP3, 256GB 8gb ram.

I do photoshop elements, and some light gaming (nba 2k14), and burn blurays/dvds on the side.

Which of the two should i get?

Still frustrated about the speed of ripping DVD/BR, and also i am running 2k14 on low settings (800x600) so i felt i needed an upgrade.

I was hoping to wait for the next wave, but have certificates that will expire in october and will have to buy something then

THank you!

 

[xandros9]

The fact you want more graphics chops says dGPU.

 

[bulls96]

The fact you want more graphics chops says dGPU.

I was hoping the iris intel graphics on the sp4 i7 would be an upgrade to what we have already on sp3.

So i5+dgpu >>> i7 huh?

 

[anon(5327127)]

It is but if you need extra graphics power then the dGPU is the one for you.

 

[bulls96]

How big is the improvement in performance SP4i7 vs SBdgpu?



I was able to tolerate my SP3i5 with adobe PSE, until i started gaming on Steam. I dont do any video editing.

 

[onlysublime]

if those are what you do with your SP3 (I do photoshop elements, and some light gaming (nba 2k14), and burn blurays/dvds on the side.), then the Iris will be more than good enough. It all depends on whether you like the SP4 form factor or the Book design.

I wouldn't give up my SP4 for the Book at all. I have the 8 GB / 256 GB i7 SP4. It's fantastic. The only major negative is the horrific battery life. Microsoft and Intel really need to clean up their act.

 

[bulls96]

Given the current sale, I am again tempted to get the i7 16gb ram vs the book i5+gpu. They are almost the same price now.

Which one would u guys recommend?

 

[businezguy]

I'd be tempted by the Surface Book as well. You have to decide if you want to use your device mainly as a tablet or a laptop. You also have to decide what you want to do when you're using your device as a tablet. If you are just reading books and extremely basic tasks, you might get over 4 hours from the Surface Book tablet. If you want to edit photos in tablet mode, you'll want to get the Surface Pro 4.

If you plan on playing some games, the dGPU would be beneficial. Otherwise, you'd find the Surface Pro 4 would better meet your needs because the i7 processor would be faster.

 

[midnightfrolic]

For the same kind of money, you might be able to get a decent gaming laptop not branded Surface. There will always be some trade-offs and sacrifices to be made. Gotta sit down and decide what's most important to you.

Brand loyalty, work vs play, raw power, portability, size, weight, battery life, upgradeability limitations, etc...

I'd get a really nice gaming laptop with high end specs. Weight is of no concern to me. 4lb vs 12lb who cares as long as it does what I want and fast. If i'm doing work, I'd be sitting at a desk with power outlet nearby, so battery and weight isn't much of a concern. Otherwise if I know will be out in the field doing work remotely often, I'd bring a heavy duty portable charger battery bank 400Wh with foldable solar panels.

Imho, Surface devices are very nice and highly desirable. But I shop with my wallet. I'm also more practical. Gotta have the right tools for the job. If the right tool is a generic $3000 hunk of metal, then that's what I will get.

 

[onlysublime]

hahaha. u really are an indecisive shopper. haha. jokes aside, figure out what you want to do with the computer.

Since you already have a SP3 and haven't made the SP4 a priority, in addition to your listed tasks, it seems like the Surface Book would be better for you.

 

[bulls96]

hahaha. u really are an indecisive shopper. haha. jokes aside, figure out what you want to do with the computer.

Since you already have a SP3 and haven't made the SP4 a priority, in addition to your listed tasks, it seems like the Surface Book would be better for you.

I actually now have the i7 8gb ram sp4 since I started this thread. The sale just got me thinking about upgrading to the 16gb ram sp4. But then again saw the sb almost at the same price as the 16gb ram i7 sp4

 

[onlysublime]

I wish I had the 16 GB SP4 but it was way outside my budget. then again, I ended up picking up a second i7 SP4 8GB/256GB.

which works out. now I have a dedicated work machine fully loaded with software that sucks battery dry and a personal machine that only has my core software. but 16 GB would've been nice especially for Adobe Premiere and Lightroom.