the Surface Go is a small milestone for Intel

[whm1974]

It's a weird device. I can only assume it is aimed at high school and younger school kids. Otherwise you're better off spending a bit more for the Surface Pro 4 cheapest config.

Chromebook or an decent Android tablet?

 

[evident]

Chromebook or an decent Android tablet?

whats a decent android tablet... not much out there right now.

 

[richaron]

whats a decent android tablet... not much out there right now.

Android has reached EOL in the tablet space. ChromeOS is where the cool kids are at. There are a few good detachables on the horizon, and even a couple out now.

Like the HP Chromebook x2, entry-mid level detachable with a fanless Core m3-7Y30 (2C/4T Kayblake 1.0/2.6Ghz). And now Chrome has basically reached the point of running Linux apps (on top of Android) it can be a legit productivity device. Plus I'm not sure but from the pics I've seen it has no ventilation either, so since it was out before the Surface Go doesn't it mean this thread has no basis?

 

[beginner99]

Chromebook or an decent Android tablet?

Well if you don't' care about windows you will probably not be looking at a windows tablet to begin with.

 

[IntelUser2000]

Surface Go gets 160 peak, and 120 sustained according to the TH review on Cinebench R15 MT.

Nevermind Goldmont Plus, it performs less than the last generation Goldmont chip. Pentium Silver N5000 achieves double the score.

The dual core Gemini Lake performs like the Surface Go on Cinebench R15 MT! That means there's literally no advantage for the CPU. Actually at 138, the dual core Celeron N4000 beats the Surface Go.

Intel wants to kill the little cores or something. Barely any fanfare on launch. The knowledgeable folks there should know their little core is not so little anymore.

 

[NTMBK]

Surface Go gets 160 peak, and 120 sustained according to the TH review on Cinebench R15 MT.

Nevermind Goldmont Plus, it performs less than the last generation Goldmont chip. Pentium Silver N5000 achieves double the score.

The dual core Gemini Lake performs like the Surface Go on Cinebench R15 MT! That means there's literally no advantage for the CPU. Actually at 138, the dual core Celeron N4000 beats the Surface Go.

Intel wants to kill the little cores or something. Barely any fanfare on launch. The knowledgeable folks there should know their little core is not so little anymore.

I genuinely think that Microsoft designed this device around Cannonlake, then just had to pick a Kabylake chip that fit in the same socket with the clocks low enough to fit a 14nm part in a design made for a 10nm part's TDP. I can't see any other reason why they would have gone with this chip.

 

[Shivansps]

I genuinely think that Microsoft designed this device around Cannonlake, then just had to pick a Kabylake chip that fit in the same socket with the clocks low enough to fit a 14nm part in a design made for a 10nm part's TDP. I can't see any other reason why they would have gone with this chip.

But the KBL Pentium uses LPDDR3 and Cannonlake-Y LPDDR4, they are pin compatible?

Im actually suprised this Pentium performs so bad in MT compared to a N5000 considering it has HT.

Im not even fully sure to be faster in the IGP because the N5000 has 18EU at 750mhz running LPDDR4-2400, while the Pentium has 24EU at 850 LPDDR3-1866, IF the pentium performs so bad in CPU i would not bet a single penny on the Pentium IGP boost either. In games the IGP boost has priority over the CPU boost, so i would say the Atom should be able to maintain the IGP boost while gaming.

 

[Dribble]

Battery life is also rubbish - even if you just want something to watch stuff on it's no good for that reason. Oh, and the full fat surfaces have a history of dodgy software/hardware - this is the budget version. I am in the market for something like this soon, and will probably just get a chrome book with a fully flippable keyboard so you can use it like a tablet when you just want to watch stuff, and a 12 inch screen not 10.

 

[Timorous]

I have a Surface Pro 4 with the m3 CPU and its good enough for web-browsing and netflix. Also gets used to print and look at clothing patterns which made Android / iOS based devices a no go as their support for PDF Layers is crap where as the standard PC Adobe Reader software works with layers just fine.

 

[IntelUser2000]

Im not even fully sure to be faster in the IGP because the N5000 has 18EU at 750mhz running LPDDR4-2400, while the Pentium has 24EU at 850 LPDDR3-1866

Intel's Gen 9 is pretty good on bandwidth needs at the GT2 level, but you may be right, as the CPU performs way below some pessimistic expectations.

 

[NTMBK]

But the KBL Pentium uses LPDDR3 and Cannonlake-Y LPDDR4, they are pin compatible?

Does CNL-Y not also support LPDDR3, similar to how Skylake supports both DDR3 and DDR4? Otherwise I have no idea why the hell they went with this chip.

 

[Gunbuster]

And Microsoft tied it to eMMC for the cheaper SKU and most likely iteration 37 of the worlds most incompetent WiFi solution the Marvell Avastar.

 

[beginner99]

I genuinely think that Microsoft designed this device around Cannonlake, then just had to pick a Kabylake chip that fit in the same socket

But these chips are BGA / soldered anyway so no socket? I don't see why they could not just replace it with a atom-based one. Maybe MS decision because small core has bad reputation?

 

[coercitiv]

Otherwise I have no idea why the hell they went with this chip.

Margins.