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Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 Review: Microsoft Can Do Better

$1500 for this? The metal Surface Laptop 3 is the sleekest Surface laptop yet and its implementation of AMD Ryzen is one of the better examples in the Ultrabook space. Unfortunately, almost everything else feels outdated.

(November 1, 2019 update: Strangely, recharging via USB Type-C would work only after reformatting and updating our unit. We used a 130 W USB Type-C AC adapter for the test. The system also utilizes 8 GB of dual-channel RAM instead of single-channel as initially stated. The page has been corrected to reflect this.)

Microsoft unveiled its third generation Surface laptop series earlier this month alongside a handful of other Surface devices ranging from traditional laptops to a foldable Duo smartphone. The model we'll be looking at today is the Surface Laptop 3 15 powered by the semi-custom Ryzen 5 3580U processor. This is the first traditional 3:2 15-inch Surface Laptop and also the first in its family to carry AMD options as an alternative to the usual Intel SKUs. Additionally, this also implies that Microsoft is confident enough that Ryzen can provide the performance they're looking for to be competitive against Intel in the high-end consumer space.

Our 15-inch Ryzen 5 configuration retails for $1500 USD in contrast to the $2100 15-inch Ryzen 7 SKU, $1200 13.5-inch Ryzen 5 SKU, and $1700 13.5-inch Ryzen 7 SKU. The Intel options are even more variable as shown by the official product page. Expect more Surface reviews in the weeks to come so we can paint a bigger picture of the differences between these AMD and Intel configurations. The Surface Laptop 3 15 competes with other flagship ultra-thin laptops including the Dell XPS 15, Apple MacBook Pro 15, Huawei MateBook X Pro, Lenovo Yoga C940, and the Asus ZenBook 15.

More Microsoft Surface reviews:

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U (Surface Laptop 3 Series)
Processor
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U 4 x 2.1 - 3.7 GHz, Picasso-U (Zen+)
Graphics adapter
AMD Radeon RX Vega 9 - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 1300 MHz, Memory: 1200 MHz, DDR4, Adrenalin 19.20.27.03
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR4-2400, 17-17-17-39, Dual-Channel
Display
15.00 inch 3:2, 2496 x 1664 pixel 200 PPI, Capacitive, native pen support, Sharp LQ150P1JX51, IPS, SHP14B4, glossy: yes
Mainboard
AMD Promontory/Bixby FCH
Storage
SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
Soundcard
AMD Raven - Audio Processor - HD Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 DisplayPort, 1 Docking Station Port, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm, Brightness Sensor
Networking
Atheros/Qualcomm QCA6174 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 5
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 14.7 x 339.5 x 244 ( = 0.58 x 13.37 x 9.61 in)
Battery
45 Wh Lithium-Polymer, Battery runtime (according to manufacturer): 11 h
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD 720p
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
1.54 kg ( = 54.32 oz / 3.4 pounds), Power Supply: 287 g ( = 10.12 oz / 0.63 pounds)
Price
1700 USD
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Height
Size
Resolution
Best Price
82.9 %
10/2019
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
R5 3580U, Vega 9
1.5 kg14.7 mm15.00"2496x1664
86.3 %
09/2019
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
i5-9300H, UHD Graphics 630
1.9 kg17 mm15.60"1920x1080
87.9 %
07/2018
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
i7-8850H, Radeon Pro 560X
1.8 kg15.5 mm15.40"2880x1800
83.9 %
03/2019
HP Spectre x360 15-df0126ng
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q
2.2 kg19.3 mm15.60"3840x2160
90 %
01/2019
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS5DU00
i5-8550U, UHD Graphics 620
1.1 kg15.95 mm14.00"2560x1440

Case - Lightweight and Very Square

After two generations of complaints, Microsoft is finally offering a metal chassis for its third generation Surface Laptop series in addition to the usual Alcantara that has defined the series. We don't miss Alcantara one bit after having experienced the metal chassis; the smooth surfaces feel more rigid to the touch, look more luxurious than Alcantara, and are easier to clean. In fact, the chassis is one of the best aspects of the new 15-inch Surface Laptop as both flexing and creaking are minimal around the keyboard and outer lid for strong first impressions. We still find the XPS 15, MacBook Pro 15, and Razer Blade 15 to be stronger when it comes to rigidity, but the Microsoft laptop isn't too far behind.

Perhaps the biggest eyesore of the design is its thick display bezels. The Surface Laptop 3 15 looks like an expanded version of the Huawei MateBook X Pro since both are 3:2 Ultrabooks, but the latter benefits from much narrower bezels for a more modern look. We suspect that Microsoft will eventually shrink the bezels for the next generation revision in order to match the current trend of narrow-bezel designs.

In terms of size and weight, the Microsoft laptop is both thinner and lighter than most traditional 15.6-inch Ultrabooks including the XPS 15, Asus ZenBook 15, HP Spectre x360 15, and the MacBook Pro 15. However, its uncommon 3:2 form factor means the chassis is squarer and longer in length as a result which can potentially make it incompatible with laptop cases designed for 16:9 systems.

Metal chassis feels so much stronger and longer-lasting than Alcantara fabric
Metal chassis feels so much stronger and longer-lasting than Alcantara fabric
Smooth matte surfaces are very dark in color which hides fingerprints well
Smooth matte surfaces are very dark in color which hides fingerprints well
While the bar hinge doesn't teeter, we still think it could have been firmer
While the bar hinge doesn't teeter, we still think it could have been firmer
The thick display bezels are unsightly when compared to the latest Ultrabooks
The thick display bezels are unsightly when compared to the latest Ultrabooks
No ventilation grilles on the bottom means warmer surfaces than most other laptops
No ventilation grilles on the bottom means warmer surfaces than most other laptops
Lid opened to maximum angle (~150 degrees)
Lid opened to maximum angle (~150 degrees)
361 mm / 14.2 inch 250 mm / 9.84 inch 19.3 mm / 0.76 inch 2.2 kg4.81 lbs357 mm / 14.1 inch 235 mm / 9.25 inch 17 mm / 0.669 inch 1.9 kg4.19 lbs349.3 mm / 13.8 inch 240.7 mm / 9.48 inch 15.5 mm / 0.61 inch 1.8 kg4.03 lbs339.5 mm / 13.4 inch 244 mm / 9.61 inch 14.7 mm / 0.579 inch 1.5 kg3.4 lbs308 mm / 12.1 inch 223.2 mm / 8.79 inch 14.5 mm / 0.571 inch 1.3 kg2.76 lbs308 mm / 12.1 inch 223 mm / 8.78 inch 14.5 mm / 0.571 inch 1.3 kg2.76 lbs297 mm / 11.7 inch 210 mm / 8.27 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 5.7 g0.01257 lbs

Connectivity - What Connectivity?

Surface devices have always been stingy when it comes to ports and the Surface Laptop 3 is no different. The dedicated mini DisplayPort is gone and so users will have to rely on DisplayPort over USB Type-C or the $200 Surface Dock for connecting external monitors. Port positioning is otherwise excellent with the few options available.

Interestingly, DisplayPort over USB would only work after updating to the latest drivers at the time of writing.

Front: No connectivity
Front: No connectivity
Right: Magnetic AC adapter port/Docking port
Right: Magnetic AC adapter port/Docking port
Rear: No connectivity
Rear: No connectivity
Left: USB Type-A, USB Type-C Gen. 1 w/ DisplayPort, 3.5 mm headphone jack
Left: USB Type-A, USB Type-C Gen. 1 w/ DisplayPort, 3.5 mm headphone jack

Communication

The system uses a soldered Qualcomm/Atheros QCA6174 module for 867 Mbps wireless and Bluetooth 5. Wi-Fi 6 options are reserved only for the smaller 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 3. We experienced no wireless issues during our time with the unit.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Microsoft Surface Pro 6, Core i7, 512 GB
Marvell AVASTAR Wireless-AC Network Controller
559 (519min - 577max) MBit/s
Microsoft Surface Laptop i5
Marvell AVASTAR Wireless-AC Network Controller
556 MBit/s
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
Marvell AVASTAR Wireless-AC Network Controller
543 (486min - 584max) MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Microsoft Surface Pro 6, Core i7, 512 GB
Marvell AVASTAR Wireless-AC Network Controller
593 (560min - 611max) MBit/s
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
Marvell AVASTAR Wireless-AC Network Controller
576 (549min - 597max) MBit/s
Microsoft Surface Laptop i5
Marvell AVASTAR Wireless-AC Network Controller
534 MBit/s

Maintenance

The bottom panel is secured by four Torx screws hidden underneath the rubber feet to be easier to service than the last generation model. The main problem, however, is that the rubber feet can be difficult to remove without the right tools and one can easily scratch the surrounding surface if not careful. iFixit has a detailed guide on the disassembly of the Surface Laptop 3 15 to reveal that nothing is upgradeable save for the solitary SSD.

Accessories and Warranty

There are no included extras in the box other than the small manual and AC adapter. A cleaning cloth, USB-to-RJ45 adapter, or protective sleeve would have been nice to see. The touchscreen is compatible with the Surface Pen that ships with the Surface Pro tablets.

The standard one-year limited warranty applies.

Input Devices - No Major Changes from the Surface Laptop 2

Keyboard

Keyboard size and layout remain identical to last year's 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 2 including the oddly placed Power button. Key feedback is satisfactory with moderate clatter when typing. We find the keys on the HP Spectre x360 15 to be firmer and easier to type on even though they offer the same 1.5 mm key travel. Feedback is not uniform across each and every key as the Enter key and cramped directional keys feel spongier when compared to the main QWERTY keys.

Touchpad

The Precision-enabled clickpad (~11.5 x 7.6 cm) is slightly smaller than the clickpads on the XPS 15 (10.5 x 8.5 cm) and Huawei MateBook X Pro (12.0 x 7.8 cm). Its surface is even smoother than the surrounding metal palm rests with just enough sticking when gliding slowly for accurate clicks. Still, we prefer dedicated mouse keys for improved usability. The integrated keys here are relatively quiet with shallow travel and slightly spongy feedback.

Barebones keyboard layout with small directional keys, no NumPad, and no auxiliary keys
Barebones keyboard layout with small directional keys, no NumPad, and no auxiliary keys
Large clickpad is great for cursor movements and multi-touch gestures, but drag and drop is not as accurate
Large clickpad is great for cursor movements and multi-touch gestures, but drag and drop is not as accurate
White backlight comes standard with three illumination levels
White backlight comes standard with three illumination levels
Unlike on most other Ultrabooks, the Power button sits in between the PgDn and Del keys
Unlike on most other Ultrabooks, the Power button sits in between the PgDn and Del keys

Display - Full sRGB Coverage

The crisp 15-inch 3:2 touchscreen is what separates the Surface Laptop 3 from the usual Ultrabook. Its Sharp LQ150P1JX51 IPS panel can be found on no other laptop in our database to be a unique offering. Core attributes like brightness and response times have been only marginally improved over last year's 13.5-inch Surface Laptop 2. In short, the already excellent display of the Surface Laptop 2 is back without any obvious improvements aside from the size difference. Ghosting continues to be very noticeable especially when compared to the Razer Blade 15 and its silky smooth 3 ms/144 Hz panel. While this won't negatively impact workloads like word processing, browsing, or video playback, the lack of any high refresh rate options is a bummer considering the price point.

It's worth noting that the display exhibits pulse-width modulation at brightness levels under 52 percent not unlike what we discovered on the Surface Book 2. Uneven backlight bleeding is present on our test unit and it's acute enough to be noticeable during video playback with black borders.

Edge-to-edge glass touchscreen supports the Surface Pen
Edge-to-edge glass touchscreen supports the Surface Pen
Thick bezels when compared to the latest Ultrabooks. Thinner bezels will require specialized panels
Thick bezels when compared to the latest Ultrabooks. Thinner bezels will require specialized panels
Moderate uneven backlight bleeding along the bottom edge
Moderate uneven backlight bleeding along the bottom edge
Glossy glass overlay allows for sharp pixels with no grains
Glossy glass overlay allows for sharp pixels with no grains
399
cd/m²
399.7
cd/m²
413
cd/m²
378.6
cd/m²
416.9
cd/m²
388.4
cd/m²
359.5
cd/m²
369.7
cd/m²
373.1
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
Sharp LQ150P1JX51 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 416.9 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 388.7 cd/m² Minimum: 4.03 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 403.4 cd/m²
Contrast: 1042:1 (Black: 0.4 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.75 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5, calibrated: 0.71
ΔE Greyscale 1.8 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
99.4% sRGB (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
63.4% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
63.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
99.3% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
66.9% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.09
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
Sharp LQ150P1JX51, IPS, 15.00, 2496x1664
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
VVX14T092N00, IPS, 13.50, 2256x1504
Microsoft Surface Laptop i5
ID: MEI96A2, Name: Panasonic VVX14T092N00, IPS, 13.50, 2256x1504
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
LQ156M1, IPS, 15.60, 1920x1080
HP Spectre x360 15-df0126ng
AU Optronics AUO30EB, IPS, 15.60, 3840x2160
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
APPA040, IPS, 15.40, 2880x1800
Display
2%
2%
2%
1%
28%
Display P3 Coverage
66.9
68
2%
67.8
1%
66.5
-1%
68.1
2%
98.7
48%
sRGB Coverage
99.3
94.7
-5%
94.3
-5%
98
-1%
94.2
-5%
99.9
1%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
63.7
69.2
9%
69.5
9%
68.4
7%
68.4
7%
86.6
36%
Response Times
-37%
-5%
-31%
-3%
157%
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% *
47.2 ?(23.2, 24)
69.2 ?(34.8, 34.4)
-47%
50.8 ?(25.6, 25.2)
-8%
52.8 ?(25.6, 27.2)
-12%
57 ?(26, 31)
-21%
43.2 ?(20.4, 22.8)
8%
Response Time Black / White *
36.8 ?(20.4, 16.4)
46.4 ?(26, 20.4)
-26%
37.2 ?(20, 17.2)
-1%
32 ?(16.4, 15.6)
13%
31 ?(16, 15)
16%
31.2 ?(16.4, 14.8)
15%
PWM Frequency
21370 ?(51)
1020 ?(25)
-95%
117000 ?(75, 150)
447%
Screen
-15%
11%
1%
-39%
29%
Brightness middle
416.9
392
-6%
384.2
-8%
588
41%
330
-21%
520
25%
Brightness
389
390
0%
378
-3%
555
43%
310
-20%
492
26%
Brightness Distribution
86
89
3%
90
5%
89
3%
87
1%
88
2%
Black Level *
0.4
0.24
40%
0.36
10%
0.4
-0%
0.37
7%
0.39
2%
Contrast
1042
1633
57%
1067
2%
1470
41%
892
-14%
1333
28%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
2.75
3.2
-16%
1.8
35%
2.5
9%
4.03
-47%
1.2
56%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
6.64
6.3
5%
4.2
37%
6.3
5%
6.74
-2%
2.3
65%
Colorchecker dE 2000 calibrated *
0.71
1.4
-97%
0.6
15%
1.96
-176%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
1.8
4.5
-150%
1.2
33%
4.5
-150%
4.49
-149%
1.3
28%
Gamma
2.09 105%
2.2 100%
2.21 100%
2.2 100%
2.57 86%
2.18 101%
CCT
6646 98%
7556 86%
6708 97%
6836 95%
6744 96%
6738 96%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
63.4
63.9
1%
63.7
0%
63.2
0%
61
-4%
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
99.4
95
-4%
94.2
-5%
98
-1%
94
-5%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
-17% / -15%
3% / 7%
-9% / -5%
-14% / -27%
71% / 56%

* ... smaller is better

Color space encompasses sRGB in its entirety and approximately 63 percent of AdobeRGB much like on the Dell XPS 15 7590 FHD configuration and last year's Surface Laptop 2. Certain laptops with 4K UHD OLED or Sharp IGZO panels like the Dell XPS 15 or HP Spectre x360 15 offer even wider gamuts.

vs. sRGB
vs. sRGB
vs. AdobeRGB
vs. AdobeRGB

Further measurements with an X-Rite colorimeter reveal an accurate grayscale with only average RGB balance and gamma (2.08). Green in particular is represented more inaccurately than other tested colors. Once we calibrated the panel ourselves, color balance improves for final grayscale and ColorChecker average deltaE values of just 0.8 and 0.71, respectively.

Grayscale before calibration
Grayscale before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
Saturation Sweeps before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
ColorChecker before calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Grayscale after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
Saturation Sweeps after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration
ColorChecker after calibration

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
36.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 20.4 ms rise
↘ 16.4 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 94 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
47.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 23.2 ms rise
↘ 24 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 79 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 21370 Hz ≤ 51 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 21370 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 51 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 21370 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

Outdoor visibility is poorer and with more noticeable glare than on both the Dell XPS 15 7590 and Apple MacBook Pro 15 since the Surface Laptop display is dimmer. Running on battery power will lower the maximum brightness ceiling marginally from 417 nits to 403 nits even after disabling the brightness sensor. A few manufacturers like HP and Toshiba offer matte touchscreens for their respective business convertibles in an effort to reduce the heavy glare from traditional glossy panels like on our Surface model.

Outdoors under sunlight
Outdoors under sunlight
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under sunlight
Outdoors under sunlight
Wide IPS viewing angles with minor shifts in contrast and colors from extreme angles
Wide IPS viewing angles with minor shifts in contrast and colors from extreme angles

Performance - One of the Better Ryzen U Laptops

Whereas the Surface Laptop 2 ships with only 8th gen Intel Core i5-8250U and Core i7-8550U Kaby Lake-R options, the Surface Laptop 3 has 10th gen Core i5-1035G7 and Core i7-1065G7 Ice Lake options with 2nd gen AMD Ryzen 5 3580U and Ryzen 7 3780U alternatives. Both Microsoft and AMD have said that these Ryzen CPUs are custom-tailored to the Surface Laptop and so they cannot be found anywhere else at the moment.

Graphics are limited to integrated Intel Iris Plus or AMD Vega with no GeForce MX options. Microsoft has also raised the minimum RAM from 4 GB to 8 GB running in dual-channel mode.

LatencyMon shows DPC latency issues when wireless is enabled which is disappointing considering that the laptop is geared towards office-type work. Disabling the wireless appears to address this issue.

LatencyMon with WLAN enabled
LatencyMon with WLAN enabled
LatencyMon with WLAN disabled
LatencyMon with WLAN disabled

Processor

Raw CPU performance is essentially on par with the Ryzen 7 3700U in the Dell Inspiron 15 5585 while edging out Intel's latest Core i7-1065G7 CPU in the Razer Blade Stealth by just the slightest of margins. When running CineBench R15 Multi-Thread in a loop, the Surface Laptop exhibits longer turbo boost sustainability before clock rates inevitably fall. Interestingly, results will fluctuate between 600 and 690 points after a while which, when averaged, almost matches the Ryzen 7 3700U and Core i7-1065G7. Steadier scores are preferable for more predictable performance over time. Overall performance is slower than the 35 W Ryzen 5 3550H by only about 5 to 15 percent on average.

See our dedicated page on the Ryzen 5 3580U for more technical details and benchmark comparisons.

CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R10 32-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R11.5 64-bit
CineBench R15
CineBench R15
CineBench R20
CineBench R20
04590135180225270315360405450495540585630675720765810Tooltip
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U Vega 9, R5 3580U, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø662 (563.52-691.26)
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585 Vega 10, R7 3700U, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø654 (639.01-676.19)
Huawei MateBook D 14 W00D-53010GXL Vega 8, R5 2500U, SK Hynix SC313 HFS256G39TNF; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø583 (578.22-612.26)
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7 Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZPZ512G; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø672 (632.81-836.68)
Razer Blade Stealth i7-8565U GeForce MX150, i7-8565U, Lite-On CA3-8D256-Q11; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø627 (623.29-676.66)
Asus TUF FX505DY Radeon RX 560X (Laptop), R5 3550H, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-256G; CPU Multi 64Bit: Ø725 (718.93-754.96)
Cinebench R15
CPU Single 64Bit
MSI PS63 Modern 8SC
Intel Core i7-8565U
183 Points +32%
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
Intel Core i5-9300H
175 Points +26%
Dell G7 17 7790
Intel Core i7-8750H
164 Points +18%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
Intel Core i5-8265U
164 Points +18%
Microsoft Surface Laptop i7
Intel Core i7-7660U
154 Points +11%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Ryzen 7 2700U
150 Points +8%
Razer Blade Stealth i7-1065G7 Iris Plus
Intel Core i7-1065G7
149 Points +7%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
144 Points +4%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U
144 Points +4%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
142 Points +2%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
Intel Core i5-8250U
141 Points +1%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
139 Points
Honor Magicbook
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
138 Points -1%
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
AMD Ryzen 7 3700U
135 Points -3%
Microsoft Surface Laptop i5
Intel Core i5-7200U
126 Points -9%
CPU Multi 64Bit
Dell G7 17 7790
Intel Core i7-8750H
1183 Points +71%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
805 Points +16%
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
Intel Core i5-9300H
787 (771.02min - 810.57max) Points +14%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
742 Points +7%
MSI PS63 Modern 8SC
Intel Core i7-8565U
695 Points 0%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
693 Points
Razer Blade Stealth i7-1065G7 Iris Plus
Intel Core i7-1065G7
676 Points -2%
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
AMD Ryzen 7 3700U
672 Points -3%
Acer Nitro 5 AN515-42-R6V0
AMD Ryzen 7 2700U
661 Points -5%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U
611 Points -12%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
Intel Core i5-8250U
590 Points -15%
Honor Magicbook
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U
576 Points -17%
Lenovo ThinkPad L490 20Q6S08600
Intel Core i5-8265U
519 Points -25%
Microsoft Surface Laptop i7
Intel Core i7-7660U
397 (337min - 397max) Points -43%
Microsoft Surface Laptop i5
Intel Core i5-7200U
324 Points -53%
Cinebench R20
CPU (Multi Core)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
1825 Points +18%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
1685 Points +9%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
1549 Points
MSI PS63 Modern 8SC
Intel Core i7-8565U
1523 Points -2%
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
AMD Ryzen 7 3700U
1499 Points -3%
Razer Blade Stealth i7-1065G7 Iris Plus
Intel Core i7-1065G7
1411 Points -9%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U
1349 Points -13%
CPU (Single Core)
MSI PS63 Modern 8SC
Intel Core i7-8565U
437 Points +24%
Razer Blade Stealth i7-1065G7 Iris Plus
Intel Core i7-1065G7
388 Points +10%
Lenovo ThinkPad T495-20NKS01Y00
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 3500U
369 Points +5%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H
362 Points +3%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U
352 Points
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H
340 Points -3%
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
AMD Ryzen 7 3700U
334 Points -5%
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6966
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
18307
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
4525
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
7.82 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
46.64 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.65 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
139 Points
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
98 %
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
55 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
693 Points
Help

System Performance

PCMark ranks our Ryzen-powered Surface Laptop higher than any Intel-powered Surface model from previous generations save for the Surface Book series with discrete Nvidia GPUs. The Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 is able to consistently outscore our Surface Laptop to suggest that the pricier Surface Laptop 3 Core i7 SKU should be faster on paper.

We experienced no issues during our time with the unit save for the relatively minor ones as noted here. Nonetheless, we can't ignore the fact that the Surface series has had a rocky history of faulty hardware for long-term owners.

PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 10 Standard
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Home Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 8 Work Accelerated
PCMark 10
Score
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
4805 Points +18%
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZPZ512G
4677 Points +15%
HP Spectre x360 15-df0126ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
4636 Points +14%
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8650U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4417 Points +9%
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
UHD Graphics 630, i5-9300H, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G
4105 Points +1%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
Vega 9, R5 3580U, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
4056 Points
Microsoft Surface Pro 6, Core i7, 512 GB
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8650U, Toshiba KBG30ZPZ512G
3448 Points -15%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB
0 Points -100%
Essentials
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZPZ512G
9678 Points +23%
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
UHD Graphics 630, i5-9300H, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G
9000 Points +14%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
8894 Points +13%
HP Spectre x360 15-df0126ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
8237 Points +5%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
Vega 9, R5 3580U, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
7861 Points
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8650U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
7554 Points -4%
Microsoft Surface Pro 6, Core i7, 512 GB
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8650U, Toshiba KBG30ZPZ512G
7039 Points -10%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB
6862 Points -13%
Productivity
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
7569 Points +24%
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZPZ512G
7179 Points +18%
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
UHD Graphics 630, i5-9300H, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G
6771 Points +11%
HP Spectre x360 15-df0126ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
6722 Points +10%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
Vega 9, R5 3580U, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
6102 Points
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8650U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
6000 Points -2%
Microsoft Surface Pro 6, Core i7, 512 GB
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8650U, Toshiba KBG30ZPZ512G
5353 Points -12%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB
5344 Points -12%
Digital Content Creation
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8650U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
5160 Points +37%
HP Spectre x360 15-df0126ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
4884 Points +29%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
4473 Points +18%
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZPZ512G
3998 Points +6%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
Vega 9, R5 3580U, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
3778 Points
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
UHD Graphics 630, i5-9300H, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G
3096 Points -18%
Microsoft Surface Pro 6, Core i7, 512 GB
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8650U, Toshiba KBG30ZPZ512G
2952 Points -22%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB
0 Points -100%
PCMark 8
Home Score Accelerated v2
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
UHD Graphics 630, i5-9300H, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G
4175 Points +25%
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZPZ512G
3982 Points +19%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
3735 Points +12%
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8650U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
3601 Points +8%
HP Spectre x360 15-df0126ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
3494 Points +4%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
Vega 9, R5 3580U, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
3348 Points
Microsoft Surface Pro 6, Core i7, 512 GB
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8650U, Toshiba KBG30ZPZ512G
3281 Points -2%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB
3153 Points -6%
Microsoft Surface Laptop i5
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Toshiba THNSN0128GTYA
3071 Points -8%
Work Score Accelerated v2
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7, Toshiba BG4 KBG40ZPZ512G
5086 Points +20%
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
UHD Graphics 630, i5-9300H, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G
5070 Points +19%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB
4923 Points +16%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
4575 Points +8%
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8650U, Samsung PM961 MZVLW256HEHP
4544 Points +7%
HP Spectre x360 15-df0126ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
4316 Points +2%
Microsoft Surface Pro 6, Core i7, 512 GB
UHD Graphics 620, i7-8650U, Toshiba KBG30ZPZ512G
4262 Points 0%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
Vega 9, R5 3580U, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
4246 Points
Microsoft Surface Laptop i5
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Toshiba THNSN0128GTYA
4106 Points -3%
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3348 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4246 points
PCMark 10 Score
4056 points
Help

Storage Devices - Slow SK Hynix Again

Microsoft has sourced SK Hynix once again for all its storage needs. The single M.2 2230 slot houses an SK Hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG NVMe SSD for slow sequential read and write rates of just 1100 MB/s and 500 MB/s, respectively, to be in line with last year's Surface Laptop 2. Competing flagship Ultrabooks tend to come with much faster drives from Toshiba, Apple, or Samsung.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB
Microsoft Surface Laptop i5
Toshiba THNSN0128GTYA
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Apple SSD AP0512
HP Spectre x360 15-df0126ng
Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
AS SSD
10%
-89%
133%
2%
55%
Seq Read
1122
826
-26%
561
-50%
2357
110%
2239
100%
2018
80%
Seq Write
514
555
8%
117.2
-77%
1235
140%
1644
220%
773
50%
4K Read
34.98
33.39
-5%
20.15
-42%
43.29
24%
9.46
-73%
24.62
-30%
4K Write
96.8
95.3
-2%
39.07
-60%
99.7
3%
18.78
-81%
92.8
-4%
4K-64 Read
492
447
-9%
80.4
-84%
1020
107%
965
96%
845
72%
4K-64 Write
339.9
370.4
9%
35.48
-90%
1502
342%
163.5
-52%
957
182%
Access Time Read *
0.056
0.048
14%
0.128
-129%
0.07
-25%
0.225
-302%
0.147
-163%
Access Time Write *
0.11
0.048
56%
0.369
-235%
0.039
65%
0.057
48%
Score Read
639
563
-12%
157
-75%
1299
103%
1199
88%
1071
68%
Score Write
488
521
7%
86
-82%
1726
254%
347
-29%
1127
131%
Score Total
1434
1369
-5%
309
-78%
3640
154%
2119
48%
2684
87%
Copy ISO MB/s
828
755
-9%
87.1
-89%
2145
159%
1652
100%
Copy Program MB/s
200.5
325.1
62%
62.7
-69%
565
182%
328.5
64%
Copy Game MB/s
387.4
577
49%
80.5
-79%
1320
241%
700
81%

* ... smaller is better

SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
CDM 5/6 Read Seq Q32T1: 2028 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write Seq Q32T1: 820 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K Q32T1: 270 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K Q32T1: 326.6 MB/s
CDM 5 Read Seq: 1044 MB/s
CDM 5 Write Seq: 706 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Read 4K: 35.63 MB/s
CDM 5/6 Write 4K: 99 MB/s

GPU Performance - Don't Expect Much

We had anticipated the integrated Radeon RX Vega 9 to perform very similarly to the Vega 10 in the Ryzen 7 3700U and 3DMark benchmarks confirm our predictions. Results are within just a few percentage points of both the Dell Inspiron 15 5585 with the Ryzen 7 3700U and Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 with the Core i7-1065G7 Iris Plus. The gen-to-gen leap is what's more significant here as the UHD Graphics 620 or Iris Plus Graphics 640 on the older Surface Laptop models are each over 2x slower.

3DMark 11
3DMark 11
Ice Storm
Ice Storm
Ice Storm Unlimited
Ice Storm Unlimited
Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate
Fire Strike
Fire Strike
Time Spy
Time Spy
3DMark
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
Dell G3 3590
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H
58270 Points +203%
Microsoft Surface Book 2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-8650U
29376 Points +53%
MSI PL62 MX150 7700HQ
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ
21594 Points +12%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, i7-8565U
21545 Points +12%
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, R7 3700U
20784 Points +8%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Radeon RX Vega 9, R5 3580U
19255 Points
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7
18881 Points -2%
Lenovo Yoga 530-14ARR-81H9000VGE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, R7 2700U
17440 Points -9%
Lenovo ThinkPad A285-20MX0002GE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 PRO 2500U
14071 Points -27%
Lenovo Ideapad L340-17API-81LY0004GE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 3500U
13777 Points -28%
Microsoft Surface Laptop i7
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640, i7-7660U
10486 Points -46%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS5DU00
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U
9858 Points -49%
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
Intel UHD Graphics 630, i5-9300H
9765 Points -49%
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i7-8665U
9354 Points -51%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8650U
10708 Points +284%
Dell G3 3590
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H
9315 Points +234%
Microsoft Surface Book 2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-8650U
5787 Points +107%
MSI PL62 MX150 7700HQ
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ
3673 Points +32%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, i7-8565U
3616 Points +30%
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7
3144 Points +13%
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, R7 3700U
2999 Points +8%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Radeon RX Vega 9, R5 3580U
2789 Points
Lenovo Yoga 530-14ARR-81H9000VGE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, R7 2700U
2376 Points -15%
Lenovo Pre-Sample
Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4 (Ice Lake 48 EU), i5-1035G4
2210 Points -21%
Lenovo ThinkPad A285-20MX0002GE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 PRO 2500U
2036 Points -27%
Lenovo Ideapad L340-17API-81LY0004GE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 3500U
1981 Points -29%
Microsoft Surface Laptop i7
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640, i7-7660U
1315 Points -53%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS5DU00
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U
1308 Points -53%
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
Intel UHD Graphics 630, i5-9300H
1178 Points -58%
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i7-8665U
1173 Points -58%
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics
Dell G3 3590
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H
112518 Points +60%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, i7-8565U
81895 Points +16%
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, R7 3700U
78094 Points +11%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Radeon RX Vega 9, R5 3580U
70492 Points
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7
68277 Points -3%
Lenovo ThinkPad A285-20MX0002GE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 PRO 2500U
66714 Points -5%
Lenovo Yoga 530-14ARR-81H9000VGE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, R7 2700U
62384 Points -12%
Lenovo Ideapad L340-17API-81LY0004GE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 3500U
61785 Points -12%
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i7-8665U
42335 Points -40%
Microsoft Surface Book 2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-8650U
30327 Points -57%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8650U
3577 Points +310%
Dell G3 3590
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H
3519 Points +304%
Microsoft Surface Book 2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-8650U
1682 Points +93%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, i7-8565U
1090 Points +25%
MSI PL62 MX150 7700HQ
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ
1058 Points +21%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Radeon RX Vega 9, R5 3580U
872 Points
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, R7 3700U
852 Points -2%
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7
833 Points -4%
Lenovo Yoga 530-14ARR-81H9000VGE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, R7 2700U
679 Points -22%
Lenovo Ideapad L340-17API-81LY0004GE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 3500U
584 Points -33%
Lenovo ThinkPad A285-20MX0002GE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 PRO 2500U
523 Points -40%
Microsoft Surface Laptop i7
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640, i7-7660U
420 Points -52%
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon 2018-20KGS5DU00
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i5-8550U
392 Points -55%
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i7-8665U
391 Points -55%
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
Intel UHD Graphics 630, i5-9300H
382 Points -56%
3DMark 11
1280x720 Performance GPU
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8650U
14254 Points +225%
Dell G3 3590
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H
13228 Points +202%
Microsoft Surface Book 2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-8650U
7483 (7472min - 7485max) Points +71%
MSI PL62 MX150 7700HQ
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ
4685 Points +7%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, i7-8565U
4633 Points +6%
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7
4594 Points +5%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Radeon RX Vega 9, R5 3580U
4380 Points
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, R7 3700U
4165 Points -5%
Lenovo Yoga 530-14ARR-81H9000VGE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, R7 2700U
4045 Points -8%
Lenovo Ideapad L340-17API-81LY0004GE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 3500U
3146 Points -28%
Lenovo ThinkPad A285-20MX0002GE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 PRO 2500U
3123 Points -29%
Microsoft Surface Laptop i7
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640, i7-7660U
2401 Points -45%
Microsoft Surface Laptop i7
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640, i7-7660U
1980 Points -55%
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i7-8665U
1804 Points -59%
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
Intel UHD Graphics 630, i5-9300H
1750 Points -60%
1280x720 Performance Combined
Dell G3 3590
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile, i5-9300H
8880 Points +192%
Microsoft Surface Book 2 15
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Mobile, i7-8650U
8135 Points +168%
Microsoft Surface Book 2
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile, i7-8650U
7304 (7294min - 7314max) Points +140%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
NVIDIA GeForce MX250, i7-8565U
4280 Points +41%
MSI PL62 MX150 7700HQ
NVIDIA GeForce MX150, i7-7700HQ
4277 Points +41%
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU), i7-1065G7
4143 Points +36%
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, R7 3700U
3247 Points +7%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Radeon RX Vega 9, R5 3580U
3041 Points
Lenovo Yoga 530-14ARR-81H9000VGE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 10, R7 2700U
2780 Points -9%
Lenovo Ideapad L340-17API-81LY0004GE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 3500U
2001 Points -34%
Lenovo ThinkPad A285-20MX0002GE
AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000), R5 PRO 2500U
1982 Points -35%
Microsoft Surface Laptop i7
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640, i7-7660U
1968 Points -35%
Microsoft Surface Laptop i7
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640, i7-7660U
1800 Points -41%
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
Intel UHD Graphics 630, i5-9300H
1763 Points -42%
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH
Intel UHD Graphics 620, i7-8665U
1527 Points -50%
3DMark 06 Standard Score
13365 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
12628 points
3DMark 11 Performance
4424 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
77533 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
13582 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
2524 points
3DMark Time Spy Score
974 points
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Gaming Performance

Real-world performance in games is average at best and disappointing at worst. When running the Shadow of the Tomb Raider benchmark, for example, the 29 FPS average matches what we observed on the XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 and Razer Blade Stealth with the competing Core i7-1065G7 Iris Plus. Meanwhile, other games like Fortnite, Rocket League, and Witcher 3 show the Radeon Vega 9 to be anywhere from 15 to 40 percent slower. In fact, frame rates in Fortnite are 25 percent slower than the Honor Magicbook with the older Ryzen 5 2500U and RX Vega 8. Having dual-channel RAM would have definitely helped here in this regard and so we suspect the higher-end Ryzen 7 3780U Surface Laptop configuration to perform even better. Either way, your safest bet would be to run most games on low settings only.

Idling on Witcher 3 for one hour shows unusual frame rate behavior even after repeat testing. As shown by our graph below, frame rates remain steady at about 47 FPS before dropping sharply to 41 FPS. On most other laptops, frame rates would remain steady throughout with shallower frame rate dips, if any. The Ryzen 5 processor may be reaching its limit when balancing between temperature and TDP for the CPU and integrated GPU.

Rocket League
1280x720 Performance
HP Spectre x360 15-df0126ng
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q
249.1 fps +147%
Dell G3 3590
Intel Core i5-9300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
247 fps +145%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.9 GHz, Vega 20)
Intel Core i9-8950HK, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20
236.8 fps +135%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
206.7 fps +105%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
175.4 fps +74%
MSI PL62 MX150 7700HQ
Intel Core i7-7700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
160 (124min - 204max) fps +59%
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
AMD Ryzen 7 3700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
119.7 fps +19%
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Core i7-1065G7, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
114 fps +13%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 9
100.7 fps
Microsoft Surface Laptop i7
Intel Core i7-7660U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
96 (60min - 152max) fps -5%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
Intel Core i5-8250U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
93.9 fps -7%
Razer Blade Stealth i7-1065G7 Iris Plus
Intel Core i7-1065G7, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
93.2 fps -7%
Lenovo ThinkPad A285-20MX0002GE
AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 2500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000)
52.9 fps -47%
1920x1080 Quality AA:Medium FX
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.9 GHz, Vega 20)
Intel Core i9-8950HK, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20
190.7 fps +313%
Dell G3 3590
Intel Core i5-9300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
188.7 fps +308%
HP Spectre x360 15-df0126ng
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q
169.1 fps +266%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
160.8 fps +248%
MSI PS63 Modern 8SC
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q
128 (101min) fps +177%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
77 fps +67%
Razer Blade Stealth i7-1065G7 Iris Plus
Intel Core i7-1065G7, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
71.3 fps +54%
MSI PL62 MX150 7700HQ
Intel Core i7-7700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
69.1 (53min - 95max) fps +50%
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Core i7-1065G7, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
62.6 fps +35%
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
AMD Ryzen 7 3700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
59.9 fps +30%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 9
46.2 fps
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
Intel Core i5-8250U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
34.8 fps -25%
Microsoft Surface Laptop i7
Intel Core i7-7660U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
33.9 (23min - 46max) fps -27%
The Witcher 3
1024x768 Low Graphics & Postprocessing
Dell G3 3590
Intel Core i5-9300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
175.1 fps +318%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
138.4 fps +230%
HP Spectre x360 15-df0126ng
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q
131.3 fps +213%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.9 GHz, Vega 20)
Intel Core i9-8950HK, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20
119 fps +184%
Microsoft Surface Book 2
Intel Core i7-8650U, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile
110.6 fps +164%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop)
108.8 fps +160%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop)
105.5 fps +152%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Intel Core i7-8850H, AMD Radeon Pro 560X
96 (80min - 103max) fps +129%
MSI PL62 MX150 7700HQ
Intel Core i7-7700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
72 (61min - 79max) fps +72%
Razer Blade Stealth i7-8565U
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
68.8 fps +64%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
63.5 fps +52%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
Intel Core i7-8550U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
59.7 fps +42%
Razer Blade Stealth i7-1065G7 Iris Plus
Intel Core i7-1065G7, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
58 fps +38%
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Core i7-1065G7, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
54.9 fps +31%
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
AMD Ryzen 7 3700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
53.8 fps +28%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 9
41.9 fps
Honor Magicbook
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000)
37 fps -12%
Lenovo Yoga 530-14ARR-81H9000VGE
AMD Ryzen 7 2700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
36.5 fps -13%
Huawei MateBook D 14 W00D-53010GXL
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000)
28.98 fps -31%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
Intel Core i5-8250U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
16.6 fps -60%
Microsoft Surface Laptop i7
Intel Core i7-7660U, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
16.4 (12min - 22max) fps -61%
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH
Intel Core i7-8665U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
15.8 fps -62%
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
48.8 fps +502%
Dell G3 3590
Intel Core i5-9300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
36.2 fps +347%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.9 GHz, Vega 20)
Intel Core i9-8950HK, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20
31.8 fps +293%
MSI PS63 Modern 8SC
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q
28.8 (23min) fps +256%
HP Spectre x360 15-df0126ng
Intel Core i7-8750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q
25.4 fps +214%
Asus TUF FX505DY
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop)
22.7 fps +180%
Asus TUF FX705DY-AU072
AMD Ryzen 5 3550H, AMD Radeon RX 560X (Laptop)
21.7 fps +168%
Microsoft Surface Book 2
Intel Core i7-8650U, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Mobile
21 fps +159%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Intel Core i7-8850H, AMD Radeon Pro 560X
19.7 (16min - 22max) fps +143%
MSI PL62 MX150 7700HQ
Intel Core i7-7700HQ, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
12.8 (10min - 15max) fps +58%
Razer Blade Stealth i7-8565U
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
12.6 fps +56%
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
AMD Ryzen 7 3700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
11.5 fps +42%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
11.4 fps +41%
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
Intel Core i7-8550U, NVIDIA GeForce MX150
11 fps +36%
Razer Blade Stealth i7-1065G7 Iris Plus
Intel Core i7-1065G7, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
9.6 fps +19%
Lenovo Yoga 530-14ARR-81H9000VGE
AMD Ryzen 7 2700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
8.3 fps +2%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 9
8.1 fps
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Core i7-1065G7, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
7.8 fps -4%
Dell Latitude 7400-8N6DH
Intel Core i7-8665U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
3 fps -63%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 1280x720 Lowest Preset
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.9 GHz, Vega 20)
Intel Core i9-8950HK, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 20
111 fps +283%
Dell G3 3590
Intel Core i5-9300H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Mobile
102 fps +252%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Intel Core i7-8850H, AMD Radeon Pro 560X
81 (60min - 147max) fps +179%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
62 fps +114%
Acer Aspire 5 A515-52G-723L
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce MX250
46 fps +59%
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
AMD Ryzen 7 3700U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 10
38 fps +31%
Razer Blade Stealth i7-1065G7 Iris Plus
Intel Core i7-1065G7, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
30 fps +3%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 9
29 fps
Dell XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 Core i7
Intel Core i7-1065G7, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
27 fps -7%
Microsoft Surface Pro 6, Core i7, 512 GB
Intel Core i7-8650U, Intel UHD Graphics 620
16 fps -45%
Fortnite
1280x720 Low Preset
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Intel Core i7-8850H, AMD Radeon Pro 560X
149 (102min - 196max) fps +210%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
138 fps +188%
Razer Blade Stealth i7-1065G7 Iris Plus
Intel Core i7-1065G7, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
77 fps +60%
Honor Magicbook
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000)
63.6 fps +33%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 9
48 fps
1920x1080 Medium Preset
MSI PS63 Modern 8SC
Intel Core i7-8565U, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Max-Q
138 (104min) fps +519%
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 GA502DU
AMD Ryzen 7 3750H, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Max-Q
92.2 fps +313%
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Intel Core i7-8850H, AMD Radeon Pro 560X
66 (53min - 82max) fps +196%
Razer Blade Stealth i7-1065G7 Iris Plus
Intel Core i7-1065G7, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G7 (Ice Lake 64 EU)
32.3 fps +45%
Honor Magicbook
AMD Ryzen 5 2500U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 8 (Ryzen 2000/3000)
30.1 fps +35%
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
AMD Ryzen 5 3580U, AMD Radeon RX Vega 9
22.3 fps
06012018024030036042048054060066072078084090096010201080Tooltip
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U Vega 9, R5 3580U, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG: Ø42.9 (39-49)
Average of class Office  : Ø107.5 (65.3-1131)
low med. high ultra
BioShock Infinite (2013) 117.9 20.5
The Witcher 3 (2015) 41.9 13.3 8.1
Overwatch (2016) 92.3 36.3 19.3
Rocket League (2017) 100.7 46.2 30.4
Fortnite (2018) 48 22.3 15.7 9.1
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) 29 8
Apex Legends (2019) 60.7 20.9 18 14.5
F1 2019 (2019) 51 21 18 12
Borderlands 3 (2019) 28.3 13.5 7.8

Emissions

System Noise - Quiet Under Most Loads

The cooling solution consists of just two heat pipes and a single fan. We're usually wary of single-fan setups on Ultrabooks as the fan may pulse and become active more frequently than a dual-fan setup. Fortunately, the Surface Laptop 3 is almost always silent or at least very nearly so even after extended browsing or video streaming. We recorded a fan noise of just around 30 dB(A) when running the first benchmark scene of 3DMark 06 to be not unlike what we discovered on the previous generation Surface Laptop models. 

Fan noise will ramp up slowly but surely during more demanding loads. When running Witcher 3, the fan steadily increases to 31 .4 dB(A), 34.4 dB(A), 37.2 dB(A), and then finally to a stable 39 dB(A).

We can notice no electronic noise or coil whine on our test unit.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
Vega 9, R5 3580U, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
UHD Graphics 620, i5-8250U, SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB
Microsoft Surface Laptop i5
HD Graphics 620, i5-7200U, Toshiba THNSN0128GTYA
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
UHD Graphics 630, i5-9300H, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
Radeon Pro 560X, i7-8850H, Apple SSD AP0512
HP Spectre x360 15-df0126ng
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, i7-8750H, Toshiba XG5-P KXG50PNV2T04
Noise
1%
-1%
-4%
-14%
-14%
off / environment *
28
28.7
-3%
28.2
-1%
29.3
-5%
29.6
-6%
30.4
-9%
Idle Minimum *
28
28.7
-3%
28.2
-1%
29.3
-5%
30.1
-8%
30.4
-9%
Idle Average *
28
28.7
-3%
28.2
-1%
29.3
-5%
30.1
-8%
30.4
-9%
Idle Maximum *
28
28.7
-3%
29
-4%
29.8
-6%
30.1
-8%
31.6
-13%
Load Average *
29.2
30
-3%
30.3
-4%
32.4
-11%
46.8
-60%
43.2
-48%
Witcher 3 ultra *
39
36
8%
Load Maximum *
41.4
32.9
21%
39.3
5%
37.2
10%
46.8
-13%
38.3
7%

* ... smaller is better

Noise Level

Idle
28 / 28 / 28 dB(A)
Load
29.2 / 41.4 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Audix TM1, Arta (15 cm distance)   environment noise: 28 dB(A)

Temperature

Single exhaust vent along the rear
Single exhaust vent along the rear

Most laptops have ventilation grilles on the bottom to aid in heat dissipation. The Surface Laptop 3 omits them completely and the consequences are apparent as average surface temperatures are warmer than what we've come to expect from an Ultrabook. Hot spots when gaming or running demanding loads can be as warm as 50 C on the bottom with a shallower temperature gradient than on the HP Spectre or Asus ZenBook. In other words, hot spots are larger and more noticeable when typing or placing the laptop on one's lap. Most of the keyboard keys hover around 40 C when gaming while the palm rests are a balmy 35 C.

Max. Load
 42 °C
108 F
43.6 °C
110 F
36.8 °C
98 F
 
 39 °C
102 F
42.4 °C
108 F
36.6 °C
98 F
 
 35.8 °C
96 F
33.4 °C
92 F
34.8 °C
95 F
 
Maximum: 43.6 °C = 110 F
Average: 38.3 °C = 101 F
44.2 °C
112 F
48.8 °C
120 F
49.4 °C
121 F
40.6 °C
105 F
44.2 °C
112 F
42.8 °C
109 F
38 °C
100 F
39 °C
102 F
39.6 °C
103 F
Maximum: 49.4 °C = 121 F
Average: 43 °C = 109 F
Power Supply (max.)  48 °C = 118 F | Room Temperature 23 °C = 73 F | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 38.3 °C / 101 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43.6 °C / 110 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 49.4 °C / 121 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.6 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(±) Playing The Witcher 3, the average temperature for the upper side is 37.6 °C / 100 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (35.8 °C / 96.4 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-8.1 °C / -14.5 F).
System idle (top)
System idle (top)
System idle (bottom)
System idle (bottom)
Witcher 3 load (top)
Witcher 3 load (top)
Witcher 3 load (bottom)
Witcher 3 load (bottom)
Prime95+FurMark stress (top)
Prime95+FurMark stress (top)
Prime95+FurMark stress (bottom)
Prime95+FurMark stress (bottom)

Stress Test - Decent Core Temperatures

We stress the laptop with synthetic loads in order to identify for any throttling behavior. When running Prime95, clock rates would spike up to 3.75 GHz for the first few seconds before dropping to 3.25 GHz and ~79 C. After a few more minutes, clock rates and temperature drop even further to 2.5 GHz and 66 C, respectively. This two-step drop in performance matches both our power consumption readings below and our CineBench loop test results above. Final stable values are not unlike most Ultrabooks with ULV Intel CPUs including the ZenBook S13 or HP Spectre x360 15. The Dell XPS lineup is a notable exception as these models tend to run even warmer for faster performance.

Running Witcher 3 results in a stable GPU clock rate of 800 MHz and an acceptable core temperature of 62 C. Performance will not drop if running on battery power; a Fire Strike run on batteries returns Physics and Graphics scores of 9636 and 2809 points, respectively, compared to 9805 and 2789 points when on mains.

System idle
System idle
FurMark stress
FurMark stress
Witcher 3 stress
Witcher 3 stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Prime95+FurMark stress
Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress
Prime95 stress (After 5 minutes)
Prime95 stress (After 5 minutes)
CPU Clock (GHz) GPU Clock (MHz) Average CPU Temperature ( Tctl/Tidle °C) Average GPU Temperature (°C)
System Idle -- -- 44 39
Prime95 Stress 2.4 -- 66 56
FurMark Stress -- ~730 64 60
Prime95 + FurMark Stress 1.5 244 59 65
Witcher 3 Stress ~1.6 800 62 58

Speakers - Could be Louder

There are no dedicated speaker grilles and so audio comes from underneath the keyboard keys. Sound quality is relatively balanced between bass and treble with a shallow roll off at about 500 Hz. HP EliteBook laptops are louder to be the better laptop for conference rooms where speaker volume is more important than bass reproduction. Higher volume settings will not introduce any static or shaking, but the palm rests will vibrate to the touch.

Pink noise at maximum volume
Pink noise at maximum volume
dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2041.446.82538.743.13138.441.14037.339.15034.939.36335.343.2803547.210034.653.212534.357.316033.661.220032.96225031.964.431531.165.540030.969.250030.272.763029.57380029.265.4100028.762.7125028.362.7160028.268.5200027.970250027.865.6315027.766400027.670500027.568.8630027.467.8800027.562.61000027.255.31250027.656.71600027.552.5SPL40.479.9N3.950.7median 28.3median 65.4Delta1.54.835.335.132.931.831.83236.535.132.428.93328.936.328.848.32761.52752.924.860.92462.822.763.32269.521.267.82174.82075.919.472.718.97117.770.117.86917.671.817.668.117.671.417.673.717.670.417.571.617.671.617.669.617.459.717.583.630.662.51.5median 69.6median 17.84.72.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseMicrosoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580UApple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(+) | good bass - only 4.8% away from median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.5% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (9.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (14.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 9% of all tested devices in this class were better, 4% similar, 88% worse
» The best had a delta of 7%, average was 22%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 15% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 81% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Apple MacBook 12 (Early 2016) 1.1 GHz audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(±) | reduced bass - on average 11.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (14.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (10.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 93% worse
» The best had a delta of 5%, average was 19%, worst was 53%
Compared to all devices tested
» 3% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 96% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Energy Management

Power Consumption - Excellent Power Management During Low Loads

Idling on desktop demands between 3 W and 8 W depending on the system profile and brightness level while medium loads (i.e., 3DMark 06) will demand about 45 W to be more than both the AMD-powered Inspiron 15 5585 and HP EliteBook 755 G5 under similar conditions. Gaming will also demand about 45 W to be not unlike the Asus VivoBook S15 and its 10 W GeForce MX150.

When running Prime95, consumption spikes to 52 W for the first few seconds before dropping to 43 W. After about 4.5 minutes, consumption drops further to just 32 W as shown by our graph below. This behavior mirrors our CineBench R15 Multi-Thread observations above where scores are steady for the initial ten loops before falling and cycling.

We're able to record a maximum draw of 53 W from the small (~9 x 5 x 2.5 cm) 60 W AC adapter.

Consumption when running 3DMark 06
Consumption when running 3DMark 06
Consumption when running Witcher 3
Consumption when running Witcher 3
Prime95 initiated at 10s mark. Consumption spikes to 52 W before falling to 43 W and then finally 32 W
Prime95 initiated at 10s mark. Consumption spikes to 52 W before falling to 43 W and then finally 32 W
Prime95+FurMark initiated at 10s mark. Behavior and values are almost identical to Prime95 only stress since the CPU and GPU are under the same power envelope
Prime95+FurMark initiated at 10s mark. Behavior and values are almost identical to Prime95 only stress since the CPU and GPU are under the same power envelope
Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.2 / 0.51 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 3.3 / 7.1 / 7.2 Watt
Load midlight 44.8 / 53 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
R5 3580U, Vega 9, SK hynix BC501 HFM256GDGTNG, IPS, 2496x1664, 15.00
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620, SK Hynix BC501 NVMe 256 GB, IPS, 2256x1504, 13.50
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
i5-9300H, UHD Graphics 630, Toshiba XG6 KXG60ZNV512G, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Asus VivoBook S15 S530UN-BQ097T
i5-8550U, GeForce MX150, SanDisk SD9SN8W256G1027, IPS LED, 1920x1080, 15.60
Dell Inspiron 15 5000 5585
R7 3700U, Vega 10, WDC PC SN520 SDAPNUW-512G, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
HP EliteBook 755 G5 3UN79EA
R7 2700U, Vega 10, Toshiba XG5 KXG50ZNV512G, IPS, 1920x1080, 15.60
Power Consumption
7%
-36%
-8%
5%
-32%
Idle Minimum *
3.3
3
9%
3.79
-15%
3.1
6%
4.2
-27%
5
-52%
Idle Average *
7.1
6.8
4%
6.9
3%
6.3
11%
6.8
4%
10.6
-49%
Idle Maximum *
7.2
8.76
-22%
9.2
-28%
8.6
-19%
7
3%
12.9
-79%
Load Average *
44.8
35.1
22%
62
-38%
56.4
-26%
36.5
19%
40.6
9%
Witcher 3 ultra *
45.1
45
-0%
37.9
16%
Load Maximum *
53
42.6
20%
108
-104%
62.7
-18%
44
17%
46.6
12%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The 45 Wh battery capacity has not changed since the original Surface Laptop. Fortunately, battery life has been relatively consistent gen-over-gen according to our own tests. Users can expect just over 9 hours of real-world WLAN use out of this Ryzen model not unlike on last year's Intel-powered Surface Laptop 2.

Recharging from empty to full capacity takes about 1.5 hours. The AC adapter integrates a handy USB Type-A port solely for charging additional devices if needed.

Small 60 Wh AC adapter
Small 60 Wh AC adapter
Free USB Type-A port for charging purposes only with no data transfer
Free USB Type-A port for charging purposes only with no data transfer
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
18h 41min
WiFi Websurfing
9h 06min
Load (maximum brightness)
1h 42min
Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
R5 3580U, Vega 9, 45 Wh
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2-LQN-00004
i5-8250U, UHD Graphics 620, 45 Wh
Microsoft Surface Laptop i5
i5-7200U, HD Graphics 620, 45 Wh
Dell XPS 15 7590 i5 iGPU FHD
i5-9300H, UHD Graphics 630, 97 Wh
Apple MacBook Pro 15 2018 (2.6 GHz, 560X)
i7-8850H, Radeon Pro 560X, 83 Wh
HP Spectre x360 15-df0126ng
i7-8750H, GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Max-Q, 84 Wh
Battery Runtime
2%
18%
27%
12%
10%
Reader / Idle
1121
1249
11%
1351
21%
1127
1%
WiFi v1.3
546
543
-1%
602
10%
844
55%
614
12%
528
-3%
Load
102
98
-4%
124
22%
100
-2%
135
32%
Witcher 3 ultra
88

Pros

+ much better GPU performance than the UHD Graphics 620
+ bright 3:2 touchscreen is well calibrated out of the box
+ full CPU and GPU performance when on batteries
+ lighter and thinner than most in its size category
+ easier to service than the Surface Laptop 2
+ almost always silent
+ rigid chassis design
+ full sRGB coverage
+ finally a USB Type-C port with Power Delivery...

Cons

- ... but it supports Gen. 1 only
- pulse-width modulation at lower brightness levels
- slow response times; noticeable ghosting
- moderate uneven backlight bleeding
- no Pantone-certified pre-calibration
- 8 GB of non-upgradeable RAM
- no webcam privacy shutter
- no fingerprint reader
- difficult serviceability
- thick display bezels
- slow NVMe drive

Verdict

In review: Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U
In review: Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U

The Surface Laptop 3 15 has a few highlights. Firstly, the fact that the cheaper Ryzen 5 3580U can come within just an arm's reach of the more expensive Core i7-1065G7 in CPU horsepower is a notable feat for AMD. Factors like battery life and fan noise have barely changed since the Surface Laptop 2 which means that the AMD-powered Surface Laptop 3 can offer faster performance than the last generation model without the usual repercussions. Keep in mind that while we haven't tested the Core i7 Surface Laptop 3 15 ourselves yet, it's going to have to really impress since it retails for $500 more (!) than the AMD Ryzen 5 version.

The second notable highlight is the uncommon 3:2 touchscreen. The panel is crisp and relatively bright with full sRGB coverage. Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn't offer factory calibration options a la the Gigabyte Aero 15 or Razer Blade and so an end-user calibration is required to get the most out of the display.

Almost everything else about the Surface Laptop 3 is merely average or disappointing considering the high price point. This larger 15-inch Surface Laptop was Microsoft's chance to address the poor connectivity options of the 13.5-inch Surface Laptop, but nothing has really improved. The mini DisplayPort is now gone which pushes users to invest in the separate $200 Surface Dock. The USB Type-C port lacks both Thunderbolt 3 and Power Delivery meaning that you'll have to carry the proprietary AC charger with you everywhere you go. In contrast, users can use a single universal USB Type-C charger between the Dell XPS 13, XPS 15, Huawei MateBook X Pro, HP Spectre x360 13, smartphone, or tablet for superior versatility. (Update: USB Type-C charging now works after updating our Surface Laptop 3 unit.)

The thick bezels, slow NVMe SSD, slow black-white response times, and lack of Wi-Fi 6, LTE, fingerprint reader, and webcam privacy shutter all contribute to a barebones flagship laptop that feels outdated in spite of the great display and processor performance. The Surface Laptop 3 15 may be for you if you value its super-light 3:2 form factor and don't mind the limited connectivity, but you can do a lot better for $1500.

It looks nice and performs very well even for the least expensive AMD SKU, but the lack of features and ports will become apparent very quickly. More traditional flagship Ultrabooks offer so much more in terms of performance and connectivity at this price range.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 3580U - 10/27/2019 v7
Allen Ngo

Chassis
78 / 98 → 79%
Keyboard
80%
Pointing Device
89%
Connectivity
46 / 80 → 57%
Weight
69 / 20-75 → 88%
Battery
86%
Display
86%
Games Performance
57 / 78 → 73%
Application Performance
81 / 95 → 86%
Temperature
85%
Noise
96%
Audio
87%
Camera
35 / 85 → 41%
Average
75%
83%
Office - Weighted Average

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Surface Laptop 3 15 Ryzen 5 Review: Microsoft Can Do Better
Allen Ngo, 2019-10-29 (Update: 2019-11- 7)