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Surface 2 and Pro 2 |OT| Lap it up

Alx

Alx

Member
I have a stupid question: how do you install the metro version of Internet Explorer? It was installed on my Pro out of the box, but after the browser selection app launched I could not find it anymore (apparently it got replaced by the desktop version, but I would like to have both)
* edit. never mind, apparently it is only available when IE is your default browser. Strange choice...
 
I

I'm an expert

Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
Assuming you haven't uninstalled IE, grab it from your app list under the metro menu. When you're in desktop mode, go into options and under content you should uncheck opening in desktop from tiles and let IE decide. Basically if you launch IE from metro it will always be the metro version. You can go to the desktop version by clicking the tool button and selecting view in desktop. You'll still be able to go back to the metro version though simply by swiping your recent apps.
 
S

sirap

Member
Animator said:
I returned my Cintiq Companion and picked up a SP2 instead and can't be happier. I am doing everything from sketching to sculpting to maya modeling and animation on it.

Cintiq Companion is a waste of money in my opinion. Wacom needs to stop half assing the specs and put some horsepower in there for the money they charge. SP2 ran every app I threw at it better than the Companion for half the price.
Click to expand...

How well does Maya run? Never tried running any 3d intensive programs on those integrated gpus.
 
A

Animator

Member
sirap said:
How well does Maya run? Never tried running any 3d intensive programs on those integrated gpus.
Click to expand...

Maya runs like a champ. You can use all the fancy viewport 2.0 stuff too when you switch it to directx mode from open gl.

We did a test and I was getting 27 fps moving this one heavy rig around and my friend was getting 32 frames on his desktop with 32gb ram, a gtx titan and latest i7 processor.

It runs stuff surprisingly fast. When I show people my animation running realtime on the surface, everyone thinks I am playing a video of Maya instead of actual Maya running on the thing. :D
 
T

tenchir

Member
Bestbuy is currently selling the SP1 for 600 dollars. I am really tempted to buy one, but I am going to use it to play some relatively non-demanding games. How much of a performance difference is between the HD4000 and HD4400 for games like XCOM, Diablo III, and Starcraft 2?
 
S

Schlep

Member
For anyone looking for the docking station, it looks like Best Buy just got a shipment. Their website went from Unavailable to usually ships within 1 business day. Same for store; Unavailable to 3-5 days. Hoping I can walk in and pick one up on Monday.
 
T

Tangeroo

Member
tenchir said:
Bestbuy is currently selling the SP1 for 600 dollars. I am really tempted to buy one, but I am going to use it to play some relatively non-demanding games. How much of a performance difference is between the HD4000 and HD4400 for games like XCOM, Diablo III, and Starcraft 2?
Click to expand...

I'm not going to lie. It's noticeable. You *can* play all of those games on an SP1 and you won't have an issue with it but once you've played them on an SP2, it may be jarring to go back.
 
I

I'm an expert

Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
tenchir said:
Bestbuy is currently selling the SP1 for 600 dollars. I am really tempted to buy one, but I am going to use it to play some relatively non-demanding games. How much of a performance difference is between the HD4000 and HD4400 for games like XCOM, Diablo III, and Starcraft 2?
Click to expand...

I don't use my Pro 1 to game to at all (well, some Angry Birds for my son), but those games could probably only run at the lowest of settings.

For example:

http://us.battle.net/d3/en/forum/topic/9793089886

If you want this thing for gaming.. get a 2.
 
T

tenchir

Member
Tangeroo said:
I'm not going to lie. It's noticeable. You *can* play all of those games on an SP1 and you won't have an issue with it but once you've played them on an SP2, it may be jarring to go back.
Click to expand...

How big is the difference though? I know those games are playable on both, but what's the performance delta between the two? Is it worth a $300 difference?
 
T

Tangeroo

Member
tenchir said:
How big is the difference though? I know those games are playable on both, but what's the performance delta between the two? Is it worth a $300 difference?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it's a $300 difference if we're just talking about gaming prowess. The SP2 enables you to play those games on higher settings at a higher frame rate (at the same resolution). But you also have to factor in longer battery life, faster processing for all general tasks, etc.

I'd say it'd be worth it to me to spring for the Surface Pro 2 (which is exactly what I did after having an SP1) but it depends on what you plan on using it for.

Here's a vid I captured of DOTA2 on a SP2 @ 1080p with settings maxed. Probably not the best video as FRAPs kills performance by about 5-7fps so regular gameplay looks smoother than this. This was also taken at launch prior to the video driver updates.

DOTA 2 on SP2 @ 720p max settings
 
I

I'm an expert

Formerly worldrevolution. The only reason I am nice to anyone else is to avoid being banned.
tenchir said:
Yeah, the previous post did indicate a 50% improvement that is a sizeable increase. I just canceled the bestbuy order. I guess I can wait for the SP2 version to hit around $800 before I snag one.
Click to expand...

Are you really buying this thing just to game? Or it's just an important feature for you?
 
S

sirap

Member
Animator said:
Maya runs like a champ. You can use all the fancy viewport 2.0 stuff too when you switch it to directx mode from open gl.

We did a test and I was getting 27 fps moving this one heavy rig around and my friend was getting 32 frames on his desktop with 32gb ram, a gtx titan and latest i7 processor.

It runs stuff surprisingly fast. When I show people my animation running realtime on the surface, everyone thinks I am playing a video of Maya instead of actual Maya running on the thing. :D
Click to expand...

Fuck thats fast, I have a similar rig as your friend (except 2 titans) and i always worry that whatever laptop i'm getting will be a subpar experience for any 3d work. Looks like i'll be getting a Surface Pro 2!
 
S

sca2511

Member
Opinions for the best browser for the Surface Pro 2?

Got one as a gift for Xmas, absolutely love it. Chrome Dev build works, though the HiDPI mode messes with my extension buttons. IE seems like the most stable and is my go to choice for now, but I'm constantly flip flopping between IE and Chrome. Firefox looks to have the best layout for High DPI, but pinch to zoom doesn't work smoothly and Flash doesn't scale well, unless these are changed in the Nightlies. Haven't tried out Opera yet.
 
H

hwalker84

Member
Surface 2 RT random reboots continue. Hadn't touched it for 5 minutes or so saw out of the corner of my eye that it decided to reboot itself. Memory dump file is over 1.5GB.
 
A

Animator

Member
sirap said:
Fuck thats fast, I have a similar rig as your friend (except 2 titans) and i always worry that whatever laptop i'm getting will be a subpar experience for any 3d work. Looks like i'll be getting a Surface Pro 2!
Click to expand...

You can have 50 titans and it wont make a difference. 3d apps do not take advantage of multiple gfx cards, they use only one card.
 
G

Ganondolf

Member
did everyone who bought the surface pro 2 get the charger with the old led light (instead of the new strip led like on surface 2)?
 
X

Xplatformer

Member
WHAT THE FUCK?!?

having to enter a 48 character bitlocker key every RANDOM freakin restart is pissing me off.

Now I'm afraid to even shut the damn thing down.

RT2

The the tablet, but this is bullshit.
 
T

Treo360

Member
Xplatformer said:
WHAT THE FUCK?!?

having to enter a 48 character bitlocker key every RANDOM freakin restart is pissing me off.

Now I'm afraid to even shut the damn thing down.

RT2

The the tablet, but this is bullshit.
Click to expand...
Yup, had this problem for a while. Are you up to date with your updates?
 
C

Chance Hale

Member
Is there a general date for the new Power Cover? Going to pick up a pro 2 in the next week or two so I'll be without a keyboard for it until that point as I'd rather wait.
 
Tathanen

Tathanen

Get Inside Her!
NeOak said:
What!?

So by being an early adopter and supporting the thing when it came out, i get an inferior product?
Click to expand...

I'm kinda peeved about it, but at the same time, I've never had any sense that my Pro 2 wasn't more than "fast enough."

That said, maybe it's time to manufacture a "defect" worthy of an exchange...
 
A

Anony

Member
NeOak said:
What!?

So by being an early adopter and supporting the thing when it came out, i get an inferior product?

Its like the 360 slim were released 2 months after the 360 launch.
Click to expand...

just like how they release pro 1 in mid feb and pro 2 was out by mid november?
 
A

aaaaa0

Member
The two chips are different bins of the same physical chip.

What's most likely happening is that Intel is discontinuing the lower bin because their yields are at the point where almost all of the chips pass at 1.9 ghz instead of 1.6 ghz.

Since the price on the chips is probably the same, Microsoft would be stupid to insist on Intel continuing to produce the lower bin.
 
K

kharma45

Member
aaaaa0 said:
The two chips are different bins of the same physical chip.

What's most likely happening is that Intel is discontinuing the lower bin because their yields are at the point where almost all of the chips pass at 1.9 ghz instead of 1.6 ghz.

Since the price on the chips is probably the same, Microsoft would be stupid to insist on Intel continuing to produce the lower bin.
Click to expand...

Pretty much. It's only a clock speed bump, the iGPU is the same. It's like when Apple updated the processor of the iPad 2, although that happened much later in it's life.
 
T

tenchir

Member
aaaaa0 said:
The two chips are different bins of the same physical chip.

What's most likely happening is that Intel is discontinuing the lower bin because their yields are at the point where almost all of the chips pass at 1.9 ghz instead of 1.6 ghz.

Since the price on the chips is probably the same, Microsoft would be stupid to insist on Intel continuing to produce the lower bin.
Click to expand...

It's not different bins because the new chip includes new a feature called "Intel’s Trusted Execution Technology."
 
T

tenchir

Member
Third Strike said:
Best Buy has the original Surface Pro 64GB on sale for $599. Should I jump on this deal? Or should I simply save up for the Pro 2?
Click to expand...

You mean 128GB? Bestbuy(instore, online, and ebay) has the 128GB for $599. I think there's a 5x points if you are a My Bestbuy member that starts today and ends tomorrow. Microsoft store also has it for $599 and if you a student, you can probably get another 10% off.
 
T

The Abominable Snowman

Member
SPro owner here and I'm close to being fed up with it. Does anyone know of any cases, stands, or mods with hinges that would give the Pro an adjustable viewing angle (Not at fixed degree angles)? Preferably one with a keyboard like traditional laptops/2-in-1s?

I was holding out for the Power Keyboard but upon further inspection it doesn't look like it's adjustable at all.
 
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