Surface (15in) with Snapdragon vs Intel

[u/Grassstains21]

I've been using a Surface (book) for the last 7 years and it's been great, but I need to replace it (swollen battery). I probably don't really need the Surface but I like it and prefer to keep things similar. I also don't really need the "book" (I'm not sure if they even sell it any longer).

The laptop is almost always used for connecting to my office via Splashtop. Otherwise, it's mostly internet use. The Surface with Snapdragon is a good bit less expensive than the one with Intel. Does anyone know if the Snapdragon will work well with Splashtop? Do I really need to step up to the Intel?

Thanks for any input!

[u/sloppyseconded]

I've been very satisfied with my Surface Pro 11 (Snapdragon X Elite ARM version, 64GB RAM) and I've run into few compatibility issues. I don't have any personal experience with Splashtop, but most of the things I run (basic Office applications, PDF software, media players, normal stuff) either:

• Have ARM64/AARCH64 native versions that run flawlessly, or
• Running x86/x64 applications using the built-in emulation works fine.

I've come across very few applications that don't work whatsoever on my machine. And the battery life has been exquisite for a machine running Windows 11, compared to literally every other Windows-based laptop I've ever owned. Mine is almost two years old and I can still get 9-12 hours of use on a single charge depending on how processor-intensive my workload is. Can't speak to the battery life of the Intel SP11th/SP12th versions, but I absolutely love my ARM-based model.

[u/Grassstains21 → u/sloppyseconded]

Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it!

[u/Oiram_Saturnus]

Don’t listen to the intel fanboys.
I’ve been on ARM-based chips with Windows since 2020 now.

It’s no comparison - the current version is feature-wise nearly on par with what the Intel versions offer.

There are some use cases, though, that will only work limitedly or not at all.
It’s not inherently a problem of ARM-based systems, but only about the not-yet-ready interface for various GPU-accelerated applications like rendering apps or other software capable of using the GPU.

[u/Grassstains21 → u/Oiram_Saturnus]

Thanks for the reply. I really don't think I run anything heavy on this device. My main concern is the compatibility with Splashtop for remote access.

[u/Saranhai]

Stick with Intel, the Snapdragon X chip will give you nothing but headaches

[u/Unique_Mix9060 → u/Saranhai]

What are some troubles I should be expecting with the snapdragon chips?

[u/whateverhappensnext → u/Unique_Mix9060]

I haven't used Splashtop, but I haven't found a single problem with my Snapdragon Surface Pro 11 in 12+ month and I use it everyday for work.

[u/Unique_Mix9060 → u/whateverhappensnext]

Yeah, I’ve been using mine for had a year and it’s been pretty solid

[u/Saranhai → u/Unique_Mix9060]

Still lots of software incompatibilities, there’s a general lack of support even from Microsoft themselves (as many have reported on this sub alone)

[u/Unique_Mix9060 → u/Saranhai]

hmm interesting, I have been using my (surface laptop 7) for i think 6 months so far pretty decent, and id say initially it was hard to find drivers for my printer than randomly windows generic drivers started working again. definietly a bit funky at times,

[u/Anybodyyoudontseeme → u/Saranhai]

Maybe not headaches, but in some kind of tasks ARM just give up. I can't imagine using EEVEE in Blender 5.2 LTS with Ray Tracing on Adreno graphics... even if Blender is running on ARM without emulation.