you do realize that i3, i5, i7 are all the same chip & it’s only through binning that they get downgraded to run at lower frequencies? Some features like the IRIS pro graphics will be fused out if it falls out of the i7 top bin even if it works.
This is a m3, not an i3 so actually not in this case.
Possibly but i3 usually has less L2 cache, as it is the lowest end. For
example:
The Core i7-3770 4-Core has a 512 KB bigger L2 cache than the Core
i3-4130T 2.9GHz
those are two completely different product families, ivy bridge & haswell.
If you stay within the same product family, you’re going to find similar things. It’s not saying a cache might not be bigger, but by design, it’s the same chip. The only reason it would be smaller is because of different sku’s or fusing because a test detected a failure, but they all start out as the same exact silicon.
(disclaimer, I work at Intel).
Looks like a 3rd party came out with a laptop type keyboard for the Surface 3, 4 and the newest model (5?).
[Bridge keyboard] (https://www.brydgekeyboards.com/products/brydge-12-3)
I’d be careful about the bridge. An early adopter posted photos of how it applies pressure to the lower corners of the screen. Didn’t create damage, at least short-term, but it’s something that should never have happened in the first place.
It’s literally double the weight of the surface pro keyboard cover, adding 0.66 lbs. The surface pro is 0.33 inches thick, this keyboard is 0.3 inches too, so it doubles the thickness. The SP keyboard cover is 0.1 inches.
If the surface pro keyboard cover was a piece of junk, this product would make sense. As is, you’re giving up a ton to skip the kickstand, which is of course the whole point of the surface pro in the first place.
If you want a surface laptop, guess what, MS sells one of those.
Well, I got a ship notice for my Surface 5. This is the first time I picked the high end i7 CPU, usually I go for the i5 … but I felt the iPads are getting so ridiculously absurdly fast that an i5 would not be meaningfully faster in this generation.
We know the iPad Pro (2017) A10X delivers 3932 and 9372 respectively here. So it’s already as fast as the highest end Surface Pro 4, even faster if you have something that uses all three cores.
It remains to be seen how much faster the i7-7660u is gonna be over the i7-6650u. Mainly Kaby Lake has much better boost clocks (4 Ghz vs 3.4 Ghz), and boosts to higher speeds faster via speedshift v2.
The Iris Plus graphics are a very nice addition this go-around, and that’s another reason I went for the i7 brass ring this time even though it’s a $300+ price jump…
Oh wait we do know; I didn’t realize the Macbook had the same CPU:
So… not bad! Healthy single core lead (which is what 98% of daily performance is about) of 15% over Skylake, and about the same multi-core score which is also quite good considering the handicap of 2 cores vs 3 cores.
I don’t use an iPad, but I have a question regarding how comparable they are.
I mean, I can use a surface pro as a full development machine if I want. It can run everything I run on my workstation, in a fashion akin to how I use it on my desk… I’d have to plug in an external monitor to really do it up, but it seems like a feasible option. Can you really do that on an iPad? It seems like the OS isn’t really geared towards that kind of windowed environment.
Actual question here, not bashing Apple or the iPad.
No, it’s all app based. There are photo and video editing apps, and the full MS Office suite, but it’s not meant to be a workstation.
Ok, then the flip side of the question, since I don’t have a Surface… That COULD be used for what I’m describing, right? It’s just running windows 10? That was my impression.
Yeah.
The only thing holding me back from the surface at this point (and I’m typing this on the iPad 10.5’s keyboard cover thing) is the lack of USB-C (let alone Thunderbolt 3). It’s not a great omission on a standalone device like an iPad; it’s particularly not ideal on something brand new in the summer of 2017 that’s filling the PC role.
And yet, despite that omission, I’d still highly recommend it for most people. I like having a GPU box, though, and without the port, that’s not an option.
That said, iOS and macOS are both running on nearly the same underpinnings with nearly the same SDKs across the board. Speeds are now equivalent between high-end iPads and low-end MBPs. The only major thing missing for me to make the jump to using an iPad for everything (which I would do somewhere between occasionally and frequently, if I could) is Xcode.
I would still go for a Dell XPS13 over any of the Surface models. It has outstanding build quality and the only compromise is the webcam location.
The Microsoft Store has the latest Kaby Lake i5 model with 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD and the QHD+ touchscreen for a rockin’ $1149, brand-new. Tough to beat that price/performance.
If price were no object, I wouldn’t buy a Surface Book or loaded Surface Pro. I’d get a loaded Razer Blade for a portable laptop, or a Razer Blade Pro as a desktop replacement.
hmm the touch cover on the 5 is … subtly better? Layout seems identical but the key feel is better, more tactile feedback on keypress? The rounded edges are also a nice touch (literally) as it is less gouge-y in hand.
I need to see if battery life is as improved as it is supposed to be because it was never awesome on the 4.
I’m looking for an ultrabook with an i7-7660u minimum CPU (as it seems to be the lowest powered that can still run Cyberlink Powerdirector and Adobe Premiere Elements - 1080p editing - comfortably.) I want the long battery life and light weight and I’m not gaming on it. As mentioned elsewhere the XPS 15 has me scared off as the threads on that on Notebookreview.com are all about “Hey, it’s fine unless you get one that is crap, as long as you reinstall a fresh set of everything and tweak this and that and repaste and follow Gonzo’s 10 step program (oh and Gonzo has had to replace several of his due to mfg/QC defects.)”
I want a minimum 14 inch screen, and a decent set of ports. Right now the Surface looks like the only option with the i7-7660u (though I can’t see how to customize and order one of those, on the MS page it just says “i7” without telling you which one when you order, which is crazy." But it sounds like the Surface is more about being a tablet than an ultrabook?
it’s still more of a tablet, jeff.
yeah i would recommend the dell xps 15 as well.