Surface 3 - New direction, higher prices and crappy i3

[Pentad]

...being a nearly vertically integrated monopoly, they don't follow standards very well. They also make their own "standards" that don't work with anyone else's products and are not enterprise friendly...

That is so funny coming from an Amiga fan.  "Hello, kettle?!  It's pot.  You're black!"  I love these posts!

[takemehomegrandma]

No self respecting hardcore gamer would use an i5 machine

I see your point!

Well, I suppose it all comes down to your budget, and how to get most bang for the buck out of your gaming rig. Many gamer's focus their spending's towards graphic card(s) instead of over-the-top CPU power, and settle with a more or less overclocked Core i5, which is quite economic and still very powerful for gaming purposes. Many games of today will still leave *quite a few* of the available cores in the i7 unused, which can make a Core i5 with aggressive clocking a preferable option.

[Thorham]

No self respecting hardcore gamer would use an i5 machine

Real hardcore gamers use whatever let's them run the games they want properly.

[Iggy]

Real hardcore gamers use whatever let's them run the games they want properly.

Thank you.
That was a fairly ridiculous comment.
Apparently the poster believes you need to perpetually over spend on hardware in order to be a "real hardcore gamer".
What a geek.

[fishy_fiz]

Generally there's not a big difference between an i5 and i7 for gaming. An i7 is quite similar, but has hyperthreading (which doesnt often help and sometimes hinders gaming performance). Additionally intel cpus, minus the k series are pretty much clock locked these days.
As for i3, its far from crappy. A modern i3 will outperform older i5 and i7's in lighter threaded software on occassions, and is very power economical. And lastly, as of hd4000, intel gpus are no longer terrible (they'll beat earlier apus from amd.

Lots of uninformed, innacurate "information" being spewed here, but I guess truth and accuracy arent really the point of the thread.

[Duce]

There's a big difference in a casual gamer and a hardcore gamer.

If you wish to class yourself a hardcore gamer, that's by your standards and that's good by me.  Doesn't matter much to me how one brands themselves as long as they have fun.  My apologies if I offended anyone.

That being said, my PERSONAL idea of a hardcore gamer is a guy constantly trying to push the newest games at the highest resolutions and highest settings.  That guy doesn't have even a vague interest in mid range hardware, in general.

Myself, I've been fiddling around with 4k gaming lately - and sorry, your i5 with 4 GB of RAM and a low end card isn't going to get a guy anywhere with that  

[SysAdmin]

$799 i3 entry level Surface Pro 3 is the best system for 4K hardcore gamers.

[Kronos]

$799 i3 entry level Surface Pro 3 is the best system for 4K hardcore gamers.

One has to be a) seriously mentally challenged or b) trollbaiting (really just the same) to make such a statement.

Neither the SurfacePro,nor the MacBookAir or an iPad are aimed at hardcore gamers by any stretch.

Keck not even the WiiU is

[Iggy]

There's a big difference in a casual gamer and a hardcore gamer.

Yes, one spends far too much money to play games (at a high resolution) that are hard to distinguish from games previously released.
And then feel good about the expenditure.
While I appreciate your attempt to calm those you think you've offended, perhaps you haven't considered HOW you have offended some of them.

Mind you, its your business how you spend your money.
But you still sound foolish.

[Duce]

You being sensitive is on you, Iggy.  If you're getting upset about another internet forums user not deeming you a "hardcore gamer" by their own admitted solely personal standards, all the power to you.  If you're feeling offended over semantics and terms like "hardcore gamer" and my definition perhaps being different than yours, that's on you, too.  I didn't insult anyones mother or blaspheme the Lord Jesus here, lol.  

If you are unable to see the differences visually between high end and low end, I'd eat my hat.

As would I if you were not to recognize the differences required in the hardware required between running a game on high settings at 1024x768 vs running a game at 4k (3840x2160) with all settings maxxed, that's just fine too.  You can buy 4k monitors off the shelf these days, and I did - and I love it, but it's not for everyone.

It's all about how you prefer to experience things, and what you find suitable.  You don't have to spend $5000 to enjoy a game, but there are people that do because they want what they consider the "best of the best" experience for themselves, and because they enjoy tinkering with the powerful hardware along the way.  For the next guy down the road, a far lesser machine may keep him completely happy, and that's great - and it's also why the market has a low / mid / high end product for everyone to slide into based on their budget.

Me, I like my gaming experience like this - you may differ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUd9o81rdUA

[Iggy]

Me, I like my gaming experience like this - you may differ.

Obviously.
And I don't think you really could offend me.
I just don't share your enthusiasm for hardware that rapidly becomes obsolete.

As to your favored pastime, its your life.

A casual observation, we are way off topic.
Not that the Surface 3 is interesting enough to have sustained my attention.

The discussion on the merits of various cpus does though.
And the i7 holds a very threadbare performance edge that is hard to economically justify.

[carvedeye]

No self respecting hardcore gamer would use an i5 machine

Really? I would disagree i have an i5 2500k in my gaming rig with a corsair h100i and have overclocked it from 3.3 ghz to 4.8 ghz and the i5 is the gamers choice as it packs a hell of punch when gaming.

[Duce]

Didn't say it couldn't pack a lot of punch, and I'm sure such a system is great for the vast, vast majority of people.

For what I require out of a gaming PC, it wouldn't cut the mustard by a long shot, is all.

[Iggy]

Didn't say it couldn't pack a lot of punch, and I'm sure such a system is great for the vast, vast majority of people.

For what I require out of a gaming PC, it wouldn't cut the mustard by a long shot, is all.

Out of curiosity, what i7 do you employ?

[SysAdmin]

Maybe it was a Windows 8 thing but the two i3 systems  I tried we're slow as f*ck and unresponsive sometimes.

[fishy_fiz]

What a crock. An i7 and i5 trade blows for superiority in gaming. As already stated hyperthreading (the only real difference between the 2) sometimes hurts performance for gaming giving an i5 the edge. Clock for clock there's no real difference.