Microsoft Surface Book - i7 - 16GB - 512GB
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According to our laptop expert
The Microsoft Surface Book is a 2-in-1 for photo editing, video editing, and even gaming. The Surface Book has an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M, providing you with sufficient graphics power. Smile at the camera above the screen and you'll automatically log in, thanks to Windows Hello. Don't need the keyboard for a while? Click at the bottom right in the taskbar and the screen will be disconnected, so you can easily remove it. You'll then be able to operate the touchscreen with your fingers or the included Surface Pen. Have you made a beautiful design? Slide the screen backwards back into the keyboard and show it to your colleagues in the presentation position.
Screen size | 13,5 inches | |
Processor | Intel Core i7 | |
Internal RAM | 16 GB | |
Total storage capacity | 512 GB | |
Video card | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M | |
Panel type | IPS panel | |
Touchscreen | ||
Windows OS version | Windows 10 Pro |
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First of all, the low rating is compared to other laptops from the same / even a lot lower price segment. It's not a slow laptop at all.
Let's start with the positives; the design, look and feel of the laptop are really top notch. The keyboard is great to work with and the laptop has a very premium feel. The pen works great, sometimes I forget I'm writing on a screen, rather than on paper. The screen is also top notch, the color reproduction is excellent and the brightness of the screen is one of the highest in the segment. I'm very enthusiastic about the 3:2 aspect ratio, which works to really finer than the widescreen displays that all other convertibles have.
Still, I decided to return the laptop, for a number of reasons. First, the tablet function does not work at all as I had hoped. The battery lasts up to 1.5 hours if you disconnect the screen (called clipboard mode). The screen also has no kickstand, which is very inconvenient if you don't have the keyboard with you. You can't put it straight on, which is what I liked about the Surface Pro.
Furthermore, the hardware is quite outdated and, given the price you pay, this is actually the biggest problem. It already starts with the i7 that is in it, of the sixth generation. We are already at the eighth. However, that problem is nothing compared to the fact that this is a dual-core i7. It is in benchmarks 2.5 times slower than the 7th generation i7 quadcore. There are even plenty of i5s that are faster than the processor built into the Surface Book. Conclusion: an i7, that all sounds nice, but in practice it is very disappointing with this laptop.
Next: the working memory. 16 GB is a lot, but this is DDR3 RAM. That is simply not possible anymore. DDR4 has been around for a long time, and is even used in laptops of the cheaper segment. I was therefore surprised that the new Surface Book, which will be released in a few days, also features DDR3. It seems as if Microsoft is trying to sell parts as cheaply as possible, for as much money as possible.
The same goes for the SSD, which is also old. Much faster SSDs are available today, including in laptops. The laptop also has far too few connections, and there are no Thunderbolt or USB-C ports available. So you can't connect an e-Gpu, you can't quickcharge, and so on. Moreover, the dock, with more USB and display ports, costs 217 euros, that price is really ridiculous.
Now one of the biggest drawbacks: the laptop is very unsuitable for gaming. This is due to the aspect ratio of the screen, which stretches the image in games. Normally you could play in windowed borderless mode, then you would get a widescreen resolution, with a black bar at the top and bottom, just like in movies. I wouldn't have found that a problem. The problem, however, is that all Surface Books have a certain bug, which means you only get half the frame rate in windowed mode. Very unfortunate, because I was looking forward to using the PC as an overpriced fifa-on-the-go platform, but that is of course a personal minus.
The system with two video cards (one in the screen, one in the performance base) doesn't work at all. It was an incredible hassle to install the drivers properly, if I hadn't paid attention, I could never have used the dGpu without realizing it. When everything finally works, you run into a lot of limitations. Windows tries to use the slow, small GPU as much as possible to save battery. Because of this, for example, games like minecraft run terribly bad, I got about 25 fps. Fortunately, you can adjust this per app, but that is also a hassle. In addition, you have to close all graphics apps before you can disconnect the screen. Very disruptive during gaming, video and photo editing, etc.
Unfortunately I can't really say that I was satisfied with this product, for a price like this, everything just has to work perfectly, you should never doubt your performance when you have put down so much money. I am now going for the Lenovo 720-15 with a 4k screen, i7 7thgen quad core, ddr4, 4k & thunderbolt 3.0.
I do not recommend anyone who wants value for money to buy the Surface Book. You're much better off going for a high-end asus, hp, lenovo, dell, and so on. If you have a lot of money and really want the very best, then you might want to consider buying the new Surface Book 2. It does contain a quad-core, a 1060 video card and even more beautiful things. Other laptops do not offer the latter. You still pay too much for the specs, but you do have the nice 3;2 screen (not for gaming ..) and the premium feeling that comes with this laptop.
Sander
7 December 2017
Automatically translated from Dutch
no comments and/or comments
Jos van de Sanden
1 December 2017
Automatically translated from Dutch
The laptop looks and feels great. The top comes off very easily and the hinges are sturdy. The pen is functional and very useful for creative users. Facial recognition works well. The laptop is however slightly heavy.
Soumya Inumella
1 December 2017
Automatically translated from Dutch
Product number | 761754 | |
Manufacturer code | 96D-00011 | |
Brand | Microsoft | |
Warranty | 2 years | |
Processing of your defect | Carry-in warranty | |
Old product returned for free |
Operating system | Windows | |
Screen size | 13,5 inches | |
Processor | Intel Core i7 | |
Internal RAM | 16 GB | |
Total storage capacity | 512 GB | |
Video card | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M | |
Touchscreen |
Panel type | IPS panel | |
Resolution width | 3000 pixels | |
Resolution height | 2000 pixels | |
Screen reflection | Glossy |
Processor cores | Dual-Core (2) | |
Processor code name | Skylake | |
Clock speed | 2,6 GHz | |
Turbo speed | 3,4 GHz | |
Cache memory | 4 MB |
Maximum internal memory | 16 GB | |
Memory composition | 1x 16GB |
Storage type | SSD | |
SSD storage capacity | 512 GB | |
Hard drive type | M.2 |
Type of video card | Shared |
Windows OS version | Windows 10 Pro | |
Operating system language | Dutch, English, Multiple languages can be configured |
Laptop model | 2-in-1 | |
Color | Silver | |
Material | Metal | |
Metal type | Magnesium alloy | |
Height | 2,28 cm | |
Width | 31,2 cm | |
Depth | 23,2 cm | |
Weight | 1,52 kg |
Mobile data connection | No | |
WiFi standards | Wireless AC, Wireless B, Wireless G, Wireless N | |
Bluetooth | ||
Bluetooth version | 4.0 |
USB port | ||
Number of USB ports | 2 | |
HDMI connector | ||
DisplayPort connector | ||
VGA connector | ||
Thunderbolt connector | ||
Headphone jack | ||
Memory card reader |
Keyboard layout | QWERTY | |
Physical keyboard layout | ANSI | |
Numeric keypad | ||
Spill-resistant | ||
Backlit keyboard | ||
Mechanical keyboard | ||
Programmable keys |
Built-in microphone | ||
Number of speakers | 2 | |
Sound reproduction | Stereo | |
Integrated computer speakers brand | Standard speakers |
Built-in camera | ||
Image definition webcams | HD Ready (720p) |
Battery technology | Lithium polymer | |
Maximum battery life | 12 hours |
TPM (Trusted platform module) | ||
Kensington lock | ||
Windows Hello | ||
Fingerprint identity sensor |
