Microsoft has announced their first all-in-one PC with the Surface Studio, and it looks like Apple has some serious competition on their hands in the high-end AIO workstation space. Outfitted with the highest resolution display this side of Cupertino, 6th-generation Intel Skylake processors, and discrete NVIDIA graphics, there is plenty of power for most users (though gamers will clearly be looking elsewhere). Make no mistake, this new AIO from Microsoft is not going to replace a standard desktop for most people due to the $2999+ price tag, but for creative professionals and other workstation users it is a compelling option.
"Expanding the Surface family, Surface Studio is a new class of device that transforms from a workstation into a powerful digital canvas, unlocking a more natural and immersive way to create on the thinnest LCD monitor ever built.1 With a stunning ultra-HD 4.5K screen, Surface Studio delivers 63 percent more pixels than a state-of-the-art 4K TV. Surface Studio works beautifully with pen, touch and Surface Dial — a new input device designed for the creative process that lets you use two hands on the screen to compose and create in all new ways."
The star of the show is the 28-inch PixelSense display, which boasts a massive 4500×3000 resolution for a pixel density of 192 ppi, and the taller 3:2 aspect ratio will be welcomed by some users as well. Microsoft is using 10-bit panels for this premium AIO offering, and color reproduction should be outstanding with the Surface Studio thanks to "individually color calibrated" displays. Another advantage for creative customers is the display's multi-touch capability and 1024 pressure-level Surface Pen, which makes this a very nice option for digital artists – especially at 28 inches/192 ppi.
Touchscreen desktops need display placement flexibility to be useful, and here Microsoft has a "zero gravity" hinge to allow for easy movement. The design looks stable thanks to a pair of arms connecting the display to the base, and this lower half is what actually houses the PC components. What's inside? Here's a look at the official specs:
- Display
- Screen: 28” PixelSense™ Display
- Resolution: 4500 x 3000 (192 PPI)
- Color settings: Adobe sRGB and DCI-P3, individually color calibrated
- Touch: 10 point multi-touch
- Aspect Ratio: 3:2
- Supports Pen enabled and Zero Gravity Hinge
- Processor: 6th Generation Intel® Core™ i5 or i7
- Memory: 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB RAM
- Graphics
- i5 Intel 8GB: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 965M 2GB GDDR5 memory
- i7 Intel 16GB: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 965M 2GB GDDR5 memory
- i7 Intel 32GB: NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 980M 4GB GDDR5 memory
- Storage
- Rapid Hybrid Drive options: 1TB or 2TB
- Connections & expansions:
- 4 x USB 3.0 (one high power port)
- Full-size SD ™ card reader (SDXC) compatible
- Mini DisplayPort
- Headset jack
- Compatible with Surface Dial on-screen interaction*
- 1 Gigabit Ethernet port
- Cameras, video and audio:
- Windows Hello1 face sign-in camera
- 5.0 MP camera with 1080p HD video (front)
- Autofocus camera with 1080p HD video (rear)
- Dual microphones
- Stereo 2.1 speakers with Dolby® Audio™ Premium
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- Wireless:
- Wi-Fi: 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n compatible
- Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
- Xbox Wireless built-in
- Security:
- TPM chip for enterprise security
- Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello2 face sign-in
- Warranty: 1-year limited hardware warranty
- Dimensions/Weight
- Display: 637.35 mm x 438.90 mm x 12.5 mm (25.1” x 17.3” x 0.5”)
- Base: 250.00 mm x 220.00 mm x 32.2 mm (9.8” x 8.7” x 1.3”)
- Product weight: 9.56 kg max (21 lbs max)
The Surface Studio is currently available for pre-order at Microsoft.com with prices ranging from $2999 to $4199, depending on configuration.
The GPU is going to throttle,
The GPU is going to throttle, even if it is the lower end model. 3:2 might seem a little odd, but in reality it isn’t that far off from 16:10 or even a little further away at 16:9. It isn’t that far off from some of the older style monitors we use in the office now at 1680×1050 or 16:10. so as a workstation at home, that you can also do some light to moderate gaming on?
Anywho, as a creative workstation, it looks really compelling since the screen can be lowered so the touch functionality wouldn’t cause arm fatigue.
The 3:2 screen aspect ratio
The 3:2 screen aspect ratio is the same as the Surface Pro 4.
makes sense, but then again i
makes sense, but then again i never looked into the surface pro all that much.
Just got an order for 80 of
Just got an order for 80 of them from a larger firm down here. My margin is like $350/unit min., So I think I’m going to take the rest of the year off. Fuck you apple you faggots.
Oh but my ms rep is telling
Oh but my ms rep is telling me I can MAYBE only get 10/month.. lulz
The last five words are not
The last five words are not appropriate.
Your mouth on my ballsack is
Your mouth on my ballsack is appropriate Nerdfag.
Who let the baby have the
Who let the baby have the keyboard again?
This is what happens when
This is what happens when PCPer decided to have a shared anonymous account ANYONE can use without having to sign in, it drives traffic and return traffic.
$2999 to $4199 can buy a good
$2999 to $4199 can buy a good workstation with a PRO GPU SKU like a FirePro. M$ is out Apple-ing even Apple for underpowered/overpriced crap. I can’t wait for Zen and the new FirePros at affordable prices. I’d damn sure could get more Zen/Vega performance and a nice larger Full color gamut display for even that 2999 price point.
A 27″ Cintiq is already
A 27″ Cintiq is already $2800, at a lower resolution, no computer included. So then you can go buy a good workstation with Ben Franklin and his lesser-known cousin Bob.
Who needs a Cintiq, a lower
Who needs a Cintiq, a lower cost drawing pad will do! It’s about the rendering power on that overpriced AiO from M$! And AMD’s GPUs are great for the extra amount of SP FP processing power that they provide at a much more affordable price. I’d rather have a Workstation and a low cost tablet, but it’s not about the input device Cintiq or other. It’s about the processing power one could have Above that overpricesd Nvidia Tat that is inside this AiO SKU.
That’s a whole new level of overcharging for such weak tat when a user could build their own with much more power for rendering. So with M$ it’s a Cintiq knockoff with its own processor and an OS that keeps track of your every creation, and every other thing that you do! All while pushing out the ads while you are trying to get Creative Work done!
So is this supposed to be
So is this supposed to be direct competition to the Wacom Cintiq?
Its kinda on my buy list in a few years..
I’d be interested in buying
I’d be interested in buying the display as a… display 😛
So much for Satya Nadella
So much for Satya Nadella saying “We’re not interested in competing with our OEMs when it comes to hardware.”
There is NO other OEM that
There is NO other OEM that does this kind of All-In-One Desktop computer format!
I don’t get the GPU options.
I don’t get the GPU options. 980M dropped in October 2014.
I’m wondering if they have a custom firmware, considering the max rated resolution for 980M is 4096 x 2160. Unless…this display is stitching two outputs together into one?
On top of that, a creator should have access to more VRAM than 4GB when working on such a high resolution display. The 980M’s rated memory bandwidth is far less than a comparable desktop part. Seems a creator would benefit from said memory bandwidth.
This thing should have less restriction than a laptop (more Z-height in the base.) So, heat shouldn’t be as much of an issue as it is in a laptop, but of course they want the looks of a premium device.
Nvidia is already using 1070 and 1080 desktop-class chips in laptops. Granted, development cycles are what they are, but for a computer that will see most of its usefulness within the next 2 to 3 years after purchase?
Going into it with obsolete GPU hardware, when the display is the primary selling point of this device is such an Apple move.
Its Microshit dude. What do
Its Microshit dude. What do you expect?
No one serious about a workstation would buy this junk.
Supermicro, Boxx, Fujitsu are names that come to mind when i think “workstation”. Something with a real GPU thats properly cooled.
No gtx in it…
Even apple in
No gtx in it…
Even apple in there new mac book pro didn’t use it. I don’t get it…
Maybe those part are too expensive (or draw too much power)not enough margin I guess
Another example of Microsoft
Another example of Microsoft trying to emulate Apple, and another stab in the back for its so called hardware partners. Hope it bombs…
Let me tell you that it is
Let me tell you that it is Apple who is the one who “bombed” in the last few years! They ignored the creative community for years, now.
Go suck up to your leaking Apple sauce.
I think you will find that
I think you will find that any of the newer GPUs were not available when this was in the production lab, so my guess is that the Surface Studio will have V 2.0 out sometime next year with refreshed specs.
Oh yeah, PCPer get rid of that Anonymous account as it encourages the naughty children.