To upgrade or not, and which one??

[ShannyMan]

I'm a software developer, currently using a Surface Book 2 with 16GB RAM. My RAM usage is constantly pegged between 95-100% (95% as I write this) so I need something with more memory. I was disappointed a Surface Book 3 didn't get released, but the Laptop 3 with 32 GB is very enticing. I've already pre-ordered the AMD consumer edition, but I'm curious what others think. I've been torn about this decision since these devices were revealed.

UserBenchmark ranks my current Surface Book 2 CPU slightly better than the Ryzen 3700U, which I understand to be that in the Laptop 3 (Plus an extra Vega core): https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-8650U-vs-AMD-Ryzen-7-3700U/m353957vsm765724

1) Should I even bother upgrading at this time?
2) I need Windows 10 Pro anyways, which will cost me an extra $99 once I get the device. Should I spend the extra $$ and go for the Business version with the Intel chip? I also used a student discount on the Laptop 3 which I would lose with the Business version, thereby costing me several hundred dollars more than just the Win 10 Pro license.

I know there are other great laptops available, but I really want to stay in the Microsoft device ecosystem.

Thanks!

 

[spicypadthai]

Assuming you pre-ordered through MS, you can return it for free until 1/31/20 so you'll get 3 months to evaluate. Combined with what you want for specs, your desire to stay with MS hardware, and the student discount, there's no downside to your decision b/c the Laptop 3 is your only option.

 

[ShannyMan]

Good point about returning it if I'm unhappy. I never considered that but Microsoft does have a very generous return policy. Thanks!

 

[bulls96]

I am also curious how these compare to the Book 2 with dedicated gpu.

I only game using Steam, NBA 2k, and quite happy with the performance I get from my 13 inch. But the flatness and lightness is enticing to me, more than the ram.

 

[ShannyMan]

I just got an email that my pre-order was canceled! The email stated their web page went live before it was supposed to. I guess that makes sense since I haven't seen the 32GB configuration available since the initial announcement. No word on when it would be available, but needless to say, I'm very disappointed. This may push me toward the business model if I can get that one sooner.