What is the replacement for the Microsoft Surface Book?
What is the replacement for the Microsoft Surface Book?
I've got a 1st gen Microsoft Surface Book, i5 6300U, 256gb SSD, 8gb RAM. Unfortunately the keyboard base with the integrated nvidia GPU has stopped working. I've run through diagnostics and Microsoft have done their checks remotely - it can't be fixed.
They've offered an identical exchange replacement for £568 ($790), but it seems they don't offer a route to upgrade / modernise.
It
seems
like a decent price after googling it, however I'm still buying a 5 year old laptop.
It was originally bought for photography - photoshop / lightroom / plug ins, maybe a bit of video, a bit of light gaming, and general productivity / work / surfing. I've got a half decent 9700k gaming / creative desktop as well, so have an alternative for heavy lifting. But that also meant I didn't use this laptop often.
Don't get me wrong, it's an awesome laptop in terms of build quality and screen and I love the touch screen and pen. However it's impossible to upgrade, and 256gb SSD is pretty poor in this day and age. And ironically the screen res was arguably too high for its size as I could barely read menus in photoshop (though I probably should have persisted with this)
So what do you think? should I take the Microsoft upgrade - is it still decent value for money and current enough to do what I want?? Or should I maybe consider something else?? Appreciate your thoughts!
Around $800 USD for a first-generation Surface is not right.
Do you want a 2-in-1 device similar to the Surface or a standard laptop?
There are plenty of choices in both styles at this price, particularly when considering used models.
Not overly concerned about getting a 2-in-1 since I favor keyboard input (though detachable options are fine too), but a touch screen is ideal. The precision pen feature is really appealing. The price isn’t the main concern here; I just don’t want to spend money on an outdated device if it doesn’t add value. It would also be nice if there were some room for upgrades, especially in terms of RAM and storage.
The high-quality color screens on these laptops come at a higher price, but they're ideal for photo editing. You'll likely find better options in used models. Dell XPS and Lenovo Legion offer solid screens; if gaming isn't important, newer Surface models are great for 2-in-1 use. Just search for color-accurate laptops to explore further.
Just hope Microsoft offers an upgrade path instead of a simple swap – that would really simplify things! Maybe I’ll ask again. I’ll also check Dell and Lenovo, and look for color-accurate options, though honestly, my desktop already has a good color accuracy so it’s not as urgent.
Checking if my insurance would cover this while the keyboard stopped working meant it was discarded. It could mean I have a reasonable budget or might need to replace it piece by piece, who knows! Either way, it should be less expensive than the Microsoft replacement option.
Apparently the insurance company repairer say it can be fixed, so don't need to worry about the upgrade right now! Good and bad.... Will start a new post for the next question...
I received a call from the insurance company informing me that my surface book cannot be repaired. This led me to look for a new laptop in the market. However, I'm curious about how easily other high-end, color-accurate laptops can be upgraded—specifically regarding storage and RAM. My belief is that most components are unlikely to be upgradeable, but I want to know if I can even improve the essential parts.
For most high-quality laptops, you can upgrade the RAM and swap out the drive, but advanced systems often have soldered RAM and limited slots, which is a poor design choice. Focus on selecting a screen and core specifications that suit your needs, then verify compatibility with the build.