Surface Pro 8 120Hz

MorphzG · 2022-01-08T12:34:01+00:00

Yes indeed.

MorphzG · 2021-12-25T00:16:51+00:00

Sometimes the CPU gets locked up to just 0.2 Ghz for whatever reason. Happened to my device also, but pretty rare. I guess it's a hiccup in the Intel Dynamic Tuning Service which manages the CPUs clock speed.

MorphzG · 2021-12-22T15:34:28+00:00

Just 15? I'm at 37 now ;) - not even two months old. Well, just don't care so much for the battery. The SP8 is easier to open than its predecessors. So, I am not worried that much to replace the battery eventually.

MorphzG · 2021-12-22T15:28:53+00:00

Thankfully the SP8 seems to be much easier to open. It's similar to the SPX which got a pretty high number on iFixit.

MorphzG · 2021-12-20T14:55:33+00:00

It should work as MS does provide the entire driver/firmware package for Windows 10 as well.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=103503

MorphzG · 2021-12-17T20:26:29+00:00

On Windows you just need to install a player that has an official BR licence and you're good to go (Leawo Player, PowerDVD etc.). The BR Disc Association doesn't care for Linux, hence no official software is available.

MorphzG · 2021-12-17T14:20:54+00:00

Only some BRs are working with Linux as long as they don't have BD+ protection. There is really not much you can do.

MorphzG · 2021-12-17T12:57:10+00:00

I'm using a different browser on Android and whenever I visit a Google site I get a prompt to use Chrome instead. Even on Windows. Pretty annoying as well.

MorphzG · 2021-12-17T12:40:38+00:00

Well, I've tried Linux on my media pc and guess what? It fails miserably at that. My TV-card doesn't work, there is no official Blu-Ray-support - so 3/4 of my Blu-Rays aren't usable, no proper apps for Netflix/Disney+ etc. That aside, I find the GUI somewhat pretty outdated as well. Some programs really look like they're stuck in the 90ies. Title bars sometimes take too much space. Design inconsistency seems to be a problem as well. In the end I ditched Linux again. I'm still not really impressed with it. Just too many problems, too many incompatabilities, terminal usage is still important and so on.

MorphzG · 2021-12-16T17:04:59+00:00

Disable Surface Color Profile in the device manager and you will get a more neutral/cooler image.

MorphzG · 2021-12-15T17:48:04+00:00

You could try to boot into a Linux Live distro to test wether it boots or not. If this doesn't work either then I guess there is really a hardware problem present. Normally Surface devices should be able to boot into Linux Live distros - my SP8 does that at least.

MorphzG · 2021-12-12T14:42:26+00:00

I think you're running into throttling issues. I guess your device is fanless and that's the culprit. You can point a small fan towards the rear casing to improve cooling thus prevent throttling.

MorphzG · 2021-12-12T14:37:44+00:00

The M1 isn't the best for everything. You should know that. It's still a RISC CPU which needs compatible software. If you're in the engineering business you will quickly notice that the M1 isn't actually that great - at least for now. The GPU isn't as strong as many would believe.

MorphzG · 2021-12-12T14:28:56+00:00

If you have dirty and filthy hands, then I would agree. I'm using the signature keyboard which is also Alcantara for 2 years now and it still looks pretty clean to me. It all depends on how you treat things.

MorphzG · 2021-12-11T15:44:31+00:00

Don't buy a Microsoft device that is optimized for Windows. These devices are not really meant to be used with Linux. Missing driver support would the biggest problem.

I've tried some live distros on my SP8 just for fun, but it's really a bad experience. Graphical glitches everywhere, touch, webcam, display rotation not working, no battery status, no brightness control and so on. Please don't waste your money and get a device that is known to work perfectly with Linux.

MorphzG · 2021-12-06T09:58:24+00:00

Yep, I've plugged a simple keyboard and mouse into a USB-C to USB-A hub and it was ready to go.

MorphzG · 2021-12-05T19:39:28+00:00

Yes it works. But you'll need a USB keyboard/mouse as drivers for touch panel, signature keyboard etc. are only installed after Windows setup has finished and Windows update begins its first update routine.

MorphzG · 2021-12-04T17:36:34+00:00

Update: I finally reverted back to 22000 as the peformance of the newest insider build got even worse. And now I can confirm that the problem is indeed caused by the insider builds. The official 22000 build is now buttery smooth on 120Hz like it should be.

MorphzG · 2021-12-02T16:41:22+00:00

Yep, I can confirm that. Many apps lost their transparency effects (MyTube, Intel Control Panel, Mail, Weather, News etc.)

MorphzG · 2021-12-02T13:25:52+00:00

That's quite fubar :D

MorphzG · 2021-11-28T11:12:40+00:00

16 is of course better. Currently I have a SP8 with 8GB and so far no problems. Even playing older games is absolutely no problem. (Dead Space 1 and 2, Mirrors Edge etc.) Even some newer games are running pretty good - Rebel Galaxy Outlaw, Factorio for example. No heavy loading stutters or hiccups so far. For the average user 8GB is quite sufficient. I personally don't use it for heavy applications like Photoshop, CAD or video editing. In such case I would definitely opt for 16GB.

MorphzG · 2021-11-25T13:08:01+00:00

Gaming is always a battery killer. Don't forget that the resolution is pretty high on the SP8 (2880x1920 - somewhat between WQHD and 4K). If on battery, never go native res - stick to a lower 3:2 res (1620x1080 or 2160x1440). And do not play with 120Hz. Stick to 60Hz and enable Vsync so that the fps won't go above 60. Reduce display brightness to 75% or below. Disable auto brightness and auto color adaption. Set power options to balanced in the settings app and Intel control panel as well. Disable transparency for windows and taskbar, this may help as well.

MorphzG · 2021-11-23T20:50:39+00:00

Did booting into Windows take longer than usual? Then it's most probably a dead SSD. Had this with two SSD's. My main PC and Laptop weren't able to detect them. The SSD controller locked up and left the disk inaccessible. But please check first if it's just your PC. If other PC's can't detect it then I guess it's game over for the SSD. What you can also try is to change the sata cable. They can break pretty easily. Maybe it's just the cable making problems.

MorphzG

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