typu Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I nearly bought the surface pro 3 a couple days ago. I was soooo tempted by this great machine but then I reminded myself that the Surface Pro 4 is most likely coming out in the next couple of months and I would regret it. Thats why I decided, for 94.5% I will purchase a top end version of the Surface Pro 4 (min. 512gb ssd) together with a widescreen monitor to replace my current desktop computer. Sure, SP4 is not even out and the specs are all speculation, but its kinda logical that it will progress on top SP3 which is already great. How do you feel? Are you going to get such a machinery to replace your current desktop? Do you plan on buying a Surface device anytime soon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bankajac Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Doing the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsupersonic Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 The Surface isn't a replacement for a desktop, it's a complement to your desktop (at least for me). You have far more flexibility on desktops - adding GPU's, more powerful CPU's, more RAM, etc. Everyone has different needs. For me, I use my desktop when I'm home, and take my SP on the go. I do hate using the SP's keyboard for extended periods of time - there's not enough feel/key travel, and the built in trackpad is an absolute joke. You need the pen/touchscreen for emulating the mouse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
typu Posted April 5, 2015 Author Share Posted April 5, 2015 The Surface isn't a replacement for a desktop, it's a complement to your desktop (at least for me). You have far more flexibility on desktops - adding GPU's, more powerful CPU's, more RAM, etc. Everyone has different needs. For me, I use my desktop when I'm home, and take my SP on the go. I do hate using the SP's keyboard for extended periods of time - there's not enough feel/key travel, and the built in trackpad is an absolute joke. You need the pen/touchscreen for emulating the mouse. the hardware power of the sp3 (or sp4 most likely) is more than enough for most of the desktop needs. sure, not gaming, also not professional video editing or whatever, but for most people its just fine. i will put it in the docking station and use a standard mouse and keyboard. thats very convenient imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I cannot replace my desktop with a Surface device since I already do not have a desktop. But my laptop is an ASUS G750JX monster, and the Surface with the integrated Intel GPU just feels like a spoiled little baby that cannot do anything against the evil monster. I do own a SP2, and use it when I am outside of my room, with only Hearthstone on it in terms of gaming. But until they add a better cooling and proper support for external GPUs that do not need external power supply, which might not happen in the next 10 years, it simply will never replace my laptop which has already replaced any desktop that ever had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsupersonic Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 the hardware power of the sp3 (or sp4 most likely) is more than enough for most of the desktop needs. sure, not gaming, also not professional video editing or whatever, but for most people its just fine. i will put it in the docking station and use a standard mouse and keyboard. thats very convenient imo. I have the official docking station for my SP2. While I have it docked, I still would never consider replacing my desktop with it - again it doesn't have the expandability/power of the desktop. You could also argue for most people the Surface 3 (not Surface Pro 3) is sufficient power for most people. It all comes down to what you need the device for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anibal P Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I would go SP4 too, don't game much anymore, not much time, so it would be a great device for me Mom uses one exactly as the OP will use it and it works for her, it's her online school machine and personal use device, she also has a recent iMac, the mad expensive one, and barely uses it anymore, she has a cheaper 1440 for her secondary external screen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinetheo Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Always think with your head like an adult. Not with your heart geek envy of a product or not. I want to buy the Surface 4 but that is on hold. I have bills to pay and a HUGE cut in work and politics and uncertainty unfortunately on my immediate horizon. I also plan to leave the company I am at by the end of this year and may move. So a geek toy for me is out of the question. Yes it is a toy if what you have already works. There is a reason these Windows XP users still cling to their obsolete machines. They work! Why spend when priorities are on obamacare, retirement, exwife aka alimony, kids clothes, etc? If I made what I used to make a few months ago and traveled a lot I could justify it. My only justification is my coworker has a 1 pro and I can do wireshare with all the network connections with ease with a usb Ethernet adapter and I can read my certification books while I sit on the couch and browser Roku with it as a glorified remote. After a real touchpad, 2nd battery, and case I am looking at almost $900! So it is a want. A 10 inch screen is not a real workstation if what you have works. This is a toy and portable gadget for the airport for a busy executive or those who do lots of meetings who need notes. Traveling companion too on the road for fun :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mockingbird Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I am going to get the Surface Pro 3 in the future. My school is getting rid of lockers that I use to store my textbooks and notebooks and carrying those books around campus is not very ideal (and would put stress on my back). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsupersonic Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Always think with your head like an adult. Not with your heart geek envy of a product or not. I want to buy the Surface 4 but that is on hold. I have bills to pay and a HUGE cut in work and politics and uncertainty unfortunately on my immediate horizon. I also plan to leave the company I am at by the end of this year and may move. So a geek toy for me is out of the question. Yes it is a toy if what you have already works. There is a reason these Windows XP users still cling to their obsolete machines. They work! Why spend when priorities are on obamacare, retirement, exwife aka alimony, kids clothes, etc? If I made what I used to make a few months ago and traveled a lot I could justify it. My only justification is my coworker has a 1 pro and I can do wireshare with all the network connections with ease with a usb Ethernet adapter and I can read my certification books while I sit on the couch and browser Roku with it as a glorified remote. After a real touchpad, 2nd battery, and case I am looking at almost $900! So it is a want. A 10 inch screen is not a real workstation if what you have works. This is a toy and portable gadget for the airport for a busy executive or those who do lots of meetings who need notes. Traveling companion too on the road for fun :-) Sounds like you are going through a lot. If you're financially stable, and are a tech enthusiast, you will probably have some nice gadgets. Everyone has bills, it's part of life. Part of being wise is managing your finances properly. If you do, you can enjoy gadgets like this, and many other things in life. Of course, money isn't everything in life. FYI - you can't change the battery in the Surface devices (easily). It's not very user friendly to replace any of the internal parts. It costs about $450 to replace the battery from Microsoft, so you're better off getting a brand new device. I am going to get the Surface Pro 3 in the future. My school is getting rid of lockers that I use to store my textbooks and notebooks and carrying those books around campus is not very ideal (and would put stress on my back). What school are you in - high school, middle school? I can't believe they'd get rid of lockers - I mean it's already there, what are they going to do with existing lockers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mockingbird Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 What school are you in - high school, middle school? I can't believe they'd get rid of lockers - I mean it's already there, what are they going to do with existing lockers? I am in college. I have no idea what the staff are going to do with the existing lockers. I actually have another locker that's in the gym, but the gym is on the other side of campus and is nowhere near my classes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsupersonic Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I am in college. I have no idea what the staff are going to do with the existing lockers. I actually have another locker that's in the gym, but the gym is on the other side of campus and is nowhere near my classes. Hmm I have never seen a college with lockers (for academic side). +E.Worm Jimmy 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian S. Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I cannot replace my desktop with a Surface device since I already do not have a desktop. But my laptop is an ASUS G750JX monster, and the Surface with the integrated Intel GPU just feels like a spoiled little baby that cannot do anything against the evil monster. I do own a SP2, and use it when I am outside of my room, with only Hearthstone on it in terms of gaming. But until they add a better cooling and proper support for external GPUs that do not need external power supply, which might not happen in the next 10 years, it simply will never replace my laptop which has already replaced any desktop that ever had. I have the official docking station for my SP2. While I have it docked, I still would never consider replacing my desktop with it - again it doesn't have the expandability/power of the desktop. You could also argue for most people the Surface 3 (not Surface Pro 3) is sufficient power for most people. It all comes down to what you need the device for. The pro 2 may not be a desktop replacement, but my SP3 is. I have the i5/128 GB with a micro-sd 32GB in it at all times. Photoshop + Office 2013 w/ Access, Publisher, Skype for Business, and Visio. It handles all of that flawlessly. The app I use to take notes is Bamboo Paper which supports the Pen's pressure sensitivity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsupersonic Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 The pro 2 may not be a desktop replacement, but my SP3 is. I have the i5/128 GB with a micro-sd 32GB in it at all times. Photoshop + Office 2013 w/ Access, Publisher, Skype for Business, and Visio. It handles all of that flawlessly. The app I use to take notes is Bamboo Paper which supports the Pen's pressure sensitivity. You do realize the Pro 2 and Pro 3's both use the same Haswell based i5? The early Pro 2 came with i5 4200U, but the later SP2 units came with i5 4300U (same as SP3). The Pro 3 obviously has more choices, as you have the i3/i7 options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian S. Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 You do realize the Pro 2 and Pro 3's both use the same Haswell based i5? The early Pro 2 came with i5 4200U, but the later SP2 units came with i5 4300U (same as SP3). The Pro 3 obviously has more choices, as you have the i3/i7 options. Difference in screen size could be a deal breaker, so can the ntrig vs wacom, thermal throttling? some people are worried about that, but it is a non-issue. How about the continuous kickstand? the Pro 2 doesn't have that and some may need that for drawing sketching etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dot Matrix Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 I nearly bought the surface pro 3 a couple days ago. I was soooo tempted by this great machine but then I reminded myself that the Surface Pro 4 is most likely coming out in the next couple of months and I would regret it. Thats why I decided, for 94.5% I will purchase a top end version of the Surface Pro 4 (min. 512gb ssd) together with a widescreen monitor to replace my current desktop computer. Sure, SP4 is not even out and the specs are all speculation, but its kinda logical that it will progress on top SP3 which is already great. How do you feel? Are you going to get such a machinery to replace your current desktop? Do you plan on buying a Surface device anytime soon? Depends, I'd love to wait and see what kind of hardware will be in it. Maybe with an external GPU, and my monitors, I'll finally be able to do so. It would be great to get rid of my large tower. Hmm I have never seen a college with lockers (for academic side). I too, have never seen a college with lockers. O_o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsupersonic Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Difference in screen size could be a deal breaker, so can the ntrig vs wacom, thermal throttling? some people are worried about that, but it is a non-issue. How about the continuous kickstand? the Pro 2 doesn't have that and some may need that for drawing sketching etc. I'm more referring to your point about SP2 not being a desktop replacement - If SP2 can't replace a desktop, the SP3 definitely can't because the i5 version has the same exact CPU/iGPU. If you go back to my previous posts, you'll see why the SP lineup isn't a productive device for me (specifically extended periods), and why it can't be a desktop replacement. Again, different people have different requirements. I haven't experienced any throttling issues with SP2. The SP3 is a bit of a downgrade for me - I prefer Wacom, and the aspect ratio of SP3 isn't suitable for me. I hope they make the SP4 better - thinner (the SP lineup is still remains useless as a tablet in my eyes), more expandable, cheaper (include the type cover), and use Wacom again. I'd like more battery life out of it too - 12-15 hours, but that goes against the device being thin. If it works for you, that's great. But damnit I want a better product, because the ultrabook market is very competitive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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