Interesting comments about SP3 i3, i5, and i7 reliability from Surface Support Rep

[stephen_az]

I just spent some time on the phone with Surface support about what appears to be a problem with my Type Cover 3. Originally thought it might be a problem with the SP3 but looks more likely to be a defective Type Cover so they are shipping out a replacement. During the conversation though, the rep, who was very helpful, actually said that the i5 models (128GB and 256GB) are the most reliable by a considerable margin. Most calls are for either the i3 or i7 models. This is not really surprising since Microsoft was already using the same i5 in the SP2 but I thought I would pass it along to those considering purchases this holiday season. Take it for what it is worth.

BTW, on the helpfulness front, yes, they are shipping out a replacement Type Cover after running a few minutes worth of practical diagnostics. The rep also stated that if the problem is still present when we follow up next week they will immediately ship out a replacement SP3 on the existing case number. Microsoft may annoy me on some fronts (the store most of all) but I have never had a complaint about Surface support....

 

[David Horn]

Out of curiosity, what was the problem?

 

[stephen_az]

Out of curiosity, what was the problem?

Actually, at this point it has gotten a bit complicated. The problems that had me contacting Surface support were random trackpad pointer movement (with the trackpad disabled); occasional key responses with the type cover flipped back; phantom sticky key responses; and system hangs when restarting with the type cover flipped back. For the last one, it would take minutes for the system to boot if the cover was folded behind - takes less than 15 seconds with it forward or detached.

As it turns out though, this all appears to be related to a cascade system failure of which the type cover was just the first symptom. Numerous problems have developed over the weekend and they are now shipping me a replacement SP3. To their credit, they actually thought it was as likely as not that the original problems were related to a system failure but, given the choice, I wanted to try just replacing the keyboard first. Further to their credit, when I got back on the phone with them today, they immediately setup the replacement. They also did not argue with me when I suggested this was probably related to the 11/18 firmware upgrade. That is when things started to go wrong and my thought is the installation was probably corrupted.

All of this is off the original topic but I remain impressed across the board with Surface support. BTW, if people want a fast response, do try the obvious before calling, with the obvious not being to come on this forum to ask questions and assume the answers are authoritative. If a problem may be related to a card or type cover or accessory, see if things work when they are disconnected, If there are still problems consider a clean reset. In my case, I also then downloaded an new system recovery image from Surface support and did a reset from a flash drive as well in case the image on the drive had become corrupt. It also obviously helps to write down the actual symptoms and all the things tried. Likewise, Event Viewer will list errors and warnings. Many are unintelligible but others provide easy clues. If you have done the obvious and can relay that to them, it makes their job easier to help you and can expedite service (without the need to repeat steps)....