Microsoft Launches Surface Studio 2 With Upgraded GPU, Display

Along with the Surface Pro and the Surface Laptop, Microsoft’s popular Surface Studio is getting a new upgrade today. Microsoft just took the wraps off the new Surface Studio 2, an iterative upgrade to the original Surface Studio which first launched back in 2016.

Microsoft’s new Surface Studio focuses mostly on internal upgrades. The new device still comes with Intel’s 7th gen Core processors, but there’s a 35% boost in performance. Microsoft is even doubling up on graphics power with the Surface Studio 2, now packing a “next-gen” Nvidia Pascal series GTX 1070 GPU, offering up to 50% better graphics. Not a massive improvement, but still better than nothing. Microsoft says the new Surface Studio 2 is the “fastest Surface ever.”

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Microsoft has even updated the Surface Studio display with a new LCD panel that’s 38% brighter and packs 13.5 million pixels. It also produces 22% more contrast. For the storage, you can get up to 2TB SSD, and that’s a huge change mainly because it’s no longer using a hybrid drive — it’s all SSD now. It does have a USB Type-C port, but that’s only for video output.

Surface Studio 2 starts at $3,499. Ships 15th of November.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmVAbB3M-4Y

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Conversation 19 comments

  • m_p_w_84

    02 October, 2018 - 5:45 pm

    <p>Love it. Want one. Can’t afford it. </p>

  • robincapper

    02 October, 2018 - 5:51 pm

    <p>Was hoping for something a bit more radical (like screen with dock to enable other Surface Hardware to be the processor) but this addresses the hardware concerns I had with the current one.</p>

  • ruusterc

    02 October, 2018 - 6:14 pm

    <p>all the beauty of the original finallly performance that is eqaul to its beauty</p>

  • SupaPete

    02 October, 2018 - 6:44 pm

    <p>I don’t get MS, it’s like they have not listened at all to the feedback.</p><p>I know many graphics artist, video creators, game devs etc enthusiasts (including me) who&nbsp;LOVE&nbsp;the form factor and have not bought gen 1 purely because of over focus on thin base and hence weak internals (making the Apple mistake, but Apple has the advantage for themselves that they are the only ones selling macs whereas pros using windows comps have other options).</p><p>Like ok, ssd instead of lame hybrid drive, all right specs start, but then again so slim base that it can only fit in a last gen mobile gpu?</p><p>In a device this expensive aimed mostly at graphics pros?</p><p>Like come on, does no one there have an idea what their target market wants in specs?</p><p>And then also previous gen&nbsp;CPU&nbsp;and no tb3?</p><p>Come on MS, seriously..</p><p>For the first surface studio i told myself ok, with these specs it is not for me yet, but the form factor is great and i’ll give them a pass on being behind on the specs as it surely took a while to get such a great device form factor going at all the first time.</p><p>But this time?</p><p>Sorry, inexcusable.</p>

    • evancox10

      02 October, 2018 - 8:29 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#337763">In reply to SupaPete:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Not sure why you're getting down voted, you're spot on. If you have the money to spend on this, you can afford the upgraded GPU. They should be combining this with Tesla, Volta, etc. Top of the line components.</p>

    • Andi

      03 October, 2018 - 11:11 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#337763">In reply to SupaPete:</a></em></blockquote><p>This is not for your friends, this is for the cintiq crowd. This is not a render farm or a number crunching workstation.</p><p><br></p><p>You don't need the latest CPU. Better safe than pulling something like Apple and create the throttle mess that is the latest MBP. Also, there are no current gen RTX mobile GPUs. </p><p><br></p><p>TB3 is a niche within a niche, mainly confined in mac userland. No one cares about it on the Windows camp. Actually the worst thing ever was merging USB with TB3. </p><p><br></p><p>The SS is about illustrators and it shows, it's not for connecting your mac to it. Don't buy it, it's not for you. </p>

      • SupaPete

        03 October, 2018 - 11:37 am

        <blockquote><a href="#340050"><em>In reply to Andi:</em></a><em> That's exactly my point though. They are currently pulling an Apple and should stop doing so.</em></blockquote><blockquote><em>Apple focusses on thinness over everything else to the degree where they have to put in weaker chips (gpu) or have to throttle heavily quickly (cpu).</em></blockquote><blockquote><em>MS is sadly doing the same mistake with the surface studio line where they put so much focus on this thin small base that of course then they can't put in a highend desktop graphics card for example.</em></blockquote><blockquote><em>I'm just asking for them please offering a highend option with highend desktop graphics card (which then has a higher/deeper base of course to fit it in). Also the latest highend cpus with proper cooling room and fans etc.</em></blockquote><blockquote><em>Also while at it also make it usable as external display.</em></blockquote><blockquote><em>And there you go, suddenly the thing is not only attractive to "the cintiq crowd" but also way more graphics and dev professionals. Like for example i do a lot of graphics intensive work in game dev and other fields and i would buy this in a heartbeat if they would address these things, since everything about the screen, form factor, hinge etc is all awesome.</em></blockquote><p><br></p>

        • Andi

          04 October, 2018 - 10:32 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#340080">In reply to SupaPete:</a></em></blockquote><p>The SS is also about dictating a use case. It's deliberately focused on illustrators to show that Windows is not just for the enterprise, it's also for artists. It's MS spearheading Windows towards a traditionally Windows-averse arena. </p><p><br></p><p>Now for you, MS offers, thank goodness, all kinds of hardware from a varied list of reputable OEMs. What you are asking from the SS is not going to happen.</p>

          • SupaPete

            04 October, 2018 - 7:41 pm

            <blockquote><em><a href="#347513">In reply to Andi:</a></em></blockquote><p>I want that surface studio screen though =D</p><p>I just want to use it with the most powerful rig i can get</p>

  • roland00

    02 October, 2018 - 9:37 pm

    <p>Is Leo getting one? That is the $3500 dollar question.</p>

    • Wierdninja

      04 October, 2018 - 1:59 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#338508">In reply to roland00:</a></em></blockquote><p>He loves the original one. I bet he does get the new one.</p>

  • smadore

    03 October, 2018 - 11:09 am

    <p>How about making a Surface Monitor. 28" and maybe a 20" or 22". Let people connect it to their own PC. </p>

  • Wierdninja

    04 October, 2018 - 1:52 pm

    <p>Which Surface Studio 2 models have the 1070 GPU? Can't find that information anywhere. I see Microsoft lists both the 1060 and the 1070 GPUs, but, does not say which models get them. I looked at the preorder, but, that also does not list which GPU comes with which price point. Also, Microsoft does not list the different GPUs as separate options. Why the vague information? Unless they all get the 1070? Anyone know?</p>

  • Wierdninja

    05 October, 2018 - 11:36 pm

    <p>Anybody know? How about you Mahedi Hassan?</p>

  • thisisdonovan

    18 October, 2018 - 7:29 pm

    <p class="ql-indent-1">Wait, the surface studio is popular?</p>

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