Just Got My New Surface Book With Performance Base!

I have never heard of this before, throughout the entire year it has been out. It is not necessarily creaky - rather, it sounds crinkly. Like crumpling a candy wrapper but not nearly as loud.

That's normal. Even though you are using the dGPU, PS is still ridiculously CPU intensive. Expect the SB and SP4 to get warm on the screen when drawing on it.

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Thanks. I guess the noise is inevitable when taxing the GPU. I was just hoping it doesnt reach extreme levels.

Thanks! Is the keyboard worse than the original SB. Any other things that did not meet your expectations?

didn't know that. thanks.

I'm using edge. I've also changed settings to make Windows eat less battery as possible. No luck. Surface and Windows 10 subreddit seem blind About that, if I write something about battery like I've done right now, they behave like Apple's fanboys downvoting my "negative" post to hell. I don't know if people are happy about poor battery life and battery drain during sleep. They probably never owned a MacBook.. people like me that need long battery life, Windows is not the right option..

I know what you mean, all of my machines had it to various degrees. I've definitely read about it in some threads since it came out. Unless it's extremely loud and sounds like something is seriously wrong, I would say don't worry about it.

It's running off the GPU, I can't undock it while running PS.

I'm pretty sure the keys themselves are identical to the original.So, really quick, I'm actually a really big MS fanboy (Even my phone is a Lumia 950xl) so it kinda feels bad to me not to be in love with this device. So, maybe my expectations were too high. Also keep in mind my previous/current device was/is an SP3 and I *loved* it, so that's the experience I'm comparing too. A lot of this isn't bad, just different.* On my SP3 I kind-of got into a seamless rhythm of using Pen/touch/mouse. (Trackpad on the 3 is terrible) On the book the trackpad is far superior, so good I don't even feel I need a mouse, but it's worse for using pen and touch on. The screen feels farther away (more reaching) and it bounces a lot whereas the kickstand on the Pro series makes those really solid when applying pressure.
* The pen only attaches to the left side? I'm right handed and reaching across the screen for it is awkward.
* Spongey keys. Unpopular opinion: I prefer typing on my SP3's type cover to this.
* All the lag from W10 OS is still here. I was hoping the spec boost would minimize this, but it certainly feels just as bad. (Have you ever had the start menu refuse to pop-up? Or often times it takes a full second to do so.)
* I knew going in that the tablet section didn't have much battery, but boy does it not have a lot of battery. Tablet battery also does not charge from the base. Also, normal use with the top attached will still drain the tablet's battery. (for some reason.)
* Battery life in general does not seem as outrageously good as advertised. I can *probably* take this to work without a charger, but I don't think I'd want to risk it. (The estimate is insanely inaccurate btw. Right now it says 1hr 46min left with 50% battery remaining. I have 4 tabs of edge open and nothing else.)I'm being incredibly nit-picky, but for 3 grand I kind-of feel entitled to be so. :/ It *is* a great device. It looks great, I love the concept, I'm a big fan of the surface team... but I think I *may* be returning this and waiting to see how the Pro 5 turns out.P.S. The Surface Dial is enjoyable.

Its less clicky? And its spread out a bit, I think vertically between the rows has more space in between now.

You might not be getting downvoted by fanboys, but because you generalize. "Microsoft should do something to poor battery life on its products" and "Windows is not the right option" because your specific Surface Book has battery issues.

I will agree with you on this. I have tried every battery saver me that I can find and it always ends up being about the same. I have a Surface Pro 4

There is nothing to worry about. The sound comes from the protective sheath that protects the ribbon cable that connects the clipboard to the base.

My own experience with the non-Performance Base model has been in stark contrast to your experience. I'm curious as to whether your experience is indicative of the Performance Base model, or simply unique to yourself. Regarding your points:1. I agree that it's too wobbly compared to the Surface Pro. I only use the pen while the top is detached or flipped around.2. I also agree that it should be attachable to either side, but it's not a major inconvenience since I never use it while in laptop mode.3. No spongey feel here. Lots of reports that it's unique to the Performance Base because there's less travel room under the keyboard.4. I only experience lag when Battery Mode goes on the fritz and throttles the CPU too aggressively. Otherwise Windows 10 AU has been smooth as butter, and I'm running an i5 compared to your i7.5. I was initially disappointed with the Clipboard's poor battery, but I would highly suggest turning on Battery Saver whenever you're not engaged in high performance activities. My Clipboard easily lasts about 5+ hours by itself, and 12+ hours when connected to the base. I bring my SB's charger to work, but so far I haven't had a need to use it since the battery easily lasts a whole work day while in Battery Saver mode. I'm currently at 60% and it's showing that I still have over 6 hours of battery left.

Many of your points are valid, specially considering the price of the machine. Some are more of a personal preference, like the keyboard feel. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

The OS lag, more to do with the dual core CPU. The SB is more of a Ultrabook then a pro grade laptop.

Really? Aside from the "dish" effect caused by the thicker performance base, wherein the keyboard is recessed in the base, I was not aware of any other changes. The spacing between keys and they key mechanisms looked to same to me.

it's something common. I tried once to suggest to improve battery life and to fix the battery drain issue on Windows machines (which is an obvious problem , 1 or 2% of battery drain PER HOUR during sleep is not normal), but I got downvoted. I also watched many reviews of the new SB and despite the 16 hours of battery life claimed by MS, people Always get the same 8-10 hours (if lucky and not doing hard-browsing). I also watched a review where a guy said he got 5 hours of battery life in the brand new SB (he was just surfing the web and doing some Photoshop), so I deduce this is a common problem in all Windows machines. People who don't complain probably never owned a Macbook where battery wasn't an issue and was very well optimized

No problem. I'm not trying to dissuade you or anyone else. That's just my personal experience. I might just be more of a Surface Pro form factor kinda guy.

I don't have both on me at the same time since I got a replacement, but I swear its like i have to get used to typing again when i'm hiting the 9 0 - = keys since I seem to be hitting the wrong button.

That's my point. You're *exclusively* referencing SB problems and then concluding that "all Windows machines" must have bad battery life and that everyone who doesn't complain has never owned a Macbook. You're generalizing and making huge assumptions. What you can realistically say is that you've noticed battery issues with your Surface Book and noticed it in reviews as well, so it's likely a recurring problem with at least one model or configuration of SB. You can't say that because some SBs have subjectively bad battery life that this means the thousands of Windows machines, including those made by the huge variety of different manufacturers, must also have the exact same problem.

You're a fool. First of all the claimed battery life of 16 hours is watching an optimized video and medium brightness only. Second if you do anything more than watch a video you will get less life, around the 8-10 hours. Third OF COURSE if you are doing web browsing and PHOTOSHOP which uses the dGPU you are going to get 5 hours or less. This is true of ANY mobile device from ANY brand on the fricking planet. I am so sick of idiotic people on the planet expecting physics to stop working because they think it should.

There is no difference in the key layout. The reason you are making mistakes is because of the angle of the keyboard. The V1 Surface Book is flat the Performance base is angled. You have to reach up and out to get the keys you want whereas before you only had to reach out. The up and out actually increases the distance and requires more effort from your hands.

Well, actually on my "complaints" made in Surface and Windows 10 subreddits, I wasn't saying what I said here, I was just saying that battery drain during sleep is something normal for a Windows machine (because of the connected standby mode that keeps the device a little "awake" ) and I suggested a different and a new mode for that, but I got downvoted from those who think that battery drain is a normal thing (so I guess they never owned a MacBook because this wasn't a problem). I also noticed that battery life in Windows machines barely get over the 6-7 hours of normal use, while the Macbooks have around 10 hours (12 in MacBook airs), so I think that battery life in Windows still needs to be optimized. All my Windows laptops , with a normal usage of web browsing , Always last something close to 5 hours. my SB goes from 5 to 8 maximum (when I'm not doing anything, just 1 tab opened in Edge and pdf reader). If you search on the internet "Windows 10 battery issue" you see such a huge amount of posts that you don't know where to start, so maybe that's a real problem....but I'll never understand all these downvotes, seriously ..I like Surfaces and Windows but this battery problems are a pain in the ass (for people like me that need long battery life)

So you think it's normal to get 5 hours with some """""hard""""" work ? this is not even hard! As I mentioned before, you've never owned a macbook. Why then people who owned a MacBook Always agree with me ? why then? I used to use Photoshop and stuff like that and my MacBook pro (claimed 10 hours of battery life) lasted something like 8 hours with the same """"hard"""" work. The SB performance base is claimed to last 16 (6 hours more than the MacBook) but it lasts less then MacBook (5 hours). I don't get all this hate for Apple. They make good things but they are overpriced, that's their bad side, but it's obvious they make good stuff. Their battery optimization is just WAY BETTER than Windows 10 and that's obvious (you can keep your laptop for 24 hours in sleep mode and you will not get 1% of battery drain).I don't get why you get angry and why you don't like more battery life. I don't really understand why you people want to be stuck in this situation. I'm sure this thing can be fixed and everybody would be happier. Rational people will understand me , but I'm in the wrong subreddits to find one. It's like going to Apple subreddit and say that Surface Studio is innovative : they will just say that Apple is better and that Surface Studio is useless... you are so blind and not ready to say that your favourite Tech House may needs to improve itself

Nope, i'm definitely delusional, my hands have gotten smaller.serious note: that probably makes sense.

Ok, again, a MacBook Air does not have the power of the Surface Book. IT WILL DRAIN LESS POWER AND HAVE LONGER BATTERY LIFE! 6-7 hours of "normal" use as you say could be anything. I personally get 6-9 hours of normal use, plenty to get through a full day. There are some legitimate battery complaints like failures and the sleep drain. However, most of the posts about it just not lasting long enough come from people who just don't understand the limits of battery technology and how much power they are actually using when being connected to wifi, browsing, watching youtube, Netflix and doing other things like browsing files on their computer. All of these things add up and drain your battery.

LOL. If you only knew that 3 out of 5 people in my household use Macbooks you wouldn't sound like such an idiot. I have used their Macbooks. Their battery life is no better than my Surface Book. My wife sits at her desk in our office right next to me we both start our day roughly the same time and our computers trade blows on whose system will last longer without being plugged in. Sometimes she wins sometimes I win but it is never by a HUGE margin.