Current laptop compared to Pro 3 i3 and Pro 4 M3

[Matt Manahan]

My current laptop is a Lenovo U430 Touch i5-4200U 1.6 Ghz. - 2.3 Ghz 4GB.

I'm thinking of replacing it with a Surface Pro 3 i3 ($599) or Surface Pro 4 m4 ($899).

I really want the Pro 4, but saving $300 is very appealing. If I get the Pro 3, I'll buy the new keyboard. Do you think I'd be happy with a Pro 3 i3 compared to my current i5 laptop?

Thanks!

 

[boltman2013]

My current laptop is a Lenovo U430 Touch i5-4200U 1.6 Ghz. - 2.3 Ghz 4GB.

I'm thinking of replacing it with a Surface Pro 3 i3 ($599) or Surface Pro 4 m4 ($899).

I really want the Pro 4, but saving $300 is very appealing. If I get the Pro 3, I'll buy the new keyboard. Do you think I'd be happy with a Pro 3 i3 compared to my current i5 laptop?

Thanks!

I replaced my i3 Vaio e-series with 8GB of ram and 500GB SSD.

I LOVE my SP4m3.. it checks all the check boxes for features, runs Windows 10 and Office perfectly is fan less and has the best Mobile display ever created. I got 10% off using .edu portal.

My son has the SP3i5 from last year so I can compare the two...mines better, he agrees . A nice upgrade.

The only downside I see and this may be enough of a down to consider... the SP's are fairly small, great for portability but once in a while you "may" want a bigger screen of course you can connect to external. Luckily my close up vision is great so it is fine for me. I do miss my # pad from my Vaio I hate using number keys across the top.

You have to learn to live in 128GB too. That is a lifestyle decision not to keep everything on the ssd. I still have over 70GB free after using it since launch.

Will it replace your laptop? who knows for me it did (barely touch my Vaio anymore) and I love features like Hello , the new pen and the amazing screen in a fanless surface pro. I think its worth the $300 extra myself.

I would not recommend the i3 SP3..too many compromises for $300 savings. Even the i5SP3 would not be worth $300 savings if you want the best go m3

 

[Eric J F]

I can't compare my SP4 m3 with your others, but like boltman I really like mine and highly recommend it. Boltman's points in other forum responses are worth considering. Like him I agree the fanless feature and snappy m3 processor are real positives, and the ridiculous price jump to get 8GB of memory isn't justified for most users. I think many of his critics are like the car buyers that get a fancy 4WD and rarely take it off pavement.

My m3 has completely replaced my HP laptop, and comes close to replacing my desktop. I'm finding it's just quicker and easier to do most non-phone type things on Surface.

 

[zkyevolved]

Oh if the M3 came in 256 and 8GB ram, I would have bought that. Instead I got the i5/128/4gb. I'm very happy with this one. I haven't updated a single driver or let windows update take over yet, haha, and it's running great. No complaints. I really think the SP4 is a fantastic device. I hope they work on some more battery efficiency though, especially during sleep.

 

[brianbrain]

Matt,

An i3 SP3 is a decent downgrade from the i5-4200U CPU in your current laptop (25%-30% slower). Will you notice this in day-to-day usage? Without knowing how you use your computer, it's difficult to say...

The SP4 M3 is a good replacement for your i5-4200U. Roughly the same performance, on average. Personally, I think the price is well worth it.

 

[Matt Manahan]

Thanks, Brian (and everyone). I think I'm going with the Pro 4 M3.