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09-06-2018, 08:16 PM   #1
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Microsoft Surface Go & Adobe

I've actually heard some pretty positive things about the recently released Surface Go. Although it comes as Windows S Mode it can be reverted back to a proper version of Windows allowing for genuine programs to be installed and not just Store programs.
In Australia it retails for for $599AUD (64gb/4gb RAM) and $839AUD (128gb/8gb RAM), quite a large price difference however the 128gb does come with that extra 4gb RAM which is probably really important if you're going to push the system semi hard with stuff like still post processing etc.

A microsd card slot and a Type C usb really opens up the device to gaining extra storage space, so I'm wondering if anyone grabbed one of these with the intention of actually doing PS work on it. If so how goes the experience.


Cheers,

Bruce

09-06-2018, 08:59 PM   #2
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These are low level models, Bruce, not like the Surface Pros … they're not suited to intensive processing.
09-06-2018, 09:11 PM   #3
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QuoteOriginally posted by clackers Quote
These are low level models, Bruce, not like the Surface Pros … they're not suited to intensive processing.
Yeah I get that (the price itself reflects this), however I never thought I'd be comfortably editing on the NUC pc (in case you don't know NUC means Next Unit Computing and is basically small and fairly underpowered 'desktop' pcs) but can get the job done ok. My pc is the size of a medium book, here's a pic;



Tech moves pretty fast, my one's an older 2016-2017 model I believe, and so this tablet although not competing in the same territory as a Surface Pro I am still curious to know what the performance would be like on it. I mean... people didn't think this NUC I have would be up to the job, but it's doing just fine (and on 4k as well)

So that's why I'm wondering about this particular Surface tablet, it's MS's most recent release, and I'm not tech savy enough to really get bogged down in specs and what not, I just go by release date as a semi decent indicator of performance. I mean I'm pretty sure the 64gb is out of the running just because its a) low on space and b) low on RAM, but I reckon I could get away with 128gb for PS and LR (and pretty much nothing else), and then a portable SSD or Microsd for additional storage (data), it can take a pen making sofa edits plausible... it's really all down to whether it's gonna be absolutely awful in terms of input lag when brush stroking etc. Might give utube a whirl, see if anyone's done that yet...
09-06-2018, 09:13 PM   #4
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I think you're our guinea pig, Bruce!



09-06-2018, 09:22 PM   #5
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What's the processor on the Surface Go, and what's the processor on your NUC?
09-06-2018, 09:34 PM   #6
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I do not have NUC unit but my back-up PC is this:



with i5-4570T, 16GB RAM and 128GB ADATA SSD

Latest LR + PS runs perfectly on this and I use portable 2TB hard drive (WD NAS) to store raw and PP images.

Your biggest concern it will be RAM memory...
09-06-2018, 10:36 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by clackers Quote
I think you're our guinea pig, Bruce!
Bahaha...

Well... I recently had a Samsung Tab S2 (8 inch), but the screen is broken and the cost to repair very expensive. The resolution and screen is gorgeous however, and 8 inches is a nice portable readable size, so I need a replacement. The thing about Android and Apple (ipad pro) is whilst they are aimed at artists (with the pens etc) not so much the tog, and even when PS gets ported properly to iOS it still won't ever support the plugins I use I doubt (or will take forever for them to also port across), so it really looks as though Windows is what I will need to use from this kinda perspective. $899 isn't that bad, the Samsung Tab 4 for example is way more pricey. It really comes down to performance.

QuoteOriginally posted by leekil Quote
What's the processor on the Surface Go, and what's the processor on your NUC?
My NUC is rocking a Intel Core i7 6700HQ @ 2.60GHz (Skylake), 16gb DDR4 stick (can whack another one in if need be) with an Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580 (on board gfx). I can however via it's Usb C port connect an external GPU up to it if I want, it's something I am working towards but I don't game that much currently nor felt I really needed it from a photography post processing perspective.

The Surface Go 128gb would be; Intel Pentium Gold Processor 4415Y, 8gb RAM, Intel HD Graphics 615 (that's really all I got to go off..)

QuoteOriginally posted by RAART Quote
I do not have NUC unit but my back-up PC is this:



with i5-4570T, 16GB RAM and 128GB ADATA SSD

Latest LR + PS runs perfectly on this and I use portable 2TB hard drive (WD NAS) to store raw and PP images.

Your biggest concern it will be RAM memory...
Yeah, but if all yer running is LR and PS and close yer browser and everything else... maybe 8gb is enough?

09-06-2018, 11:46 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by BruceBanner Quote
Yeah, but if all yer running is LR and PS and close yer browser and everything else... maybe 8gb is enough?
Depending on with which files you are working with. I had run into issue with K-3 files when I tried to stitch pano images with 6 images and it run out of memory (had different PC with 8GB RAM). While you are having KP and K-1 as long as you do not have multiple layers (K-1 files) open in PS you might get away with 8GB but as long as you start to mask and blend then it will run out of memory most of the time. With K-1 files to keep LR + PS open it will be not easy however with KP files sometimes will work and sometimes not, also depending on how process your files.
09-07-2018, 06:34 AM   #9
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If you want to run LR or PS, just make sure whatever hardware you purchase will support a 64-bit OS, as Adobe has stated that will be a requirement for newer versions (updates) of both. Of course, if what you want is LR CC (NOT Classic) you should be OK with just about any OS including Android.
09-07-2018, 04:49 PM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by RAART Quote
Depending on with which files you are working with. I had run into issue with K-3 files when I tried to stitch pano images with 6 images and it run out of memory (had different PC with 8GB RAM). While you are having KP and K-1 as long as you do not have multiple layers (K-1 files) open in PS you might get away with 8GB but as long as you start to mask and blend then it will run out of memory most of the time. With K-1 files to keep LR + PS open it will be not easy however with KP files sometimes will work and sometimes not, also depending on how process your files.
When you mean memory do you mean space? Like... I have noticed when I do 'big stuff' in PS it likes to create temp files, I have seen my C: lose 20-40gb when having it open and doing some big project stuff! However when you're finished and close the program you get that disk space back.

RAM wise, I thought things wouldn't crash on you but rather just be slOooww. Maybe it does crash but?

That's why I think 128gb is a bare minimum, just so you can actually use PS properly... you need a good 40gb free space on C: to work with imo.

QuoteOriginally posted by lsimpkins Quote
If you want to run LR or PS, just make sure whatever hardware you purchase will support a 64-bit OS, as Adobe has stated that will be a requirement for newer versions (updates) of both. Of course, if what you want is LR CC (NOT Classic) you should be OK with just about any OS including Android.
Yeah k, thanks, good to know.
09-07-2018, 08:00 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by BruceBanner Quote
When you mean memory do you mean space? Like... I have noticed when I do 'big stuff' in PS it likes to create temp files, I have seen my C: lose 20-40gb when having it open and doing some big project stuff! However when you're finished and close the program you get that disk space back.

RAM wise, I thought things wouldn't crash on you but rather just be slOooww. Maybe it does crash but?

That's why I think 128gb is a bare minimum, just so you can actually use PS properly... you need a good 40gb free space on C: to work with imo.
I meant RAM memory as the LR + PS using this first and then "swap" however if files are too big to be stored into RAM first then you will get the message "run out of memory" files cannot be saved or something like that. I had on my old PC 256GB SSD and additional 1TB HD with 8GB of RAM and I run always out of memory with big files. Also I had GPU with 3GB of RAM as well, I think... do not remember exactly how much RAM memory GPU was having.

Soon I will update also my current PC with new GPU or all internals except SSD and storage drive but will do slowly, first new GPU and then later the rest while one stick of RAM is broken and I am down to 16GB from 32GB of RAM...
09-07-2018, 08:17 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by RAART Quote
I meant RAM memory as the LR + PS using this first and then "swap" however if files are too big to be stored into RAM first then you will get the message "run out of memory" files cannot be saved or something like that. I had on my old PC 256GB SSD and additional 1TB HD with 8GB of RAM and I run always out of memory with big files. Also I had GPU with 3GB of RAM as well, I think... do not remember exactly how much RAM memory GPU was having.

Soon I will update also my current PC with new GPU or all internals except SSD and storage drive but will do slowly, first new GPU and then later the rest while one stick of RAM is broken and I am down to 16GB from 32GB of RAM...
I'm being told that 32gb is overkill RAM wise for this kinda work, 16gb should be fine, but 8gb cutting it. I think as soon as you mention 'Adobe' and computers people think super intensive video editing or something, but it's amazing what specs you can get away with for a workable solution on a budget.
09-07-2018, 10:21 PM - 1 Like   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by BruceBanner Quote
My NUC is rocking a Intel Core i7 6700HQ @ 2.60GHz (Skylake), 16gb DDR4 stick (can whack another one in if need be) with an Intel Iris Pro Graphics 580 (on board gfx). I can however via it's Usb C port connect an external GPU up to it if I want, it's something I am working towards but I don't game that much currently nor felt I really needed it from a photography post processing perspective.

The Surface Go 128gb would be; Intel Pentium Gold Processor 4415Y, 8gb RAM, Intel HD Graphics 615 (that's really all I got to go off..)
The NUC processor is way more powerful than the Surface Go one. I don't know how people think of NUCs, but just because they are small doesn't mean they aren't powerful. I mean, laptops have a very tiny motherboard in them these days, and they can be very powerful.

The i7 in the NUC you cited has 4 cores and clock speed that is 2.60 base, and can turbo up to 3.50. The Surface Go processor has 2 cores, and they run at 1.6 Ghz. So the Surface would have a very distinct processing disadvantage to the NUC. That's not to say it would not be sufficient for what you do; but the 36mp files of the K-1 can slow less-capable processors down a lot, and I don't know how fast the storage is in a budget Surface, either, which could also affect things.
09-07-2018, 10:37 PM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by leekil Quote
The NUC processor is way more powerful than the Surface Go one. I don't know how people think of NUCs, but just because they are small doesn't mean they aren't powerful. I mean, laptops have a very tiny motherboard in them these days, and they can be very powerful.

The i7 in the NUC you cited has 4 cores and clock speed that is 2.60 base, and can turbo up to 3.50. The Surface Go processor has 2 cores, and they run at 1.6 Ghz. So the Surface would have a very distinct processing disadvantage to the NUC. That's not to say it would not be sufficient for what you do; but the 36mp files of the K-1 can slow less-capable processors down a lot, and I don't know how fast the storage is in a budget Surface, either, which could also affect things.
Thanks for the insights leekil.
09-08-2018, 06:58 AM   #15
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Bruce,
I have the Surface Pro, which has a 12.3” Resolution: 2736 x 1824 (267 PPI) screen.

The Surface Go has a 10" Resolution: 1800 x 1200 (217 PPI) screen.

I run PS CS6 on the Pro and toolbar(s), menu bars and everything else is so small it is next to impossible to read them. When I sit on a plane and there is a bit of turbulence it becomes almost unworkable. So, if you want to run PS be advised of this problem. How CC works I don't know however.


The Go model's screen is even smaller and I think you won't be able to read anything without a magnifying glass. Working with something like this is no fun. There is no way to increase the size, Adobe know about this problem and state they will not do anything about it. Many people have complained.

I travel a lot and need something small because I alredy carry too much gear and use my Pro for photo work only if I absolutely have to.
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