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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fella1 - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
I use mine to read comics and graphic novels and the fan does not come on when for this activity. The screen really is the perfect size for it to.Tikcus9666 - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
A regression in performance from SP2 to SP3 in intensive workloads, has made me wait on ordering the i7 version until this is reviewedIf the thermal limit is reached more quickly than the SP2, it may be a better buy (SP2) for me than an i7 pro 3 if under intensive workloads the i7 in the Pro 3 performs worse than the previous i5 in the SP2
Hrel - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
"given the substantial reduction in device thickness (and thus improvement in usability)"wat? Thinner doesn't make it easier to use... in any way shape or form. It's purely aesthetic.
ymcpa - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
There is a reduction in thickness and a reduction in weight. Plus the even weight distribution makes the device easier to hold. Go to a store and try it out.drunken - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
agree - it's not perfect as a tablet but the thinness makes it easier to useben.avellone - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
Great review! Glad to see the display size has increased, my SP2 feels a little cramped at times - such as when writing notes. Too bad gaming performance had to take such a hit in this iteration, but such are the realities of engineering design tradeoffs :/MarkieGcolor - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
What a stupid piece of junk this thing isGunbuster - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
How insightful, tell us more.Razzy76 - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
I'd rather have this piece of junk than the piece of sh*t iPad and MacBook Air/Pro.OneOfTheseDays - Monday, June 23, 2014 - link
I own the SP2 but skimped on this generation. I'm waiting for Broadwell, when they can really make this design sing with great battery life and less heat.Further, Windows9 is going to be a massive improvement in usability for hybrid devices.