Microsoft's Surface Laptop 4 presents more CPU choices than ever before, even offering configurations with Intel or AMD. Comparing processors is more nuanced than it once was, since these chips come with multiple cores and integrated GPUs. Not to mention, being housed inside a laptop means power consumption is a consideration as well. Taking all of these factors into account, a comparison can be made between the AMD and Intel choices available, and the associated prices for a new Surface Laptop 4.
The two leading PC processor manufacturers have been vying for the top position for many years, with Intel holding the lead for quite some time, but AMD recently surged ahead with its latest Ryzen 5000-series chips blasting through single-core benchmark tests. These chips use a 7-nanometer manufacturing process compared to Intel’s 10-nanometer scale. The more densely packed AMD chips automatically enjoy more efficiency and greater performance, since the electrons travel shorter distances and therefore complete instructions faster while using less energy. AMD also makes mobile versions of the Ryzen-5000 series, but Microsoft chose the lower cost 4000-series processors for its Surface Laptop 4.
In a recent tech overview, Microsoft explained what it perceives to be the differences between the lower-cost AMD Ryzen configuration and the Surface Laptop 4 that is powered by Intel’s eleventh-generation CPUs. AMD customized the Ryzen 5 4680U and Ryzen 7 4980 specifically for these devices and that is why they are called Microsoft Surface Edition processors. For example, each has an extra GPU card compared to the Ryzen 5 PRO 4650U and Ryzen 7 PRO 4750U. These enhanced chips may not be as fast as the 5000-series, but offer good performance and good value. Microsoft notes that the AMD processors offer the longest battery life. Since they can handle more threads at a time than the Intel chips, the overview recommends AMD for those looking for best the multitasking experience.
Microsoft recommends the Intel configurations for faster single-thread processing and stronger graphics performance. These will be more powerful laptops and also offer more memory and storage capacity. Therefore, power users will probably want to choose the Intel version of the Surface Laptop 4, although it really does depend on how the device will be used, how long between charges, and what type of work or play the device will be used for. The overview suggest that “developers, researchers and data scientists” may want an Intel chip anticipating a greater demand for single-thread speed when compiling code and processing large data sets. Gamers will be drawn to the faster GPU in an Intel Surface Laptop 4, but this is still integrated graphics, so it won’t stand up to a comparison with a discrete card.
The starting price for the 13.5-inch Intel Surface Laptop 4 is $1,300, which is almost a third more than the AMD version. Given the battery and multitasking advantages of the AMD chip, it may not be worth choosing the higher-priced model simply for the Intel CPU. The base Intel configuration includes 8-gigabytes of RAM and 512-gigabyte of storage, however, with the option of 1 full terabyte as well as optional memory up to 32-gigabytes. This is in comparison to the 8 or 16-gigabyte RAM and 256-gigabyte storage limit of the AMD version. For the 15-inch size, it’s a similar decision, with the Intel model costing at least $500 more, but optionally coming with up to 32-gigabytes of RAM and a terabyte of storage. Microsoft didn’t make it an easy decision, but does offer quite a few options to choose from. The best choice will depend on the shopper's needs, but any Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 model will provide a nice, reliable computer for day-to-day use.
Source: Microsoft
