Surface Pro i7 worth it?

[boltman2013]

For those on the fence about the i7 versus i5 versus m3....in the SP4

I still say its not worth the $2000 investment in a tablet form factor for the premium to get to i7, however if you consider the SP4 i7 versus the SP3 i7 it blows it away ....i7 in the SP3 is constantly throttled, and the i7 in the SP4 can be pushed much closer to true maximum potential because of new cooling they say that nets an 80% improvement plus they double the eDRAM to 64MB and the processor is two generation newer.

If anything the i7 in the SP4 makes the i7SP3 a Jalopy as it never really was designed to take advantage of the i7 where this version is designed to do exactly that.

So for those who insist on Surface form factor and want the best version of it.... "yes, its worth it" in comparison to the previous model but that is for a very small subset of surface purchasers because of the stratospheric pricing to get there and the other options at that price level. The tech is solid and to be appreciated.

Personally if I were spending around 1.5K (and limited to a SP4) I would try to find a way to afford the i7 as it has huge performance increase over the i5 from the current and previous generation..I'm not that impressed with the skylake i5 in the SP4...I think the smart buys (and happiest end users) are the m3 and i7 ones at least they so far have less complaints.

Its common sense if you really think....

I tend to think the i5 in Microsoft's eyes , is pretty much the hugely profitable (@ $1399 for 8GB) mass market version as they were the ONLY demos in stores (encouraging purchases of that model) ... whereas the m3 and i7 are more custom and limited in production runs (separate custom designs) and appreciated by those that step out of the "norm" and not available to try out...like the tattoos not on the wall but in the tattoo's artist personal book for friends.

In the Mission Valley store they had six i5 demos and by the launch three were faulty. I think mass production runs does not at all help a very custom device like the surface. So I advise think twice before selecting a "mass produced" i5 of this years iteration. Last run it was the i3 you avoided. There is always one model combination that ends up lesser than the others and it may not be the cheapest one "especially when the new cheap model uses a completely new fanless cpu architecture" . Pretty sure they put MUCH more design effort in the m3 and i7 cpu in this model year..in fact Panos said the i7 required over 100 custom parts and was crazy hard to get just right..the way you want..that's customization and attention to detail. Same with the first fan-less surface pro and the M3 they needed to tech the hell out of it to get it to work..the i5 was pretty much the same as last year out of the there in terms of the redesign needed for that cpu.

So in summary the SP4 i5 was very Applesque ...moderate iteration/mass produced
The i7 and m3...brought the Thunder to the SP4. (Each a significant quantum improvement over counterpart SP3's)

 

[twe90kid]

I'm eyeing on the i7/16g/256gb.
Seems like a good setup since I'm going to be doing at most Photoshop and Lightroom. I've just recently got into editing raw photos using my sony camera. But I want to be a little future proof because I just might step into video editing as a hobby. Also the system does have a microsd card slot. I think I can expand the storage and use a 128gb microsd card to bunch up the total space. If anything, usb3.0 a external harddrive.

What do you guys think?

 

[brianbrain]

I'm eyeing on the i7/16g/256gb.
Seems like a good setup since I'm going to be doing at most Photoshop and Lightroom. I've just recently got into editing raw photos using my sony camera. But I want to be a little future proof because I just might step into video editing as a hobby. Also the system does have a microsd card slot. I think I can expand the storage and use a 128gb microsd card to bunch up the total space. If anything, usb3.0 a external harddrive.

What do you guys think?

That's the setup I preordered. Ill let you know how it works later this week...

 

[m4600]

Besides the $300 price difference, is there any downside to having the i7 vs. the i5?
Would it run hotter or drain the battery faster? Does anyone see any other disadvantages?

 

[polbit]

For those on the fence about the i7 versus i5 versus m3....in the SP4

I still say its not worth the $2000 investment in a tablet form factor for the premium to get to i7, however if you consider the SP4 i7 versus the SP3 i7 it blows it away ....i7 in the SP3 is constantly throttled, and the i7 in the SP4 can be pushed much closer to true maximum potential because of new cooling they say that nets an 80% improvement plus they double the eDRAM to 64MB and the processor is two generation newer.

If anything the i7 in the SP4 makes the i7SP3 a Jalopy as it never really was designed to take advantage of the i7 where this version is designed to do exactly that.

So for those who insist on Surface form factor and want the best version of it.... "yes, its worth it" in comparison to the previous model but that is for a very small subset of surface purchasers because of the stratospheric pricing to get there and the other options at that price level. The tech is solid and to be appreciated.

Personally if I were spending around 1.5K (and limited to a SP4) I would try to find a way to afford the i7 as it has huge performance increase over the i5 from the current and previous generation..I'm not that impressed with the skylake i5 in the SP4...I think the smart buys (and happiest end users) are the m3 and i7 ones at least they so far have less complaints.

Its common sense if you really think....

I tend to think the i5 in Microsoft's eyes , is pretty much the hugely profitable (@ $1399 for 8GB) mass market version as they were the ONLY demos in stores (encouraging purchases of that model) ... whereas the m3 and i7 are more custom and limited in production runs (separate custom designs) and appreciated by those that step out of the "norm" and not available to try out...like the tattoos not on the wall but in the tattoo's artist personal book for friends.

In the Mission Valley store they had six i5 demos and by the launch three were faulty. I think mass production runs does not at all help a very custom device like the surface. So I advise think twice before selecting a "mass produced" i5 of this years iteration. Last run it was the i3 you avoided. There is always one model combination that ends up lesser than the others and it may not be the cheapest one "especially when the new cheap model uses a completely new fanless cpu architecture" . Pretty sure they put MUCH more design effort in the m3 and i7 cpu in this model year..in fact Panos said the i7 required over 100 custom parts and was crazy hard to get just right..the way you want..that's customization and attention to detail. Same with the first fan-less surface pro and the M3 they needed to tech the hell out of it to get it to work..the i5 was pretty much the same as last year out of the there in terms of the redesign needed for that cpu.

So in summary the SP4 i5 was very Applesque ...moderate iteration/mass produced
The i7 and m3...brought the Thunder to the SP4. (Each a significant quantum improvement over counterpart SP3's)

That's it, Bolt is not impressed with the i5, i'm returning mine.

 

[boltman2013]

That's it, Bolt is not impressed with the i5, i'm returning mine.

Good decision

 

[boltman2013]

That's it, Bolt is not impressed with the i5, i'm returning mine.

Good decision

 

[Squachy]

Is the i7 sp4 expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? Depends.... And that's the big one. It DEPENDS. Laptops are cheaper and powerful but they aren't tablets. Tablets are cheaper but they aren't powerful laptops. Convertibles are cheaper but they aren't thin and made for stylus pens nor are they built for tablet work. The surface in all reality is a laptop/ultrabook crammed into a tablet package. And that the beauty of it. It's not one or the other, it's both. And theres a whole freaking range of options that fits everyone's needs. Surface 3 > surface pro 4 > surface book. If you can get by with an m3 sp4 in all likely hood you probably could have gotten by with the surface 3 line. But you wanted the sp4 cuz its newer and shinier. That's not enough for me. I'm not after a gaming machine but I desire something more powerful than a low end processor. I don't want just a laptop, it needs to be more. I'd like a tablet and I would prefer not to have more machines than necessary. One phone, one portable computer, one desktop. So yeah surface fits the bill. I have a real old convertible laptop currently that this would replace. It's old, slow (core2@2.0ghz but for some odd reason runs at half speed now) chunky, pen stylus capability (but no touch), 1.5hr battery life and no 3d graphics capability whatsoever (Intel gma950). This thing was expensive at the time. Is the sp4 i7 worth it? For you nope, but if I can make use of all that power (AutoCAD, PhotoShop, light gaming I would use it for) then yeah I think so.

 

[onlysublime]

No matter how many people try to push the M3, it's really only there for people that likes the features of SP4 but don't want to spend too much.

It'd be easier to recommend Core M if it was the M5 or M7. But it's the M3... It's not a bad processor. But it's not really a "Pro" processor. M3 would've made sense for a Surface 4. A nice upgrade over Surface 3 and its Atom. For people that want to web browse, run Office, play some games, etc.

Not a Surface Pro 4.

I'm glad that bolt likes his M3 even though he's a little overenthusiastic. At least Microsoft is trying to provide options for all types of people. No one can fault Microsoft for that. It's not like Apple's "there's only one Apple" way

 

[boltman2013]

No matter how many people try to push the M3, it's really only there for people that likes the features of SP4 but don't want to spend too much.

It'd be easier to recommend Core M if it was the M5 or M7. But it's the M3... It's not a bad processor. But it's not really a "Pro" processor. M3 would've made sense for a Surface 4. A nice upgrade over Surface 3 and its Atom. For people that want to web browse, run Office, play some games, etc.

Not a Surface Pro 4.

I'm glad that bolt likes his M3 even though he's a little overenthusiastic. At least Microsoft is trying to provide options for all types of people. No one can fault Microsoft for that. It's not like Apple's "there's only one Apple" way

Who are you to say that the M3 as a cpu is not PRO?
I'm a professional and use the M3 everyday in my profession and at home..pretty sure Microsoft would not risk their reputation (like Apple) in mislabeling a PRO device. Its PRO, Microsoft says so.

In fact its better than the i5 for 99% of users. The fact they don't promote it is by design to extract another $500 out of your wallet (i5/8GB) . This they learned from Apple. Face it no one would buy a SP4 if they were to say starting at $1399 without a keyboard. That's nuts yet you propose people limit themselves to that..you are talking to 1% that may actually need the extra oomph of an i5 or 4 more GB of RAM..not the 99% like I am.

BTW Apple does the very same thing (multiple options) ..ever hear of the 8GB or 16GB iphone? Except theirs are truly ridiculous at those specs..but it starts at $699 when they really want $1000

 

[Lilliputti]

Who are you to say that the M3 as a cpu is not PRO?
I'm a professional and use the M3 everyday in my profession and at home..pretty sure Microsoft would not risk their reputation (like Apple) in mislabeling a PRO device. Its PRO, Microsoft says so.

In fact its better than the i5 for 99% of users. The fact they don't promote it is by design to extract another $500 out of your wallet (i5/8GB) . This they learned from Apple. Face it no one would buy a SP4 if they were to say starting at $1399 without a keyboard. That's nuts yet you propose people limit themselves to that..you are talking to 1% that may actually need the extra oomph of an i5 or 4 more GB of RAM..not the 99% like I am.

BTW Apple does the very same thing (multiple options) ..ever hear of the 8GB or 16GB iphone? Except theirs are truly ridiculous at those specs..but it starts at $699 when they really want $1000

It's easy to agree with boltman. I really think the same way even though i belong the 1% who ordered SP4 i7/16/256.

The 1% knows what tey want and are ready (and usually capable) to spend that exctra $ even if you could get "more powerful" solutions in laptops. For me it's no brainer to get SP4 as i am mobile app developer. SP just shines out when using ViS and Xamarin. My other collegues have MacBook Pro's or other _laptops_. If i am looking behind shoulder and have something to show/edit/etc. i usually try to touch the screen and use same methods as i would use on my SP3. Immidiately reaction "F#%? this ****!". Soooooooo slow to use and power wise there is not THAT much of a difference. SP's usability easily outperforms the difference in power.

So if you really aren't sure do you need the extra power in SP4 you most probably don't. Last but not least SP4 for gaming? Seriously?? Why on earth you are even considering this? Meaby some older and not so heavy gaming yes but most cases for gaming, laptop is allways better option.

 

[WildKarrde]

Just because you're interested in gaming on the SP4 doesn't mean that it's your primary concern with the tablet. I think the reason most people wonder about it's gaming capabilities is because gaming is a performance benchmark that all people can relate to.

 

[Lilliputti]

Just because you're interested in gaming on the SP4 doesn't mean that it's your primary concern with the tablet. I think the reason most people wonder about it's gaming capabilities is because gaming is a performance benchmark that all people can relate to.

I think this type of thinking is part of the problem. Yes, sure gaming performance can give you good overview of performance. BUT if you are doing 95% of the time something else you realy should be conserned how it performs when doing that "something else". To buy more expencive equipment "just in case" is in 99% of the cases just waisting your money. Its like buying a jeep when you are living in the city and you might some day drive on a side road. I have noticed that many users have huge difficulties to identify their true needs.

My last reply i cinda missed the OP. In your case i would go with macbook pro IF you are comfy doing editing whitout touch screen. Also you are familiar whit mac's useriterface.

But if you are really interested about SP4 you can allways buy it, test it, and reurn it, right? This way you would be able to truly test if it meets your needs. Small display is not THAT big of a deal (on the road) when you get used to it. You can have 3 documents open side by side but don't know if thats enough for you and when you are at home you ofc. use bigger display(s).

 

[WildKarrde]

I think this type of thinking is part of the problem. Yes, sure gaming performance can give you good overview of performance. BUT if you are doing 95% of the time something else you realy should be conserned how it performs when doing that "something else". To buy more expencive equipment "just in case" is in 99% of the cases just waisting your money. Its like buying a jeep when you are living in the city and you might some day drive on a side road. I have noticed that many users have huge difficulties to identify their true needs.

Maybe you're right, but I know in my case, if I'm going to spend $1200 on a computer, that I will be using at least twice as much as I will my desktop, I want to know what it's full capabilities are. If the i5 SP4 were unable to handle some light gaming, I probably would have looked elsewhere, as $1200 is the cheapest 8GB SP4 available, and I know I need that for my workload. Knowing my SP4 will handle everything I throw at it, in addition to functioning as an entertainment device when I want it to makes it a worthwhile purchase to me, as it has everything I desire in a portable device.

Just because gaming isn't my first, or even second priority in a portable device, doesn't mean it isn't important at all.

 

[GatsbyGlen]

You should get whatever it is you're comfortable with, not with what others are comfortable with. I said to myself, a 32GB cell phone is probably good enough, so I got 64GB. As for the SP4, is my i5/8/256 too much, maybe. Could I have made the M3 work? Probably. Do I need i7? Probably not. The configuration I got seemed right to me, for me.

 

[Lilliputti]

I know I need that for my workload.

You obviously know what you need. Then the SP4 i5 is whit out a doubt "worth it" for _you_.

You should get whatever it is you're comfortable with, not with what others are comfortable with.

If it's so, why bother to write a post in the forum first place? I know in many cases you are kind of made the buying decision allready but you still need to convince yourself to do it. Then you head to forums for getting support to your thougts. But most likely, like in this case, you probably will get variety of answers that can make you more confused rather than giving you confirmation to go for it. This might be cos peoples are more likely to answer "what others are comfortable with" than your real question.

IMO if you don't know what you really need (like do i need 4GB or 8GB RAM) then "worth it" is a relevant question money wise. If you have $$ then its more like "You should get whatever it is you're comfortable with" It can also have psychological aspect for your productivity. Like in my case SP4 i7/16/256 is "worth it" even if I could do spec wise better with another device. Because I truly believe this is THE device to get most out of my productivity then I will.