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- First reviewMarch 12, 2016
- Last reviewMarch 12, 2016
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HereToHelp's Reviews
Microsoft Surface Book Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop: This ultrathin, high-performance laptop is equipped with incredible 3000 x 2000 screen resolution and the versatility of a tablet. It combines a powerful 6th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor and 8GB of system memory with discrete graphics so no creative tasks are too demanding. Use the included Surface Pen to mark-up presentations, sign documents, take notes and much more.
Posted by: HereToHelp
I purchased and primarily use my Surface Book (SB) for heavy business use (power user), light tablet use, and almost no graphic intensive use. When it works properly, the SB is an amazing piece of technology which meets all of my needs and even added several other new productivity tools to my arsenal. In short, I love it, BUT…
Let me also share a few other important facts (IMHO at least) to keep in mind as you read: I am on my third SB and am not convinced it will even make it to the end of its one-year limited warranty, if you are not tech savvy this is NOT for you, and short of needing this for heavy graphics use, there is absolutely no need to purchase one with a dedicated graphics card.
I started with the base SB (i5 with 128GB SSD) and was happy with its performance until it failed slightly more than two weeks after purchase (think blue screen resembling an 80’s video game). When I exchanged the defective unit, I wanted to try the i5 with 256GB SSD and dedicated graphics, but the last one in stock had just been used in another exchange (telling, I know). So I grabbed the low end i7 and when I turned it on, it skipped setup and went straight to a login screen. Back I went to Best Buy to exchange it for SB #3. When I arrived I was informed by the tech that this was a known bug, but assured me it was a new unit. Nonetheless, I was provided a new machine which we turned on in-store to verify it went to the setup screen.
When I got home and opened it back up to complete set-up, it was back on the same login screen as the prior SB had been. After a short web search, I discovered the “fix” was to re-start the machine at which point it does go to a setup screen.
Note: Since Best Buy clearly knew of this bug, I was disappointed that they neither shared this information nor the solution that I had to look up on line.
All of this, just so I can finally get to my review.
Based on what I had read I expected great performance from Microsoft’s base apps (i.e. Office apps) and the apps which were available in the Store. While they may be useful for lighter users who shouldn’t be buying this product in the first place, most are nowhere near as robust as their desktop equivalents and the Store apps regularly crash and close for no apparent reason.
The reason I discourage non-tech savvy users from purchasing this is because MS is still working out A LOT of bugs. To their credit, the requisite updates are coming at a furious pace (including several firmware updates). However, you can no longer choose what to install or when to install it. The updates are either immediately downloaded and installed or “deferred” for up to four months when they will still be automatically downloaded and installed. This has already required a couple of system rebuilds which are not for the faint of heart or those who do not do a good job of backing up their data and system.
For those of you who require connectivity, Microsoft inexplicably chose to use the same HORRIBLE wireless adapter which was resoundingly torched as such in previous Surface Pro models. For reference, I am less than 30 feet from my 75/75 FiOS Quantum Router which broadcasts both 2.4 and 5.0 Ghz and have only one bar on my wireless indicator.
Though not hardware related, it still makes no sense that that third-party software is still required to sync Outlook with Google especially with the claims on how well integrated everything is in Windows 10. There are also other W10 features that were removed from the beta (which shouldn’t have been) or are still lacking despite the progress it made over 8.1; and yes, 7 as well.
Other problems I have encountered are the screen getting extremely hot (inexplicably, if you shut down the machine in an attempt to allow it to cool, the fan immediately stops running), there are major issues with screen brightness (which I have set on max) as it has become unreadable or almost unreadable on several occasions and required me to re-start just to be able to see it, the screen is nowhere near as bright as when I first purchased the unit, apps and desktop software randomly locking up or not closing for no apparent reason, and an inability to re-start/shut down at times. Hence why I am highly concerned that my $2,000+ SB will make it a year.
Since brevity was impossible in order to get the above points across, unless directly contradicted in my review, you may assume any other advertisements, claims, and/or reviews regarding all of the amazing things this product can do are true. While this may be hard to believe based on my review, I love this machine although I wish I had stuck with my original base model (for all the aggravation to-date, how about you make this happen Best Buy?) and I get excited each time I discover and use one of its many new features. However, since this is no inexpensive toy, I thought it was more important to share the factors that may matter most to potential buyers. I hope you found this helpful.
Other problems I have encountered are the screen getting extremely hot (inexplicably, if you shut down the machine in an attempt to allow it to cool, the fan immediately stops running), there are major issues with screen brightness (which I have set on max) as it has become unreadable or almost unreadable on several occasions and required me to re-start just to be able to see it, the screen is nowhere near as bright as when I first purchased the unit, apps and desktop software randomly locking up or not closing for no apparent reason, and an inability to re-start/shut down at times. Hence why I am highly concerned that my $2,000+ SB will make it a year.
Since brevity was impossible in order to get the above points across, unless directly contradicted in my review, you may assume any other advertisements, claims, and/or reviews regarding all of the amazing things this product can do are true. While this may be hard to believe based on my review, I love this machine although I wish I had stuck with my original base model (for all the aggravation to-date, how about you make this happen Best Buy?) and I get excited each time I discover and use one of its many new features. However, since this is no inexpensive toy, I thought it was more important to share the factors that may matter most to potential buyers. I hope you found this helpful.
Note: Since I tested both the base i5 and i7, I would recommend the i5 to my friends as a 3-star product with the potential to get close to 5, but not the 2-star i7 which grossly underwhelms for the price tag.
My Best Buy number: 2985038252
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
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+5points
6of 7voted this as helpful.
Microsoft Surface Book Convertible 2-in-1 Laptop: This ultrathin, high-performance laptop is equipped with incredible 3000 x 2000 screen resolution and the versatility of a tablet. It combines a powerful 6th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 processor with 8GB of memory so no creative tasks are too demanding. Use the included Surface Pen to mark-up presentations, sign documents, take notes and much more.
Posted by: HereToHelp
I purchased and primarily use my Surface Book (SB) for heavy business use (power user), light tablet use, and almost no graphic intensive use. When it works properly, the SB is an amazing piece of technology which meets all of my needs and even added several other new productivity tools to my arsenal. In short, I love it, BUT…
Let me also share a few other important facts (IMHO at least) to keep in mind as you read: I am on my third SB and am not convinced it will even make it to the end of its one-year limited warranty, if you are not tech savvy this is NOT for you, and short of needing this for heavy graphics use, there is absolutely no need to purchase one with a dedicated graphics card.
I started with the base SB (i5 with 128GB SSD) and was happy with its performance until it failed slightly more than two weeks after purchase (think blue screen resembling an 80’s video game). When I exchanged the defective unit, I wanted to try the i5 with 256GB SSD and dedicated graphics, but the last one in stock had just been used in another exchange (telling, I know). So I grabbed the low end i7 and when I turned it on, it skipped setup and went straight to a login screen. Back I went to Best Buy to exchange it for SB #3. When I arrived I was informed by the tech that this was a known bug, but assured me it was a new unit. Nonetheless, I was provided a new machine which we turned on in-store to verify it went to the setup screen.
When I got home and opened it back up to complete set-up, it was back on the same login screen as the prior SB had been. After a short web search, I discovered the “fix” was to re-start the machine at which point it does go to a setup screen.
Note: Since Best Buy clearly knew of this bug, I was disappointed that they neither shared this information nor the solution that I had to look up on line.
All of this, just so I can finally get to my review.
Based on what I had read I expected great performance from Microsoft’s base apps (i.e. Office apps) and the apps which were available in the Store. While they may be useful for lighter users who shouldn’t be buying this product in the first place, most are nowhere near as robust as their desktop equivalents and the Store apps regularly crash and close for no apparent reason.
The reason I discourage non-tech savvy users from purchasing this is because MS is still working out A LOT of bugs. To their credit, the requisite updates are coming at a furious pace (including several firmware updates). However, you can no longer choose what to install or when to install it. The updates are either immediately downloaded and installed or “deferred” for up to four months when they will still be automatically downloaded and installed. This has already required a couple of system rebuilds which are not for the faint of heart or those who do not do a good job of backing up their data and system.
For those of you who require connectivity, Microsoft inexplicably chose to use the same HORRIBLE wireless adapter which was resoundingly torched as such in previous Surface Pro models. For reference, I am less than 30 feet from my 75/75 FiOS Quantum Router which broadcasts both 2.4 and 5.0 Ghz and have only one bar on my wireless indicator.
Though not hardware related, it still makes no sense that that third-party software is still required to sync Outlook with Google especially with the claims on how well integrated everything is in Windows 10. There are also other W10 features that were removed from the beta (which shouldn’t have been) or are still lacking despite the progress it made over 8.1; and yes, 7 as well.
Other problems I have encountered are the screen getting extremely hot (inexplicably, if you shut down the machine in an attempt to allow it to cool, the fan immediately stops running), there are major issues with screen brightness (which I have set on max) as it has become unreadable or almost unreadable on several occasions and required me to re-start just to be able to see it, the screen is nowhere near as bright as when I first purchased the unit, apps and desktop software randomly locking up or not closing for no apparent reason, and an inability to re-start/shut down at times. Hence why I am highly concerned that my $2,000+ SB will make it a year.
Since brevity was impossible in order to get the above points across, unless directly contradicted in my review, you may assume any other advertisements, claims, and/or reviews regarding all of the amazing things this product can do are true. While this may be hard to believe based on my review, I love this machine although I wish I had stuck with my original base model (for all the aggravation to-date, how about you make this happen Best Buy?) and I get excited each time I discover and use one of its many new features. However, since this is no inexpensive toy, I thought it was more important to share the factors that may matter most to potential buyers. I hope you found this helpful.
Other problems I have encountered are the screen getting extremely hot (inexplicably, if you shut down the machine in an attempt to allow it to cool, the fan immediately stops running), there are major issues with screen brightness (which I have set on max) as it has become unreadable or almost unreadable on several occasions and required me to re-start just to be able to see it, the screen is nowhere near as bright as when I first purchased the unit, apps and desktop software randomly locking up or not closing for no apparent reason, and an inability to re-start/shut down at times. Hence why I am highly concerned that my $2,000+ SB will make it a year.
Since brevity was impossible in order to get the above points across, unless directly contradicted in my review, you may assume any other advertisements, claims, and/or reviews regarding all of the amazing things this product can do are true. While this may be hard to believe based on my review, I love this machine although I wish I had stuck with my original base model (for all the aggravation to-date, how about you make this happen Best Buy?) and I get excited each time I discover and use one of its many new features. However, since this is no inexpensive toy, I thought it was more important to share the factors that may matter most to potential buyers. I hope you found this helpful.
My Best Buy number: 2985038252
I would recommend this to a friend!
Share this review:
+101points
119of 137voted this as helpful.
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