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My time with the Surface Pro 4.
9 years ago
It's been a good while now sense I bought a Surface pro 4. Here's my take on it so far.
The model I chose was the variant with the m3 processor and 128GB of storage. I've also purchased a blue type cover and 128GB microSD card.
I originally purchased it with the intent on using it as a drawing device. I do own a Wacom Intuos2 9x12, but I only use it for editing images in Photoshop.
Drawing on my Wacom tablet always left me feeling uninspired and just devoid of any motivation to draw. No idea why though. Touching up photos was just fine though...
After about ten or so years of not drawing I wanted something I could actually draw on and not get disinterested in as soon as I start.
I wasn't about to spend a few grand on a 27 inch display tablet that was only 1440p and had a diffused coating. Wacom is good, but I decided to pass on that option.
The ipad pro seemed nice, but I prefer a desktop OS and not having to charge my "stylus" every other day. I had my mind set on the Surface and chose the base model.
Mostly for price, but also for the silent running and negligibly thinner size. lol who am I kidding. I was cheap and wanted it as soon as possible. So yeah, definitely wasn't
getting the Surface Book with the GPU.
With that said here's how it runs.
With the lower end cpu and only 4 GB of ram it's not the most capable. I don't need to use my tablet to render UHD video or edit 3d graphics so it runs fine for me.
I don't own a version of Photoshop past CS2 which is free btw. I don't know how well that would run on the base model SP4. However PS CS2 does work.
At first the pen would easily get bogged down, but still work. Though now PS kinda chokes when you use the pen. And only after moving the courser will it snap back to normal.
Using the mouse though it works just fine. Might be just me with how I've installed drivers though. Speaking of drivers, you can install wacom drivers and use a tablet
with PS. This will disable pressure sensitivity on your intriq pen though.(at least older programs that require wintab drivers) For most drawing programs you'll want to install wintab drivers.
Older programs and Clip Studio won't work properly without them. Clip Studio Paint works great on the Surface. Low latency etc. Krita is free, but
the UI is a bit challenging and not quite suited for touch operation.
So performance wise it's not going to replace your desktop PC, but does everything else well enough. For those programs that require a bit more power I still have
my Desktop PC with an i7 3820 and Nvidia GTX 680.
For gaming it is still capable. Depending on the game and the resolution you run it at though. If you're using a 1080p monitor you can get by with lower settings on not so demanding games.
Games like Half Life 2 and Portal that use the Source Engine run rather well at 1080p. If you play Quake Live you'll be happy to know that you can easily run it at full resolution at an easy 125 fps.
Something like Second Life is going to tax it quite a bit though. Don't expect more than 10 to 15 fps in a crowded area though. That and if not lowering the resolution it will heat up fast.
The only reason I know this is because a failed update on my desktop forced me to use the SP4 as my main PC for a while. One bit of advice though.
If you connect a monitor via an adapter using an hdmi cable it will think it's a TV and run at a lower color setting.
There's no Nvidia control panel to manually set it back to full color so using dvi, display port, or something else will fix that.
About the pen.
It's fairly balanced and comfortable to use. For me at least. If you have problems you can just slide a cushion over it.
It has a single flat side for magnetically connecting to the tablet. I wish it had more sides like an actual pencil though. That's just me.
The magnet is quite strong and very handy for storing the pen. It's not as secure as the type cover, but close enough.
The single button on the side is sort of hidden and not very easy to make use of. It's easier to just forget it's there. If you need shortcuts you're better off using another solution.
That single button can't be mapped to keystrokes or macros anyways. The eraser can be programed, but is limited to opening programs and screen shots at the moment. Who knows if that'll change?
The display is a glossy glass finish, but the pen tip is some kind of soft rubber or felt. This provides very pleasing resistance. You can however buy a set of tips that include harder tips though.
In case you find that slick plastic on glass feel of no control to your liking.
The pen comes with a single AAAA battery installed that will last about a full year before needing replaced. The pen will flash an led when it gets low. If you're worried just buy a small pack of lithium
batteries and you'll be set for years to come. Lithium because they store safer with a much lower chance of leaking and keep their charge longer.
Speaking of solutions there are a few.
Blue-tooth keyboards are likely what someone's who more used to a desktop experience would go with. Having the type cover attached hinders drawing in landscape mode. You could have it flat while using it in portrait mode. Though you'd need to get used to using the keyboard in the same orientation. If you're cheap you could opt to not buy a type cover and just use a blue-tooth keyboard.
Though i don't recommend that as it would subject your display to more risk while not being protected. Unless you just don't want to bother carrying around your super portable PC.
There is a software solution though. It's called Tablet Pro. It is free with a paid version you can buy. It's basically a tool bar you can toggle on and off near the system tray. It can be customized with
practically any keystroke and moved around on your desktop. It does have other features such as an on screen controller, but I never bothered with that.
Overall I'm quite pleased with the Surface Pro 4. Though i just wish it was much bigger because I always want something better.
The model I chose was the variant with the m3 processor and 128GB of storage. I've also purchased a blue type cover and 128GB microSD card.
I originally purchased it with the intent on using it as a drawing device. I do own a Wacom Intuos2 9x12, but I only use it for editing images in Photoshop.
Drawing on my Wacom tablet always left me feeling uninspired and just devoid of any motivation to draw. No idea why though. Touching up photos was just fine though...
After about ten or so years of not drawing I wanted something I could actually draw on and not get disinterested in as soon as I start.
I wasn't about to spend a few grand on a 27 inch display tablet that was only 1440p and had a diffused coating. Wacom is good, but I decided to pass on that option.
The ipad pro seemed nice, but I prefer a desktop OS and not having to charge my "stylus" every other day. I had my mind set on the Surface and chose the base model.
Mostly for price, but also for the silent running and negligibly thinner size. lol who am I kidding. I was cheap and wanted it as soon as possible. So yeah, definitely wasn't
getting the Surface Book with the GPU.
With that said here's how it runs.
With the lower end cpu and only 4 GB of ram it's not the most capable. I don't need to use my tablet to render UHD video or edit 3d graphics so it runs fine for me.
I don't own a version of Photoshop past CS2 which is free btw. I don't know how well that would run on the base model SP4. However PS CS2 does work.
At first the pen would easily get bogged down, but still work. Though now PS kinda chokes when you use the pen. And only after moving the courser will it snap back to normal.
Using the mouse though it works just fine. Might be just me with how I've installed drivers though. Speaking of drivers, you can install wacom drivers and use a tablet
with PS. This will disable pressure sensitivity on your intriq pen though.(at least older programs that require wintab drivers) For most drawing programs you'll want to install wintab drivers.
Older programs and Clip Studio won't work properly without them. Clip Studio Paint works great on the Surface. Low latency etc. Krita is free, but
the UI is a bit challenging and not quite suited for touch operation.
So performance wise it's not going to replace your desktop PC, but does everything else well enough. For those programs that require a bit more power I still have
my Desktop PC with an i7 3820 and Nvidia GTX 680.
For gaming it is still capable. Depending on the game and the resolution you run it at though. If you're using a 1080p monitor you can get by with lower settings on not so demanding games.
Games like Half Life 2 and Portal that use the Source Engine run rather well at 1080p. If you play Quake Live you'll be happy to know that you can easily run it at full resolution at an easy 125 fps.
Something like Second Life is going to tax it quite a bit though. Don't expect more than 10 to 15 fps in a crowded area though. That and if not lowering the resolution it will heat up fast.
The only reason I know this is because a failed update on my desktop forced me to use the SP4 as my main PC for a while. One bit of advice though.
If you connect a monitor via an adapter using an hdmi cable it will think it's a TV and run at a lower color setting.
There's no Nvidia control panel to manually set it back to full color so using dvi, display port, or something else will fix that.
About the pen.
It's fairly balanced and comfortable to use. For me at least. If you have problems you can just slide a cushion over it.
It has a single flat side for magnetically connecting to the tablet. I wish it had more sides like an actual pencil though. That's just me.
The magnet is quite strong and very handy for storing the pen. It's not as secure as the type cover, but close enough.
The single button on the side is sort of hidden and not very easy to make use of. It's easier to just forget it's there. If you need shortcuts you're better off using another solution.
That single button can't be mapped to keystrokes or macros anyways. The eraser can be programed, but is limited to opening programs and screen shots at the moment. Who knows if that'll change?
The display is a glossy glass finish, but the pen tip is some kind of soft rubber or felt. This provides very pleasing resistance. You can however buy a set of tips that include harder tips though.
In case you find that slick plastic on glass feel of no control to your liking.
The pen comes with a single AAAA battery installed that will last about a full year before needing replaced. The pen will flash an led when it gets low. If you're worried just buy a small pack of lithium
batteries and you'll be set for years to come. Lithium because they store safer with a much lower chance of leaking and keep their charge longer.
Speaking of solutions there are a few.
Blue-tooth keyboards are likely what someone's who more used to a desktop experience would go with. Having the type cover attached hinders drawing in landscape mode. You could have it flat while using it in portrait mode. Though you'd need to get used to using the keyboard in the same orientation. If you're cheap you could opt to not buy a type cover and just use a blue-tooth keyboard.
Though i don't recommend that as it would subject your display to more risk while not being protected. Unless you just don't want to bother carrying around your super portable PC.
There is a software solution though. It's called Tablet Pro. It is free with a paid version you can buy. It's basically a tool bar you can toggle on and off near the system tray. It can be customized with
practically any keystroke and moved around on your desktop. It does have other features such as an on screen controller, but I never bothered with that.
Overall I'm quite pleased with the Surface Pro 4. Though i just wish it was much bigger because I always want something better.
