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Introducing Surface Book 2

blogs.windows.com

231–240 of 520 posts

Re: Introducing Surface Book 2

#231
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I tried to switch to Windows for work (for gaming it's the obvious choice) but I just couldn't. Windows 10 is IMO the best Windows ever, but I was surprised that the ecosystem was really poor compared to macOS. Most of the software you find online are outdated win32 apps with scaling problems. Even modern software from major companies still has scaling problems such as Adobe CC or even the mighty Photoshop. I also di…

Funny, I tried to go the other way but just couldnt. The ecosystem on windows 10 is poor but then again I just download from one of the million win32 applications. I just don't use "apps" from store.

But those million win32 applications tend to be really outdated and poor in terms of features compared to the macOS ecosystem. At least that was what I experienced.

Re: Introducing Surface Book 2

#232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well in fairness, the link points to the Windows blog. The actual marketing page should probably be the link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-book...

This should be the linked page. A lot more of information than the blog post.

Perhaps if we summon dang it will be changed?

Re: Introducing Surface Book 2

#233
post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah it's really frustrating. * this page is an ad copy with very little of interest * the store page ( https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/d/surface-book-2/8MCPZ... ) has no date, no price and only hints at specs (you can pick a model but have no idea that e.g. the 13.5" i5 is iGP and the i7 is dGPU) * https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/surface-book... has the actual stuff you want, with a detailed sp…

Now I wish I hadn't found the prices...

As compared to similar macbooks?

I switched to a surface book about 4 months ago, and will probably be upgrading to this when the $ is in my budget.

Re: Introducing Surface Book 2

#234
post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basically you are paying for a better CPU, you get the option of Intel's 8th Gen CPU..... and Nvidia GPU, arguably better then one offered by Apple. I just wish Apple will make their own Metal GPU for Mac. At least then I know the GPU will be best at something Apple designed to do.

"I just wish Apple will make their own Metal GPU for Mac" This hurts my brain for some reason. Metal is a API to access the GPU and you want them to make a new GPU for that....API. Huh ?!?

It makes sense if you think of Apple as the penultimate modern vertically integrated company - they even had branded AA batteries and charger at some point (re-labeled Eneloops).

Re: Introducing Surface Book 2

#235
post #71

What is the main reason behind the 17 hour battery life, mainly in comparison to a MacBook Pro? Does this come mainly from the battery size, power management in the OS or components?

They use core i7-8650U which is a 15W while the MBP uses HQ model which is 47W. And the low power idle mode difference is even larger 5W vs 20, not entirely sure about the 20.

Re: Introducing Surface Book 2

#236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oddly enough I think mac and windows switched professional users somehow. I don't know a single developer on a windows machine, however most people I know working in 3d, digital illustration or video work all use windows machines now.

This is indeed very odd but true. I understand why developers switched and the reason is probably that most development these days is Web development and OSX is the closest to a Unix os with a polished gui. On the other hand I can't understand why creatives switched to windows.

> On the other hand I can't understand why creatives switched to windows.

Apple's neglect.

Re: Introducing Surface Book 2

#237
post #7

Nvidia 1060 and 1050? Nice. I assume it is 4GB and 6GB respectively? This really makes it incredibly powerful. I run with dual 4k monitors off of a Dell XPS with an Nvidia 1050 with 4GB. Feels like a desktop. (Does this also support 32GB of RAM? That is required for development these days with multiple containers running locally. My Dell XPS 15" supports 32GB of RAM.)

> Nvidia 1060 and 1050? Nice. I assume it is 4GB and 6GB respectively? 6 and 2. The 1050/2GB is for the 13", the 1060/6GB for the 15". > Does this also support 32GB of RAM? No, since Intel still only supports LPDDR3.

[deleted]

Re: Introducing Surface Book 2

#238
post #186

Having recently used a XPS 13, original Surface Book, Surface laptop, Surface Pro, and Lenovo T560, the Surface laptop is the clear winner for me. Definitely worth a look if you're looking for good Windows hardware, and don't need the discrete graphics capability of the Surface Book.

Is this for software development (assuming yes since we're on HN)? I'm currently in the process of making this choice. Looking at Lenovo T470p/Dell XPS 13/15. If I'm doing linux development is it worth even thinking about the surface laptop?

I run an XPS 13 with Ubuntu 16.04 and do software development for a living (so I use the laptop for 10+ hours a day).

Let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll be happy to answer... but long story-short, this is the best laptop I've ever touched or owned.

Re: Introducing Surface Book 2

#239
A 15" non Apple laptop without numberpad, plus a 3:2 display: joy! I don't need a new laptop now but I hope other manufacturers will follow.

No number pad means that the touchpad in centered with the screen and the keyboard so I wouldn't have to slide the laptop to the right to have the important keys and the touchpad in front of me.

3:2 * 5.33 = 16:10.66, so extra vertical space.

Re: Introducing Surface Book 2

#240
post #90

I bought a SB last year and returned it after a couple of days since it was full of problems with the GPU and pen[1]. The machine was beautiful and both the keyboard and trackpad felt amazing, but even if my unit was defective the pen and tablet experience were poor compared to something like an iPad Pro. Also the display was really sharp in terms of resolution but suffered from an insane amount of ghosting while scr…

When I got my Surface Pro way back when, I had some similar issues. I had to update the drivers for the screen and pen to the official Wacom release instead of the Microsoft release and afterwards it ran amazingly well. It was so nice that I've been eyeing one of those absurdly expensive drafting table style Wacom setups for my desktop ever since even thought I could never justify the price. I've considered upgrading…

If I'm not mistaken the Surface Book is not using Wacom tech anymore so you are stuck with Microsoft.
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