MS Surface Event

[Beefbowl]

Ok so those updates do not seem very big. I love the blue surface Pro 9 😍, however I’m not sure if it will meet my needs when it comes to playing the games i want to Play on Steam.

The Surface Laptop 5 looks good too. I do wish they would of added more colours too the 15” version tho.

I have the Surface Pro 8, and the 9 looks like a fairly minor spec bump so I would expect similar performance.

My rule of thumb is basically that if a game was a AAA game for the Xbox 360, it will run pretty well on the Surface 8, usually at 1620x1080 resolution and medium settings. If I drop down to 1440x960 / medium settings, I can even get decent framerates on things like Dark Souls III (I don’t mean 60 fps in this case. I mean 40-50).

One exception is GTAV, which was technically an Xbox 360 game. The PC port is just not what I would call an enjoyable experience on the SP8. 1440x960 at 30fps or lower.

More modern games are definitely hit or miss. Genshin Impact is a slideshow at the lowest settings at 1440x960, for example. Even Fortnite, which should run on a potato, is just not playable.

WoW works great at low to medium settings if that’s your jam.

If I hook it up to an eGPU, however, it becomes a pretty solid 1080p gaming machine. I use a RX590 in a Razer eGPU enclosure and can play even fairly taxing games like Control.

 

[MayaUser]

I never bought the whole 720p webcam thing. Realistically the video is going to be compressed to high hell through whatever platform your using anyways.
And if the person on the other end is on a phone or tablet it definitely doesn't make any sense to complain about 720p.

while i agree, the reality is there..you cannot compare the 1080p from surface pro with the surface laptops...those who need and are living in video calls , they appreciate the 1080p instead of 720p...because if we look for excuses then why 720p and not 420p like old days. For 2023 is a shame since they, themselves talked about home and video conferences and 70% of their current surfaces have 1080p. Lack of R&D for a new design to place 1080p there, nothing else, the same way for the surface studio 2 plus

 

[MayaUser]

I want something portable. I'm going to get an external monitor and dock while I'm at home. I write, draw and take notes most of the time. I will occasionally game, but nothing too major, just games like Two Point Campus, Age Of Empires, Police Simulator Patrol Officers.

Being able to doc to an eternal monitor is a must, I want a portable desktop basically. Unplug and take on the go when I need to travel and go too work.

go for the surface pro 9 with intel, then is far better product for you

 

[Dave245]

How does the Surface Laptop look good. Only one USB C and 720p webcams. 1080P is now standard and the headphone jack is a basic one.

I said it looks good, i didn’t say anything about USB-C or the webcam. I was referring to the look of it, including the new green colour.

 

[maflynn]

I never bought the whole 720p webcam thing.

I sit in way too many meetings and its quite noticable when I or people use a 720p or a 1080P (or even higher) webcam. I'd say by and large if you're doing a lot of zoom/teams meetings 720p just doesn't cut the mustard in 2022.

This is the head scratching thing that MSFT keeps doing, designs a beautiful computer and then hamstrings it in an odd way. The new studio is not using the latest CPUs, this using an inferior camera - is that the end of the world, no and its probably not a component that would make or break a buying decision but its just odd

 

[Fusionskies]

I was hoping for a new surface go 4, I almost bought one a few months ago but decided to wait until fall to see what they came up with. Hopefully the models will be discounted though at least, I am hoping.

 

[SteveJUAE]

I sit in way too many meetings and its quite noticable when I or people use a 720p or a 1080P (or even higher) webcam. I'd say by and large if you're doing a lot of zoom/teams meetings 720p just doesn't cut the mustard in 2022.

This is the head scratching thing that MSFT keeps doing, designs a beautiful computer and then hamstrings it in an odd way. The new studio is not using the latest CPUs, this using an inferior camera - is that the end of the world, no and its probably not a component that would make or break a buying decision but its just odd

I do a monthly 2 hour 50+ attendees across 3 continents, 6 time zones and almost all do not have webcams on and mikes muted else the meeting would grind to a halt and full of feedback

720p is the least of our problems

 

[maflynn]

6 time zones and almost all do not have webcams on and mikes

We cross time zones as well, and have people in India but all have webcams and mikes. In fact its a policy at my company that you have the webcam turned on whenever possible.

 

[InuNacho]

I sit in way too many meetings and its quite noticable when I or people use a 720p or a 1080P (or even higher) webcam. I'd say by and large if you're doing a lot of zoom/teams meetings 720p just doesn't cut the mustard in 2022.

This is the head scratching thing that MSFT keeps doing, designs a beautiful computer and then hamstrings it in an odd way. The new studio is not using the latest CPUs, this using an inferior camera - is that the end of the world, no and its probably not a component that would make or break a buying decision but its just odd

I took a Zoom night class at a community college during the pandemic and frequently Whatsapp and Discord video chat with friends and family.
I can honestly say I cannot tell if someone is using a 720, 1080, or even 4k camera because compression and any internet interruption on either side makes it look like digital soup. At home on my desktop, I have my Sony A7SII as my webcam but the resolution is only 1024 x 576 pixels. I've been told it looks great though, probably because I have said camera, multiple light sources and a clutter free area behind me.

Then I look at the classmates or even the professor and they're in dimly lit rooms or with bright windows behind them which results in their faces being dark.

Really the resolution doesn't matter as much as the lighting. A dark room will make the tiny sensor in the webcam pump up the ISO resulting a super crappy image.

 

[Dave245]

Ok so I’ve preordered the Surface Pro 9, Sapphire core i7, 16GB, 512GB SSD. It doesn’t arrive until November 9th tho.

 

[Technerd108]

I am pretty disappointed with the new Surface Laptop 5. No re-design and no 120hz refresh rate display. You get dolby vision and higher contrast ratio. You get the same bezels and ports as before with the exception of one thunderbolt port.

I was really hoping for thinner bezels, maybe two USB C thunderbolt ports, 120hz display.

It is nice they upped the base storage and kept the base config same price but overall these are a pretty big letdown.

The Surface 9 Pro has a 120hz screen? I don't understand why they don't put one of the Laptop.

I like Intel 12th gen chips but was hoping for 6th gen AMD as well.

I have a Lenovo Yoga I got on sale at BestBuy with an i7 12th gen 1255u, 16gb ram, 512gb ssd, hdmi port, 2 thunderbolt 4 ports, sd card reader, usb a and 3.5mm headphone jack. It cost way less than a similar MS Surface Laptop 5. Bezels on the Yoga are way better and it has a 1080p webcam. MS is still using a 720p webcam??? Why would they cheap out on the webcam after Covid and everyone using Zoom?

I know Microsoft has never been on the forefront of specs on these devices but they just killed the laptop 5 for all intents and purposes. Only the Surface Pro 9 makes any sense at this point with thinner bezels, 120hz screen and everything else being basically the same.

I was really hoping to pick up a new Surface Laptop 5 but I guess I will wait until whenever they decide to bring the laptop into a more modern design.

 

[SalisburySam]

I'm satisfied with my Surface Book 2 but that line has been discontinued for I guess the Laptop Studio?
The only reason I would think of upgrading at the moment is because I could use a bit more GPU horsepower for large files in Affinity Photo and the TopazLabs suite.

If I were to upgrade it looks like they've added TB4 to the mix so I can use eGPUs now when in the art studio which would be nice because with my 4K monitor it does struggle a little bit.

Despite having a Book, I never use the touchscreen for any practical purposes. Am I correct to assume that for raw CPU power the Laptop 5 is better than the Surface Laptop Studio?

Likewise. We have the Surface Book 3 with max‘d out specs when new and it continues to perform very very well. We were expecting (hoping?) for a Surface Book 4 but as you note the line is discontinued. The replacement of the Laptop Studio seems to be meh. Result? Keeping the SB3 for a bit longer.

 

[InuNacho]

Likewise. We have the Surface Book 3 with max‘d out specs when new and it continues to perform very very well. We were expecting (hoping?) for a Surface Book 4 but as you note the line is discontinued. The replacement of the Laptop Studio seems to be meh. Result? Keeping the SB3 for a bit longer.

Yea, the Laptop Studio doesn't really seem like much of an upgrade. Maybe in a few generations it'll be more up to snuff but until then I'll just keep pushing my Book 2 until it gives out.

 

[ghanwani]

I was really looking forward to this event but I found it disappointing. Just very minor processor change for the surface laptop 5. Was expecting to see at least a better camera but also either improvement in battery life or lower weight.

 

[Lukkee24]

I am pretty disappointed with the new Surface Laptop 5. No re-design and no 120hz refresh rate display. You get dolby vision and higher contrast ratio. You get the same bezels and ports as before with the exception of one thunderbolt port.

I was really hoping for thinner bezels, maybe two USB C thunderbolt ports, 120hz display.

It is nice they upped the base storage and kept the base config same price but overall these are a pretty big letdown.

The Surface 9 Pro has a 120hz screen? I don't understand why they don't put one of the Laptop.

I like Intel 12th gen chips but was hoping for 6th gen AMD as well.

I have a Lenovo Yoga I got on sale at BestBuy with an i7 12th gen 1255u, 16gb ram, 512gb ssd, hdmi port, 2 thunderbolt 4 ports, sd card reader, usb a and 3.5mm headphone jack. It cost way less than a similar MS Surface Laptop 5. Bezels on the Yoga are way better and it has a 1080p webcam. MS is still using a 720p webcam??? Why would they cheap out on the webcam after Covid and everyone using Zoom?

I know Microsoft has never been on the forefront of specs on these devices but they just killed the laptop 5 for all intents and purposes. Only the Surface Pro 9 makes any sense at this point with thinner bezels, 120hz screen and everything else being basically the same.

I was really hoping to pick up a new Surface Laptop 5 but I guess I will wait until whenever they decide to bring the laptop into a more modern design.

Me too, I've been waiting to buy a new Windows laptop and was holding out for a redesigned Surface Laptop 5, ideally with slimmer bezels and a haptic touchpad. I do like the look of the surface pro 9 sq3 (better battery life than the intel) but I think I'd regret it when I try to work on the detachable keyboard!

 

[Technerd108]

Me too, I've been waiting to buy a new Windows laptop and was holding out for a redesigned Surface Laptop 5, ideally with slimmer bezels and a haptic touchpad. I do like the look of the surface pro 9 sq3 (better battery life than the intel) but I think I'd regret it when I try to work on the detachable keyboard!

I tried a couple Surface Pro's and they are excellent but for me the detachable keyboard just isn't as good as a laptop.

So no Surface products fir me this year. I was holding out too.

Maybe next year.

 

[Dave245]

I have just been charged by Microsoft for my Surface Pro 9, it‘s due to arrive on the 9th November. I will have a play around with it and see if i like the Pro 9, if not do you think Microsoft will let me exchange it for the Surface Laptop Studio?

 

[maflynn]

I have just been charged by Microsoft for my Surface Pro 9, it‘s due to arrive on the 9th November.

My knee jerk reaction was about to say what horrible move by MS to charge you with the computer not shipping until the distant future, and then I realized today is November 1st.

Good luck on your new baby.

 

[Dave245]

My knee jerk reaction was about to say what horrible move by MS to charge you with the computer not shipping until the distant future, and then I realized today is November 1st.

Good luck on your new baby.

Ha ha yes l did think the same at first. It may arrive earlier than the 9th (hopefully). I would like to test it out before deciding to either keep it, or exchange for the Laptop Studio.

 

[Dave245]

Ok so now my delivery date has slipped to November 18th I’ve just noticed when logging into my account. Why would Microsoft has charged me today, only hours later to delay my delivery date from 9th to the 18th November.

 

[Technerd108]

Ok so now my delivery date has slipped to November 18th I’ve just noticed when logging into my account. Why would Microsoft has charged me today, only hours later to delay my delivery date from 9th to the 18th November.

Many companies charge as soon as you place an order regardless of their stock.

Microsoft must have stock but they can't control shipping times. So my guess is they have your device in stock and sent the information to the shipping company and they sent them an initial estimate which they provided to you. It is possible once the item is actually in the shippers system they had to change the delivery estimate and then updated Microsoft who then updated you.

You might still get it by the 9th but there may be a high volume of shipping that is causing a delay.

I am sure you will get it hopefully sooner than later.

 

[MayaUser]

It seems that my experience to the surface pro x is the same 3 generations later with the arm Surface laptop 9
Intel Surface Pro should be the only option with 5G as option for it
Probably Microsoft will abandon this as well until something huge will change

 

[Dave245]

My Pro 9 is still saying the 18th for delivery (after originally saying the 9th). My free Surface Slim Pen 2 however is still saying the 9th, stuck on Pending as well.

 

[rambo47]

I'm a lifelong Mac user but I've always kept a toe in the Windows water. I've also tried Linux a bunch of times but IMHO Linux still sucks. At one point in my life I had Mac OS9, the public beta of OSX, and Yellowdog Linux all on a Wall Street Powerbook. And WiFi through an Orinoco Silver network card. This was the 13.3" screen Powerbook with the 292 MHz processor and the super-hot 83 MHz (vs. 66 MHz) system bus. But my nerd days are (mostly) behind me and I now prize convenience and dependability above other considerations.

I'm considering a Surface tablet now to replace an aging iPad Air 2. Nothing bleeding edge for me anymore. I'm looking at an i5-powered tablet, 8 GB of RAM or maybe even 16 GB. Overkill for my basic needs which are email, web surfing, and MS Office. Excel spreadsheets and Adobe PDFs are where I seem to spend most of my time. Surface Pro 7 seems to be my sweet spot, maybe even the SP8 for the right deal.

I'll probably end up ordering directly from Microsoft but I'd appreciate any recommendations for other sources if you've got 'em.

 

[Technerd108]

I'm a lifelong Mac user but I've always kept a toe in the Windows water. I've also tried Linux a bunch of times but IMHO Linux still sucks. At one point in my life I had Mac OS9, the public beta of OSX, and Yellowdog Linux all on a Wall Street Powerbook. And WiFi through an Orinoco Silver network card. This was the 13.3" screen Powerbook with the 292 MHz processor and the super-hot 83 MHz (vs. 66 MHz) system bus. But my nerd days are (mostly) behind me and I now prize convenience and dependability above other considerations.

I'm considering a Surface tablet now to replace an aging iPad Air 2. Nothing bleeding edge for me anymore. I'm looking at an i5-powered tablet, 8 GB of RAM or maybe even 16 GB. Overkill for my basic needs which are email, web surfing, and MS Office. Excel spreadsheets and Adobe PDFs are where I seem to spend most of my time. Surface Pro 7 seems to be my sweet spot, maybe even the SP8 for the right deal.

I'll probably end up ordering directly from Microsoft but I'd appreciate any recommendations for other sources if you've got 'em.

Best Buy has several deals on Surface Pro 8.

Best Buy: Microsoft Surface Pro 8 – 13” Touch Screen – Intel Evo Platform Core i5 – 8GB Memory – 256GB SSD – Device with Black Keyboard Graphite IUS-00001

Shop Microsoft Surface Pro 8 – 13” Touch Screen – Intel Evo Platform Core i5 – 8GB Memory – 256GB SSD – Device with Black Keyboard Graphite at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.

www.bestbuy.com

The one above has 256gb ssd, i5, and 8gb ram with keyboard for $899. Not a bad deal.

Surface Pro 8 has 120hz display too.

The Surface Pro 9 is much more expensive but has 12th gen processor which is considerably faster but for your use case I think the 11th Gen would be fine.