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Microsoft Surface Go 2 appears on 3DMark again with Intel Core m3-8100Y and Pentium Gold 4425Y processors

The Surface Go is in need of an upgrade, but a Pentium Gold 4425Y will not cut it. (Image source: Microsoft)
The Surface Go is in need of an upgrade, but a Pentium Gold 4425Y will not cut it. (Image source: Microsoft)
The Surface Go 2 has been spotted again, confirming previous rumours about the upcoming tablet. Rumoured to be launching this season, Microsoft will equip the device with at least Intel Core m3-8100Y and Pentium Gold 4425Y processors. 3DMark has not confirmed this time whether LTE options are on their way, but it is doubtful that at least relatively new processors are, at any rate.

The Surface Go 2 has reared its head again as we move ever closer to Microsoft's expected Spring hardware event. While Microsoft will probably cancel a physical launch, it may livestream an event or even quietly launch products as Apple did this week with the iPad Pro and MacBook Air.

Spotted by @_rogame on 3DMark, this is not the first time that we have seen the Surface Go 2 appearing on the popular benchmarking website. However, these new sightings confirm other rumours on which we reported last month.

As expected, the Surface Go 2 will come in at least Core m3-8100Y and Pentium Gold 4425Y SKUs. According to 3DMark, both will be paired with 8 GB of RAM, but we would not rule out Microsoft releasing a 4 GB model too. The two models brought to our attention by @_rogame are as follows:

Model Surface Go 2 - Entry SKU Surface Go 2 - Premium SKU
CPU Pentium Gold 4425Y Core m3-8100Y
Cores/Threads 2/4 2/4
Base clock 1.7 GHz 1.1 GHz
(1.6 GHz on 3DMark)
Peak clock N/A 3.4 GHz
GPU UHD Graphics 615 UHD Graphics 615
RAM 8 GB 8 GB
Storage 128 GB 256 GB

@_rogame also reports that both models feature SSDs that Microsoft has used in the Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro X. Nonetheless, this does not counter the fact that Microsoft may release new hardware powered by outdated processors. @_rogame adds that the two models scored the following in 3DMark Time Spy:

Core m3-8100Y model 

  • CPU score: 1,380 (127%)
  • Graphics score: 303 (104%)

Pentium Gold 4425Y model 

  • CPU score: 1,089 (100%)
  • Graphics score: 292 (100%)

Anecdotally, the original Surface Go is underpowered and struggles by today's standards. The Pentium Gold 4425Y is only clocked 100 MHz higher than the Pentium Gold 4415Y powering the original Surface Go, for reference.

In short, we hope that Microsoft has more up its sleeve for the Surface Go 2 than this. While the Core m3-8100Y model would represent a decent uplift in processor performance from the Pentium Gold 4415Y, the Pentium Gold 4425Y would not.

The supposed Pentium Gold 4425Y version of the Surface Go 2. (Image source: 3DMark via @_rogame)
The supposed Pentium Gold 4425Y version of the Surface Go 2. (Image source: 3DMark via @_rogame)
And its Core m3-8100Y sibling. (Image source: 3DMark via @_rogame)
And its Core m3-8100Y sibling. (Image source: 3DMark via @_rogame)

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2020 03 > Microsoft Surface Go 2 appears on 3DMark again with Intel Core m3-8100Y and Pentium Gold 4425Y processors
Alex Alderson, 2020-03-20 (Update: 2020-03-22)