Review: Microsoft Surface Book 2

by Parm Mann on 2 February 2018, 10:45

Tags: Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Intel (NASDAQ:INTC)

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qadqcj

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Test Methodology

Comparison Laptops - Part One

System Name
Form Factor
14.0in
13.3in
13.3in
13.3in
CPU
Intel Core i5-7200U
Intel Core m3-6Y30
Intel Core m5-6Y57
Intel Core i5-7300U
CPU Base Frequency
2.5GHz
0.9GHz
1.1GHz
2.6GHz
CPU Turbo Frequency
3.1GHz
2.2GHz
2.8GHz
3.5GHz
CPU Cores / Threads
2 / 4
2 / 4
2 / 4
2 / 4
CPU TDP
15W
4.5W
4.5W
15W
Integrated Graphics
Intel HD 620
Intel HD 515
Intel HD 515
Intel HD 620
IGP Max Frequency
1.00GHz
0.85GHz
0.90GHz
1.10GHz
Memory
8GB DDR3 (2x4GB)
8GB DDR3 (2x4GB)
8GB DDR3 (2x4GB)
8GB DDR4 (2x4GB)
Memory Speed
2,133MHz
1,600MHz
1,600MHz
2,133MHz
Display
14.0in FHD IPS (1,920x1,080)
14.0in QHD+ IPS (3,200x1,800)
13.3in FHD IPS (1,920x1,080)
13.3in FHD IPS (1,920x1,080)
Touchscreen
No
No
No
Yes
Battery Capacity
46Wh
44Wh
34Wh
57Wh
Wireless
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
Ethernet
-
Realtek USB GbE
-
-
Storage
256GB Micron 1100 M.2 SSD
128GB Lite-On CV1 M.2 SSD
256GB Toshiba M.2 SSD
256GB SanDisk X400 M.2 SSD
Power Supply
65W External
45W External
45W External
65W External
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit)
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit)
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
Dimensions (W x D x H)
329mm x 210mm x 12.9mm
324mm x 226mm x 12.3mm
305mm x 211mm x 14.3mm
317mm x 219mm x 14.9mm
Weight
1.2kg
1.2kg
1.12kg
1.28kg
Warranty
1 Year
1 Year
3 Year
3 Year
Date Reviewed
September 2017
July 2016
July 2016
August 2017
Price When Reviewed
£1,200
£560
£1,390
£1,400

Comparison Laptops - Part Two

System Name
Form Factor
14.0in
13.5in
12.3in
13.3in
CPU
Intel Core i7-7500U
Intel Core i5-7300U
Intel Core i7-7660U
Intel Core i7-7500U
CPU Base Frequency
2.7GHz
2.6GHz
2.5GHz
2.7GHz
CPU Turbo Frequency
3.5GHz
3.5GHz
4.0GHz
3.5GHz
CPU Cores / Threads
2 / 4
2 / 4
2 / 4
2 / 4
CPU TDP
15W
15W
15W
15W
Integrated Graphics
Intel HD 620
Intel HD 620
Intel Iris Plus 640
Intel HD 620
IGP Max Frequency
1.05GHz
1.10GHz
1.10GHz
1.05GHz
Memory
8GB DDR3 (2x4GB)
8GB DDR3 (2x4GB)
16GB DDR3 (2x8GB)
16GB DDR3 (2x8GB)
Memory Speed
1,866MHz
1,866MHz
1,866MHz
1,866MHz
Display
14.0in FHD IPS (1,920x1,080)
12.5in PixelSense IPS (3,000x2,000)
12.5in PixelSense IPS (2,736x1,824)
13.3in QHD+ (3,200x1,800)
Touchscreen
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Battery Capacity
57Wh
69Wh
45Wh
54Wh
Wireless
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265
Marvell Avastar Wireless-AC
Marvell Avastar Wireless-AC
Killer Wireless-AC
Ethernet
Intel Gigabit Ethernet
-
-
-
Storage
256GB Toshiba XG4 M.2 SSD
256GB Samsung PM961 M.2 SSD
512GB Samsung PM971 BGA SSD
256GB Samsung MZVLV256 M.2 SSD
Power Supply
65W External
44W External
44W External
45W External
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit)
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit)
Dimensions (W x D x H)
324mm x 217mm x 16.0mm
312mm x 232mm x 23mm
292mm x 201mm x 8.5mm
325mm x 206mm x 13.1mm
Weight
1.13kg
1.53kg
0.78kg
1.33kg
Warranty
3 Year
1 Year
1 Year
Date Reviewed
August 2017
February 2018
October 2017
August 2017
Price When Reviewed
£1,525
£1,499
£2,149
£1,350

CPU Benchmarks

HEXUS PiFast Our number-crunching PiFast test is used to benchmark the computational power of each system's CPU.
Cinebench Using Cinebench's multi-CPU render, this cross-platform benchmark stresses as many cores as possible.
HandBrake Free-to-use video encoder that stresses all CPU cores.

Memory and Storage Benchmarks

AIDA64 Benchmark that analyses memory bandwidth and latency.
CrystalDiskMark Popular free-to-use storage benchmark, used to gauge sequential performance and aggregated 4K QD32 speeds.

System Benchmarks

PCMark 10 System-wide examination run using the Standard and Extended presets.
3DMark Graphics benchmark run using the Sky Diver DX11 preset.
Gaming Where applicable, a selection of modern titles are tested at various resolutions.

Miscellaneous Benchmarks

Display Datacolor's Spyder 4 Elite professional monitor analyser is used to return a quantitative assessment of display quality.
Power Consumption Noted for system-wide power draw while running the HandBrake video-transcoding test.
Temperature Average CPU temperature taken across all cores from the last five minutes of the HandBrake video-transcoding test.
Battery Life Measured while looping a high-definition movie clip with 50 per cent screen brightness and flight mode enabled.