Microsoft Announces Surface Book 3 With 10th-Gen Intel CPUs and New NVIDIA GPUs (theredmondcloud.com) 23
Ammalgam shares a report from Redmond Pie: Microsoft has officially announced the Surface Book 3. Not much has changed for the device in terms of external design, but internal circuitry is where it's at. This newest addition to the Surface family was formally unveiled alongside the Surface Go 2 today. And the detachable PC finally got the long overdue refresh. Microsoft decided to go with the latest Intel 10th generation CPUs, codenamed Ice Lake. There was talk that the company might opt for the Comet Lake processors. Both are 10th generation chips, but Ice Lake is made on a 10nm process, while Comet Lake is 14nm. [...] As for the CPU options, we have the Core i5-1035G7 and Core i7-1065G7 available. The Core i5 models don't offer dedicated graphics, while the 15-inch variant of the Surface Book 3 only comes in the Core i7 flavor. GPU got a real look, too. The 13.5-inch Surface Book 3 gets you the 4GB Max-Q variant of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, while the 15-inch one comes with a GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q with 6GB.
On the display side, we have a 3000 x 2000 screen on the 13.5-inch model, while the 15-inch one offers a resolution of 3240 x 2160. Microsoft also claims that the Surface Book 3 has the best battery life of any device it has made up until now. It's rated at 17.5 hours on the 15-inch model and 15.5 hours on the 13.5-inch variant. Some neat improvements when it comes to port selection, with both the USB Type-A and Type-C ports now being USB 3.1 Gen 2, meaning you get 10Gbps instead of 5Gbps. There is also a Surface Connect port on both the base and the tablet, to go with the 3.5mm audio jack in the tablet. All these enhancements mean that the starting price of the Surface Book 3 is a bit higher at $1,599. It will be available on May 21.
On the display side, we have a 3000 x 2000 screen on the 13.5-inch model, while the 15-inch one offers a resolution of 3240 x 2160. Microsoft also claims that the Surface Book 3 has the best battery life of any device it has made up until now. It's rated at 17.5 hours on the 15-inch model and 15.5 hours on the 13.5-inch variant. Some neat improvements when it comes to port selection, with both the USB Type-A and Type-C ports now being USB 3.1 Gen 2, meaning you get 10Gbps instead of 5Gbps. There is also a Surface Connect port on both the base and the tablet, to go with the 3.5mm audio jack in the tablet. All these enhancements mean that the starting price of the Surface Book 3 is a bit higher at $1,599. It will be available on May 21.
HOW MUCH??? (Score:1)
No Thunderbolt -- Why bother? (Score:1)
I love my original Surface Book. I was eagerly awaiting the Surface Book 3, but without Thunderbolt 3 it doesn't have the external expansion capabilities I need when using it as a desktop. I'll be skipping this one.
Re:No Thunderbolt -- Why bother? (Score:5, Insightful)
"but without Thunderbolt 3 it doesn't have the external expansion capabilities I need when using it as a desktop."
I solved that by having a desktop. It's faster, it's not thermally constrained, and I can buy a laptop that's lighter, runs cooler, and lasts longer on battery.
Sometimes to get the best of both worlds its better to just buy two devices. :)
Also Microsoft's argument about the security threat posed by Thunderbolt 3 is actually legit. I've been irritated by the gaping security holes represented by Firewire and then Thunderbolt for a while. I'm not sure "not having them" is the best solution possible though.
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runs cooler, and lasts longer on battery
I have a Dell XPS 13. Windows 10 is logging, reporting, spinning up a core to 100% to do something not required to run the computer - many times a day. Google Chrome's Software Reporter does the same thing. The cooling fan becomes quite noisy when it starts. Windows 10 is absolutely shit.
I wish I could run Linux on it, but I need Visual Studio. Windows 10 is worse than Vista. It is the worst operating system available today, and the worst they have ever made.
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re: Win 10 (Score:2)
Yeah, I'm resigned to agreeing with you, though I really dislike a lot of things about Windows 10.
I don't see how ANYONE can honestly claim Windows Vista was better than 10. Windows 7 was arguably superior, at least from the stance that it was in regular use for so many years and didn't do all the obnoxious chattering over a net connection back to Microsoft for some of its functionality.
Windows 8 and 8.1 always felt to me like Windows 10 alpha and beta releases. They were multiple experiments to get to th
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Windows 10 actually has a really good terminal now, and with WSL it's got real Linux available too so the old "I use a Mac for the BSD" thing is nullified as well.
It's such a shame, in many ways it's actually a great OS, but they ruin it with the telemetry and botched update system.
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No thank you. The whole point in having a 2-in-1 is to NOT have to have two machines. Having a desktop requires me to have two copies of applications and to keep data in sync between, and before anyone tells me that the cloud solves that problems, please remember not all of us have access to incredibly zippy net connections that make such things transparent.
Also, to the mods on my original post: you're modding me down for pointing out a genuine shortcoming with a product I was sincerely interested in purcha
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I solved that by having a desktop.
Yeah but it's a bastard to move around between desks.
Seriously "desktop replacement" laptops are a thing, and no it isn't better served by having a desktop. There are these things called "use cases" which users have and which may make some devices more desirable than others.
Disclosure: I'm in your camp. I don't need a laptop, I have a slate and a desktop. But to claim that this is the solution to the GP's complaint is just silly.
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I said that's how *I* solved the problem, and said it's sometimes the best solution.
I get that other people have different use cases, every solution has its own tradeoffs, and for some people a desktop replacment laptop is the best compromise.
I do think 2 devices is a better trade off for most people -- but not everyone.
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Seems like the bigger issue is using an Intel chip. Ryzen is faster, giving desktop performance on mobile and decent battery life. Also it won't be crippled by some security flaw in six months time.
I was thinking about my next system being a Ryzen Thinkpad instead of a desktop. It would be faster than my current Core i7 2700k. I'd want Thunderbolt though. Security isn't an issue, the IOMMU takes care of it.
Incompetence times incompetence (Score:2)
Microsoft times Intel equals clusterfuck.
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Microsoft times Intel equals clusterfuck.
It's worked well for the past 9 years of Surface devices.
So they ditched the semicustom AMD Ryzen? (Score:2)
Last time these machines came out, one of the models had a semicustom AMD Ryzen chip. Is a sad development if Microsoft ditched that.
At the time AMD reported they were working on the 2nd gen chip. Given that, and the fact that AMD has a close relationship with the XBox group, there is hope that we get an AMD surface book. Fingers crossed.
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No they didn't. Last the time Surface *Laptop* came out one of the models had a Ryzen chip. This is the Surface *Book*, a far more premium device. The base model of which has a far higher spec than the mid-high tier Surface Laptops.
Honestly I'm not hopeful. AMD has yet to demonstrate true success with their lower power laptop lineups. This is one area (possibly the only area left) where Intel has a real lead.
Surface: Night Market Quality at Cupertino Prices (Score:1)
I know I'm not the target audience for these devices because no component of them can be upgraded, but they really do look nice. The industrial design is amazing, the screen of gorgeous, the form factor is perfect, and they do promise a smooth Windows experience (whatever that fairy tale might be like)..
That's why my wife has a Surface Book 2, and we've had no end of problems with the thing.
The power supply is inadequate. It's rated below the TDP of the components in the laptop. Plugged into the wall, it
No Ryzen or Radeon.... (Score:1)
But will the nVidia GPU still be a PITA? (Score:2)
These generations are confusing (Score:2)
When do they start counting these "generations" because I can surely count more than 10?