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posted by cmn32480 on Thursday November 05 2015, @05:03PM   Printer-friendly
from the let-the-flame-war-begin dept.

I have been looking to replace my 5 year old 13.3" Zenbook. But unfortunately it seemed like the manufacturers had really just stopped trying, what I discovered was that the best replacement for my Zenbook was my Zenbook. Basically the only difference between my Zenbook and the latest offering was a gen 5 i7 vs my current gen 3 i7, which really isn't much of an upgrade.

Then Microsoft goes and releases (in my opinion) the coolest peice of computer hardware in the last 5 years. The Surface book looks f'n awesome.

I have two issues:
1) it is mega expensive; for the 16GB/256GB/i7model it is $3300NZD; while I can afford it; it seems extravagant even with the potential of future upgrades to the keyboard module. Although an equivalent MacBook Pro 16GB/256GB/i7 is around $3500.

2) I'm a Linux guy and have been for years; I know eventually Linux will install on the Surface book but it wont happen tomorrow. So half of my tools that I commonly use will be annoying to get running or maybe not available.

I use Win7 at work and have just made my first foray into powershell scripting to get some automated tasks done...not bad. But the privacy implications of returning to windows really turn me off. My partner has a Surface pro 3 which all in all I think is a great device.

So what do the hordes of SN think of the Surface book?


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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by bob_super on Thursday November 05 2015, @05:27PM

    by bob_super (1357) on Thursday November 05 2015, @05:27PM (#258945)

    > the best replacement for my Zenbook was my Zenbook. Basically the only difference between my Zenbook and the latest offering
    > was a gen 5 i7 vs my current gen 3 i7, which really isn't much of an upgrade.

    In a nutshell, you didn't need an upgrade...
    Question number one asked when I was in standard committees: What is the problem you're trying to fix?

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  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Tramii on Thursday November 05 2015, @05:34PM

    by Tramii (920) on Thursday November 05 2015, @05:34PM (#258949)

    What is the problem you're trying to fix?

    The Surface book looks f'n awesome.

    Absolutely.Geek doesn't have enough awesome in his life and hopes a fancy looking laptop will bring it.

    • (Score: 2) by Absolutely.Geek on Saturday November 07 2015, @09:00AM

      by Absolutely.Geek (5328) on Saturday November 07 2015, @09:00AM (#259879)

      Actually the main reason I'm looking to upgrade is that the trackpad has been getting increasingly annoying over the last year. The accuracy has decreased and the random clicks that "pickup" files as I mouse past them and drop them in random places/folders etc can be really frustrating.

      Overall my Zenbook is still a great computer; expecially when I am using a mouse rather then the trackpad. But I figure that 5 years is a good run and looking at upgrade options is not a bad idea.

      But more "awesome" is always welcome.

      --
      Don't trust the police or the government - Shihad: My mind's sedate.
  • (Score: 5, Interesting) by Alfred on Thursday November 05 2015, @06:35PM

    by Alfred (4006) on Thursday November 05 2015, @06:35PM (#258994) Journal

    In a nutshell, you didn't need an upgrade...

    Yup, we have a winner. Computers are not improving over previous iterations of hardware as well as they used to. In the last week I got the curiosity about how my old i7 2600k compares to newer kit. I looked at toms hardware CPU hierarchy and passmark and such and found that I'm not really lagging behind. The newer ones are not that much better than what I have. If I went and bought a new mobo and CPU I would see like 5-10%* improvement while losing $400. The only real gain for me would be more sata3 ports.

    In the case od the zen book I would go for a new battery and call it good.

    Also, always skip the first gen of something. Though I am thoroughly impressed that Microsoft could make something as cool as the surface book, I would wait for surface book 2.

    *5-10% will of course vary depending on how it is used. As I use it the improvement would probably be closer to 0% so I was trying to be generous.

    • (Score: 2) by chewbacon on Thursday November 05 2015, @07:10PM

      by chewbacon (1032) on Thursday November 05 2015, @07:10PM (#259021)

      I'd say things are getting smaller and lighter. That's really the headline of the new products coming out. Not worth paying for. My laptop weighs a ton compared to the super thin super light models, but nevertheless it isn't heavy. I'd rather spend the cash on upgraded components like SSDs.

    • (Score: 2) by danomac on Thursday November 05 2015, @07:33PM

      by danomac (979) on Thursday November 05 2015, @07:33PM (#259036)

      Computers are not improving over previous iterations of hardware as well as they used to.

      Yep, I have a QX9650 from 2008 with 8GB RAM in my everyday computer. I still use it, and it's still reasonably fast at compiling.

    • (Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Thursday November 05 2015, @07:57PM

      by LoRdTAW (3755) on Thursday November 05 2015, @07:57PM (#259048) Journal

      I'd keep away from anything MS unless you decide that Windows 10 is what you need/want.