Surface Book 2 Discussion Thread (13.5" and 15" models)

Oh I not only have Slack installed but I have SQL Server as well as a bunch of other dev tools. I'm sure my computer runs a lot of other background processes.

 

Well, was at the mall today with the wife while she did some Black Friday shopping. She made the mistake of popping into a store right across from the Microsoft Store while leaving me and the baby to fend for ourselves for a bit.... <cough>

Somehow, a SB2 13.5" i7/16/512/1050 ended up being purchased and stashed under the stroller, along with the free Lenovo Explorer Mixed Reality Headset they are giving away with them. That dang huge Headset box gave me away lol when we caught back up.

So far very pleased after a few hours of tinkering! Love my SB1, but have just been itching for a bit better performance in a few games I occasionally play on it when traveling or loafing around the house. Loved the idea of the 15", but after really comparing the two, and the Surface being my "mobile" device for work and travel, the 13" made more sense in the end. I've got a recent homebuilt desktop for main heavy lifting at home, so use my Surface is for daily jobsite/office usage, travel and the obligatory down time gaming session.

Ironically enough, out of box experience was great on the SB2! I remember back in the early SB1 days it was a bit annoying getting it all working. Now, it's the free Lenovo Headset I can't get working on my home desktop to save my life ha.... always something with computers I swear!!!

 

can anyone confirm whether the 1TB models indeed have a one terabyte SSD or two 512's?
I ask because of some concerns raised in this article....
https://www.computerworld.com/artic...17-make-sure-you-know-what-youre-getting.html

 

Does the UAG Case for Surface Book Performance Base fit with Surface Book 2 13" ?

 

I had not heard of this issue, that's pretty crazy. Inexcusable actually.

 

Here's the chat I had this morning with Microsoft Sales - may not be an issue with Surface Book 2:

Info: Thank you for contacting Microsoft. An agent will be with you shortly. You are currently 1 in line.
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Want a copy of this chat emailed to you? Click on the (+) button below.

You are now chatting with Rolando.
Rolando:
Thank you for contacting The Microsoft Store. My name is Rolly, can I have your name please?

You: Good morning. My name is dale Strauss. Is the 1TB SSD in the Surface Book 2 a single drive or two 512GB drives?

Rolando:
Hi Dale, let me check that for you.

Rolando:
Hi Dale, I'm sorry I lost connection,

You: Did you get my question?
Rolando:

Yes it's single drive only.

You: Great - thanks

One thought - how in the world did they get TWO drives in the Surface Pro - last inside picture I saw didn't show any space left in there even for a S-Pen size stylus, much less a second Nvme slot? I think I'd want to see a iFixit tear down first before believing this story, even if it is Computerworld (I sometimes worry about Woody).

 

<<...I think I'd want to see a iFixit tear down first before believing this story...>>

...There is a teardown of the SB2 that just appeared. Saw it this morning on Bing...

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Microsoft+Surface+Book+2+Teardown/100364

Meanwhile, here's the new Surface Pro (which they're calling "SP5"):

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Microsoft+Surface+Pro+5+Teardown/92362

Note this comment:

"...Microsoft has traded away the removable blade SSD for a little more battery real estate. There goes the sole upgradeable feature from last year's model..."

That's probably why you don't remember seeing any excess space; the memory "upgrade" to 1 TB is accomplished by swapping out chips, not by adding a daughter board. The dual 512 GB configuration probably results from an addressing limitation in the memory controller...?

 

<<...There's a second "blank" where an additional chip could go...>>

Ah! Lisa, thanks for this clarification. So the dual 512 GB configuration is an artifact of the hardware architecture... (and she's likely right about the lack of a one-chip 1TB solution...)

 

On an unrelated note, The Verge has received a replacement power supply from MS. It seems their first one was defective. They can still get the Book 2 to drain while plugged in as others have also reported, but it's not as dramatic, and they now say most users will not run into it. They even updated the review score! (is this real life..)

 

The Surface Pro 2017 doesn't use socketed storage, it has a Samsung chip soldered to the motherboard. There's a second "blank" where an additional chip could go. You can see this (if you know what you're looking for) on the iFixit teardown image. My guess is that the storage chip isn't readily available in higher than 512GB capacity (or is prohibitively expensive), hence the two chip solution for the 1TB Surface Pro.

Surface Book and Surface Book 2 have a standard socketed M.2 SSD connector, so Microsoft wasn't facing any technical or price limitation that would lead them to do dual chip/SSD solutions. It has a single SSD slot for 1 drive.