Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on June 23, 2014 3:55 AM ESTLaptop Performance
Just like with battery life, we need to evaluate the performance of Surface Pro 3 as both a laptop and a tablet. As a laptop, Surface Pro 3 delivers performance comparable to other Ultrabooks of similar specs - assuming we're talking about short bursts of performance. In prolonged workloads you'll see a bit of a gap, and even a slight regression vs. Surface Pro 2 due to the thermal design targets for the new chassis.
With the exception of the Work suite in PCMark 8 v2, we're mostly looking at performance in the range of a 13-inch MacBook Air - the prototypical Haswell ULT notebook. Surface Pro 3 is definitely in good performance company. In the Work suite however the MacBook Air (running Windows) is able to deliver around 16% better performance than Surface Pro 3. I'm guessing this has to do with thermals more than anything else.
We see a similar story if we look at GPU performance:
In terms of playable games, with some tweaking to detail settings you should be able to average 30 fps in titles like Dota 2. Running at the panel's native resolution is generally out of the question but for lighter titles on Steam like Transistor, you can have a reasonable experience. The higher end Core i7 Surface Pro 3 does ship with Intel's HD 5000 graphics instead of HD 4400 in the Core i5 review sample I tested. It's entirely possible that we see better gaming performance or thermal management (more EUs at lower voltage) in that design.
Just like in previous designs, Surface Pro 3 integrates a SATA SSD (likely M.2 this time). In this case Microsoft uses an OEM version of Samsung's SSD 840 EVO, a 3-bit-per-cell MLC design that we've found to be a pretty good value. I am disappointed we didn't see a move to PCIe storage but for general use I doubt there's much value in it. PCMark 8 v2's storage test isn't particularly stressful but it does show that Surface Pro 3's SSD is at least competitive with its predecessor and the MBA despite moving to TLC NAND.
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mkozakewich - Monday, June 30, 2014 - link
Not as much to do with cost. They were trying for thinness. I doubt they'll thin it more next time, because its current size is actually very nice. They don't need to reach iPad levels, they just needed to get to an acceptable tablet size.For an "ideal tablet PC", you'd probably be doing a lot less, and not spending all your time rendering at 99% CPU usage. I'd set the power configuration to use as little power as possible, and that would probably give good thermal performance. For instance, I'm running my Surface Pro (original) at full brightness and also charging it, but the fan hasn't come on because I'm in power-saving mode.
nos024 - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
I don't mind not having an SD card slot as long as it has USB ports for a Windows based system. There's tons of USB flash drives that are dirt cheap as well as USB adapters for SD cards. I do mind if my phone or tablet (android-based) device doesn't have it.Also, I'd like to have a replaceable battery or so-called "end-user" replaceable battery. If the battery malfunctions, the system is basically toasted. I hate to have a battery to likes to overheat and not charge up properly just right outside the warranty period - like my tablet.
ymcpa - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
This has both a microsd and a USB port. You just won't get a user replaceable battery in premium products. the products that have one use a flimsy plastic cover. All devices that are thin and light weight and use premium materials also can't be opened easily. Although, the surface is near impossible to open. The ipad can be opened with some skill.mkozakewich - Monday, June 30, 2014 - link
This isn't a budget laptop/tablet, and it uses a premium battery. It should last a few years before you notice any wear, if you treat it right. They do have a battery-replacement program, too.savaytse66 - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
I'm pretty sure this does have a MicroSD slot that supports up to 128GB...mkozakewich - Monday, June 30, 2014 - link
If it's SDXC, it should support up to 2 TB.cparker09 - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
The $200 price increase from 64 to 128 GB SSD is also accompanied by a move from i3 to i5. Seems like a decent price step up, considering they also need to differentiate units.Tigran - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
***In prolonged workloads you'll see a bit of a gap, and even a slight regression vs. Surface Pro 2 due to the thermal design targets for the new chassis***Isn't it due to higher screen resolution (1,440 x 2,160 vs 1,080 x 1,920)? I wonder how two identical GPUs (HD 4400) performed nearly equally while Pro 3 screen resolution is x1.5 higher than Pro 2.
randomhkkid - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
The resolutions are both set to 1080p.Tigran - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
Thanks.