With discrete graphics and the latest i7 processor, the top-end Surface Book 2 machines are valid choices for high-end graphics work and will make for solid PC gaming machines (although I would expect you’ll need to tune the games back to 1080p resolution). For that, you need to look at the models closer to the top end. It’s more than Moore’s law, but it’s not a huge leap. Practically the base model of Surface Book2 offers a decent jump in performance over the original Surface Book that will be noticeable to users. This can be equipped with the integrated HD 620 graphics card, or you can opt for the discrete Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 GPU, with 2GB of dedicated graphics memory. The i7 variant of the 13.5-inch model jumps straight to the eighth-generation quad-core i7-8650U processor. Things get a lot more interesting when you demand more power. This is paired up with an integrated Intel HD 620 GPU, again a generational bump up from the integrated HD 520 of the Surface Book. Microsoft has moved the baseline i5 model up an entire generation, from Intel’s i5-6300U processor to the seventh generation dual-core i5-73000U. Unsurprisingly, the big changes can be found inside the Surface Book 2. Microsoft Surface Book 2, Comparison Review (photo: Ewan Spence). That also means that the quirks of the hinge, the ease of toppling the unit over the curved hinge through pressure on the top of the screen, and the little wobble in the connection between the table and the base are still present, although there have been some subtle changes - I find that you can open the Surface Book 2 one-handed, a tricky proposition on the first machine. The design of the Surface Book, especially around its fulcrum hinge, remains one of the strongest aspects of the design… you can easily recognize a Surface Book while out and about and Microsoft has done nothing to alter that. In terms of weight, the i5 variant of the Surface Book 2 is 20g heavier than the original, while the i7 variant is 30g lighter than the comparable specced Performance Base. The Surface Book 2 with the Core i5 matches the base Surface Book in terms of size, while the new Core i7 model matches the Performance Base version of the Surface Book. Putting aside the 15-inch version of the Surface Book 2 (a new size for this generation), there is very little difference in size between the old and the new models. Microsoft Surface Book 2 and Microsoft Surface Book, Comparison Review (photo: Ewan Spence).
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