Seriously can't decide storage options : Surface Pro 2

jibbajabba

I couldn't bring myself in buying an RT, otherwise I would just get a Samsung Pro 12. I want a Windows one to study but also to use things like vCenter Client and the sorts (not to mention that vCloud Director needs both Flash and Java).

The remaining storage capacity is quite shocking at first

Microsoft Surface storage | Surface disk space | How much disk space on Surface

But not really different to use a new SSD in your laptop and install Windows on it. Plus you can move the recovery partition to USB anyway

Boot Microsoft Surface from a USB device

But the main question is really, how "tight" in resources is the 128GB one for example - I actually haven't worked with 4GB of Ram in a while but I got the feeling that IF I go for 4GB, I will regret it eventually .. But the first 8GB one (the 256GB) comes at a premium so I just .. cannot .. decide ..

ANyone here got the Pro 2 and ever regretted going with a smaller one ? What have you got and what do you use it for ?

No point in discussing the RT here btw. - I really won't do it

Just thinking, I presume video ram is shared too ...

Claymoore

My deciding factor is not the drive space, it's the RAM. The 256/512 SSD models come with 8 GB RAM. The 64/128 models only have 4 GB.

I have been using my 32 GB RT for a year and it does what I need it to do. Biggest problem is lack of storage, even after I moved the recovery partition to USB. Videos from the Xbox marketplace are about 6 GB for a 2 hour movie. Both movies and TV episodes are larger than they were from Amazon on my Kindle Fire, and you can't download the movies to the microSD slot. If you're going to spend all day in airports and airplanes, you want more than one movie.

The 128 GB model is the minimum for me to keep a few videos around for travel and a cartoon or two for my son so it's worth the extra $100. I don't need the 256 GB model for storage, but I want the 8 GB RAM. I can't decide if that is worth the extra $300.

it_consultant

Claymoore - it is worth the extra money.

NotHackingYou

IMO get the bigger one. I have had a laptop with a 128GB SSD and Windows 7 and it was too tight.

jibbajabba

I was tempted to indeed get the 512 but here in the UK the difference between the 256GB and 512GB model is £400 or $670 ...

I was already about to pull the trigger on the 512 when I cancelled the order and got the 256GB instead. The OS takes about 7-9GB so once you moved the recovery partition to a USB stick, you should have enough oompf for traveling ..

Another deciding factor for me was this

Microsoft DiskPart version 6.3.9600

Copyright (C) 1999-2013 Microsoft Corporation.
On computer: MIKE-LAPTOP

DISKPART> list disk

  Disk ###  Status         Size     Free     Dyn  Gpt
  --------  -------------  -------  -------  ---  ---
  Disk 0    Online          238 GB      0 B        *

I actually thought my laptop has 512GB but in fact, it still has just a 256GB, 202 usable of which I still have 90GB free. Considering the Surface won't be my main work device, I am sure I will be alright. I did want 8GB though

I would have spent the extra £400 / $670 for 16GB of Ram though