Do you need the more expensive Surface Go? Probably not.

By Daniel Rubino
last updated

Don't let the naysayers stop you — the more affordable 4GB Surface Go is better than you might think.

Microsoft Surface Go
Microsoft Surface Go

Most major media outlets published their Surface Go reviews based on the more expensive version with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Many have also outright dismissed the entry-level $399 model with just 4GB of RAM and slower 64GB of eMMC storage.

But how much do the higher-end specs matter? In our initial test of storage speeds the 128GB model has the speed advantage (1,100 MB/s) over the 64GB model (260 MB/s), but what is the real-world impact?

Over the last few days, I've been using the 4GB model just as I did with the 8GB one, and my conclusion is this: There's just not that much difference.

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Is Surface Go slow?

Microsoft Surface Go

Microsoft Surface Go

In an earlier writeup, I compared both Surface Go models for storage read and write speeds. Below is the comparison table along with a 7,200 RPM hard-disk drive for comparison, along with some other devices for context.

Surface Go (128 SSD) vs Surface Go (64 eMMC)

CrystalDiskMark (higher is better)

Swipe to scroll horizontally
DeviceReadWrite
Surface Go (eMMC)260 MB/s145 MB/s
Surface Go (SSD)1,185 MB/s133 MB/s
Surface 3 (eMMC)149 MB/s33 MB/s
Dell XPS Tower (HDD)133 MB/s150 MB/s
Surface Laptop648 MB/s244 MB/s
Surface Pro 4758 MB/s159 MB/s
Surface Pro 2017847MB/s801 MB/s
Surface Book1,018 MB/s967 MB/s
Surface Pro 20171,284 MB/s963 MB/s
Surface Book 21,411 MB/s1,202 MB/s

On paper, the SSD in the 128GB model is quite impressive even compared to more expensive Surface devices.

The Surface Go's 64GB memory is about one and half times as fast as the Surface 3's for read speed, while it's about a four times improvement in our sequential write results. (For those harping on the why eMMC is faster than SSD, it's just testing variation - these are the same speeds).

Related: eMMC vs. SSD storage: What's the difference?

How you use it matters

Part of the problem with Surface Go – and any PC, for that matter – is figuring out how a person intends to use the device. Surface Go is aimed at education markets (K-12), firstline workers (FLWs) (opens in new tab), general consumers, and families. Still, I have had people ask Does Surface Go run AutoCAD? And, What about Adobe Lightroom? Or, Is it any good for editing video?

In my usage with Surface Go, I used it as how I thought it is intended: for light computing. Here's a list of what exactly that includes:

  • Watching videos.
  • Word processing.
  • Email.
  • Light gaming (X-Morph: Defense, Little Triangle, and Die for Valhalla!).
  • Social media.
  • News and web surfing.
  • Photo editing via Adobe Elements 2018.
  • Listening to music.

For all these tasks, the Surface Go with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage performed just fine. In fact, telling the difference between the entry-level model and the more expensive one was difficult.

One user on Reddit asked if Surface Go was right for them. Here is what they were looking for:

I'm not a huge gamer anymore and any serious data crunching I do is handled on my home server or desktop, so it's less about power for me and more about having a Netflix machine/eReader in bed/on flights that's also able to pop over and respond to a quick email or handle some document reading/annotating when needed or light browsing when desired … I'm basically looking for an iPad Pro that doesn't lock me into iOS and gives me the functionality to use the software I like inside an open filesystem I'm familiar with.

If your computing needs and expectations are similar, Surface Go – either version – will be just fine.

Surface Go RAM management handles itself

Pro PC users tend to enjoy micromanaging their devices, including paying attention to RAM usage. But this is mostly an unnecessary step for a casual-use PC like the Surface Go. Windows 10 does an admirable job of managing RAM without being a detriment to performance. Windows 10 at 4GB of RAM is more optimized to use that memory if you set it and forget it.

Where more RAM matters is taking Surface Go out of S-mode and proceeding to install apps like Chrome, Steam, iTunes (out of the Store), Battle.net, and Razer Synapse. Those apps tend to install "helper" apps that run in the background and chew up resources over time. While they offer some benefit to the user, PC performance will likely degrade over time. Throwing more RAM at it is one solution, but it's a costly one. Limiting yourself to just apps from the Microsoft Store is another option, but that too has tradeoffs, like not being able to use an app you really need.

Don't dismiss the entry-level Surface Go

The takeaway from my experience in using the $399 Surface Go is that if you are using this as secondary PC for the couch, bed, on a flight, the coffee shop, or to keep the kids busy in the car, there's no discernable difference in performance between it and the more expensive $550 model. So buy the cheaper version and save some money.

For students looking for a light computer for the class to take notes, respond to emails, handle social, or run Microsoft Word, there is no real need to get the more expensive one unless you can afford it or need that storage space. In other words, buy the cheaper version and save some money.

There are 40GB of usable storage on the 64GB Surface Go out of the box with full Microsoft Office already preinstalled. Combine that with microSD expansion and the self-limiting nature of a 10-inch PC, and I think users will be surprised that they're not cramming it full of high-volume games or apps.

The whole "slow" eMMC versus "fast" SSD matters, but only for loading huge games or applications – and even there, it's still much faster than a hard disk drive.

But, if you do need 8GB of RAM – and to be clear, some of you will – or you want more internal storage, grab the Surface Go $550 model.

Here are a couple of buyer's tips:

  1. If you're Surface Go will be use as a full-time PC, go for the 8GB model.
  2. If Surface Go will be a secondary PC for light computing, the 4GB model should be perfectly fine.

The negative hype related to the 4GB of RAM and eMMC storage is mostly coming from people who have never used it. Try it and judge for yourself, because you may realize it's better than what you've been told.

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Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.

80 Comments
  • Thanks for investigating this Dan, it's much appreciated!
  • The lower end model is more than adequate for almost everyone. Personally I see those who dismissing this off hand without trying the device as a silver lining, as once they do try it - it will probably go one of several ways - a) they'll be honest about being mistaken, b)ramble and rant to justify not trying the lower end model in first place, c)make up lame excuses. If they go for a) they salvage some credibility as well gaining more unique views and anything else they lose further credibility as a reviewer thus losing respect. Because if they cannot tell the difference between being subjective and objective, they have little credence. Everyone has forms of bias, the key is understanding their own bias and not allowing it to taint a review. Therefore simply dismissing the lower end Surface Go without testing plays directly into their confirmation bias. Clarity is reached through objectivity, not subjectivity. Conflict resolution for example is grounded in the fact that both sides most compromise and to do so you have to be fair and objective. As a prosumer I place greater value on objectivity than subjectivity (It's one of the reason's I prefer Windows Central over other many blogs). However subjectivity does still hold some value. As it's provides greater context, a bigger picture and fills in some details. Plus dismissing a person's subjective nature is just naive, as it's one of the key traits that defines a person's personality.
  • I personally did underestimate the eMMC speed a tiny bit <whistles>
    What I still wonder however is if eMMC can last as long as SSD's under much stress (gaming etc, let's say 5 years or longer?), genuine question.
  • All I can tell you is I used a Surface 2 all day almost every day for 18 months. I don't use it much any more but it still works fine.
  • But 18 months is not a long time in my opinion. If I buy such a device I want to get at least 3-5 years out of it.
  • That 18 months was probably like 36 months for the average user. 🙂
  • Okay that is a valid point :) , though I think I should have mentioned 6-10 years than ;)
  • @ochhanz.
    To be honest with you, when you think about many smartphones and tablets still use emmc and are still perfectly functional. Granted they have the issue of a page file and full blown operating system. But even then it will last a far while. Games typically aren't write heavy, so Surface Go will be perfectly fine for light games over a long period of time. As games really are stored once and read constantly. What will give out and occurs on pcs and laptops is the internal gpu / igpu albeit very rarely. I've have had many onboard graphics issues in the past but that's when we had 64 meg graphics cards and ATI was not acquired by AMD. The only thing that will burn out an emmc drive is defragmenting as it will eat up the write cycles fairly quickly same with an ssd hence why it's a big no no. Also if your using the surface go as a portable server, that's constantly moving and storing files that will eat up your write cycles very quickly. Best thing to do is imo is to fix the page file at the same size as the ram. So you prevent the o/s dynamically resizing the page file and eating up write cycles. Also superfetch and indexing. But you will experience slight performance degradation with those turned off when searching for files.
  • Some clarifications here - - Page files do not impact your NAND lifespan. Reads outnumber writes 9:1 typically, and it becomes an efficient way to write data once and have it ready many times. They have not demonstrated any negative impact on flash. You should not hard set your pagefile, it provides no benefit. - Defrag on SSD's is defrag in name only. It does not actually read/write your data to make it more 'efficient', instead it performs a cleanup of the journal (directory of where to find data in storage) and possibly a TRIM operation if needed. It won't do the classic tactic of rearranging data as it does on HDD's as there is no optimal location in a parallel device like flash memory to locate data, nor does traditional 'fragmentation' of data harm performance. Windows is smart enough to know if it is on a HDD or SSD and will change it's behaviour based on that information. A lot of the precautions you suggest were the common logic in the days of Vista when SSD's were very new and expensive, but ceased to be concerns once the OS became SSD aware with Win7. Furthermore as it turns out NAND lifespan estimates were overly concerned to begin with, controller failures are considerably more common than actual write limits being hit.
  • Thanks for replying. To be honest the tablets that I did try were junk with the exception of the ipads, and phones I never stressed much. I have also read that prolonged heat (which is almost always when gaming) can damage eMMC storage. Not sure if this is exaggerated or not and the Go does not seem to get too hot (70 degrees?) so perhaps it is not a problem.
  • eMMC is just a connection interface and protocol. The actual storage medium is still NAND Flash, which is the same as what a SSD uses for storage. The difference is that a SSD is connected via NVME or SATA. Heat wouldn't have a different impact on one vs the other.
  • Thanks for the clear description.
  • Gaming? Why not get an Alienware or Razer instead?
  • Thanks Dan. You actually dispelled your own concern from the podcast. Face palm I get.
  • Great write up, Dan. I'm sure the 64gb model would be good for me. One major thing keeping me from buying the Go is the lack of Instant-On, was hoping they'd go with ARM to allow that. I haven't seen anything about the startup/wake times (or missed them if someone did state them). May just wait for the next gen Go or Andromeda for a Snapdragon 850 or 1000 chip.
  • Thanks, and yeah, this is just normal resume/startup stuff from Intel/windows that we all know; no "instant on" feature like ARM, unfortunately.
  • Is it at least faster to startup than the Surface 3?
  • Literally everything at this point is faster than the Surface 3 lol
  • Unless it has one of those X5-Z8350 or Z8300 chips in it. Those are dreadful, even slower than Z3xxx chips. IDK what manufacturers are thinking using that CPU. If they are doing what I think they are doing they should be arrested for technology malpractice (which should be a real thing but isn't).
  • Yup they are still doing it, yesterday saw a 'new' HP x2 with a Atom x5-Z8350 for only '400' bucks >.>
  • I'll bet there will be a huge difference between them doing Windows updates, which we all know is all the time. Plus, I'm guessing that there won't be enough drive space left on the 64GB version to do the next spring/fall/winter/whatever update that comes along.
  • There won't be a massive difference because Updates are typically Write performance limited - which is pretty similar for both models. Updates these days are getting smaller. Even if it was a few GB, 40GB of free disk space is still plenty. A friend uses an SD card for expansion on Surface 3 and Pro and it provides a good way to expand storage if you need to. You can even enable Bitlocker on the SD now to have secure expandable storage.
  • I have a Dell Venue Pro 8 (64GB version) with Windows 10, it's still a great machine even with only 2GB of RAM. The problem is that I have to empty the drive to do the big Windows updates, and then put the stuff back afterwards.
  • THIS! For me the main problem with the 399 Surface is not the amount of RAM nor the eMMC type of memory chosen but the size of it. 64GB of storage might seem enough for the more and more Windows updates the more amount of memory it needs. I had a Surface 2 and when it was new the 32GB were more than enough but at the end I only had like 3 or 4GB free even after a full recovery and just installing updates, and that was just 8.1 RT, so I kinda know where the 64GB goes in a couple of updates. Right now the 32GB cheap laptops don't have the amount of memory to allow install FCU for example
  • Well, with 64gb you have alot more breathing space than 32gigs of storage and even then you only get 28 gigs or so due to the file system... So with 64 gigs you are going to have to run disk clean every few weeks and after every major windows update once everything is running smoothly.
  • 5 days after every update, I run disk cleanup. Then "clean up system files" check the boxes that pertain to windows update cleanup and usually get back my space. Windows 10 is much better at letting you clean up after an update than previous versions of Windows was.
  • Just to add to what others are saying here... Using your SD effectively will make the difference. Grab a large size that is fast, and dedicate it to the computer. Even in the SD Slot, the read times can be fairly good. I have not hesitated to install Apps or Software directly to the SD drive - including things like Adobe Photoshop. You really won't take much of a hit, as Windows is good at Caching. Use the SD Card for your User Folders, Media, OneDrive, or whatever is going to take up the most space. As for 8.1 RT - it used more space than Windows 10 does now. On a Typical system with a 32GB drive and an array of essential Apps and the full install of Office 365 - you should have 10GB of free space or more. This leaves room, if you need to install a VM or even an Android emulator on the faster internal storage. I still to this day would not hesitate to pick up a 32GB device (they are a lot of them) - and 64GB is an easy yes.
  • "Plus, I'm guessing that there won't be enough drive space left on the 64GB version to do the next spring/fall/winter/whatever update that comes along."
    40GB + micro SD is quite a bit, actually. Even with my games and apps installed I just jumped on Fast Ring last night with the 4gb model, no issues at all. Toss on Storage sense, maybe grab a cheap micro SD, you should be OK. Granted if you're running with 5GB left by the time the fall rolls around, you probably DID buy the wrong Surface Go. It can happen.
  • Yes, I would agree with this. 32GB was tight. But I have an ASUS 2-in-1 that's basically like this but with an old Atom processor, and to be honest, 64GB onboard storage hasn't been an issue so far. With a micro SD card (and apps/games set to install there by default) I have 17.6 GB free on internal storage currently.
  • Thanks for the comparison. The performance there looked fine for daily use. Even better than an iPad at multiple tab support. I want to try one sometime, so it's good to know the 4GB model is very usable at the level it was designed to compete at.
  • No I didn't NEED to get it...
  • The emmc vs SSD "Drama" is only misinforming people that are not tech enthusiasts, those people will think that emmc is way worse than what they have (HDD) while in reality it is ALOT better than HDDs, meaning that they will thing the 399$ Surface Go is worse than their old Laptop because their Standards is completely different then the tech enthusiast's . I did a benchmark in CrystalDiskMark with my PC that has a HDD and the results are the following: READ WRITE SEQ 102.2 93.45
    4KiB 0.854 0.911
    4KiB 0.864 0.876
    4KiB 0.298 0.894 The 399$ Surface Go comparing to this has extremely fast storage.
  • The astonishing thing is that many are acting like this is the first time emmc has been used... emmc is in many, many tablets and smartphones....
  • Hey Dan, thnx for this! You said it comes with full Microsoft Office already preinstalled. I haven’t read this on any other review and it is important if it’s true. You don’t mean office 365 right?
  • I want Surface Go with LTE, Microsoft needs to get with it and get those available.
  • Patiently waiting for LTE model too.
  • Same, really need the Surface Go LTE.
  • Just how crass and irrelevant this review is can be encapsulated by the comment that it is somehow material that the S3 has 214PPI and the S Go 216. Great. Who can see the difference? Sure, the S Go is newer and faster. Big deal when the question is should one upgrade and the answer given an unqualified yes. Actually, unless you play games and care about speed the qualified answer is probably no. No need to change a perfectly adequate device with a larger screen for a slightly smaller one and a large dollop of cash. I am writing this on an S3. It is in a Surface dock. The pen sticks magnetically to the dock. The dock is set to Extend on a 27" screen which works beautifully. The DP port does out via a cheap as chips HDMI adapter. USB C to HDMI? Out of the dock the keyboard is felt (Alcantara?) on the back and robust on the front. Best of both worlds. The kickstand is just fine. The Micro USB charging is an absolute bonus and works. Who wants or needs a proprietary charging port? Lenovo got the message ages ago. Who needs Windows Hello which always has been a flaky idea. But most of us do need a standard USB port one can put a stick or CD drive into. So 10/10 for the USB C port , about time, but no points for the rest other than retaining the Micro SD slot. Back to speed and RAM. I have the 4GB S3 with the larger SSD. I have 5 programs open and a whole load of tabs in Edge. It all works. So no, dear Daniel, stop being a salesman for Microsoft and come back to computing earth.
  • I really think, you should try it.
  • I like to play Civilization 3. My Surface 3 cannot handle the game as I progress further and further, and eventually stops working. While I like the Surface 3, I much prefer the hinge design of my Surface Pro. I will wait for the LTE.
  • Odd, I've played Civ6 successfully on my second gen Dell Venue 8 Pro (quad Atom + 4GB RAM) without issue to completion. I haven't tried the very largest map sizes, but the smaller ones seem to work just fine. Civ3 I would expect to work even better given its much lower hardware requirements vs Civ6...
  • I play the huge maps. In the early stages, works just fine. But as more and more space on the map is exposed and more and more civs build cities, etc. the processor just cannot "hold" the data in RAM (I guess). Who knows what they did to the program from Civ 3 to Civ 6 (probably alot) to make Civ 6 work more efficiently.
  • jtwoodfield, you should go try and buy the Surface Go.
  • I have absolutely no idea why you are harping on about the Surface 3, Daniel is providing a review for a new product and saying it is worth purchasing, that's kind of what reviews are for. He is not, however, screaming at everybody to upgrade their Surface 3's because they must have the latest and greatest tech he is merely pointing out what the benefits of this new device are for people to make up their own minds. You are welcome to keep your Surface 3 if it works perfectly for you, no one is telling you not to, this is for people who maybe feel they want a bit more oomph from their tablet that the S3 hasn't been able to provide them, and that's ok too.
  • I had a Surface 3. There's no way I wouldn't have "upgraded" to the Surface Go if I still needed a more portable device. (I need a slightly less portable device, though, so I went with Surface Pro (2017).) Windows Hello is not "a flaky idea," it's a time-saver. The keyboard and pen experience on the Surface 3 were what was flaky. So was the super slow processor and memory. Also, the Surface Go can charge using USB, too. And how hard is it to get a cheap USB-C to USB-A adapter if you need it? Finally, USB-C means you can us a modern dock with it - you aren't stuck with a Surface Dock, you can choose from a wide variety of docks to do video out and ethernet/peripherals when you are working at your desk. Seriously, you are ******** about nothing. If you're happy with your Surface 3, great, but the rest of us are apparently on a different "computing earth" than you are.
  • Um a couple of mistakes, or one mistake twice ;-) ... Two times you mention the $450 model which is actually $550 unless there's a price break I haven't heard about. Otherwise I think it's notable that the file copy test was exactly the same which might indicate some other thing is the limiting factor in that test.
  • Exactly, I was going to mention that. Kind of important to get that right if the whole article is about which one to buy. If it was truly $450 everyone should be getting 8GB/128GB!
  • Just a typo!
  • No idea what you're talking about :P (and thanks)
  • "But, if you do need 8GB of RAM – and to be clear, some of you will – or you want more internal storage, grab the Surface Go $450 model."
  • Pssst, my comment was a joke (hence the thanks) and it's been fixed already ;)
  • No Fake Journalism here! An actual account of using the S-Go 64 eMMC, 4GB device. Unlike the "what it should perform like" comparisons based on reviews of the flagship S-Go that is circulating around the net. I have been using the base model for nearly a week, and it's an excellent companion device. IMO, Microsoft stole a page out of Apple's book, they optimized all aspects of the hardware for the best experience. I have to say, I was unexpectedly surprised by the performance.
  • If you can install apps on the microSD card (and running smoothly) which most owners would do at some time after the eMMC is full, then this base model is worth considering as a casual pc...
  • Will the Go LTE allow me to use Maps and navigate with GPS while offline?
  • Yes, or rather, that's how Surface Pro with LTE works and this will have the same modem (x16).
  • Back many years ago, the family went to Germany, and I took my Lumia 928. I uploaded the map of Germany and HERE did an awesome job of navigating us through all the tin city roads in Germany. But I always wanted a bigger screen and the battery drain while navigating was a killer. I think the Go would be a perfect traveling companion in many ways. Unfortunately, the Other family members are iPhone fans. I always wondered why more people did not recognize the much higher utility of the Windows Phone (SD card, GPS, etc.). I still use my 950. So get the 4/64, add a micro SD card, download the maps and off we go.
  • Surface Go without LTE just needs a USB GPS adaptor.
  • Thanks Dan. I was considering the 8/128 only because of drive space. As I thought about it, more and more of my storage needs have been offloaded to the cloud, loosening my dependence on local storage. The 4/64 has been great for me (all the applications you outlined).
  • 4GB RAM really limits what you can run on it. 4GB is fine for a Mobile OS. I would not take it on a machine running a desktop OS, though. I guess if you’re using it like an iPad for consumption it should be fine, but an iPad will do that much better at a lower price point.
  • You're right. The 4gig tablet is really for Windows 10s. The higher specced one is for full windows users. Pretty obvious to me. 10s doesn't need the same horsepower because store apps. Like a smartphone or mobile OS.
  • My plan was to get the entry level to see how it was and if I absolutely needed the upgrade I would do so within the allotted period to exchange. I have been enjoying my 4GB very much and aside from a little big of lag here and there especially in Chrome, I haven't really felt that I was missing out on much to warrant an extra $150. Watching this and learning there isn't much noticeable difference makes me feel like I could buy a cobalt pen vs the upgrade :) Thanks! On another note, what wallpapers are you using in this video? Thanks!
  • Chrome lag is a Chrome issue, really it's a Google Chrime.
  • I don't even use Google as my startpage any longer, it would tell me EVERYTIME the page loaded that I should switch to Chrome it is so much, better, faster, more secure, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, even when I told it not interested. I went back to Bing, much quieter!.
  • The Costco version is probably the best overall deal. For the same price as the higher end model you get the lower end one but with the 128 GB SSD subbed in and a keyboard is included.
  • What would be an interesting comparison is the SP4 m3 vs Go 64GB &or 128GB.
    The SP4 m3 CPU should be +22% according to Userbenchmark.
    The graphics is a generation older on the m3-6Y30, HD 515 vs HD 615 on the Go 4415Y, advantage Go on the graphics but only +8% according to Userbenchmark.
    SSD SP4 m3 662 MBps read, 158 MBps write. Very slight edge Write. In between Go 64 and Go 128 Read.
    Wifi - Marvell vs Qualcomm ???
    Memory same speed and specs on both. LPDDR3 1866, 4GB only on SP4 m3, 4 or 8 on Go.
    It could be a near dead heat.
    Suddenly I'm feeling pretty good about the Go.
  • I feel like in the developed world, causal consumers may fall prey to the higher standards of tech enthusiasts. Here in Indonesia, since people don't have big budgets, most causal people use laptops with 2gb RAM, celeron processors and HDDs. Usually unless you have money, more tech conscious people will always say 4GB RAM is the minimum. If you don't plan to do heavy work or gaming, these work fine for most people. I suspect casual users in developed countries would be perfectly fine with eMMC, Pentium and 4GB of RAM but they may be swayed to overspend because of techies who say that somehow 8GB, SSD and Core M/i are base minimum for everyone somehow (you're considered pretty well off here if you have the money for that). Really the only reason casual users should buy the higher end version is future proofing.
  • I bought 4 gig used 2011 Dell Laptop that users an early intel i7 CPU and I do'nt get
    many Problems using it. I do not do a lot of Multitasking. when I work with any
    Computer. I generally do not have more than 2 Programs open at the same time.
    The max I might keep open is 2 web browsers and a Desktop PC program.
    I think it's better to concentrate on a few things then bouncing around doing
    a lot of things
  • I also used an old IBM 2005 Computer with Windows 10 and 1,5 gigs of Ram and did
    not have much problems using Windows 10 which surprised me. if you limit how
    many apps and full desktop Programs you keep open Windows 10 should work very
    well on any 4 gigs of ram device but as far as the "Surface Go" is concerned I and
    a lot of folks would go for the Costco Deal or the 4 gigs of Ram 128 SSD model
    because it would be a nice Portable 2nd or or backup Computer. Schools & People
    could go for the "Surface Go" cheaper model and but a Micro SD card to store games
    and photos on and keep MS office and main Programs on the 64 gig slower
    EMC harddrive
  • I want version 2 of surface go with smaller bezel
  • I stumbled upon a new page on Microsoft's site that references a business version of the Surface Go. Has anyone else seen this? Surface Go for Business
    Meet the new Surface Go for Business with Windows 10 Pro, our lightest and most compact Surface yet. From mobile apps to full feature desktop software, Surface Go handles your toughest tasks with a fast 7th Gen Intel® processor. Surface Go Signature Type Cover and Surface Pen sold separately.* Surface Go with LTE Advanced coming soon https://www.windowscentral.com/e?link=https2F%2Fclick.linksynergy.co...
  • Check CDW or other resellers they would be the ones carrying them.
  • Perhaps all LTE versions will run W10Pro I wonder? The Pro version are $50 above Home.
  • Thanks, Dan. Finally someone who understands that this is not a computer for a PowerUser, but for someone like me. I started out with Windows when it came on two Floppy Disks (remember those things?). In 2001, disgusted with Windows, I went to Apple. Have been a FanBoy until Microsoft came out with the Surface. My first experience with Surface, was a Surface 3. Now I have 2 original Surface Pro's and my Surface 3, and now this GO. It does everything I need to do, and if not I have the Pro models that do. I don't care about Geek Bench, I just care that to me it works flawlessly. The new Type Cover trackpad is absolutely wonderful! Thanks for a very thought out review.
  • I think it was here a few weeks ago when I said that I would be surprised if there was any perceptible end user speed difference. I'm glad my 'speculation' has truth, although it was based in data/details and less speculation. Performance isn't just about Read/Write speeds - it is also about how many operations the storage can handle a second. This is where the I/O bottle neck is with an OS like Windows where a lot of processes and threads are touching the storage device at the same time. If you look at the chart, the eMMC is around or a bit better than a mechanical 7200RPM HDD. However, the number of operations it can handle in a second or even 'concurrently' is high compared to a mechanical drive. Crappy USB based eMMC can deal with 500 to 1000+ operations per second. Even though this isn't in the range of most consumer SDDs of 10,000+ operation per second, it is enough to sate the I/O needs of Windows running a lot of applications. This also mean there isn't latency as HDDs experience, where even that sweet 8ms HDD, is taking an extra 8ms to do each operation. I can remember being highly hesitant about eMMC years ago, when it and SSD were becoming more available in consumer devices. I ran test after test and was shocked to still notice the eMMC based Atom device booting as fast as a SSD based device with also a much faster processor. Today's eMMC is even better and for 99% of consumers it shouldn't matter. Instead of seeing 64GB eMMC, people just should be paying attention to 64GB, 128GB, 256GB - as the size and what they can afford are more important.
  • At least Dan took the time and actually reviewed the device. Too many tech guys blow it off, one guy even said that without trying the 8GB version yet!
  • Many reviewers are a joke these days, even from 'dedicated' tech review sites. Dan did a good job with the review(s). Generally I also like notebookcheck and Jarrod's tech (new Australian dude :) ).
  • The 64 GB base model of Surface go will be adequate if you use it in tablet and S modes almost exclusively. However if you want to upgrade to full Windows mode and want to install external software on it you'd be better off with the 128 Gb model. So performance is not an issue, but the amount of storage is....
  • Just waiting for surface Go LTE. hope before chrismas here in Denmark :-)
  • I have an Asus Transformer (64gb emmc + 2gb RAM) and an Acer Travelmate (128gb + 4gb RAM) both of which I use for work on the go - office tasks, browsing - all the lightweight things Dan mentions and they're both fine at that. In fact even with these specs there's not much discernble difference between the two, though I have to say the 128gb storage is a LOT more comfortable than 64 and I'd pay the difference for the bigger machine on that basis. But then I'd want to be using full fat windows rather than S mode. Both my little machines cost a lot less than the Surface Go (around the 200 GPB mark) but given the apparent component quality of the latter I'm tempted.
  • It's shocking how big operating systems are these days - 30Gb! Crazy!