May I know why?
Thinking of getting it for art...mainly photoshop and 3d modelling/sculpting.
Anyone else tried any 3D software on the SP3 yet? how's it?
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Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Announced (12", 3:2 aspect ratio, new stand)
- Thread starter enzo_gt
- Start date
May I know why?
Thinking of getting it for art...mainly photoshop and 3d modelling/sculpting.
Anyone else tried any 3D software on the SP3 yet? how's it?
StudioTan
Hold on, friend! I'd love to share with you some swell news about the Windows 8 Metro UI! Wait, where are you going?
Zbrush works great but you'll need something for the hotkeys. I use a Nostromo so I can have the tablet almost flat and my hands in comfortable positions. Artdock wasn't working for the SP3 at launch but I haven't checked if it's since been updated, that would allow you to use on screen hotkeys. It'll also be much better when we can program the 2 buttons on the pen.
Maya works but with the high resolution of the SP3 the UI is almost unusable. I haven't tried to do any serious work with it. Again, I might revisit it when I can program the pen buttons.
Mudbox doesn't currently work at all, pen isn't even recognized.
Photoshop works great and the newest version has a 200% UI scaling option.
Overall I'm really happy with the device for art.
Chezzymann
Member
On the surface pro 3 I can't get pressure sensitivity to work with GIMP or Sketchbook (yes, I already enabled pressure sensitivity for brushes on those programs.) Anyone know what to do? I downloaded and installed the wintab driver for surface pro (http://us.wacom.com/en/feeldriver/) but it did absolutely nothing. and just said "A supported tablet was not found on this computer". Ugh. If I can't get pressure sensitivity to work I might return this because the main reason I got it was for it to be sort of a cintiq.
Septimus Prime
Member
I don't know how to solve your problem, but I do think the issue stems from the stylus and digitizer not being Wacom.
SerTapTap
Member
Sounds like you need a different driver special for ntrig: http://surfaceproartist.com/blog/2014/5/29/surface-pro-3-what-runs-what-doesnt
DesertEater
Member
I only knew that Surface supported full blown windows today. From some reason I never bother looking up its specs before. But there is this guy at work that uses it a lot and I've been curious since i'm thinking of getting a new laptop. Surface pro seems like a good investment. Would you guys recommend it for indie gaming, watching films, and programming?
It's a question of how important portability and laptop/tablet for factors are for you.
The Surface Pro 3's 12" 3:2 screen is not as good for watching movies than a 13" 16:9 screen. The type keyboard is not as good as the better and bigger keyboards on some notebooks. The Surface Pro 3 is adequate for indie games, but bigger, more powerful devices with better keyboards might be preferable.
However, those bigger notebooks just aren't as small and light, they mostly don't have touch and don't work as tablets.
Chezzymann
Member
The N trig thing worked! Man this thing is so awesome to draw on, I'm addicted.
DesertEater
Member
Thanks for reply. After a bit of searchin', I think the dell xps 12 is more along the lines of what I want. One of the reviews for the surface was showing that it could be less comfortable to use than a laptop in terms of stability when putting it on your lap. Plus the price point and availability. But the pen might be interesting to have.
What I have right now is a Lenovo Y480. It's a solid laptop except for the bad screen, silly battery life, and weight. It's too chunky compared with laptops on the market right now. The battery life is what really makes wanna upgrade to something else. It dies after 4 hours when I first bought. But it barely lives for an hour now.
You might also be interested in the Lenovo Ideapad Yoga 2 Pro.
Between the Dell and the Surface Pro 3 the Surface is easily the slicker device with a more premium feel (and price tag). If portability is important and taking notes with a pen is a plus, the Surface is great. I don't have any issues with using my Surface 2 on my lap, either. Just be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the different form factors and consider how exactly you'd like to use the device.
ThePrivateCookie
Member
how is this compared to a macbook air?
LaserBuddha
Member
If you just want a laptop and don't care about windows then get the macbook. If you want a tablet too then the mac books out of the running anyway. The surface works fine for me as a laptop, but it will never measure up to the best-in-class ultraportable laptop for just a laptop experience.
Personally I think it works better on your lap as a tablet with the soft keyboard, rather than using the type cover, but some people cannot stand soft keyboards at all.
SerTapTap
Member
Don't forget to fact in that the screen is lovely for reading on the web (with a high-DPI browser). You're not otherwise going to find much in the way of 1440p if that matters to you. IMO it's fine for movies--16:9 stuff is letterboxed but it's really not too annoying.
Pen is nice but depends entirely how much you'll use it. OneNote is friggin magic and the writing is the best I've ever experienced (least pen lag I've seen outside a real pen), but if you're not going to draw or take notes, what're you gonna use it for?
Runs great for most indie games, though it'll run hot and battery life isn't great if it's using high CPU %. But with a power cord and Mini Displayport-> HDMI adapter and a bluetooth controller it's pretty nice.
Phanatic8390
Member
I'm super close to pulling the trigger on one of these but I was curious if anyone has purchased one as more of an iPad replacement than a laptop and had any feedback?
I've got a 2 year old iPad and 4 year old Macbook Pro. I use the iPad and my wife uses the Macbook. I've been thinking about getting something with a little bit more ability than the iPad and this looks like it. I mainly use it for web browsing and YouTube currently with a mix of mobile gaming, although I've found most of the gaming I do is iPad versions of existing PC games which is why I'm leaning towards the Surface.
I've got a 2 year old iPad and 4 year old Macbook Pro. I use the iPad and my wife uses the Macbook. I've been thinking about getting something with a little bit more ability than the iPad and this looks like it. I mainly use it for web browsing and YouTube currently with a mix of mobile gaming, although I've found most of the gaming I do is iPad versions of existing PC games which is why I'm leaning towards the Surface.
SerTapTap
Member
The app store is abysmal, but if your ipad is mostly for videos and web browsing, this does it fantastically (though videos make the fan go a bit, unlike on an ipad, though if you're listening to the video the fan's not too bad). If you want games to play, you'll probably want touch-friendly stuff from Steam/browser games and such, there are some games in the Windows App store, but it's missing a lot of iOS/Android games.
Now, if you can stand bringing a controller--you've got a world of games the iPad can't touch. Or type cover and keyboard-only games (the touchpad is servicable but bad), or bring a bluetooth mouse for KB/M.
Phanatic8390
Member
Yeah I hear the app store is awful but honestly I only have 2 non game apps on my iPad currently. I think I'm more concerned from a weight/portability/usability standpoint.
Now that I think about it I'm curious if anyone has used Steam in home streaming? I remember trying to get splashtop to work properly and play Xcom on my ipad but it was a real bitch. Having full Windows and Steam might be able to get me out of the basement more often.
SerTapTap
Member
In Home Streaming works perfect, though you'll probably end up letterboxed--inhome streaming uses the host PC's resolution list, so you're probably going to be streaming 1080p or 16:9 1440 instead of 3:2 1440p. It's not too bad, the black bars almost fade in with the black bezel since the Surface screen gets petty decent blacks (not OLED blacks, but not glowing bright grey either).
Also, you can use real RDP since it's Windows--don't use RDP for games though, use Steam's streaming. RDP is a massive hamper on game performance.
Phanatic8390
Member
Awesome thanks. I'm thinking the i5 should be good enough though the i7 is tempting.
I need to stop at Best Buy again and see how the weight feels comparatively.
killer rin
Member
So after looking around the Microsoft Store, I ended up biting the bullet and got the 128GB i5 Surface Pro 3, mainly because it was $150 off. Also got it with the bundle which came with a Type Keyboard a case and Office 365 University, so I'm sitting on 1tb+ of storage and am loving everything.
One thing that surprised me was how fast this thing actually is. After installing updates to Windows and my programs I accidentally restarted twice because I forgot that I had already restarted it because of how fast it restarted and went to the desktop.
Looking at it when its off and it looks small, but man, when I turn this thing on the resolution makes it look and feel huge. Managed to get Visual Studio 2013, Unity3D, Photoshop CS6, Dreamweaver and a couple more of my programs installed and I still have about 65GB of free space on it which I'll probably fill with some games from Steam.
The Pen is real nice, although I can't get the pressure sensitivity to work with Photoshop CS6 so that's kind of a drag. EDIT: Just found and installed the N-Trig WinTab drivers and its working amazingly well now. Just have to finetune my brushes for the N-Trig pen (they're currently setup for my Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet which is connected to my Desktop)
Anyhow, The machine is real nice. I've gotten used to the kickstand and it seems pretty universal in its usage. The keyboard is nice and I'm typing as fast as my old laptop on it. Using touch on the desktop is pretty simple too and I'm able to navigate around pretty fast without mistapping on the small items.
So all in all, Its a nice system. I think I'm definitely going to be using this more for just school (Already thinking of bringing it to FanExpo and getting people I'm a fan of to sign into my OneNote)
One thing that surprised me was how fast this thing actually is. After installing updates to Windows and my programs I accidentally restarted twice because I forgot that I had already restarted it because of how fast it restarted and went to the desktop.
Looking at it when its off and it looks small, but man, when I turn this thing on the resolution makes it look and feel huge. Managed to get Visual Studio 2013, Unity3D, Photoshop CS6, Dreamweaver and a couple more of my programs installed and I still have about 65GB of free space on it which I'll probably fill with some games from Steam.
The Pen is real nice, although I can't get the pressure sensitivity to work with Photoshop CS6 so that's kind of a drag. EDIT: Just found and installed the N-Trig WinTab drivers and its working amazingly well now. Just have to finetune my brushes for the N-Trig pen (they're currently setup for my Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet which is connected to my Desktop)
Anyhow, The machine is real nice. I've gotten used to the kickstand and it seems pretty universal in its usage. The keyboard is nice and I'm typing as fast as my old laptop on it. Using touch on the desktop is pretty simple too and I'm able to navigate around pretty fast without mistapping on the small items.
So all in all, Its a nice system. I think I'm definitely going to be using this more for just school (Already thinking of bringing it to FanExpo and getting people I'm a fan of to sign into my OneNote)
SerTapTap
Member
Personally I'd pay the extra to get the minimum i5 SP3. The Kickstand, screen and magnet-strip on the keyboard are extremely good for ergonomics, so much so it's hard to really believe it until you use one.
Someone who actually has an i3 SP3 might have a better impression for you though--I have an i5 and love it, but I'm not entirely sure how much better the i5 is. I might still lean towards the SP3 if you can't pay extra--the SP3 is the first one that really feels like they know exactly what they're doing. It's not entirely flawless (heat is the main surviving problem), but the device comes together extremely well. I never miss the laptop form factor anymore (though I kinda miss Trackpoint...)
lastflowers
Banned
hey guys, at least we know that Apple's going to clobber the surface pro 3. Why'd you guys waste your money?
StudioTan
Hold on, friend! I'd love to share with you some swell news about the Windows 8 Metro UI! Wait, where are you going?
Does it run Photoshop and Zbrush?
The Faceless Master
Member
pro 2
Septimus Prime
Member
What are you going to use it for? Personally, I'd go with the Pro 3 because it's bigger, and the type cover with the magnet strip is really nice for ergonomics.
StudioTan
Hold on, friend! I'd love to share with you some swell news about the Windows 8 Metro UI! Wait, where are you going?
The SP3 then. Better keyboard, bigger screen, more accurate pen, much better stand, lighter. The SP2 will probably be slightly faster but in all other aspects the SP3 wins.
SerTapTap
Member
If you're using the pen a lot, especially for doodling/note taking not professional art, the SP3 is a lot better--lower pen latency, and a one-click "turn on screen and open onenote" button. Also, keyboard, so good. I'd rate it as on par, touchpad excluded, with my X200 tablet, which was an amazingly good laptop keyboard and about 10x thicker than the typecover 3.
DataStream
Member
I think people using the SP3 for digital art will see performance improve over time. I also know we will soon start to see some deeper consideration of how a touch/stylus only based user would interact with some very popular professional design software.
SerTapTap
Member
There's an auto-brightness setting somewhere, uses one of the cameras at the top. I actually turned it off because I keep putting my finger over it and it kept dimming but YMMV. Mostly only happens in Portrait and I'll put my hand on it. Just dig around in Settings. Also make sure it's all up to date, there are lots of updates, including some specific to the SP3
My impression was the main problems with using it for digital art are compatibility (I guess there's some ntrig compatibility pack that fixes many things though) and pressure sensitivity (it's a really wonky curve; I have to press VERY hard to get it to max out, would prefer more sensitivity within a more natural pressure range)
use FN + Del / Fn + Backspace to change the brightness
SerTapTap
Member
Oh that's good to know too. I've just been using the right-side swipe menu. I hated that thing until I got the SP3...bezel on my x200 tablet extended in front of the panel so side swipes were awful
Oh yeah, I'm now installing 34 updates after having already installed 46...
And thanks TKR92 for the hint regarding FN + Del/Backspace, that's good to know.
EDIT: Installing all updates helped, now the automatic brightness setting isn't grey anymore. Thanks for your help!
Got one today (i5 256GB). First reactions are...mixed.
First of all, Chrome is laggy as all hell. Maybe it's just the fact that I'm coming from a Macbook Air, but god damn scrolling is absolute SHIT in Chrome. Using FireFox now, which is slightly better.
Second, I'm having big problems with the trackpad on the keyboard. Every now and then when I click something, it will act like I'm trying to right-click (even though I'm not) and won't stop right clicking until I take the keyboard off and reattach it. It's incredibly annoying.
For the good? The screen is beautiful, I like how thin and light it is, and Windows 8 (this is my first Win8 product) is actually kinda cool.
But if I can't figure out this trackpad problem, it's going bye bye.
First of all, Chrome is laggy as all hell. Maybe it's just the fact that I'm coming from a Macbook Air, but god damn scrolling is absolute SHIT in Chrome. Using FireFox now, which is slightly better.
Second, I'm having big problems with the trackpad on the keyboard. Every now and then when I click something, it will act like I'm trying to right-click (even though I'm not) and won't stop right clicking until I take the keyboard off and reattach it. It's incredibly annoying.
For the good? The screen is beautiful, I like how thin and light it is, and Windows 8 (this is my first Win8 product) is actually kinda cool.
But if I can't figure out this trackpad problem, it's going bye bye.
SerTapTap
Member
Are you FINGER scrolling? Because Chrome shouldn't lag, but the default scrolling type is ass. I use chrome beta and async touch move or something. Also don't forget to get high DPI set up for chrome. Chrome's current non-Beta state is pretty awful for high DPI and touch devices. Pretty sad that mobile chrome is much better.
As for the touchpad, the bottom right is a right click area.
The Faceless Master
Member
get Firefox
I suppose "laggy" is the wrong word. More like "not smooth." It's not slowing down or anything, it's just jittery when scrolling. Seems to be the same whether finger scrolling or using the trackpad, although using my finger is slightly smoother. I'm already starting to sort of get used to it, but my Macbook Air was silky smooth at scrolling, so it's really jarring.
And yeah, I've figured out that like the bottom right quarter of the trackpad is right click. Unfortunately, that's where I pretty much always use a trackpad, so I constantly hit it by accident. And there's no way to turn it off that I know of, despite the two finger click doing the same thing. The fuck Microsoft.
The surface 3 i5/64gb is on sale at Staples for $699 with free S/H with coupon code 11605. Expires 9/6
http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?id=4740&tb_arg_id=32065
http://www.techbargains.com/jump.cfm?id=4740&tb_arg_id=32065
Unknown Soldier
Member
There's never going to be a nice sale on SP2, is there? It's a shame, I don't want 3:2 aspect on a media consumption device.
Machspeed007
Member
So, like always in eastern Europe, coming by a Surface 3 to buy is difficult as they aren't stocked anywhere locally.
Given the situation, I've phoned the local Microsoft support line and they were very helpful (I've dealt with them in the past with good results) offering to order one for me when it becomes available for purchase in Europe. This happened 3 weeks ago.
2 days ago I've got a call from a "Private number" with the same contact I was speaking with at Microsoft. He said that the device is available and if I still want to order it, he needs the credit card number and security code because I didn't have any attached to my Microsoft account, which is true because I've only paid Microsoft services using the Paypal option.
Alternatively, I would have to add the card myself to my account but still need to tell him my security code on the back over the phone.
So, right now I'm a little concerned about the procedure, does this seems like something Microsoft would do (he said the Microsoft has clear steps for this kind of purchases over the phone), I've never bought anything over the phone by giving my credit card info this way.
I haven't told any credit card info over the phone yet, postponing the transaction until Monday. I've added the credit card to my account but if he still asks for the security code I think I will decline if there isn't any other method (electronic invoice?) of secure payment..
Given the situation, I've phoned the local Microsoft support line and they were very helpful (I've dealt with them in the past with good results) offering to order one for me when it becomes available for purchase in Europe. This happened 3 weeks ago.
2 days ago I've got a call from a "Private number" with the same contact I was speaking with at Microsoft. He said that the device is available and if I still want to order it, he needs the credit card number and security code because I didn't have any attached to my Microsoft account, which is true because I've only paid Microsoft services using the Paypal option.
Alternatively, I would have to add the card myself to my account but still need to tell him my security code on the back over the phone.
So, right now I'm a little concerned about the procedure, does this seems like something Microsoft would do (he said the Microsoft has clear steps for this kind of purchases over the phone), I've never bought anything over the phone by giving my credit card info this way.
I haven't told any credit card info over the phone yet, postponing the transaction until Monday. I've added the credit card to my account but if he still asks for the security code I think I will decline if there isn't any other method (electronic invoice?) of secure payment..
Septimus Prime
Member
Got the docking station as a birthday gift! It feels slick!
EDIT: The left side is magnetic and holds the stylus!
EDIT: The left side is magnetic and holds the stylus!