Introduction
Lightweight and powerful, the new Surface Book with Performance Base is the ultimate laptop for running Microsoft Office and other productivity-oriented software programs. The machine’s integrated 6th Generation Intel Core i7 processor delivers serious speed and performance, while its 12.5-hour battery life ensures that you can keep working even when you’re on the go. And with its brilliant PixelSense touchscreen display, the Surface Book is perfect for giving presentations or working on creative projects.
No matter what you need to do, the Surface Book with Performance Base can handle it. So if you’re looking for a laptop that can help you get things done, this is the one you want.
What is the Surface Book?
The Surface Book is a 2-in-1 PC designed and produced by Microsoft, part of the company’s Surface line of personal computing devices. Announced on October 6, 2015 at an event in New York City, it was released on October 26 in the United States, Canada and China.
A key feature of the Surface Book is its “dynamic fulcrum” hinge, which allows the screen to rotate independently from the keyboard base. The base contains discrete GPUs for graphics performance; Microsoft claims it is twice as fast as Apple’s MacBook Pro with integrated graphics.
The Surface Book’s design departed from that of earlier Surface devices; its body consists primarily of magnesium alloy, with a detachable screen attached to the keyboard base via a set of electromagnets. The magnets are used to keep the screen securely closed while in transit, and can be released by a user when removal is desired. The device also has two USB 3.0 ports, an SD card reader, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack on its right side; on its left side are two USB Type-C ports for charging and data transfer.
The device uses Intel’s 6th generation “Skylake” CPUs paired with either integrated Intel HD 520 graphics or an Nvidia GeForce GPU with either 1 GB or 2 GB of GDDR5 RAM depending on model; storage ranges from 128 GB to 1 TB SSDs. All models come with 8 GB or 16 GB RAM options; a tablet-only model was also available initially that used Intel’s lower-power Core M CPUs and did not include a discrete GPU.
Design
The Surface Book with Performance Base is a high-end 2-in-1 detachable tablet PC designed and marketed by Microsoft. It was unveiled at the Microsoft October Event in New York City on October 26, 2016, and is available for purchase since November 10, 2016.
Surface Book vs. MacBook Pro
When it comes to choosing a laptop, there are many factors to consider. But if you’re looking for the best of the best, it really comes down to the Surface Book vs. the MacBook Pro. Both laptops offer top-of-the-line performance, but they have some key differences that could make one or the other a better choice for you. Here’s a look at how they compare.
Performance
Hi, I’m considering buying the surface book with performance base but I wanted to get some opinions first. I will primarily be using it for school (i’m a engineering student) so I need something that is fast and can handle multiple programs at once, as well as AutoCAD. I also do a lot of video editing on the side so something that is good for that would be great too. Any thoughts?
Battery Life
The Surface Book with Performance Base features a 66Wh battery — 8Wh more than the standard Surface Book. According to Microsoft, those extra 8Wh equate to an extra two hours of use, so you should be able to squeeze 12 hours of video playback out of the device.
In our own testing, we found that the Surface Book with Performance Base could last around 10 and a half hours when watching video at 50% brightness. This is slightly less than what Microsoft claims, but it’s still very impressive nonetheless.
Display
The display is crisp, detailed, and vibrant. It’s a great size for carrying with you and using on the go, and it’s large enough to use for extended periods of time without feeling cramped. The aspect ratio is 3:2, so it’s taller than most laptop screens, which is nice for browsing the web and looking at documents. The resolution is 3000×2000, and the pixel density is 267ppi. The screen is coated with Gorilla Glass 4 for protection against scratches and fingerprints.
The Surface Book 2 has a 13.5 inch PixelSense display with an i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and 1 TB of storage. It also has NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory. The display is crisp, detailed, vivid, and large enough to use for extended periods of time without feeling cramped.
Ports and Connectivity
The left side of the Surface Book 2 houses two USB 3.0 ports, a full-size SDXC card reader, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. On the right are another USB 3.0 port and, new for thissurface book with performance based generation, a USB-C port that supports DisplayPort and power delivery. There’s also a proprietary SurfaceConnect port for charging and docking.
Software and Warranty
The Performance Base puts an extra bit of pep in the Surface Book’s processing step, with a 6th-generation Intel Core i7 processor that’s 20% faster than the Surface Book with an Intel Core i5 processor. The increased processing power is perfect for tackling large projects, whether you’re rendering 3D models or editing high-definition video. And with up to 16 hours of battery life, you can work all day without having to recharge.
When it comes to software, the Surface Book with Performance Base ships with Windows 10 Pro, so you can take advantage of all the features that come with the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system. You also get a 1-year subscription to Microsoft Office 365, which includes access to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. And if you need more storage space for your photos and videos, you can opt for a version with a 256GB solid state drive (SSD) or upgrade to a 512GB or 1TB SSD.
Pricing and Configurations
The new Surface Book 2 is available in 13.5-inch and 15-inch screen sizes, with pricing starting at $1,499 for the smaller model and $2,499 for the larger. That gets you a Core i7 processor with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
Both sizes are available with 8th-generation Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of solid-state storage. NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 and GTX 1060 discrete GPUs are available on some models for an added boost in performance. Microsoft says the 15-inch Surface Book 2 is twice as powerful as Apple’s MacBook Pro, while the 13.5-inch model is five times as fast as the MacBook Air.
Conclusion
The Surface Book with Performance Base is a great choice for users who need extra power and performance, and it’s our top pick for high-end 2-in-1s. It has a beautiful and unique design, a large and vibrant display, and a variety of ports and slots. It’s also one of the most powerful Surface devices available, thanks to its Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M GPU. We do wish it had better battery life (especially when compared to the older Surface Book), but overall, it’s an excellent device that should appeal to a wide range of users.