Surface Pro 3 vs Surface Pro 4

[Adam Hodgins]

Looking to get a surface for school work and light gaming (Minecraft/League of Legends).
I am trying to decide between:

Surface Pro 3: i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD

Surface Pro 4: i5, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD

The two are within $10 of each other and would like help deciding between them from people who know more about the devices than me.

 

[glamdringfh]

The big difference between the Pro 3 and Pro 4 is the type of processor. Pro 4 has included the new Skylake processor, which runs cooler and is more powerful than the CPU in Pro3.

For what you will be using it for, you will get MUCH more bang for your buck if you get the Surface 3.

For more specifics on the differences, here is an excerpt from the most recent Tom's Article on the Surface 4 release:

"Microsoft claimed that with this hardware, the Surface Pro 4 will be up to 30 percent faster than the Surface Pro 3, and up to 50 percent faster than the Macbook Air. The Surface Pro 4 will also feature a precision glass trackpad which is 40 percent lighter than the one used on the Surface Pro 3, and is nearly a full millimeter thinner than the Surface Pro 3"

 

[Adam Hodgins]

The big difference between the Pro 3 and Pro 4 is the type of processor. Pro 4 has included the new Skylake processor, which runs cooler and is more powerful than the CPU in Pro3.

For what you will be using it for, you will get MUCH more bang for your buck if you get the Surface 3.

let me quickly expand on what I will be doing for school work and make sure that opinions dont change.

School work includes:

Python/Java/C++ Programming
General Note Taking (OneNote)
Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator

 

[glamdringfh]

Depending on how heavily you use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator you might be better off with the SP4, though you would really benefit from 8GB if you could manage it.

I edited in a link to the Tom's article above on the SP4 unveiling, which mentions:

""Microsoft claimed that with this hardware, the Surface Pro 4 will be up to 30 percent faster than the Surface Pro 3, and up to 50 percent faster than the Macbook Air. The Surface Pro 4 will also feature a precision glass trackpad which is 40 percent lighter than the one used on the Surface Pro 3, and is nearly a full millimeter thinner than the Surface Pro 3"

 

[why_wolf]

I'll add that the pro 4 has a factory calibrated screen and provides 100% sRGB color reproduction. So if color accuracy is really important to you get the Pro 4. http://www.anandtech.com/show/9727/the-microsoft-surface-pro-4-review-raising-the-bar/6

 

[Adam Hodgins]

Depending on how heavily you use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator you might be better off with the SP4, though you would really benefit from 8GB if you could manage it.

unfortunately this is the top of my budget for a tablet, would you still recommend the the SP4 despite the fact that the 8GB model is out of reach?

 

[glamdringfh]

Yes, I would still choose the SP4 over the SP3, you just won't be able to do as many things at the same time on it. It has better color reproduction as why-wolf pointed out above, so as long as you don't need to compile while working on a huge image the 4GB of RAM should be sufficient.

I will also add that the 128GB SSD will fill up fast, so you'll need to have an external storage solution in mind, either on a hard disk or in the cloud.

 

[Adam Hodgins]

Yes, I would still choose the SP4 over the SP3, you just won't be able to do as many things at the same time on it. It has better color reproduction as why-wolf pointed out above, so as long as you don't need to compile while working on a huge image the 4GB of RAM should be sufficient.

I will also add that the 128GB SSD will fill up fast, so you'll need to have an external storage solution in mind, either on a hard disk or in the cloud.

Thank you so much for all of your help! Fast reply's were definitely helpful considering im standing in the store right now haha

 

[glamdringfh]

You're most welcome, I hope you enjoy your new surface!

 

[CelicaGT]

Keep in mind that the claimed performance benefits of the SP4 come mostly from its new dual cooling solution, not Skylake. Haswell had some throttling issues in the SP3 that was due not to any real process or architecture issue, but from the cooling solution. Burst processing is likely going to see the same ~10% increase as always. If your workloads are sustained you will see a tangible benefit from the SP4. The calibrated screen, better pressure sensitivity from the pen, GPU improvements and a myriad of other small improvements make it just that much better. If you want a truly in depth on the SP4 see the Anandtech article.