Is the Surface Book 2 still good? (2 months in)

[@sbigjordan]

Thank you for this video. I've had my SB2 since 2018. The only problem I have is battery life. This just solidified me keeping it for a few more years

[@npcsina]

13:15 I had this battery disconnection issue as well. After months of digging the internet I figured it's a software issue that exists in nearly all of the book 2 products.

[@npcsina]

Nice video but WOAH WOAH WOAH 11:29 , You CAN charge your phone with it without breaking your phone's battery?

[@HotelPapa100]

Regarding the feet and holes: I had mine from new, and the feet come off on their own, and the holes underneath are just there. The issues with the batteries you mention are pretty much par for the course on an SB. I call it deliberate self sabotage.

[@issacdowling]

I have seen a high number of people with the same issue I had, but also the screen battery has about 60% capacity after 309 cycles, so in my case it was specifically just the bottom battery. Regardless, the fact that this laptop isn't secured with screws is absolutely ridiculous still, but nothing else even compares to this form factor, so I deal with it because the rest of the laptop is amazing.

[@cabbageconstable]

How did you diagnose and fix the issue with the GPU constantly being active? I bought mine used (with the screen battery at ~90% and the dock battery at ~70%), and even with cpu-freq the battery life is so bad and the device warms up so quickly that it leads me to believe I have the same issue.

[@issacdowling]

I forgot exactly, but I think there's a surface control utility in the linux-surface repo, and with that you can check the power state of the GPU, which *should* be D3cold when not in use, but it was D0 instead which means it's on

[@cabbageconstable]

Thanks! I ended up figuring out how to use EnvyControl to swap from integrated to dedicated graphics and got a nice graphical utility as well.

[@dvoice1696]

Well. Im getting this laptop soon. And im scared. Its london used. And, according to all the reviews ive seen on youtube. I This laptop has alot of issues. Sadly.. like firstly i watched a video where a reviewer said he has issues from time to time when the laptop automatically disconnects the keyboard from the screen, happens most times when carrying the laptop around… i love this form factor. But all this is a scary red flag. What do u think?

[@issacdowling]

I also heard similar things, and given how many people mention them, I would be somewhat weary. However, for me at least, the screen has never detached randomly.

[@dvoice1696]

@@issacdowling thanks for your reply 🥺.. also. Would u mind saying how much it took to replace the battery? And also how many hours you were having on it before the change

[@rel892]

@@dvoice1696 me also want may be for one year to change the battery, can you send me link, that will teach me to do this? I just know that it is extremely hard and has good chance yo broke the display... :(

[@HotelPapa100]

@@rel892 Start with the bottom battery; the metal bottom is way more robust. Don't proceed to removing the screen as long as you are insecure that you can manage. Watch people who have done it; it's glued shut fast, with a lot of adhesive around the trackpad. Keyboard battery replacement: iOy9HwEXMO8 YxXyQWye2pQ Screen: 8H8Aaun8cg Also: Get your battery from a source with a good rating on trustpilot. Many scammers around. I recommend laptop-battery-shop

[@nikotakai8796]

Any updates?

[@efimka9942]

I am going to buy this laptop for my gf she is a student she needs to use word , powerpoint and watch movies for u recommend me this laptop? I’ve heard from people it has so much issues with battery , screen , cooling…

[@issacdowling]

I agree with those other people, at this point. Avoid getting a Surface Book in 2024, it's nice and fancy, and a replaced battery will lead to good battery life, but there are just lots of awkward things that you only notice after having one for a while.

[@LvUhcX]

any alternatives like this? And bigger ?

[@issacdowling]

Not really, the surface book is pretty unique, however the surface book 2 and 3 come in 15" sizes (and the screen is 3:2, meaning this 15" laptop is bigger than other 15" laptops). The surface book 1 was only 13".

[@ashleybateson]

ive got a 13" i5 version the lowest level 8 gig of memory, no intergrated GPU but ive also just got the 15" i7 model with a 1060 in it. They both are brilliant machines I was originally going to resell one of them just wanted to test the sizes and stuff I find the i5 has all the power i need i mostly use it for art but its hard to look past the bigger i7 just due to it being a larger format, in the end i'll probably keep both just because giving either one up now is next to impossable.... i love em.

[@ene6513]

Hello, I plan to buy a surface book for university, draw with the surface pen and occasionally play games like Fortnite. Do you recommend me to buy? If so, which one do you recommend? surface book2 15" gtx 1060 or surface book 3 13" gtx 1650?

[@issacdowling]

For what it's worth, I thought I wanted a 15", but it's now become kinda cumbersome as these are chunky and thick laptops. A 1650 is going to struggle with any resolution close to native, but realistically a 1060 isn't that much better, so personally I'd go for the Surface Book 3 13". Then again, the 2 is probably going to be cheaper, and if you've not got a phone with an S pen like I now do, the extra screen is really nice for extra drawing space

[@amadii8768]

performance wise, you go for the surface book 3, it's memory speed is literary twice as fast compared to the book 2, its processor is far more efficient (generating less heat and having far more battery life) and slightly more powerful (its 10nm rather than the book 2's 14 nm), however, the book 13 inch models of the surface book line-up don't actually have active cooling on the tablet (ngl this is amazing when on the go as it literary makes no noise) part (only the 15 inch do), the processor is being cooled completely by heatsinks and surrounding air (but once again more efficient so should generate less heat if possible you may wanna buy one of those external fans for tablet cooling), and if you plan on using win11 go for the 3 cuz my book 2 despises win11 with a passion, Gpu wise the 1060 wins but is far less efficient generating loads of heat and power but making up for it with 2 extra gigabytes of vram and more cuda cores for more raw performance (if you're going to use the built in screen the 15inch has a higher resolution than the 13 inch), I guess its also wise to go the 13 inch book 3 as the batteries are newer and would less likely have low battery health

[@RJPhotographics]

I've got that Tesco special jumper XD. I'm preparing myself for whatever issues I may get with the SB2 I've just ordered, so thanks for the warnings. I'm sure the batteries will be haggared. Would you mind sharing where you got your replacement from?

[@issacdowling]

Just some random one off eBay, and it's been fine

[@ysknas7268]

do you think microsoft sb 2 gtx1050 is good for a newbie like me? I'm going to uni soon

[@issacdowling]

If you feel like you definitely need that GPU, you get one with a healthy battery, and for a good price, yeah, but it's definitely easy to end up with a very poor battery now that these are 7-year-old laptops

[@ysknas7268]

or maybe should i get an intel i5 11th gen laptop with iris xe graphics in the same price range. which one do you suggest?

[@issacdowling]

Depends what you need. If you want to game, neither are great, but the SB2 may do better because a GTX 1050 is still better than Xe. However, if your focus is anything other than gaming or video editing, I'd go with that 11th gen Xe laptop, as the CPU will be much nicer, and the machine as a whole will be much newer.

[@sharmainemonzon4233]

How many hours was the battery last?

[@issacdowling]

Around 6-7 hours of regular usage

[@Incental]

Do you think it’s still worth buying in 2024 for a student

[@issacdowling]

Depends how good a deal you can get, and whether you really care about the detaching screen

[@YanaSLee]

I have this but I want a new laptop. Do you know if any of the newer Surface Models have this same keyboard? That's my favorite thing about it

[@issacdowling]

Besides the Surface Book 3, they'll have changed the exact switches now. Still, I've heard good things about them, but not the same keyboard

[@r8bior]

Hey, really liked your video. I have this laptop going on 5 years now, and game on it quite a bit. Not sure why you're experiencing issues with the GTX 1060...

[@opuofbengal5935]

Great video, instant sub to your channel!

[@peksn]

Do you think if I got one in allright condition now it could last for another 4/5 years?

[@issacdowling]

Depends what you want out of it. I expect it to hold up physically (it's got a nice keyboard, an alright trackpad, and is strong and metal), and the screen looks very nice. However, the battery on anything that old is something to be weary of. My used one which was bought by the original purchaser in 2018 (so had been being used for 4 years) had only 1/4 the battery capacity left, and I had to replace it. Replacing the battery in a surface book is a pain, and very awkward, involving adhesives and heat. If you're ok with that, or if you can check that the battery is in good condition (above 90% capacity), then yeah I think it'll be good.

[@nlgtydaman]

im thinking of buy one for gaming for 389 is that a good price and can it still run game decently

[@issacdowling]

I would not suggest one for gaming. Yes, it may work, but the screen is so high resolution that you're gonna be running most games with it lowered which could look weird. Also, sometimes significant performance is lost due to the main GPU having to copy it's output through the iGPU, AND also make sure that one you're looking at even has a dedicated GPU. Some just have an iGPU (which you should not at all consider for gaming), some have a GTX 1050 (which will maybe be ok for really light games but I'd also advise you to avoid), and some have a GTX 1060 (which is still low end but at least it has 6GB of VRAM and should generally still be workable with many games)

[@Dedecayed]

@@issacdowling the GTX1060 was not low end at all back in that time. It runs RDR2 smoothly on 1080p and high settings. Written from my SB 2

[@A-JayNotFound]

Is you Microsoft Surface book 2 still running fast and smooth in 2024?

[@A-JayNotFound]

Do you still use it?

[@A-JayNotFound]

I'm asking the question because I am planning to buy one with Core i7 and GTX1060😅

[@A-JayNotFound]

Do you still recommend it for a Student who wants a Laptop that can last for always 7 years or even a decade?

[@issacdowling]

The i7 / GTX 1060 model is what I've got. No, I don't think that you should buy one expecting it to last that long. It still works fine, but I had to replace the battery (a huge and messy hassle on this machine), it's not repairable, it's not common enough that I'd expect others to be able to repair it for you, and I think you'd get a lot more for less money out of a more modern laptop. I do still use it, but if I could swap it for another laptop at this point, I would

[@A-JayNotFound]

@@issacdowling Now that's a fast reply, auto sub Bro 💗

[@RJ-th6jd]

Great review. Amazing audio. Very knowledgeable about the device

[@dvoice1696]

Got alot of nerdy vibes from this

[@glpzdmd9259]

Nice review

[@123pb]

Dude is weird, took 20 minutes to describe a 5 minute issue

[@snowzZzZz]

wtf you look exactly like me

[@Notinuse664]

This is a Awesome video ❤💯