Who would buy this?? – Surface Book 2 Review

[AlexTheGreatish]

Can the Surface Book 2 possibly be good enough to justify it's price tag?

 

Buy the Surface Book 2:
Amazon: http://geni.us/2DD2Y
Newegg: http://geni.us/ea46

 

 

[emosun]

I don't think i could drop 3300$ on anything that the manufacturer intends i only use for a year and a half. I mean really they'll release something new next year and want me to buy that then as well....

As for that surface book 2 , they might as well have stuck 3 gtx 1080's and 4 xeons in it. If the performance of the hardware is purposely limited to prevent overheating then there's no point in having the hardware in there really.

[Nicnac]

@AlexTheGreatish what do you have to say about GN's claims that you are only great-ish?

[AlexTheGreatish]

7 minutes ago, Nicnac said:

@AlexTheGreatish what do you have to say about GN's claims that you are only great-ish?

Oh did he do the overclocking video?  I'm not too concerned because I had basically no time to overclock the system so I just looked at his OC numbers, then dialed in ones slightly higher and fiddled until it was stable.  There was some left but all I was going for was beating Steve haha

[Hunter259]

I use a Surface Pro 3 for all of my fancy touch screen needs (Taking notes mostly) and my 2014 Macbook Pro for when I need slightly more power (Only own a 13in) and a much better actual laptop experience. It's honestly a great compromise as both devices combined cost lest than $1k USD. If I needed more power you can easily get a 15in Macbook Pro with the older style keyboard and still come out with similar performance for much less money than a single Surface Book.

[Shreyas1]

DennisArtTips

[Canada EH]

People with money dont care they buy what they want. And is that Canadian Rupee's or ????

 

I'd probably buy one for 1500-2000 on newegg, lemme see what I can find.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA24G5BN5133

edit

I changed my official alternative selection

 

Spoiler

 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834154731

MSI GT Series GT73VR TITAN PRO-NE1080

17.3" 120 Hz

Intel Core i7 7th Gen 7700HQ (2.80 GHz) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 16 GB Memory

256 GB M.2 SATA SSD

1 TB HDD Windows

10 Home 64-Bit Gaming Laptop -- ONLY @ NEWEGG

 

 

[rakshasa72]

I purchased one of these a couple months ago.  The only problem I had was when MS pushed a Windows security patch that made it so the base keyboard did not work for a couple of weeks until they pushed a fix.  The screen resolution is very good.

 

I had a problem purchasing the 1 TB SSD version of the 15" model.  I went to the MS Store and they were not in stock.  The only place I could find them was from some BS online sellers (e-bay/amazon) for crazy mark ups(500-1000).  Instead I went to Microsoft's online store and periodically refreshed.  Until one day in the wee hours of the morning the option to buy became available.  The first time I got one into my basket I lost it because I didn't have access to a card with enough $ to buy it.  So I had to wait another week or so for a new batch to become available.  I was able to buy one along with an extended warrantee from MS for Retail. 

 

I want people to know this because IMO it's not worth it to buy something that is already expensive for another mark up. 

[Teddy07]

I thought about buying one because I wanted a tablet for the university. I think I will buy a tablet because the price of this thing is soo high.

[Avi8Tor1103]

Hey does anyone know where I can find the image @5:30 called: colorful image for monitor viewing angle.jpg ?

[PFJ778]

edited

[sleong261]

I would buy this, but considering that it is too expensive, and the base i7 model costs exactly the same price that I got for my 1st gen Surface Book Bundle at August (around ~$CAD 2600, mon dieu, and R.I.P. me for getting the 1st gen, but i have to use it for university). I sadly have to pass, even if I really want that amazing hardware

[TopWargamer]

Our MS guy at work always tells the department to push Surfaces and only Surfaces. I simply say no.

[aflyinghotpocket]

I have always loved the "idea" of the Surface Book more then I have the price of the Surface Book. The weird form factor aside, The device is really in a class of its own when it comes to performance and flexibility in my opinion. As a content consumption device, The beautiful screen with its high resolution and great PPI make movie watching one of the greatest experiences i'v ever seen next to my iPad Pro. As a productivity device, the flexibility of the keyboard and detachable screen make it great for the workplace. Finally, as an Artistic device with being able to flip the screen around and draw make the device functional for the average art college student.

 

however...

 

The price is a REAL killer! I simply could not recommend the device based off it's price point to any friends, family, or artists. At $2500 for the quad core i7 with 6GB GPU, it's a real punch in the gut when it comes to value for performance. 

 

I know i'm going to get a little flack for this, but this Lenovo System is what I will use as an example...

https://www3.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/ideapad/ideapad-700-series/Ideapad-720S-15/p/81CR0005US

 

This system (in my opinion) is an example for far better value for the money in terms of screen, CPU, and GPU... I mean... It has a 1TB SSD for craps sake. What I have never felt comfortable with as a consumer is to pay a premium for features that I don't feel warrant the price. For example, I feel that one of the selling points of the Surface Book have always been premium build quality, flexibility, and a VERY high quality screen. This is a struggle for me as a consumer because I feel like there is never a prefect balance device. Linus did a video not to long ago that showed how you have to sacrifice in some area to boost others. A budget "Gaming" device seems to sacrifice on build quality and the screen to provide great hardware to drive games. A thin and lite laptop seems to sacrifice on power for portability and functionality. The Surface Book seems to have two problems with the philosophy. #1. The device fits under the category of "fantastic build quality, great hardware, and and amazing screen at an extremely high price point". For those who want an (objectively) beautiful device at a high price point, then I can see myself instead taking a Macbook Pro over this device, for one simple reason... Software... which brings be to my second point. #2. For college students, aspiring artists, and average Joe... the Macbook Pro offers WAY to many free pieces of software that allow you to get off the ground faster. Things like iMovie and Preview are great beginner tools that work far better and faster then anything that the Windows Eco System can offer which is important if you are a student or professional. The core of my struggle lies not within the hardware, but what the hardware can do for me out of the box. I own a Surface Pro 4 for example, and the device is a treat to use everyday at work within OneNote using the surface pen. No joke, Microsoft hit it out of the park with the Surface Pen and OneNote for the professional sector. Everything else feels half baked with my experience on my Surface Pro 4 because the software just is not there at all. There is nothing that Microsoft offers to the consumer that allows you to get off the ground FAST. iMovie, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote are all free and (in my opinion) work better then ANY included Microsoft product.  

 

Keep in mind, I am excluding 3rd party Windows based apps... I am only illustrating the point that Microsoft fails to include free 1st party options for folks that work well with their hardware. 

 

TL;DR: The Surface Book is a fantastic device that I feel is letdown in the end by it's high price point and lack of 1st party support. I love the Surface Book, But I wish Microsoft would create free office solutions as well as resurrect Windows Movie Maker for more flexible 1st party options out of the box. Consumers need more reason to USE the device, then to just look at it. 

[aflyinghotpocket]

5 hours ago, TopWargamer said:

Our MS guy at work always tells the department to push Surfaces and only Surfaces. I simply say no.

For a job that requires folks to be on the move around constantly, I would also recommend the Surface TBH. We have tested the Surface at my work with quite a few Teachers and they work exceptionally well in the classroom and office meetings for administration. The flexibility in OneNote is far better then anything on the iPad Pro we tested. I know it might sound weird... but give OneNote a spin for a week or so, it's hard to go back to anything else... at lest... in our application that is. 

 

The Surface is a great device for the workplace. Being able to switch to a tablet with pen input is amazing once you use it a few times. I just had a meeting this morning where I was writing, drawing, and doodling all while switching to the keyboard when needed. The only downside to the Surface is that if you don't have a table to set it on... don't even bother... haha... it's far more trouble then its worth on your lap. 

 

Any reason you don't like the Surface for your workplace?