Surface Pro 3

[gadgetgirl85]

Ok...I opened mine! A few questions
1)should I get a screen protect? If so what woul you recommend?
2)how far can the kickstand go back? I'm too scared to force
3)which computer would work better with external monitor my SP or rMBP?
4)do I need extra virus protection?
5)I ordered a mini dv to hdmi adaptor from eBay. It says for MacBook pro. Will it work with the surface pro as well? Is 3rd party ok?

Thanks!

 

[maflynn]

Ok...I opened mine! A few questions
1)should I get a screen protect? If so what woul you recommend?
2)how far can the kickstand go back? I'm too scared to force
3)which computer would work better with external monitor my SP or rMBP?
4)do I need extra virus protection?
5)I ordered a mini dv to hdmi adaptor from eBay. It says for MacBook pro. Will it work with the surface pro as well? Is 3rd party ok?

Thanks!

Congrats

1. I didn't get one, though I normally do for tablets/phones
2. It goes pretty far, there is resistance but don't force it
3. I'm happy with how both work, though my SP3 is on my external monitor. I took the plunge and purchased the dock which simplifies working on my desk a great deal
4. Yes, absolutely. I use Avast, kaspersky is another good one.
5. What monitor are you trying to hook up? My 23" ACD mini-displayport monitor works fine without any adapters.

 

[zhenya]

I agree with Mike.

I don't use a screen protector.

Either computer will work fine with an external monitor and the mini displayport adapters should be able to work with either. I use the Apple mini displayport to DVI adapter at times with my SP.

We use Kaspersky at my office, but I haven't installed it on this device yet. Microsoft Security Essentials is pretty decent. Further, anti-virus isn't very effective at protecting you against the most likely infections anymore.

 

[maflynn]

Microsoft Security Essentials is pretty decent. Further, anti-virus isn't very effective at protecting you against the most likely infections anymore.

I've read conflicting information on the MS's Security Essentials. Some people say its good, others say its at the bottom of the barrow for antivirus apps.

Microsoft Security Essentials Tanks Another Antivirus Test

 

[zhenya]

I've read conflicting information on the MS's Security Essentials. Some people say its good, others say its at the bottom of the barrow for antivirus apps.

Microsoft Security Essentials Tanks Another Antivirus Test

We have been using Kaspersky in our office for years, but I'm not convinced anti-virus of any sort has actually protected us from anything. By far the most common vector for infection these days is from an infected webpage which bypasses most antivirus. I just think that antivirus is for the most part, a waste of resources.

 

[maflynn]

We have been using Kaspersky in our office for years, but I'm not convinced anti-virus of any sort has actually protected us from anything. By far the most common vector for infection these days is from an infected webpage which bypasses most antivirus. I just think that antivirus is for the most part, a waste of resources.

the thing I worry about is either malware coming through an email, or malware trying to interject something while I'm on a webpage. avast seems to protect me fairly well on this. I practice safe computer habits which limits my exposure as well.

I'm not against the MS tools, but I'm only pointing out that I've heard of conflicting information. For me, I guess I'd rather be safe then sorry.

 

[nospleen]

Does anyone know if the current gen iMac can be used as an external display for the SP3? I have found some old threads and video that some of the older ones work.

I need to replace my kids mac and would love to kill two birds with one stone.

 

[zhenya]

the thing I worry about is either malware coming through an email, or malware trying to interject something while I'm on a webpage. avast seems to protect me fairly well on this. I practice safe computer habits which limits my exposure as well.

I'm not against the MS tools, but I'm only pointing out that I've heard of conflicting information. For me, I guess I'd rather be safe then sorry.

Oh, I understand. I just haven't actually seen our anti-virus save us from anything in just about as long as I can remember. I deal with a fair number of machines infected via javascript; Kaspersky seems like it does nothing at all to prevent that stuff, but maybe it's saving us from all sorts of infections I'm not aware of. I hope so!

 

[maflynn]

I had avast warn me of some malious code trying to infect my SP3, from a website. I don't know the details, the sites I visit are benign, i.e., anandtech, MR, etc. Still it was good that I had software in place to protect my computer

 

[gadgetgirl85]

Thank you for your responses everyone. I'm planning to hook up my LG 23" IPS234V 5ms IPS 1920x1080 HDMI monitor. I'm assuming I'd need the adaptor for that?

 

[maflynn]

Thank you for your responses everyone. I'm planning to hook up my LG 23" IPS234V 5ms IPS 1920x1080 HDMI monitor. I'm assuming I'd need the adaptor for that?

I'd say so, I don't see mini display port:

 

[gadgetgirl85]

I'd say so, I don't see mini display port:
Image

No, think it only has HDMI and a VGA port at the back?

Can I say I LOVE it though?

 

[gadgetgirl85]

Just a question - my SP 3 fans start whirring really loudly. I'm only surfing the net using firefox. Is that normal?

 

[JackieInCo]

Just a question - my SP 3 fans start whirring really loudly. I'm only surfing the net using firefox. Is that normal?

It happens on some sites I visit. It's normal. I just make sure I close that tab when I'm done with the site and then the fan quits running as fast.

 

[zhenya]

Just a question - my SP 3 fans start whirring really loudly. I'm only surfing the net using firefox. Is that normal?

Yep, the code that runs on modern websites can actually be quite processor intensive.

I have actually switched back to IE on this machine for the first time in, well basically forever, because it is so efficient on battery, especially compared to Chrome which is what I've been using.

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I don't think that's an apples to apples comparison since you have to account for energy consumed by the fan. Seems more wasteful to turbo clock, kick on the fan then throttle while keeping the fan running. Other benefits of fanless is less wear and tear and avoiding dust accumulation that degrades cooling ability when it's inaccessible to cleaning.

Well I have been trying this utility for the last couple of days. Too early to tell what the effect on battery life is, but there is no doubt that for my casual weekend use it keeps the machine much cooler and quieter (not that I had particularly noticed the fan much before). I can't say I've noticed any speed difference by keeping it locked to 1.9Ghz max.

Is there any way to automate this program or do you just have to leave the program open all the time? I would probably turn it off when plugged in and activate it on battery. it'd be nice if that could be automated.

 

[maflynn]

Just a question - my SP 3 fans start whirring really loudly. I'm only surfing the net using firefox. Is that normal?

I noticed this as well, I've quit my browser and then let things settle down and then restart chrome and its back to normal.

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I have actually switched back to IE on this machine for the first time in, well basically forever, because it is so efficient on battery, especially compared to Chrome which is what I've been using.

I bounce back and forth between the two, but since I have plug-ins, and all my favorites set in Chrome. I usually prefer that over IE.

 

[mi7chy]

Internet Explorer is smoother and more efficient so it doesn't heat up your SP3 as much but can be a little quirky and lacks the workflow and features of other browsers like Chrome. I use IE for general browsing and Chrome for online banking stuff, built in print -to-PDF for record keeping, etc.

As far as anti-virus if you adopt safe practices like don't have admin rights as default, only download software from reputable sources, use Gmail, etc. then the built in Defender is adequate but if you want additional protection check out Eset NOD32 as it's effective and low resource so it doesn't bog down your computer. When in doubt use an online multi-antivirus scanner like Google acquired virustotal.com to scan any questionable files. That site is also good at giving you an idea of what antivirus vendors are effective as you see which ones are flagging new submissions under "latest comments" in community:

https://www.virustotal.com/en/community/

 

[diamond.g]

I just noticed my power supply cord is fraying where it plugs into the Surface. Gonna give MS a call and see if they will replace it.

 

[akuma13]

I just noticed my power supply cord is fraying where it plugs into the Surface. Gonna give MS a call and see if they will replace it.

Besides the whirring fan the power cord is what I worry most about. Mine is starting to get a bit supple at the connector. I wish there was a third party supplier for the cables.

 

[spinedoc77]

Internet Explorer is smoother and more efficient so it doesn't heat up your SP3 as much but can be a little quirky and lacks the workflow and features of other browsers like Chrome. I use IE for general browsing and Chrome for online banking stuff, built in print -to-PDF for record keeping, etc.

As far as anti-virus if you adopt safe practices like don't have admin rights as default, only download software from reputable sources, use Gmail, etc. then the built in Defender is adequate but if you want additional protection check out Eset NOD32 as it's effective and low resource so it doesn't bog down your computer. When in doubt use an online multi-antivirus scanner like Google acquired virustotal.com to scan any questionable files. That site is also good at giving you an idea of what antivirus vendors are effective as you see which ones are flagging new submissions under "latest comments" in community:

https://www.virustotal.com/en/community/

How is chrome these days with touchscreen functions? I tried it months ago and it was absolutely atrocious in performance, a true embarrassment to Google IMO. I don't mean page loading or anything, but in touchscreen functionality like pinch to zoom, etc. It was very slow and laggy. For me IE11 is amazing, head and shoulders above anything else out there when it comes to touch functionality. It's been very stable as well, although the Metro/modern version can be a bit quirky at times.

 

[mi7chy]

IE scrolls smoother but is glitchy such as randomly leaving an envelope icon when scrolling through Yahoo mail, sometimes showing a blank white screen, is sensitive to tab crashing and reloading caused by ads, etc. and has allowed drive-by malware infect my computer in the past so there's a bit of nervousness. Chrome, on the other hand, is slower scrolling but stable, never had an infection, has better work flow and more usable features. Just an example, Chrome automatically pops up the onscreen keyboard when touching an input field like address bar while IE doesn't.

 

[spinedoc77]

IE scrolls smoother but is glitchy such as randomly leaving an envelope icon when scrolling through Yahoo mail, sometimes showing a blank white screen, is sensitive to tab crashing and reloading caused by ads, etc. and has allowed drive-by malware infect my computer in the past so there's a bit of nervousness. Chrome, on the other hand, is slower scrolling but stable, never had an infection, has better work flow and more usable features. Just an example, Chrome automatically pops up the onscreen keyboard when touching an input field like address bar while IE doesn't.

That's odd, never had those glitches with IE11. Never had a tab crash or a page reload. The only glitch I see on IE11 modern version is that sometimes it gets stuck reloading a page when going backwards, stuck is the only word I can think of, it just sits there reloading. Also the keyboard always comes up automatically in IE11 when I hit a text box.

I think I'll give chrome a shot though to see if its improved since last time I used it.

 

[spinedoc77]

Playing around with chrome now on the SP3, it's not bad at all, much better than I remember it. Scrolling up and down has a stutter, but it's not a deal breaker. Pinch to zoom is pretty decent, very little lag. Swipe to go back/forward in chrome takes way too much effort. I still highly prefer IE11 Modern's system to access bookmarks versus hitting tiny little folders in chrome. I also highly prefer IE11s always being in full screen, showing tabs and bookmarks is so 2010. Still it's improved quite a bit, I'll have to play with it a bit more, it's possible all my complaints are remedied by extensions. Also the software keyboard pops up even if the hardware keyboard is connected, which is quite annoying.

I see an option to turn on OK Google for searches, is there any way to get this to work with the SP3 microphone?

 

[zhenya]

I found Chrome to be better if anything with some pinch to zoom. I've used Chrome for years, and have all my devices in sync with it which has been a godsend but the sizing issues on the SP3 and even worse the battery life and sleep issues it causes has me trying IE as my primary browser. Some things IE does better, but it's a learning curve.

My biggest remaining complaints with IE are that the adblocker, while effective, lacks any kind of granularity and causes an issue with one of my most frequented sites, it doesn't seem to keep me logged in to sites as well as Chrome, and it loses my session state far too frequently when I close it.

Any tips on improving those issues would be appreciated.

 

[maflynn]

I'm not a chrome fan per say, but I found it provide a better user experience in Windows then IE. I use Chrome now, because my favorites are easily synced across different computers and I have the plugins I use all set up.

I've not really noticed any battery degradation on using Chrome. I still use IE and that is set as my default browser, but Chrome on Windows is my go to browser.