How I Use a Surface Pro as an Engineering Student

In this video I share with you how I use my Microsoft Surface Pro as an engineering student. I cover how I use it in both the university and at home settings and explain some of the extras gadgets you can add to your collection if you want to make your home setup more efficient and enjoyable to study at. Hopefully after watching this video you understand how one of these devices have benefitted me and may help you too if you’re thinking about getting one.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:35 Accessories
02:36 Desk Setup
03:53 At Home Usage
04:52 At Uni Usage
05:36 Engineering Computer Programs
CONNECT:
👨🏼‍💻 - KZbin / benghielscher
👷🏻‍♂️ - Linkedin / benhielscher
📩 - Email: [e-mail]
🔥 - My Concrete Design Notes & Spreadsheet: payhip.com/b/WATdL
WHO AM I:
I'm Ben, a graduate structural engineer working in Australia. I make videos about engineering and tech. In these videos I hope to provide entertainment, advice, and knowledge for aspiring and young engineers.

[@BozhidarKurtev]

This is exactly why I'm currently thinking of buying one of these handy Surface devices. Thank you for the insights!

[@BEngHielscher]

My pleasure! Thank you for letting me know too :)

[@TeacherTrainerMadrid]

A great video. I use the Surface Pro X SQ2 when teaching. I use it to correct essays, fill in rubrics, and give video feedback. Keep up the good work and wishing you lots of luck in uni. Greetings from Madrid, Spain.

[@BEngHielscher]

Hi Shawn! I’m glad to hear that the Surface Pro is helping you with your work too. Thanks for your feedback on the video, I am very happy you enjoyed it :)

[@gehteuchnichtsan7911]

I have the surface dock. and a monitor + Laptop arm on my desk. this turns the surface into a incredible 2 monitor desktop setup with only the magnetic port. I love that.

[@BEngHielscher]

Nice! Sounds very practical :)

[@viktoriaivantsiv1980]

Great, thanks!

[@ginnymarion5546]

Very helpful! Thank you.

[@BEngHielscher]

My pleasure!

[@mdomarfarukrahad5237]

I'm thinking about the surface for my University work...and now it’s clear. Thanks man...Btw where you from? I'm in Brooklyn NYC USA

[@BEngHielscher]

I’m glad to hear I could help and I hope your study goes well! I’m from Queensland, Australia :)

[@JohnSmith-gb8hd]

The Surface Pro 8/9 are significantly better for splitscreen handwriting due to their larger screen and more precise Surface Slim Pen 2 with haptic feedback (making it feel more like paper), which allow for much smaller and precise writing.

[@BEngHielscher]

Thanks for sharing this!

[@JohnSmith-gb8hd]

@@BEngHielscher At first I thought that haptic feedback would be a useless gimmick, but once I tried it I couldn't go back to my SP7 with the old pen.

[@BEngHielscher]

I had 8GB of ram and 128GB of storage on my surface but the more the better. If you are worried about not having enough ram/storage have a look at the device requirements of programs you think you’ll be using and do a little research into how big the files sizes are from those programs. Device requirements for programs can usually be found on the programs website. Hope this helps :)

[@KTPurdy]

great tips

[@BEngHielscher]

Thank you!

[@rene9901]

Thanks a lot for sharing this vedio .. it was so much needed to know as I'm planning to buy a 7 or 7+ ... can I get some more info if you have experienced? .. I will need to use Linux ... just wanted to know if it works for both mode .. I need for two main reason .. bit of coding almost on daily basis and also for little bit of digital arts ... please suggest if I am making a right choice .. thanks in advance

[@BEngHielscher]

Hi Sonali, thanks for your comment! I have not done any work using the Linux operating system so I can’t give you any advice on this. Sorry! :)

[@thk639]

really enjoyed watching this video. Would you recommend Surface Pro for a business major student? Does the Notability app available as well?

[@BEngHielscher]

Yeah a surface pro would be good for a business student too. No, notability is only available on apple devices but you can use OneNote

[@anbao7919]

I am looking forward to having a Surface Pro 8 as a device to take note,coding (sometimes) and being a second monitor due to the fact that my main laptop ( the Dell Precision 7510) is quite heavy to bring to somewhere else. Do you think that it is a good idea or a tablet (Ipad, Samsung S8,...) would be a better option ?

[@BEngHielscher]

I think a Surface Pro sounds exactly like what you need!

[@yumekento8710]

Hi can i know if mp7+ is good with coding/graphic design and PowerPoint slides since i'm a littel bit confused about a device that can met my expectations,especially since i'm a beginner in these aspects and expect some helpful suggestions (sorry for bad english or grammar errors-it's my third language -)

[@mominaamir8470]

Hello, wondering if you can guide if surface pro 7 is good for students in uni? As a laptop thing?

[@billymania11]

The Surface Pro 9 (Intel version) is an eye opener. Performance is very good. I have 16 gigs main memory and the 512 SSD. Everything is very snappy and performant. The machine is easy to throw into a Thule case with my Sony headphones. I am an ETL programmer and use Informatica PowerCenter.

[@alb12345672]

I don't know how people are ok with 16GB. My workload now is 42GB. If I take away the virtual machine, I am just under 32GB. 16 would be a joke.

[@d7ooomymc346]

@@alb12345672what the hell are you doing? Modeling a space ship?

[@alb12345672]

@@d7ooomymc346 Complex SD/HW dev. Different stacks, IDEs, services etc. Real time data with millions of points in the browser. Plan B is a few machines with mouse without borders, but that can get tricky.

[@sinabagheri7120]

Hi guys, is it possible to run smoothly the finite elements software like CSI SAP2000 or Abaqus or other structural designing software on surface pro 9?

[@Khmerlaptoprepair]

Good brother

[@BEngHielscher]

Thank you! :)

[@HARCONSTRUCTION]

Thanks for the the explanations I am in the process of getting the surface pro 8 business for my bussines and I was wondering if could be able to handle drafting programs. Also I'm studying structural engineering.

[@BEngHielscher]

Hi Hugo! Thanks for your feedback. I hope your engineering study is going well :)

[@nlmnx5763]

love the way you say eraser

[@BEngHielscher]

Haha! My Australian accent shining through :)

[@ichigo19870]

It’s Richard Hendricks!!!

[@treskilion-9690]

Hello! I was wondering what specs your specific surface pro has, specifically how much RAM it has. I understand some engineering programs require a lot of RAM to function properly, but I am not sure I am willing to pay the hefty price tag for the 32 gb model. Thanks!

[@BEngHielscher]

I used a surface pro 6 128GB with 8GB Ram. Although I was able to run all the programs I need on this device I wasn’t doing it all the time and for super extended periods of time. I personally think 16GB ram should cover you for pretty much everything

[@alb12345672]

@@BEngHielscher My intelliJ alone takes up 8GB with the app I am working on 😂😂. Lots of used deals on Ebay too for surface .

[@stevew3172]

Thank you your videos. I really like the format. I am going back to uni in the fall. I was wondering as a engineering student how big of hard drive did you need for all of the applications and did you have a i5 or i7 processor? Thank you for sharing your experience with the Surface Pro.

[@BEngHielscher]

I had 128GB of storage and the i5 processor. Low specs but it was enough for me! :)

[@stevew3172]

Thank you for the quick response.

[@gagecooper5112]

Would you work all of your homework problems on your surface also or still use paper when it’s not notes related?

[@BEngHielscher]

I would do everything on my surface :)

[@SimonBauer7]

2:09 i prefer erasing with the tip but you can do that too on a surface

[@KRao26]

I really like your review & observations. Have you tried Microsoft Surface Pro SQ3 5G model tablet? Is it suitable for AutoCAD application to use? Because, I would like to buy this tablet. As a Engineer student, you can guide to me well. Please suggest me.

[@BEngHielscher]

Thanks! I haven’t tried the Surface Pro 9 SQ3 model but if this model is significantly faster and has better specs than the surface pro 6 base model I had it might be ok. I did use AutoCAD on my surface and it wasn’t very smooth. It was usable, but if you were going to be spending a lot of time in this program the surface pro 6 I had wouldn’t be ok. Are you planning on taking digital notes? Is that why you want a surface? If not, perhaps something like a Dell xps may be more suitable if the surface pro 9 does not have much improved specs. I hope this helps :)

[@KRao26]

@@BEngHielscher OK. Thanks for your reply. I'm looking for tablet mode & portable to use it anywhere and I don't think so, there are tablet models in Dell or HP devices. If you have any information regarding this. Please don't forget to share my dear Royal Civil Engineer.

[@glub1381]

Sq3 is an arm CPU so if AutoCAD doesn't have a native arm build, it'll be running through emulation which is pretty slow. It doesn't help that the sq3 is weak to begin with

[@HoangShadow]

I just bought a new Surface 8. I have a problem when Zooming In and Out (on White Board, One Note), it is unresponsive. I wonder that it is just mine or that is how every Surface 8 should be?

[@BEngHielscher]

Hmmm, that is annoying. I haven’t had this issue. Does it still happen after you do a computer restart? If it does, I suggest doing a google search on this issue and see what solutions others have found on this :)

[@Seyfertx]

A really nice video. Can you please tell how's the surface pro for computer science and data science students for coding and programming stuffs? Thanks

[@BEngHielscher]

Thanks! I think you may need something more powerful than a surface pro or at least one with the higher specs. Although once you start looking at bumping up the specs of a surface pro there are probably cheaper and more powerful laptops to consider :)

[@Seyfertx]

@@BEngHielscher Yeah I thought that too. Thank you so much!

[@lindaaponte739]

I am thinking to move forward with the surface pro 8 or 9 BUT i am concern about the battery life, any suggestions on that?

[@BEngHielscher]

With my Surface Pro 6 I could get through a day of uni usage (around 6-7 hours) when I put it on battery saving mode. I assume the battery has improved on these newer models but it depends on how heavy your usage is going to be :)

[@lindaaponte5973]

@@BEngHielscher Thank you ☺️

[@sullya2669]

Liking and Subbing

[@BEngHielscher]

Thank you! I’m very happy to welcome you to my channel, enjoy! :)

[@fr3ddy653]

Do you have the 8 or 16gb ram version, and if 8 does it work alright ?

[@BEngHielscher]

Hey! I have the 8GB ram version and it worked fine for me :)

[@estanisescribano1024]

Hi! Nice video. Do you have 256 gb ssd or 512?

[@BEngHielscher]

Hey thanks! I actually have 128GB, very small haha

[@estanisescribano1024]

@@BEngHielscher and can you install autocad and others? Or do you extend it?

[@BEngHielscher]

I was able to run the free student version of autocad on my surface without doing anything

[@danielschmid9467]

are 8gb ram enough in the Surface Pro 9 for working as an engineering student

[@BEngHielscher]

Hi Daniel! Yes I think 8GB ram is absolutely fine :)

[@abhishekreddy2425]

How's the battery life on Windows 10?

[@BEngHielscher]

Hi Abhishek, I found that when I used the surface with full brightness and with the computer performance set to “best” and I did things that really drain the battery like design programs, videos streaming etc. I would only get 3-4 hours. On the other hand when I turn the brightness down and set the computer performance to “battery saving” and did normal things like web browsing, Word documents, OneNote etc. I could get around 9 hours. :)

[@fredtorres1703]

do you have experience with solidworks on a surface Pro?

[@BEngHielscher]

Hey Fred! No sorry, I do have experience using Solidworks but it was always on the university computers during lab classes

[@fredtorres1703]

@@BEngHielscher thank.you for the reply. Great channel!

[@SimonBauer7]

given that my 8gb ram ryzen 3700u handled solidedge ok, it should be similar​@@fredtorres1703

[@atomgroup3179]

I wish I would have bought a surface pro instead of an iPad. It becomes more and more frustrating to switch between a iPad and my laptop when I started to use computer environments more and more and need to type more on class.

[@BEngHielscher]

It’s such a hard choice trying to choose the perfect device isn’t it! :)

[@atomgroup3179]

@@BEngHielscher yeah. what bothers me most about IPad is that there are always more accessories. Accessories for accessories.

[@BEngHielscher]

So true! Wouldn’t it be awesome if there were lots of different ports on the iPad. Although it would probably lose the minimalist style that Apple likes to use…

[@atomgroup3179]

@@BEngHielscher It doesn't take a genius to figure out what Apple's "minimalism" actually brings to our lives. Nobody would care if the phone would have one more earphone jack or if all Apple devices have the same charging port. So instead of reducing the tools NEEDED for accomplishing a goal (ex. using earphones), Apple PREVENTS you from using the tool, so that NEW NEEDS (ex. wireless earphones & adapters) can be CREATED in a way that Apple feels confident taking a huge share in the market of the solutions to those needs (because of their familiarity and certification within the ecosystem). I wouldn't call it minimalist if the style creates more problems.

[@BEngHielscher]

These are all very valid points and I agree. Hopefully Apple starts considering these types of things when designing new iPads. They brought back a lot of ports on the new 14" and 16" MacBook Pros so I wonder if they would consider putting more ports on a ‘Pro’ iPad… we will have to wait and see.

[@circleofthytyrants]

wow one note looks extremely laggy compared to goodnotes on the ipad.. also.. flipping the whole pen over just to erase is way more tiring than a simple douple tap lol.

[@mohnidgichki494]

I have my eyes on a microsoft surface pro 5 for a long time which someone is selling for100 usd should i get it for my uni which i am going to be taking admission in business plz help me out!and i know its a bit old so i need your opinion guys

[@BEngHielscher]

Hi Mohnid, sounds like a bargain! As that model is a few years old it might be a bit slow compared to the newer ones but I’m sure it will still get the job done for how you will use it during business :)

[@mohnidgichki494]

@@BEngHielscher i mean the Bachelors degree is for 4 years and depending on how i will perform in my studies idk I'm not sure , as long as it lasts maybe?

[@BEngHielscher]

As long as it’s in good condition now and you take good care of it I don’t see why it won’t last :)

[@mohnidgichki494]

@@BEngHielscher well it is in good condition as far as i know, it even includes a pen and a keyboard with it , but it has a spot on the screen and a few scratches on the front of the case

[@BEngHielscher]

Seems like a good deal. It’s a great bonus that it includes all that extra gear

[@applecrazy1]

Just one question: is 8gb enough?

[@BEngHielscher]

I got away with 8GB of ram while I was a student :)

[@ericcabrera8239]

Does it run solidworks?

[@BEngHielscher]

I personally didn’t use solidworks on my surface but others have said it works :)

[@not_turi]

could a surface pro 9 with 16gb of ram run solidworks good ?

[@BEngHielscher]

I think it would be fine but I would double check the Solidworks website and see what machine requirements they note. I personally never ran Solidworks on my surface pro 6

[@themadchris666]

I have the same question, if you find out let me know please. I want the SP 9 but idk if it can run the cadding software and stuff(Solidworks).

[@finnam]

Do you think 8GB of Ram is enough for your study? Thanks!

[@BEngHielscher]

Hi Nam Vu! Yeah I think 8GB is fine. Most of the time I was only using programs like OneNote, Word, Excel and Google Chrome and I could have all of these open at the same time and switch between them without any issues :)

[@dankylecamacho9307]

Is surface pro 6 still good as of today?

[@BEngHielscher]

These days you’d be better off going with the newer models. I believe the most current is the surface pro 9 :)

[@dankylecamacho9307]

@@BEngHielscher but for my budget I can only go with this one, is it still good for like daily office use, taking notes and browsing? Is it worth still worth it?

[@BEngHielscher]

Oh yes, if you were to get one now it would be absolutely fine for those sorts of tasks. Definitely worth it

[@dankylecamacho9307]

@@BEngHielscher Thank you! I will soon. How about your surface pro 6? Does it still helps you with the tasks that you do daily or you have upgraded already?

[@BEngHielscher]

I pretty much stopped using my surface pro after university. I upgraded to an 11-inch iPad and use that for everyday calculations/note-taking for my job