Chime in: Choosing between the Core i7 Surface Book 1 and Core i5 Surface Book 2

Newer hardware is always going to be more expensive than previous generations, but usually comes rocking benefits like additional support, more powerful components to name but two advantages. That said, it's usually possible to locate some deals on older generations, including the Surface Book. While the newer Surface Book 2 features better integrated and discrete GPU options, newer processor, and even better battery life is it worth paying out more?

Community member zachthebomb13 is wondering just that ahead of making a purchase decision.

I'm looking for a new laptop, and the Surface Book form factor meets my needs. However, my budget is about $1000. I found the original Surface Book, i7 on Newegg for $1,000. But I can also get the i5 Surface Book 2 on Microsoft for $1080 with a discount. I'm trying to figure out which would be best. More specs below. Surface Book Processor: generation 6 i7 Ram: 8 gb Hard drive: 256 gb...

zachthebomb13

Personally, I'd lean towards the original Surface Book if you're more conscious about pricing and have a strict budget or simply do not rate an additional bump in performance to be worth around $80, taking a slight hit on storage and the GPU. Otherwise, the Surface Book 2 is a more powerful and recent Windows 10 PC, making it a compelling choice. There's no wrong choice since both the Surface Book and Surface Book 2 are excellent machines.

Like zachthebomb13, I'm interested to know which you'd choose so head to our forum and join the conversation.

From the forum: i7 Surface Book or i5 Surface Book 2

Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.