Septimus Prime
Member
What is the issue, exactly? Sometimes my BT mouse just stops working.
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Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Announced (12", 3:2 aspect ratio, new stand)
- Thread starter enzo_gt
- Start date
2.4GHz Wifi and BT share the same bandwidth on this Marvell Controller (there is not a separate BT module) so when you turn on BT, throughput of 2.4GHz Wifi drops to less than half, that's like 802.11g level bad ... Now if you start streaming audio over BT for example it gets even worse, the other way wifi traffic can affect BT functionality too like lagging mouse orkeyboard (I have both over BT) /facepalm.
If you use 5Ghz there is no problem with BT but I don't get to choose that in many places, 2.4GHz is still used almost everywhere.
If you use 5Ghz there is no problem with BT but I don't get to choose that in many places, 2.4GHz is still used almost everywhere.
Septimus Prime
Member
Can't say I've experienced that (though I set 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands to the same SSID). Sorry.
On another note, I finally played a video with my Miracast stick. Quality is good. The only weird thing about it is that audio still comes from the SP3 and not the TV. Volume controls on the TV don't even work.
SerTapTap
Member
Is it a separate audio device in the Sound control panel menu?
My new Surface 3 is terrible. Hopefully Tuesday brings a firmware update. Last months refuses to install. I did a factory reset and I still lose network coming from sleep and get random freezes and reboots. About to send this one back if this months firmware doesn't fix it. My first Pro 3 was perfect 
Septimus Prime
Member
Looks like it is. The only thing is that I have to set it as the default device, so it looks like I can't use both speakers at the same time.
SerTapTap
Member
Yeah windows doesn't natively (or easily even with third party tools) support pumping audio to multiple "devices", you just have to manually switch default devices for situations like that. I have to do it all the time to get sound on my TV, found a tool that will switch default audio devices with a hotkey, best solution I found. Virtual Audio Cable WILL let you output to multiple sources...but you have to set it up to do so each boot so it's not at all worth it.
Septimus Prime
Member
What's the tool for binding a hotkey? That sounds really useful.
SerTapTap
Member
I had to do the same thing. That dynamic contrast shit was maddening when watching video.
My dad's had this issue.
Use the Xbox One SmartGlass app instead.
I'm still amazed by my Surface Pro 3. Its a ridiculously good device, currently using it as my chat pad for Facebook and Skype, earlier I had it as my working station at university, later Im gonna play some games and go to sleep with MetroTube. Its also a really nice digital picture frame.
ncsuDuncan
Member
Faint orange glow on the left side of my screen.
Dreams-Visions
Member
Faint orange glow on the left side of my screen.
awful. exchange pronto.
If anyone is looking for a great sketching app on their surface this is pretty much the best one I have used and the price dropped to 25$ after foundry bought them yesterday. There is a free version too.
https://www.madewithmischief.com/
https://www.madewithmischief.com/
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?
My mind is blown. In desktop mode you can take any window, drag it to the left or right of the screen and it will resize to exactly that half of the screen. I wondern how long that has been possible.
Since Windows 7 at least. Maybe Vista?
Not an artist but it seems way too unresponsive to me. Writing text is near impossible cause it tends to forget the first milliseconds of input. OneNote is much more responsive and has a more natural feel for pressure.
Zantetsuken
Member
Does anyone have the i3 Surface Pro?
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?
Just tried this and it's wonderful. I was just thinking the other day that I wished there was a drawing program that had scalable canvas sizes. I always had to resize things when I drew them too small or more often too big. The feel of the brushes is awesome, going to buy it now.
You can't compare One Note to drawing programs. That one is actually one of the best I've used in terms of responsiveness.
WhiskerFrisker
Member
Good to hear! I'm so close to pulling the trigger right now. Black Friday better not disappoint. I want to do an Android/Windows experience. I'll join the party real soon.
Best Buy has 100-150$ off SP3s 128gb and above I believe on Black Friday
I'm really stoked to get one of these suckers! My current lappy is about ready to go kaput, and I'm hoping the SP will be able to fulfill my general browsing/artwork needs. I had a good time reading everyone's impressions and experiences, so thanks!
While I'd love to take advantage of the inevitable Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales this month, I'm going to hold off until early next year, as I'm afraid I can't reasonably afford to make the jump until then. :'D
On that note, is it safe to say that the next Surface Pro model will probably come out in early 2015? Both the SP2 and SP3 have come out eight months after their predecessors, which would mean the SP4 would be coming up right after the new year. If it so happens, I'll be looking forward to what it brings. SP3 was a really good step forward, design-wise.
While I'd love to take advantage of the inevitable Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales this month, I'm going to hold off until early next year, as I'm afraid I can't reasonably afford to make the jump until then. :'D
On that note, is it safe to say that the next Surface Pro model will probably come out in early 2015? Both the SP2 and SP3 have come out eight months after their predecessors, which would mean the SP4 would be coming up right after the new year. If it so happens, I'll be looking forward to what it brings. SP3 was a really good step forward, design-wise.
WhiskerFrisker
Member
Unless that $150 off applies to the 128gb model, that's just the education discount Microsoft is doing. I'm hoping for slightly better deals.
I've currently had a Surface 2 RT for a year now, and really like the versatility of the tablet when it comes to business and home use. Whilst it has plenty of irritating quirks and bugs, it's made me want a SP3. I'm thinking of selling my 2+keyboard+case after grabbing a SP3 on Black Friday. It's the natural step up on my 'will this tech benefit my life' scale, by letting me run proper desktop applications.
Here's hoping UK retailers or the UK Microsoft Store have some decent discounts on Black Friday. Think I'll go for the 256gb model just because of the 8gb RAM - does it make as much difference as I think it would for multitasking + light gaming e.g Hearthstone, point and click adventures etc? Seems like it'd future proof the device for a good few years. Also is anyone aware of any UK retailers which will be running deals on Black Friday?
Here's hoping UK retailers or the UK Microsoft Store have some decent discounts on Black Friday. Think I'll go for the 256gb model just because of the 8gb RAM - does it make as much difference as I think it would for multitasking + light gaming e.g Hearthstone, point and click adventures etc? Seems like it'd future proof the device for a good few years. Also is anyone aware of any UK retailers which will be running deals on Black Friday?
SerTapTap
Member
Does anyone's typecover stop responding irregularly (maybe once a week) and need to be pulled & reinserted? Figured I'd have heard about it more if it were a common problem. Thinking of sending it in, dunno if they actually warranty that as well as the actual surface though. I should try cleaning the contacts I guess but they look fine.
I've had no trouble with the 4GB i5 so far, though the most intensive game I tried running on it native was probably Skullgirls. Anything designed for last gen consoles should run on the SP3 without much issue, but just like any laptop you'll probably have to play with settings to get any non-2D game running at 60FPS. To my surprise, skullgirls did run at 60FPS at 1440p (your first step in a 3D game is probably going to be going under native res I'm afraid--1440 is a lot of p for integrated graphics)
I think you'll love the SP3 though, the new stand/cover solve all my concerts with "tablet as a laptop replacement", so much so that I gave both my (old) laptop/tabletPC and my Nexus 7 to my parents.
I've had no trouble with the 4GB i5 so far, though the most intensive game I tried running on it native was probably Skullgirls. Anything designed for last gen consoles should run on the SP3 without much issue, but just like any laptop you'll probably have to play with settings to get any non-2D game running at 60FPS. To my surprise, skullgirls did run at 60FPS at 1440p (your first step in a 3D game is probably going to be going under native res I'm afraid--1440 is a lot of p for integrated graphics)
I think you'll love the SP3 though, the new stand/cover solve all my concerts with "tablet as a laptop replacement", so much so that I gave both my (old) laptop/tabletPC and my Nexus 7 to my parents.
I've just been sat doing some research for quite a while and that does seem to be the general consensus. From a value perspective the 4gb i5 seems to strike the best balance, then chuck in a microSD if you need more storage. I think that's the route I'll go down. Considering I enjoy getting new tech I'll probably update it in 2-3 years too, so an extra £250~ for storage I don't really need and 4gb ram probably won't be worth it. One would assume Windows 10 will be around the same for RAM usage if not better right?
Now it's just the waiting game holding out for any deals during Black Friday week.
SerTapTap
Member
If you were going for longevity, in theory the i7 and 8GB have a longer shelf life, but IMO that money is best saved so you can get an SP4 or SP5 down the line, which will surely have more ram and processor punch at roughly the same price anyway, plus some ergonomic/other improvements. That's why I got the i5, I figured if I love it I'll want to upgrade anyway, and if I don't I'm out less money, win win. Plus I don't really need that i7, I have a desktop so any big number crunching or gaming happens there.
IIRC Windows 10 has the exact same minimum requirements for RAM as Win 8. They've done an amazing job of slimming down post-Vista.
IIRC Windows 10 has the exact same minimum requirements for RAM as Win 8. They've done an amazing job of slimming down post-Vista.
That's my thought exactly. Have the throttling issues been resolved? I remember reading serious performance throttling in games etc versus the Surface Pro 2 - has this been remedied in updates?
SerTapTap
Member
I dunno, they released some patches regarding heat/performance, I've never noticed throttling being a big deal, but I dont' game much on it. At the very worst it's on par with any non-gaming laptop, and a far-sight better than my X200 tablet which had custom GPU drivers meaning almost any 3D game literally would not run.
Anton Sugar
Member
Microsoft Surface 2 32GB Manufacturer Refurbished for $200. Currently $350 on Amazon right now, great deal.
Just picked one up myself. Thread worthy?
Just picked one up myself. Thread worthy?
Not exactly a Pro and Windows RT isn't something most people want.
SerTapTap
Member
Only news is that it's the Surface 2, the Surface RT has hit that price point regularly. The pros, especially 2 and 3 are what most people get hot and bothered for (with good reason)
Septimus Prime
Member
My type cover stops responding sometimes, but it doesn't need to be pulled and re-snapped. It usually wakes itself back up after a few seconds. The same happens to my Bluetooth mouse (this one: http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/en-us/p/sculpt-comfort-mouse. I really like it because it works without a dongle, so it frees up my USB ports), but it also awakens after a bit.
I suspect the Surface turns off extraneous communications when it goes into hibernation and then turns them back on when it thinks you need them again, which takes a bit of time.
And sometimes it's just a missing software update that's messing things up. My pen was going crazy yesterday, zigzagging all over the place, being unresponsive and not useable. Support says change the batteries. But guess what, the problem stayed. When I was about to give up I checked Windows Update and there was an optional update available to Windows. I installed it and everything worked again. Reboot or anything didn't fix it before, I reinstalled the pen drivers, literally everything possible. And it came out of nowhere, too. In the morning everything works, in the evening it was messed up.
Does anyone have any light gaming experience with the SP3 and how it performs, e.g Hearthstone, Civilization, Point'n'click adventures, maybe some Dota?
Check youtube, you'll find videos on many games.
I've used it for quite a few games (including civ and hearthstone) without issue. It's not a gaming powerhouse by any means, but it can probably do more than you realize. You can also stream games from Steam if you have a desktop.
SerTapTap
Member
Finally a pretty good decent deal for the SP3 dock with a monitor... but doesn't SP3 have problems outputting at 4k resolution?
It can power a single 4K monitor or multiple 1080ps
Is that a good monitor and a solid deal on it BTW? Be interesting to have the doc for shits and giggles and I'm interested but not entirely convinced by 4K. 120hz and ultrawide seem more relevant to my interests
Unknown Soldier
Member
DisplayPort can do 4K/60 to a monitor with a DisplayPort input. If you use a DP to HDMI cable, you are then limited to 4K/30 as Intel has not implemented the clever 4:2:0 chroma subsampling driver hack that Nvidia did to make 4K/60 work over HDMI 1.4.
Finally a pretty good decent deal for the SP3 dock with a monitor... but doesn't SP3 have problems outputting at 4k resolution?
You could have at least sent us a link!
SerTapTap
Member
Looks like more firmware, more wireless fiddling and a few bugs stompted out. Nothing that affects me to my knowledge
It's on the Microsoft Store online.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Surface_Pro_3
Certainly doesn't seem like it can output 4k at 60hz.