Microsoft Surface Pro 3....

chrism_scotland

chrism_scotland

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Hey folks

Looking for a little advice, I've been looking to replace a tablet and ideally I'm looking for something a bit more useful than the usual iPad or Android fare, I've been thinking about moving to a tablet + small desktop setup to replace my laptop and have my eye on the Surface Pro 3 as the tablet part of that.

It more for use in the house and maybe out and about the odd time (SP3 should fit nicely in my Hadley Pro Bag!), but I wondered if anyone on here has the Surface Pro 3? How do you find it and what's performance like?
I'm not expecting to do anything more demanding than Photoshop and maybe some very light gaming (Football Manager mainly), I've an eye on the i5 256GB version as it seems the best mix of performance and storage space without costing a fortune (like the 512GB model!).

I'm partially looking for this to be my main PC for a few months too and I'd be keen to hear from anyone who uses theirs docked on a larger screen as I've got a 24" Dell screen which I think it should play nicely with.

Cheers!
 
Hi there I switched earlier this year to the Surface Pro 3 from a 15 MBP
I did the switch for firstly portability and weight I never really took the MBP out of the house.
Performance wise the Surface works well with LR an PS and on both platforms it switches to tablet mode when you remove the keyboard.
In this mode with the pen it's quite outstanding as an editing device.
The pen does take some getting used to but now I wouldn't be without it!
I went for the top spec surface and also bought a 128gb SD card for storage.
I cannot fault it really. Sometimes the fans kick in when high processing is taking place otherwise its not a problem
I use mine with an Adobe CC subscription and all is very good.
Next investment for it is a dock and the new Samsung T1 250gb SSD external drive.
Hope this helps!
 
I have one with dock for in work but still not totally moved over to it as my dell xps 15 is much quicker even though both are i7 processors, it's a great device and very sleek :) I still use my iPad at home though for general browsing web and emails as it's still much lighter than a surface pro 3 and you do notice it in the arms ! But if you don't have a newer laptop already go for it you won't be disappointed
 
I was considering the Surface Pro 3, but ordered a Dell XPS 13 instead. I have a gaming PC, but I imagined I might be gaming in bed on a portable device sometimes and wanted a screen that would support itself whilst using a keyboard.

Surface Pro 4 could be announced soon.
 
dancook said:
I was considering the Surface Pro 3, but ordered a Dell XPS 13 instead. I have a gaming PC, but I imagined I might be gaming in bed on a portable device sometimes and wanted a screen that would support itself whilst using a keyboard.

Surface Pro 4 could be announced soon.
Click to expand...

Agree Worthing waiting for the surface pro 4 announcement as this will cause bigger price drops and offers in the current pro 3.
 
dancook said:
I was considering the Surface Pro 3, but ordered a Dell XPS 13 instead. I have a gaming PC, but I imagined I might be gaming in bed on a portable device sometimes and wanted a screen that would support itself whilst using a keyboard.

Surface Pro 4 could be announced soon.
Click to expand...

si019 said:
Agree Worthing waiting for the surface pro 4 announcement as this will cause bigger price drops and offers in the current pro 3.
Click to expand...

Gaming in bed? What are you thinking man??
 
si019 said:
Agree Worthing waiting for the surface pro 4 announcement as this will cause bigger price drops and offers in the current pro 3.
Click to expand...
They've been saying the 'announcing soon' spiel since about January when the Broadwell chip started surfacing.
That said, there are new 'rumours' of an October announcement - but much like camera stuff, announcement to release aren't always the same thing.

I've been using the SP3 for a year now and I'm really happy with it, my only frustrations is my first unit I sent back due to developing a yellow-glue-burn line down the left hand side, and then my second unit developed a screen fault by dropping 2 pixel lines vertically down the screen.

I've got the i7 one and there isn't much it can't do - although not a big gamer I have dabbled in a couple of games on it too.
 
I've got a plain old Surface with the detachable keyboard. TBH, I only use it as a tablet but since that's what I bought it for, that's not a problem. The newer versions (and indeed all the Pro varieties) are more like mini netbooks and are surprisingly powerful. Unlike most of the competition, they also have proper USB slots so can be used with a hub to attach more peripherals (a better keyboard would be a good place to start!) and expand the memory. I'm not a great fan of screen keyboards but usually find myself using it on the Surface since the angle that the built in stand causes really bad reflections where I use it (in bed with a reading light on behind me) if I use the clip-on keyboard. Not sure how long I could live with one as my only computer but I reckon the newer ones are plenty capable as a stop gap as long as you're not expecting current desktop/laptop levels of performance.
 
Yup I have a Surface Pro 3 - i5/256GB/8GB version, with a 128GB MicroSD card as the D: drive, docking station in my office and at home, and currently using it with a Dell 2415Q 4K external monitor and a Dell WFP3008 2560X1600 external monitor.

I use office 365 plus project/visio, Adobe CC, VMWare Workstation 11, Visual Studio 2015 Pro, IntelliJ IDEA. Run IIS locally, run MS SQL Server, Neo4j, Postgres, you name it....Basically the only think I don't do is play games.

I love the form factor as it is so easy to use on the little flip tables on the train compared to a conventional laptop design. Or if I don't get a seat with table I use it in tablet mode. Which is something I do a lot as well sitting on the sofa at home. Or when I hook up the car programming equipment inside my Golf R.

To me it is a superbly versatile device, and guess what my usual carry around bag is....Yup a Billingham Hadley Pro ;) A perfect fit.

I got mine in March, and then there was this discussion about the Surface Pro 4. What was a decider for me is that the new generation is fully focussed on battery life. The expectation is that raw power could go down and move a little more to a consumption device. On my investigations I found that the i5/8GB/256GB is not only the best price/value point, but also noticed many more stories of the i7 model throttling performance to reduce heat and thus whilst on paper quicker, in practise it can often be slower. As I haven't got one I can't verify it.

I love it, and with Windows 10 with its multiple desktops and proper display independent scaling it is even better!!!
 
Everyone, thanks for the input, appreciate that a new Pro 4 "might" get announced in October but with the SP3 there was a 3 month lag between announcement and UK availability and I'm not waiting until January/Feb!!

Had a play with an i5 (4GB) in PC World today and I think I'm just about sold, seems nice and quick and the model I want (i5 256GB 8GB) has more RAM so should be even better, its more to replace my old Android Tablet than really replace my current 15" laptop (which just gets used as a desktop pc plugged into a screen really as I'm looking at building a small form factor desktop PC to keep me gaming later in the year! So the way I look at it is as a supercharged tablet rather than a slower laptop/pc really... my Note 4 does as a mobile browsing device anyway!!

10% cashback in there just now as well (on whats already the cheapest price I can find) so that will pay for the keyboard!
 
My GF has one which i bought for me initially. We have the i7 version. It's a good device.
However, the battery life is a bit ropey at times compared to non tablet competition and it will throttle (clock down the processor speed) to I3 levels, if you you're running at sustained load for any period of time.
I bought mine for lightroom and ended up offloading so I could buy a laptop with a more powerful processor. It didn't like my 24MP pictures, although 16MP seemed fine.

It's a good alternative to a thin and light laptop, but around 1/2 as fast as a quad core laptop.

http://forums.windowscentral.com/mi...rottling-i7-i5-=-i3-speed-sustained-load.html
 
rich_ said:
My GF has one which i bought for me initially. We have the i7 version. It's a good device.
However, the battery life is a bit ropey at times compared to non tablet competition and it will throttle (clock down the processor speed) to I3 levels, if you you're running at sustained load for any period of time.
I bought mine for lightroom and ended up offloading so I could buy a laptop with a more powerful processor. It didn't like my 24MP pictures, although 16MP seemed fine.

It's a good alternative to a thin and light laptop, but around 1/2 as fast as a quad core laptop.

http://forums.windowscentral.com/microsoft-surface-pro-3/301129-buyer-beware-surface-pro-3-throttling-i7-i5-=-i3-speed-sustained-load.html
Click to expand...
That is a rather old thread with many improvements since. And let's not forget the i7 used is a dual core cpu not a quad core so no surprise then that it is half as fast as a quad core machine during a sustained cpu intensive process that can utilise all those cores.

I'm up to 20mp raw and it is absolutely fine, comparable to my quad core i7 with faster SSD MacBook Air. So perhaps the turning point is at 24mp, I suspect it is the throttling of the i7 to dispense with the heat.
 
chrism_scotland said:
Hmmm might need to rethink then... my D750 is 24mp...
Click to expand...
Pop it on a USB and try it at PC World or the like. Alternatively if you want me to give a link to a RAW file I happily take a look and see if it can handle it. If you ask nicely I could take a screencast :P
 
dejongj said:
That is a rather old thread with many improvements since. And let's not forget the i7 used is a dual core cpu not a quad core so no surprise then that it is half as fast as a quad core machine during a sustained cpu intensive process that can utilise all those cores.

I'm up to 20mp raw and it is absolutely fine, comparable to my quad core i7 with faster SSD MacBook Air. So perhaps the turning point is at 24mp, I suspect it is the throttling of the i7 to dispense with the heat.
Click to expand...

Yes, clearly a dual core is half as powerful as a quad core in raw CPU performance at the same speed. :) To note a Macbook Air is a dual core, hence why it's probably a similar performance part, the I5/7 bit is just a different turbo boost (Which throttles) and perhaps a bit of cache. It's all down to the users perspective also. If you're not used to using a higher performance computer then the slower laptop will not affect you.

My problem was that I used a fast workstation and the Surface so the Surface always felt very sluggish. If you don't mind waiting a few seconds to render a photo in develop mode then it's cool. If you do, then it's perhaps not so suitable! But a fantastic thin and light 2 in 1 type solution
 
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Well I picked up an i5 256GB Pro 3 yesterday but I think its going to have to go back... battery doesn't seem to want to charge above 48% and if I unplug it it just turns off.
Also very buggy and has crashed on me on a number of occasions over the last 16 hours I've had it.. not too impressed, not sure whether to get it swapped or returned to be honest.
 
chrism_scotland said:
Everyone, thanks for the input, appreciate that a new Pro 4 "might" get announced in October but with the SP3 there was a 3 month lag between announcement and UK availability and I'm not waiting until January/Feb!!

Had a play with an i5 (4GB) in PC World today and I think I'm just about sold, seems nice and quick and the model I want (i5 256GB 8GB) has more RAM so should be even better, its more to replace my old Android Tablet than really replace my current 15" laptop (which just gets used as a desktop pc plugged into a screen really as I'm looking at building a small form factor desktop PC to keep me gaming later in the year! So the way I look at it is as a supercharged tablet rather than a slower laptop/pc really... my Note 4 does as a mobile browsing device anyway!!

10% cashback in there just now as well (on whats already the cheapest price I can find) so that will pay for the keyboard!
Click to expand...
As a supercharged tablet you will be more than happy ;) it's still a bloody good laptop but I've been spoilt with my xps15 with qhd+ display, it's amazingly small and lightweight for a laptop, if you change your mind though don't buy new from dell use their outlet site as you get same warranty as new and it looks new when you open it up I but all our work gear from there now
 
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chrism_scotland said:
Well I picked up an i5 256GB Pro 3 yesterday but I think its going to have to go back... battery doesn't seem to want to charge above 48% and if I unplug it it just turns off.
Also very buggy and has crashed on me on a number of occasions over the last 16 hours I've had it.. not too impressed, not sure whether to get it swapped or returned to be honest.
Click to expand...
To me that sounds like it has fault. I would swap it.
 
dejongj said:
To me that sounds like it has fault. I would swap it.
Click to expand...

Yeah I think your right, going to use it plugged in today to let me have a test drive and make sure I'm happy using it, I'm half contemplating retuning it for the fault and paying the extra £250 for the i7 512GB model..
 
Has anyone used Graphisoftware album designer on surface pro3? Im thinking of buying one but cant check whenever it will work on it or not. The shops dont allow to install soft to try.
 
I don't have the software and can't find a demo download. I've designed books with blurb and that works just fine. As it is a normal PC I see no reason why it wouldn't work.
 
I have sent you the link to the program. If you could try to install it and create 1 page album with any 1 photo and try to export it. I would be very greatfull for that! To see if it works
 
^Demon said:
I have sent you the link to the program. If you could try to install it and create 1 page album with any 1 photo and try to export it. I would be very greatfull for that! To see if it works
Click to expand...
The application most definitely works, it is fast and responsive on my i5 Surface Pro. However ..... the user interface is totally useless. The Surface pro has got an ultra high resolution display, and this application doesn't scale at all. As such it is incredibly small print, the icons on the book are super tiny, it is just very hard to see and read the user interface. So it works, if you can decipher what it says and does.

The way around this is to wack up the scaling to 200 or 250% but then your photos will look crap. I bet the same issue exists if you use a UHD external screen. Shame as it seems so unnecessary. But any UHD screen laptop will have that issue. And Windows 10 is a lot better than any other system.

Cheers,
JP
 
Thank you so much for taking time and testing this for me !!!! You really helped a lot!
 
As a comparison, Adobe has actually done some really good work on making their applications work with ultra high resolution displays. It is a joy to use all components of Adobe CC on the Surface Pro and the interface scales nicely and even swaps between touch interface and standard.
 
Is there many software that has scaling issues you come across with?
 
I must admit that this is the first. It looks like they used some kind of cross platform toolkit to creat their app but not flex. Flex based apps are just fine. Even my specialist car tuning software is fine. This is the first.
 
I'll see if I can screen record and then you can see what I mean.
 
The software loads lower resolution version of photos on desktop version aswell so its the small menu issue that worries me.
 
I tried it again at home and the scaling issue somehow resolved itself? I've made a little movie of two halves for you....One from the inbuilt screen, and one from the 4K monitor. Then as a bonus a quick edit on a lightroom raw image....

View: https://youtu.be/0nhvQ73KtTI


PS. Why this has only uploaded as a 480p I don't know :( It will have to wait until tonight to see if I can render it at full HD...
 
dejongj said:
I tried it again at home and the scaling issue somehow resolved itself? I've made a little movie of two halves for you....One from the inbuilt screen, and one from the 4K monitor. Then as a bonus a quick edit on a lightroom raw image....

View: https://youtu.be/0nhvQ73KtTI


PS. Why this has only uploaded as a 480p I don't know :( It will have to wait until tonight to see if I can render it at full HD...
Click to expand...

Thank you so so much! For your help. It seems that it usable on 150%!
 
Yes it definitely is :)
 
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