Items tagged with surface book 2
It appears as though a recent firmware update is causing Surface Pro 6 and Surface Book 2 devices to heavily throttle the processor to well below where it should be running. Multiple users who own one or the other device have reported seeing their CPU speeds stuck at 400MHz, and in some cases, the throttled state persists after a system reboot. There have been similar reports of this type of behavior in the past. However, reports have increased in frequency since Microsoft rolled out firmware update two weeks ago. After doing some digging, users discovered a link between the aggressive throttling and an Intel CPU flag called BD PROCHOT (bi-directional processor hot). This can be set by any peripheral,...
Read more...
The Windows 10 May 2019 Update (Version 1903) was pushed out a couple of months ago, and for the most part, there were relatively few issues with the major operating system upgrade. Sure, there were some problems here and there -- and Microsoft put in upgrade blocks to ensure that most users were unaffected – but the May 2019 Update has not been nearly as much of a disaster as the preceding October 2018 Update. With that being said, Microsoft has put a new upgrade block in place for owners of one of its own hardware products. The device in question is the Surface Book 2, which is a convertible tablet available in 13.5-inch and 15-inch versions. Microsoft has discovered...
Read more...
The Surface Book 2 is an impressive 2-in-1 laptop for sure, provided you're comfortable spending a premium on such a device. There is really no way around it—the Surface Book 2 carries a high price tag. That said, Microsoft has added a slightly cheaper configuration of its 15-inch model, one that is $200 less expensive than the previous baseline config. Before today, the least expensive 15-inch Surface Book 2 was $2,199, which came with an 8th generation Intel Core i7 8650U processor paired with an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU (6GB GDDR5), 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB solid state drive. What about the cheaper $1,999 model? It swaps the Core i7 chip for a Core i5-8350U CPU, which is also an 8th...
Read more...
Microsoft is steadily gaining traction with its Surface family of laptops and convertibles. During the company's Q2 earning report, Microsoft announced that Surface revenue had increased 39 percent compared to the same period last year. To keep that momentum going, Microsoft is reportedly making some changes to its Surface Book and Surface Pro 6 families to make them more appealing to customers. Surface Book 2 As it currently stands, the cheapest way to get 16GB of RAM on a Surface Book 2 is by opting for a 256GB SSD and an Intel Core i7 processors for the 15-inch model. That configuration will set you back a whopping $2,499. As for the Surface Pro 6, your cheapest ticket to 16GB of RAM...
Read more...
Prior to this weekend, Microsoft only put the latest 8th generation Intel Core processor only in the high-end configuration of the Surface Book 2 notebook. To get the 8th gen part, you had to opt for the Core i7 version of the notebook; the base Core i5 version used an older 7th generation processor. Rumors that the Surface Book 2 would get an 8th generation Core i5 Kaby Lake-R upgrade first surfaced earlier this month. Microsoft has confirmed that rumor and given Core i5 shoppers access to a Surface Book 2 configuration that packs the 8th generation quad-core Core i5-8350U processor under the hood. The caveat here is that to get the 8th gen Core i5; you do have to go with 256GB...
Read more...
The Surface Book 2 is not a cheap laptop, with the least expensive 13.5-inch model checking in at $1,149. That configuration is built around an Intel Core i5-7300U processor, which is only a dual-core chip that is now a couple of generations old (Kaby Lake). However, rumor has it that Microsoft will soon be refreshing its entry-level model with a quad-core chip. We are living in a core-heavy world these days, in terms of what companies are peddling to customers. On the desktop side, for example, 8-core processors are commonly available, and it is not unusual to see laptops wielding 6-core silicon underneath the hood. As such, having just a dual-core foundation on a premium product is starting...
Read more...
Microsoft has just encountered a string of bad luck with Windows 10 updates in recent months. It had to pull its October 2018 Update after it went rogue by deleting users' files. Most recently, a Windows Update borked the Windows Media Player in Windows 10. Now, we're heaving that a rather routine release of cumulative updates resulted in trouble for owners of Microsoft's own Surface Book 2. You wouldn't expect for a cumulative update (KB4467682) for Windows 10 version 1803 (April 2018 Update) to have harmful effects on a machine, but in the case of some Surface Book 2 owners, the update released last week has sparked a number of Blue Screen of Death (BSODs)...
Read more...
Just over a year ago, Consumer Reports caused a huge rift in the consumer electronics realm when it withheld is vaunted "recommended" rating from Microsoft's Surface family of products. The publication based its decision on a survey from 90,000 of its readers and found Surface products to be “significantly less reliable than most other brands”. At the time, the Surface Laptop, Surface Pro and Surface Book were affected by the demotion. When the Surface Book 2 launched, it too was cast off with the lepers. Surface Book 2 What a difference a year makes. The Surface family has been re-evaluated and the publication has concluded that the products can now legitimately...
Read more...
Microsoft has just announced that its new Surface Book 2 is available in 17 new markets as of today in both 13-inch and 15-inch variants. Pre-orders are now underway in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Additional regions will get the Surface Book 2 13-inch and 15-inch notebooks beginning in February and the rollout will continue in March and April. Those countries include Bahrain, China, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. These locations...
Read more...
Microsoft Surface Book 2 owners might have noticed an issue that rears its head if you try to game on the computer. With an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU inside, the machine is certainly capable of moderate gaming. You might expect the battery to drain quicker when on the go if you play video games, but you wouldn't expect the battery to drain even when plugged in. That is exactly what has been happening; the base battery inside the Surface Book 2 is draining during gaming session when the machine is plugged in. The drain occurs with some games when power settings are configured to maximum performance. Microsoft issued the following statement regarding the battery drain: Surface Book 2 was designed...
Read more...
Microsoft and Consumer Reports (CR) have no love for each other of late with CR putting a blanket decision in withdraw recommendations for Microsoft Surface laptops and tablets. The original Surface Book from Microsoft received the "Recommended" rating from CR, only to see it retracted after the publication claimed that its surveys showed that there were issues in as many as 25% of all Surface Book laptops. With that blanket decision to not issue any "Recommended" ratings to Microsoft devices, this means that new Surface Book 2 won't receive the rating no matter how good it is. CR spokesperson James McQueen wrote, "We will evaluate the performance of the Microsoft Surface Book 2 once we...
Read more...
Microsoft just announced a few brand new products: a pair of powerful new Surface Book 2 devices featuring 8th Gen Intel Core Processors and NVIDIA graphics, and a Surface Precision Mouse designed to be the perfect companion to the devices. The new Surface Book 2 borrows virtually all of the physical design cues of the original, but this latest iteration features more powerful hardware, better battery life, enhanced display technology, and a myriad of other refinements that improve upon the first Surface Book. We have a quick hands-on video to share if you’d like a visual tour before we dig in – as you’ll see, from the outside, the Surface Book 2 (especially the 13.5” model featured in the video)...
Read more...
Things have been relatively quiet on the Microsoft Surface hardware front for the past few months (at least with regards to new releases). Earlier this summer, Microsoft performed a brain transplant on the Surface Pro convertible and introduced the all-new Surface Laptop. However, an update for the Surface Book, which was first introduced in late 2015, was nowhere to be found. Fortunately, Microsoft has revealed that it will hold a keynote on October 31st at its “Future Decoded” event in London. As you might expect for a major announcement relating to Surface, division chief Panos Panay will be the chief presenter. Sources for The Verge indicate that at least once new product will be...
Read more...
Earlier this month, we brought you a report that suggested Microsoft’s next generation Surface Book might abandon its “trick” detachable 2-in-1 hybrid design in favor of a more tradition notebook form-factor. It has been surmised that Microsoft is taking this approach to put a little more distance between its Surface Pro family of convertible tablets. While we don’t have any official word from Microsoft that this is indeed the case, one well-connected Redmond watcher says that we won’t be seeing the Surface Book 2 this spring. Mary Jo Foley reported this week that the Surface Book 2 will not make an appearance during its Spring 2017 hardware launch. Things also look uncertain for the arrival...
Read more...
