Microsoft Surface users...?

[bort]

For the TubeNet IT department...

I bought a Microsoft Surface Pro 4 about 3 years ago, and it had been an excellent computer for me to use for school.

About 2 weeks ago, it randomly turned off in the middle of use, and never turned on again. I tried everything I could research online with no luck. Took it to Microsoft and they confirmed that the unit is dead... and with no serviceable parts, there was literally nothing they could do for me. In fact, I'm going to have to take it somewhere else to get it cracked open to get the SSD extracted so I can read the data from it. (Microsoft people: "yeah, you can heat the glue and physically force your way into it, but that'll void your warranty!" Me: Warranty? You just told me that it's dead and that there's nothing you can do for me! )

I'm not particularly excited to learn that an expensive computer lasted only 2-3 years under moderately heavy use. However, for everything else, it was pretty much a perfect device for me -- thin, light, relatively powerful, and good for school/notes/etc.

Trying to decide if I should buy another Surface to replace it, or go with something else like a Dell or HP business-level PC. For what I need (Surface or other laptop), it'll probably cost around $1000. However, I don't want to get stuck with another broken Surface 2 or 3 years for now.

Any advice? Any other unlucky Surface owners out there? Best decently powerful laptop that's not gigantic and under $1,000?

Whatever the new device is, it needs to be a PC, and has to be relatively powerful and 8+ GB of RAM (to run the various statistical software packages I need for school).

Thanks!

[Donn]

If you are somehow under Murk-O-Soft's spell to the extent of considering another Surface, you can get one used for maybe $500, from what I see on local craigslist. You might wonder how long a used one is going to last, but then you'd be wondering the same thing about a new one, and this way you're out less money. Otherwise, you would probably do best to read the reviews and buy a laptop from some company that knows how to make them. Advice you get from friends and neighbors is going to be out of date. I've been kind of a fan of ASUS, but it isn't like I use PC laptops much.

[The Brute Squad]

Best decently powerful laptop that's not gigantic and under $1,000?!

Define "not gigantic."

If you go that route, I'm generally a fan of Lenovo laptops. They run well and can take a beating. At work (I work for a software company) we all have ThinkPad T480's. Only downsides for me are size (at 14", it's smaller than I like) and no number pad.

[bort]

Thanks -- I used to have a Lenovo for work (different job) and it was a beast... very heavy, very large. I also thought the screen was poor , but it was just a lower-resolution option. I forgot that they have more moderately-sized options. Looks like a good possibility to me, I'll check it out... I kind of forgot about them. A little more expensive and the options add up... but cost per year of ownership is likely to be a lot lower.

[Ace]

I have a big, heavy Lenovo 17" laptop at my vacation house. I love the big screen. The machine is powerful, fast, and dependable, but it is heavy to carry around. Intel i5 8th generation processor; Windows 10; 8G; 1T for about $480 on sale. I got mine at Best Buy.

Ace

[Mark]

Dell and ASUS both make good notebooks.

[Tom]

Semi-related personal opinion:

All laptops and tablets seem to last for about the same length of time regardless of if there were "cheap" or "expensive." 2-3 years of reliable and mostly trouble free service has been pretty typical for me. I've certainly had some make it well beyond 3 years, but once it's much beyond that laptops and tablets seem to be running on 'borrowed time' and I start to think to myself "the end is near!" and I seek out a replacement.

My opinion, then, is that you should buy a low to moderately priced version of whatever it is that you want and not expect much beyond three years of being essentially trouble free. When it dies (and it will), at least you will not have the most expensive paperweight you could buy.

[bort]

Semi-related personal opinion:

All laptops and tablets seem to last for about the same length of time regardless of if there were "cheap" or "expensive." 2-3 years of reliable and mostly trouble free service has been pretty typical for me. I've certainly had some make it well beyond 3 years, but once it's much beyond that laptops and tablets seem to be running on 'borrowed time' and I start to think to myself "the end is near!" and I seek out a replacement.

My opinion, then, is that you should buy a low to moderately priced version of whatever it is that you want and not expect much beyond three years of being essentially trouble free. When it dies (and it will), at least you will not have the most expensive paperweight you could buy.

I was afraid of that. I know they will become obsolete, batteries go dead, etc... but to go bricked after 3 years was a real letdown.

Oh well, nothing that I can do about it. Disposable society at its worst.