Microsoft Surface Book (512 GB, 16 GB RAM, Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce graphics)
- 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen display (3000 x 2000) resolution
- Windows 10 Pro operating system
- Incredibly mobile at 3.48 pounds (1576 grams)
- Surface Pen included
Microsoft Surface Book features the 6th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GPU with 16GB memory and a 512GB solid state drive. It is ultra-thin, meticulously crafted, with an incredible 13.5” PixelSense touch-screen display with 3000 x 2000 resolution detachable. Use the included Surface Pen to mark-up presentations, sign documents, take notes and much more. The full punch of a high performance laptop with unprecedented versatility of a tablet. This is Surface Book. This is the future of laptop computing.
List Price: $ 2,699.00
Price:
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158 of 178 people found the following review helpful
 A Half-Week In,
Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Microsoft Surface Book (256 GB, 8 GB RAM, Intel Core i5, NVIDIA GeForce graphics) (Personal Computers)
I’ve had the Surface Book for a half week now. I have tons of experience with computers, Microsoft Products, and Windows. I’m going to assume you already know what the Surface Book is so I can just jump into the actual review.
HARDWARE When you spin the screen around and redock it in "clipboard" mode, the whole thing feels a bit thick and heavy. However, it’s a worthy sacrifice for the extra 10 hour battery in the base and ability to stick things inside the gap. I had a job fair at my university the day I got the Book, and stuck all my resumes inside. I walked up to a recruiter, showed off my websites in Edge, then when asked for a resume, would open the clipboard and pull a sheet off. I have to say I felt like a rockstar 😛 In lone tablet mode, you get a good amount of battery, enough to run around for an hour or so and then redock later. Alone, the tablet is surprisingly light: lighter even than the gen 1 Surfaces. I spent all morning sitting on a couch watching YouTube videos and didn’t have to dock it to recharge. It’s not feasible to leave the base somewhere for more than a few hours though, as you need it for ports and the battery life. Transitioning in between the various forms is the weakest part of the hardware experience, but gets less awkward with time. Some nuances about hardware: All in all on the hardware front, the Surface Book excels in almost every way. SOFTWARE Many have already complained of strange bugs and glitches, and in my first day with the Book I was able to bluescreen it. The culprit right now seems to be the custom Intel (and maybe Nvidia) graphics drivers, so seeing an alert stating "Intel Integrated Graphics Driver has recovered from an unexpected error" is not uncommon in graphics-related work. I want to be clear: as far as I can tell, this isn’t an issue with Windows 10 in general or the Surface Book itself. I’ve been using Win10 for months with nothing to shake a stick at. I’m fairly certain this is a problem with its implementation on the Surface Book and in conjunction with the special software being used for the Book’s unique form factor. Some nuances about software: WRAP-UP 5/5 for hardware, design, feel, use cases
185 of 207 people found the following review helpful
 Finally a Mac quality windows laptop (Updated after 5 months of use), By
Ye Shu (Gainesville, FL, US) – See all my reviews
This review is from: Microsoft Surface Book (512 GB, 16 GB RAM, Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce graphics) (Personal Computers)
*Update Feb 2016* There are a few issues for which I am going to lower the review to 4-stars. Hopefully these are more of win10 issues and can be resolved by software/firmware updates. 2, The solid state drive performs sub-par. I have run a disk speed test and the result is similar to the first generation Apple Flash storage. It is supposed to be the fastest standard on the market–NVME, not the standard of a few years back. The score shows that it is about half to 2/3 the speed of the NVME SSD inside new Dell XPS15 (with same storage). It might be due to the fact that Microsoft had to save some space and cram too many things within Surface Book’s slim body, making its NVME SSD not performing up to its potential. Anyway, the real life experience doesn’t show any significant difference. So non-tech-savvy people may just skip it. 3, The touchpad is vastly improved, but still lags behind Mac’s touchpad. Sometimes it’s erratic, and would lose accuracy. Had to rely on touchscreen or mouse. Side-note: My girlfriend is using it as a laptop 100% of the time: No detaching the screen, taking advantage of the pen, etc. So some tablet or pen issues that other reviewers have experienced might not have occurred here. Verdict so far: One star off because of the wake-up issue. I am still gonna say it’s the closest a PC can get to a Mac in regards of quality. *ORIGINAL REVIEW Oct 2015* The set up was a breeze. Ported everything from her Microsoft account. After installation of a few essential softwares this bad boy is good to go. I haven’t tested much on the performance side, but so far everything runs blazing fast including booting and opening – closing apps. Sepcs-wise, it shouldn’t disappoint. 6th gen i7 CPU, discrete Nvidia Graphics card, 16G of RAM, and especially the format of solid state drive is NVMe, the latest and fastest on the market. I have installed all the aforementioned softwares so hopefully after my girlfriend gives it some road test I will be able to update on the performance. Regarding the features, I love its 2-in-1 capability, and its laptop-first mentality. By that I mean, if you use it under laptop mode (screen and keyboard together), you will never notice that it can be a tablet. A solid, all-round laptop. The detachable screen gives the Surface Book its unique versatility: it functions by itself as a tablet. Has 1024 pressure sensitive stylus. You can write notes, draw, doodle, do other creative works, read, etc, on the tablet. The writing experience is very very close to true pen-and-paper. If you own a Surface Pro, you probably understand what I’m talking about. What’s more, you can even turn the screen around, facing outwards, and still plug it back into the keyboard base, to make it a kiosk. Fold it all the way down, you got a clipboard. Versatility at its finest. There are some Cons that I have noticed, however, that need some attention. But maybe some of them are just personal preference. I will leave you to be the judge.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Love this computer!,
Verified Purchase(What’s this?)
This review is from: Microsoft Surface Book (512 GB, 16 GB RAM, Intel Core i7, NVIDIA GeForce graphics) (Personal Computers)
I do computer and mobile forensic work. I needed a high quality, high performance, laptop for on-site examinations. Forensic software really eats up the process and RAM. For example, I run 32GB of RAM on my workstation and when processing a hard drive, the software will use all available RAM for days on end.
Besides power, I wanted a device that was portable and had a good battery life for when I am traveling. Generally, these things do not go together. You can have a powerful laptop, but it is heavy and the battery doesn’t last, or you can have long battery life, but the machine is not powerful enough. The Surface Book solved my problems. It handles all of my heavy duty forensic work on the go, and the battery can last all day. Plus, I love being able to detach the monitor to show people my reports. This computer is simply amazing. |
Gamer
A Half-Week In,
HARDWARE
When you’re actually using the Surface Book’s hardware, the thing is spectacular. In laptop mode, it’s comfortable and fairly light. I’m writing this with the Book balanced on one knee with no issues, something I couldn’t do with prior surfaces. I’m a (not too crazy) mechanical keyboard user, and find the keyboard to give a good amount of feedback. The key spacing is perfect so that I had no issue adjusting to this keyboard like I have had others.
When you spin the screen around and redock it in “clipboard” mode, the whole thing feels a bit thick and heavy. However, it’s a worthy sacrifice for the extra 10 hour battery in the base and ability to stick things inside the gap. I had a job fair at my university the day I got the Book, and stuck all my resumes inside. I walked up to a recruiter, showed off my websites in Edge, then when asked for a resume, would open the clipboard and pull a sheet off. I have to say I felt like a rockstar 😛
In lone tablet mode, you get a good amount of battery, enough to run around for an hour or so and then redock later. Alone, the tablet is surprisingly light: lighter even than the gen 1 Surfaces. I spent all morning sitting on a couch watching YouTube videos and didn’t have to dock it to recharge. It’s not feasible to leave the base somewhere for more than a few hours though, as you need it for ports and the battery life.
Transitioning in between the various forms is the weakest part of the hardware experience, but gets less awkward with time.
Some nuances about hardware:
The build quality is supreme, not a cut corner anywhere.
You can charge the tablet part independently off the dock.
Reviewers complained of a “bouncy” screen while typing, which is barely noticeable in general and gone when at max hinge angle.
The fn key is sticky (you can leave it on to have access to the function keys instead of having to do fn->F5 every time you want to refresh).
The hinge is sturdy and feels like it’ll last a while.
The track pad is very “Mac-esque”. I’m not a huge fan, but many others are,
One battery does not charge the other while docked.
All in all on the hardware front, the Surface Book excels in almost every way.
SOFTWARE
It feels really silly to say it, but the Surface Book has the worst Windows 10 experience I have yet encountered. While not atrocious by any stretch, the experience leaves much to be desired. Despite having an i5 and dGPU version, the Book struggled to run the application f.lux and a YouTube video at the same time. I was shocked at the lack of Windows 10 gestures available out of the box. Even many ‘touch-friendly’ apps and games had issues. I tested Hearthstone, Mini Metro, Poker Night at the Inventory, Faster than Light, Minecraft Win10 Beta, and Papers Please with lackluster results.
Many have already complained of strange bugs and glitches, and in my first day with the Book I was able to bluescreen it. The culprit right now seems to be the custom Intel (and maybe Nvidia) graphics drivers, so seeing an alert stating “Intel Integrated Graphics Driver has recovered from an unexpected error” is not uncommon in graphics-related work.
I want to be clear: as far as I can tell, this isn’t an issue with Windows 10 in general or the Surface Book itself. I’ve been using Win10 for months with nothing to shake a stick at. I’m fairly certain this is a problem with its implementation on the Surface Book and in conjunction with the special software being used for the Book’s unique form factor.
Some nuances about software:
The hardware disconnect button requires a second or two of pressure before releasing to stop accidental release.
The hardware button always works, but sometimes the software one does not.
Even when in Linux, I can disconnect and reconnect the keyboard with the hardware button.
Windows Hello’s facial feature is creepily accurate and surprisingly useful.
Disconnecting from the dGPU will push threads to the integrated chip. (I think)
If you’re doing something that’s using the dGPU and cannot be pushed over for whatever reason, you cannot disconnect without exiting.
WRAP-UP
I love this thing. It’s a surprisingly useful device, with good specs and ridiculous build quality. I fully expect the software hiccups to be solved in the future, and wouldn’t worry too much about them in general.
5/5 for hardware, design, feel, use cases
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|Finally a Mac quality windows laptop (Updated after 5 months of use),
*Update Feb 2016*
My girlfriend has been using it for over 5 months. For most of the time it is a smooth ride. Fast, quiet, elegant. Everything you expect from a flagship laptop.
There are a few issues for which I am going to lower the review to 4-stars. Hopefully these are more of win10 issues and can be resolved by software/firmware updates.
1, Sometimes it refuses to wake up. Had to use force restart, and maybe on several tries. After restart, it sometimes would go to UEFI mode–not really a user-friendly place my girlfriend likes to be in. This is particularly annoying issue since you don’t want to be stuck with a black screen right in middle of class/meeting.
2, The solid state drive performs sub-par. I have run a disk speed test and the result is similar to the first generation Apple Flash storage. It is supposed to be the fastest standard on the market–NVME, not the standard of a few years back. The score shows that it is about half to 2/3 the speed of the NVME SSD inside new Dell XPS15 (with same storage). It might be due to the fact that Microsoft had to save some space and cram too many things within Surface Book’s slim body, making its NVME SSD not performing up to its potential. Anyway, the real life experience doesn’t show any significant difference. So non-tech-savvy people may just skip it.
3, The touchpad is vastly improved, but still lags behind Mac’s touchpad. Sometimes it’s erratic, and would lose accuracy. Had to rely on touchscreen or mouse.
Side-note: My girlfriend is using it as a laptop 100% of the time: No detaching the screen, taking advantage of the pen, etc. So some tablet or pen issues that other reviewers have experienced might not have occurred here.
Verdict so far: One star off because of the wake-up issue. I am still gonna say it’s the closest a PC can get to a Mac in regards of quality.
*ORIGINAL REVIEW Oct 2015*
Got this the second day it becomes available at Best Buy. I bought this for my girlfriend, who is currently pursuing an architecture degree. Main use: Office, autoCAD, SketchUp, Photoshop, ArcGIS, etc.
The set up was a breeze. Ported everything from her Microsoft account. After installation of a few essential softwares this bad boy is good to go.
Looking at the form factor and the build quality of the Surface Book, it is by far the closest laptop on the market compared with a Mac. I am using a
Macbook Pro myself so I am able to compare them side-by-syde. Surface book is just as beautiful, and feels just as premium, if not better. The hinge makes it look a little bit thicker than expected, but still very portable. The screen is crystal-clear, but keep in mind it has quite some glare.
I haven’t tested much on the performance side, but so far everything runs blazing fast including booting and opening – closing apps. Sepcs-wise, it shouldn’t disappoint. 6th gen i7 CPU, discrete Nvidia Graphics card, 16G of RAM, and especially the format of solid state drive is NVMe, the latest and fastest on the market. I have installed all the aforementioned softwares so hopefully after my girlfriend gives it some road test I will be able to update on the performance.
Regarding the features, I love its 2-in-1 capability, and its laptop-first mentality. By that I mean, if you use it under laptop mode (screen and keyboard together), you will never notice that it can be a tablet. A solid, all-round laptop. The detachable screen gives the Surface Book its unique versatility: it functions by itself as a tablet. Has 1024 pressure sensitive stylus. You can write notes, draw, doodle, do other creative works, read, etc, on the tablet. The writing experience is very very close to true pen-and-paper. If you own a Surface Pro, you probably understand what I’m talking about. What’s more, you can even turn the screen around, facing outwards, and still plug it back into the keyboard base, to make it a kiosk. Fold it all the way down, you got a clipboard. Versatility at its finest.
There are some Cons that I have noticed, however, that need some attention. But maybe some of them are just personal preference. I will leave you to be the judge.
1, The CPU is ULV, not the normal wattage processor that you see in most high-configuration devices. The 6-gen ULV i7 in the Surface Book only has two cores, whereas a previous generation non ULV i7 has four cores and higher TDP. This means, although Surface Book is fast, it probably won’t be up to highly demanding tasks, compared with those workstations.
2, It gets moderately warm, even under light work. I think that’s because the i7 cpu is fit in the ultra-thin screen. So if you run CPU intensive tasks, the screen can get hot; if you run GPU intensive tasks, the keyboard gets hot. Normally if a PC runs very hot, it will slow itself down, causing a lot of unresponsiveness and lags. I hope this device won’t be too bad…
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