Is the Microsoft Surface Book the new Laptop NLE king?

For years our top recommendation for editing video on a laptop computer has been either a MacBook Pro or an HP zBook. From what we are seeing, it looks like their could be a new NLE Laptop joining them at the top of the hill. The Microsoft Surface Book has all of the features, performance, and speed that video editors need. We love the ability to add discreet GPU power and performance because all of today's NLEs all tap into that. But the lack of thunderbolt is the one glaring omission that has us concerned. Video editors need the fastest possible storage for our workflows. While USB3 is extremely fast and reliable, it does not match the performance or capabilites of thunderbolt. Hopefully this will be addressd in the next generation of Microsoft Suface Book. Here are several links to really good articles on the the new Surface Book and how it compares to MacBook Pro:

PC World by Gordon Mah Ung

Surface Book vs. MacBook Pro: It isn't twice as fast. It's three times as fast

Microsoft figured out how to put a discrete GPU into the Surface Book, and it paid off.

Of course we had to pit the Surface Book vs. the MacBook Pro. It’s like Ford vs. Chevy, or Coke vs. Pepsi. Each side has its diehard fans, plus others who just want to know which is better.

Microsoft claims its new Surface Book is “twice” as fast as its equivalent MacBook Pro. Well, we ran some benchmarks, and hate to say it, but Microsoft lied. The Surface Book isn’t twice as fast.

It’s three times as fast.

Read on for the details. (And check out my Surface Book video review at the bottom of this article.) read more...

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Laptop by Michael Andronico

The Surface Book (starting at $1,499) isn't just Microsoft's first true laptop; it also seems specifically designed to make you ignore or trade in the 13-inch MacBook Pro. But while the Surface Book's sleek, silver design and supersharp screen bring Apple's notebook (starting at $1,299) to mind, Microsoft's laptop has some unique tricks of its own. Those include a fully detachable touch display that supports handy pen functions for sketching or taking notes. Still, with a slim, tried-and-true design; speedy performance; and an innovative Force Touch trackpad, the latest 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro is no slouch either. To figure out which of these premium, professional-minded notebooks most deserves your dollar, we put their features and performance to the test in an 8-round showdown.

Design and Ports

The Surface Book is no ordinary Surface, sporting a sleek, all-silver, magnesium design with a unique, flexible hinge designed to keep the laptop's removable display from getting too wobbly. But while Microsoft mostly knocks it out of the park with its first laptop, the device is still a bit top-heavy, and opening the lid is more difficult than we'd like. The latest MacBook Pro is virtually unchanged from previous models design-wise. But with slim edges and subtle curves around each corner, Apple's flagship notebook certainly isn't hurting for a makeover. read more...

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Trusted Reviews by Max Parker MacBook Pro or Surface Book: Could these be the laptops to beat? We compare the specs to see how they match up. When you think about it, it’s strange it has taken Microsoft so long to build its own laptop. Especially when Apple has the iconic MacBook line that gets such high praise when it’s updated every year. But, the Surface Book is finally here. And, you know what, it looks like it might have what it takes to make a perfect Windows laptop. You could say, it’s the Windows equivalent of the MacBook Pro 13-inch. So, how do the two compare when we get down to the nitty gritty specs? Let’s have a look.

Two beautiful laptops

With the lids closed, we’d forgive you for thinking these two laptops look fairly similar. They’re both silver, constructed from metal – the MacBook aluminium and the Surface Book magnesium alloy – and downright gorgeous. Even though Apple has barely altered the MacBook Pro formula in years, the design doesn’t seem to have aged. read more...

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Macworld by Jared Newman Spec showdown: Surface Book vs. MacBook Pro, from cheapest to priciest If there was any doubt which product Microsoft was gunning for, the spec sheet makes it abundantly clear. Microsoft wasn’t shy about comparing its new Surface Book laptop to Apple’s MacBook Pro on Tuesday, and for good reason. A look at each device’s tech specs reveal plenty of similarities, including price points, screen size, battery life, and storage. It’s almost as if Microsoft designed the Surface Book to match the speeds and feeds of Apple’s pro-grade laptops—and then go just a bit further with a detachable touch screen and stylus support. Still, Apple has the upper hand in some areas, including maximum storage and display options. The base MacBook Pro is also a few hundred dollars cheaper than the low-end Surface Book, which could lure some businesses on a budget. And specs aside, there’s still the issue of Windows 10 vs. OS X to consider. If your allegiance to either is strong enough, it’s hard to imagine any amount of hardware finesse that would compel a switch. read more...

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ExtremeTech by Joel Hruska Microsoft’s Surface Book has already drawn a great deal of press for its flexible design and crazy hinge. At its unveil, however, Microsoft took a number of potshots at one of the highest-regarded devices on the market today — Apple’s Macbook Pro. While we still don’t have all the specifications on Microsoft’s new laptop, we’ve got more than enough for a preliminary analysis of the two. Since the Surface Book is only available in a 13.5-inch form factor, we’ll focus this comparison against the MacBook Pro 13-inch — though with some acknowledgements of the other Apple systems where appropriate. The Surface Book starts at $1,499, so we’ll compare primarily against the equivalent MacBook Pro.

Spec comparison

The Apple MacBook Pro uses a Core i5-5257U 28W CPU. Microsoft, of course, has said nothing about its basic CPU, although it showed off a Core i7 option (above), but we can make some educated guesses. If Microsoft chose to use a 15W chip in its basic model, we’re looking at something like a Core i5-6200U, with a 2.3GHz base clock and a 2.8GHz maximum frequency. That would put the Skylake CPU a touch behind Apple’s Broadwell, though maximum RAM frequencies and bandwidth would both be higher. The HD Graphics 520 onboard the 15W Skylake is also more advanced than Broadwell’s GPU. Alternately, MS could be using the Core i5-6300U, with a 2.4GHz base clock and 3GHz maximum frequency. Either way, CPU performance between Apple and MS should be very close. read more...