Microsoft Surface book 2 or HP spectre 360?

[dylan1997]

Im currently wresting with the decision of whether to buy a 15 inch surface book 2 with the I7-8650U, 256 GB storage, 16 of ram and the GTX 1060 dedicated GPU. VS the newest model 15 inch HP Spectre, with the I7-8550U, 500 gb storage, MX 150 dedicated GPU. This unit will be used mostly for heavy reading and writing for university classes, but also a decent amount of light gaming currently (civilization 5, grand theft auto). That being said, If I had the power I would love to explore gaming on my PC more, or try out things like mixed reality. I also do lots of multitasking and often have dozens of tabs open while doing research. I need this laptop to last me too.

From my understanding, the processors are very close to each other in performance but im not sure which one is actually better. from what I can tell they are both quad core 8 thread.
Pro's for spectre: the 4K screen (however, in reviews, some people say the surface book 2 despite slightly lower resolution has a nicer picture.) and stylus + Microsoft ink is a draw for the spectre, I also love how it looks aesthetically. the spectre also has more ports I believe, such as an HDMI out. The spectre also has fast charging which I do not believe the surface book has. also heard it has superior audio?
Pro's for surface book 2: The GPU NVIDIA GTX 1060 is obviously leaps and bounds better in the surface book, and would allow me to game comfortably within my needs and even try mixed reality. but the price difference for me will work out to about 800$ more for the surface book. Microsoft is touting it as a unit that wont have to be replaced or updated for years. Not sure if I like the idea of the screen being detachable. I like the idea of using it as a tablet like that, but don't like how flimsy this may mean the hinge is.

Please help me make my decision, I have been going back and forth between these two for days now.

 

[GreyCatz]

1. The difference between the 8550U and the 8650U is max turbo boost. The former will turbo boost up till 4.0GHz whereas the latter will reach 4.2GHz.

2. The MX150 card is a very capable GPU but it's designed to replace the ageing 940MX industry workhorse. As such, it may offer decent gaming capability, but its core strength is that of a very good productivity GPU. The GTX1060 is a dyed-in-the-wool gaming GPU and will provide much more gaming-oriented power.

3. If your daily schedule is predominantly one of school work/productivity with the option to play games, then the Spectre will deliver on all counts, not least in terms of styling. The Surface 2 is by all accounts a very solid and powerful machine if rather bland to look at. The detachable screen adds practicality and the lock mechanism seems very well thought out and dependable.

In contrast, the HP Spectre is one of the best-looking laptops currently available. Specs are usually OK but not outstanding, so it's clearly not designed for gaming but rather intended to be used in conference rooms and cafés. The Spectre line remains a bit of an oddity in HP's current product line; build-quality and design are light-years ahead of the staid and somewhat boring Pavilions and Envys that provide the bread and butter for HP.

4. My advice is to get the Spectre. The specs will see you through college, and you'll be enjoying the overall design and quality feel every day. If you plan on expanding your gaming preferences, you should consider an actual gaming machine, say an MSI or an ASUS. They will be quite expensive but once you've finished college, your financial situation will no doubt be very different as well.

Cheers,
GreyCatz.

 

[Jungstar]

For the price difference you can buy a 200 USD egpu case and a 600 gpu!! Or for 800 usd you can build a whole gaming desktop on the side!