Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Thoughts?

[mark5767]

I am considering picking up a Pro 3 because my current laptop is getting a bit old and I would like to run PowerBI.

So the Surface Pro 3 I understand comes with Windows 8.1 Pro, and the Pro is needed for PowerBI is my understanding.

It also appears to come with a 64 bit version of Windows, which I believe is a good thing if I want to install 64 bit apps, but I'm not too sure how that works with Office365 and Windows 8 (like if there are still 2 versions including the 32 bit).

Anyway, does anyone have thoughts regarding the Surface Pro 3 and its suitability for running PowerBI for Office 365?

I am targeting the i5 processor, but I could upgrade to the i7 if needed. 8G RAM at least.

Thanks!

 

[Smitty]

If you want to do serious development you can get a much more powerful laptop for 1/2 the price.

I like my Surface Pro 2, but really only use it for traveling as it works great on a plane. My work laptop is a 17.3" Asus with 1TB storage and 16Gb RAM, which you're not going to get anywhere near with a Surface of any flavor.

 

[mark5767]

Hmmm... thanks Smitty.

I was thinking the Surface might be a bit pricey when compared to some of the more traditional laptops out there, so that's definitely a good dose of reality.

When adding in a keyboard (yes, they charge extra for that!) and other accessories, I agree you could probably get two very capable laptops for the price of one Surface Pro 3.

I think I may change direction on this and start looking at laptops. I might even just upgrade to Windows 7 Pro on my current laptop, since even though it's a few years old it still has an i7 processor and some pretty good bones.

So perhaps the expensive shiny new object might not always be the best answer. Imagine that. Thanks again!

 

[Smitty]

Don't get me wrong, it's a neat toy, but it's still more of a toy than a real development machine. If the price point would come down to where it's more reasonable then I'd consider it, but like you point out, if you can get 2 screamers (by comparison) for the same price, well...

And I certainly don't see using something that can double as a tablet for any serious BI needs other than consumption, definitely not building solutions.

 

[mark5767]

This kind of reminds of the time some years ago when I bought a motorcycle and said to myself how it was "practical transportation" in addition to being fun thing to mess around with.

It was not at all practical transportation, it was a toy. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it pays to be honest. I had some good times with the bike, but I sold it after a few years, sooner than I thought I would. Never quite got as much use out of it as I had planned!