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Thanks Leon. It's good to hear you had a good experience buying used. I'll start looking into used SP6 and SP7's. The fanless option is interesting. I don't use appraisal software so I'm not sure how much I'd use the laptop on an inspection of commercial property. With my old one I used it mainly in the car to make notes and access data portals.
Thanks Randall. I limit my practice to commercial properties so I don't use traditional appraisal software. I'm still using word for the narrative and a software package for comp development and analysis but that is limited to one license and resides on my office computer. My needs are mostly for field access to data portals, office suite products, and browsing. I hadn't given the SG line much thought because I had heard of performance issues. However, I wasn't aware of the business edition which sounds beefier. I'll start giving those a look. I think the SP3 was more than enough for my uses and would be still be using it if it hadn't died. I just saw a review of SP8 and it sounds pretty great. The price, not so much and it is more than I need. I really appreciate all the work you do keeping us advised of the current selection.Bill, Leon makes a good point. I don't mind a certified refurb unit
FWIW, we expect to see new Surface devices announced tomorrow. That generally means that the previous year models will go on sale, and with some places offering trade-ins, some used (and certified refurb) units are sure to start being advertised pretty soon.
My main question revolving around a recommendation involves how much performance do you want/need? The answer usually involves ranking your features/functionality priorities vs. price. As an example, for MY needs, I have found that I rarely do any "heavy lifting" on my Surface devices anymore. I generally do things in a browser but I still need occasional access to some necessary/cherished legacy Windows applications, and it is a major convenience to have 4G capability. Hence, for ME, I can do very well using my Surface Go Business Edition (Core m3, 8GB RAM, 256 GB SSD and 4G. It outperforms a Surface 3 for grunt work unless it had 16GB of RAM (legacy Appraisal Suites are memory hogs.) It has a ~2" smaller screen but works well for my field where size/weight are a major factor to me. Look back at some posts a couple of years ago and you'll see some pics I posted showing the lowest powered Gen 1 device running a 30" monitor and a 4K Monitor with several apps running. My much newer SG2 Business version totally smokes the previous generation devices. FWIW, the update to the Surface Go line is not expected to provide a major performance boost, so if a SG2 Business version will suffice, I would at least give that device (new or used) some consideration...
Failing that, and assuming you really want/need something in the traditional tablet form factor, I would look into what Leon suggests - a good, certified used SP7. I also carry an Surface Pro X (Gen 1) and it is more "svelte" than the regular Surface Pro. That said, I'm not convinced that this device is superior to a regular Surface Pro. I looked at getting a Gen 2 SPX (speed bump and available in silver, which is better than black IMHO) but it ended up going to a developer. We should see a minor bump to an SPX G3, but I am still not sure it beats out a regular SP6 or SP7 in good condition with an available warranty.
I no longer get direct info on upcoming MS stuff and have to rely on a small group of insiders I've known for 20 years, so all I can report on today are what is likely to be announced tomorrow. What IS virtually certain due to history, however, is that we should see some compelling deals on SP6 and SP7 devices as soon as the new (SP8?) is announced, so stay tuned
Hope this helps!
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
/end/
I'll also take a look at the surface studio. Thanks
"Need" is probably a stretch. "Want" is probably more like it but I will probably continue to use the term "Need" to help me justify the purchase.Glad to help, Bill
Most reviewers describing the SG were working with the lower end model(s) since the "$399-ish" price grabbed headlines. As you may note in my early posts on the SG, it actually performed quite well for what is is (price/performance ratio) when using it for reasonable tasks when away from your desk. An additional problem with most reviewers is that their typical use case scenarios don't really match up well with what we do with our machines, so their views were skewed IMHO. When the Core m3 variant came out, things improved significantly. Not only were you working with a much more competent CPU (relatively speaking) but you also had 8 GB of RAM, but you also had a true SSD vs. the pokey eMMC storage. I think the main issue for you with either the SG2, or superior SG3, might be the 10.5" screen vs. the 12.x" screen of the SP line. For me, the smaller size, lighter weight aspects are worth that trade off, even though I have 67-year old eyes, but YMMV on that so I would recommend finding one at (say) a Best Buy and fondling it a bit side-by-side with a Surface Pro.
If you prize a larger screen and still want light weight, take a look at the Surface Pro X. I still carry a Gen 1 SPX and it serves me well enough. I don't like the black finish (attracts fingerprints, gets hotter in the sun and not good for an impromptu Disto target surface, LOL), so I prefer the SPX2 which is available in a "Platinum" finish. FWIW, the SPX3 has only a negligible hardware bump, but will not support 64-bit emulation and this is much more friendly with respect to modern legacy applications. To date, all models have 4G LTE capability (a bonus for me) but they have announced that it will be available in a model without LTE, starting around $800 (retail.) While I much prefer built-in LTE capability, I must admit that it would probably make more sense for me (and others?) to forego that being built-in and just use one's phone as a hot spot... lower cost at purchase and one less cellular bill.
All that said, from your description, I wonder if you really need a Tablet-style device. There is certainly nothing wrong with using a tablet while seated in the car and I understand the benefits behind a device being convenient to use while out and about, but if you are not using it while, for example, traversing the subject then perhaps a laptop is more appropriate and would provide more bang for the buck?
Regards,
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
/end/
Thanks again.
It has truly been my pleasure and my passion all these years.
