Refurb Surface Pro 1 64GB for $500 (eBay)

[Ravynmagi]

Well I just bought something I probably don't need, but I've been wanting anyway. $500 finally seems low enough to give one of these a try, even if it's refurbished and from an eBay seller. Of course I got all kinds of anxiety on whether I really should have purchased this thing, but the seller claims hassle free returns for 30 days. So I'm diving on and hoping for the best.

My thoughts on why I might like this.

+ Seems like other than the processor, it's not that much different than the Surface Pro 2.
+ Has a Wacom digitizer and included pen.
+ It's one of Microsoft's flagship tablets, so should hopefully be well supported.
+ 10.6 inch size seems pretty good.
+ Full sized USB 3.0 port and mini DP port (I need a mini DP adapter).
+ 1080p display and 4GB of RAM is pretty nice at $500.

Why I worry I made a mistake.

- Only about 30GB of available space (might be able to kill a recovery partition for a bit more). I do have a 64GB micro SD card to supplement the storage.
- Not a fan of the kickstand form factor, wish it has a real dock for using on the lap.
- Fan noise and heat.
- Battery life, though it appears it might still be better than my laptop.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Microsoft-Surface-Pro-with-64GB-Memory-/181269850144

 

[Ravynmagi]

And now I'm torn between the refurb Surface Pro and this HP Split X2 at Best Buy on Black Friday for $500 also.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-split...&skuId=1799161

The Split X2 has..
+ Core i3 Haswell processor
+ 128GB SSD
+ Keyboard dock, I can use this in my lap.

But what I don't like...
- 13.3 inch 1366x768, low res and it's IPS but the quality doesn't look that good from a YouTube video I saw of it.
- No digitizer or pen.
- Will need to stand in line Thanksgiving night to get it probably and it might be out of stock.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I got the Surface Pro today. And I have a big question for Surface Pro owners. Is it normal for the top edge of the display (in landscape) to be dimmer? I have the gradient like effect on the top edge that is darker. It's really bugging me. I suspect this refurbished Surface Pro wasn't refurbished enough.

 

[zerogear]

No, my SP2 is fairly even in terms of brightness.

 

[desura]

I don't see the point of the surface pro.

i5 in such a tiny device is overkill.

atom surface devices make the most sense. thin/light, no fan noise, you can run VLC on it.

 

[zerogear]

I don't see the point of the surface pro.

i5 in such a tiny device is overkill.

atom surface devices make the most sense. thin/light, no fan noise, you can run VLC on it.

My Surface Pro 2 -- I don't EVER hear the fan kick on unless have Profile set to Performance & playing a demanding game. Having i5 makes perfect sense for a lot of people who want to have tablet/laptop replacement. Having a 10" device as a workhorse for Photoshop/Word/Excel/Premiere is great. VLC works fine on Surface Pro line, dunno what you're talking about.

 

[bearxor]

He's saying that the Atom is powerful enough where VLC runs fine on it, not that the Surface can't.

I've never heard the fan in my Surface Pro so far. It is a bit fatter and wider than I would have liked.