Surface Book (base model worth getting?)

[BiH115]

Looking for some opinions from current/previous owners. I've got a dedicated rMBP 15" and an AW 15" (plus the desktop I always say I never use, in sig.). I'm not really looking for a machine that can be my daily driver (though it would be neat with all the ways the Surface Book can be used (tablet for sketching, movie viewing while pooping, etc.).

Any reason to not get the i5/8GB RAM/128GB SSD model? I'm seeing a certified refurb. on the Microsoft Store for just under $900 (any reason not to get a cert. refurb. from Microsoft?), seems like a pretty good deal to me. How's this thing as a sketching device? As a regular laptop for email (and perhaps some light app development when I'm bored)? Movies? Games?

Just looking for a fun machine, but I could totally see this becoming my go-to if it can do all the above.

Thanks guys.

 

[BiH115]

Either this sub-forum is more dead than I figured, or no one has a Surface Book anymore!

 

[burritoincognito]

We've got a few at work. Base model, mostly. We used them for trade shows, a few execs still have them, and the high end one that the head of IT was using is just sitting in the datacenter.

All I will say is that if you do decide to make it your daily system and want a docking setup, we've had nothing but trouble with Microsoft's solution. We switched to the USB 3 generic docks (Dells, actually), and have had much better luck.


They're nice enough systems, but I wasn't thrilled with the soldered RAM, the speed-limited SSD, or the webcam unlocking. For my needs, I was better off with the Yogas that we were replacing in favor of the Surface/Book units. (Upgraded RAM, accessible M.2 SATA/NVMe, fingerprints are easier for multiple accounts, which I need for different rights setup at work {Admin, User, Test}).

That being said, I love the screen of the Surface Book. There are so many things it does right that I won't dissuade anyone from picking up the computer as one they'd use primarily as a mobile system. I'm just really picky.

 

[BiH115]

Appreciate the feedback. I'm totally fine with not being able to upgrade any part at all of today's laptops, tablets, 2-in-1's, etc. I'm just not interested in doing any of the work required to upgrade. I just mainly want the Surface Book because it looks cool, and it does two of the things I want while looking cool: being a tablet with a stylus, and being a laptop.