Howdy
We have a large batch of surface pro 5's available. $399 or $379.05 for eBay plus members
Units are in overall great condition, keyboard colours will vary
Intel i5 7300u
8Gb Ram
128Gb SSD
12.3” PixelSense Display
Win 11
12 Month Warranty
We have to guarantee a minimum 80% capacity for the eBay refurb program.
And how exactly do you do that?
They 'test' them maybe?
@frondono: They are not claiming it is 'good as new' for the batteries.
It is a 5yo device and you are only paying $380 for one of the best tablets out there…
They can run a program like hwmonitor which reads the full battery amount from bios, and makes real-time estimates of how much there actually is by measuring the rate of change in charge per second.
It's a fair question.
How exactly do they do that?
@JH100: By monitoring the rate at which the battery drains, and multiplying it by the duration over which the rate occurs (integrating rate over time), the Battery Management System (chip inside the battery) calculates the "battery wear level" which is the effective capacity of the battery, relative to 100% (as new/as designed)
This wear level can then be read using software such as HwINFO, BatteryInfoView, etc.
I am not aware of any software that does any calculation directly. They all read this number by communicating with the battery chip via the SMBus
@Che0063: Thanks, so I'd need one of those progs to know battery condition.
Over what period of time would the drain rate be measured for an accurate reading?
@JH100: BatteryInfoView is really light, no install required, just download and run
I've worked with about 8 laptops in the past and each BMS is different. Some are very accurate and rarely need updating, others will jump around all over the place
Your best bet is to charge to 100% (until BatteryInfoView shows "charge rate = 0mW") and then discharge until 0%, and then keep spamming the power button of the computer until it completely refuses to turn on. Charge whilst off for 3 hours, or until however long you know for sure it'll fully charge to 100%. With any luck, the BMS should accept that charge as a "full charge" as an acceptable flag to update its internal wear level percentage.
The reason I say to charge whilst off is that the BMS will potentially have a more accurate reading if it is charging the battery at a constant rate. If you have a computer that's on, sometimes the battery charge rate jumps around a bit depending on whether the AC adaptor can power the laptap AND charge the battery at the same time without sacrificing some of the charge rate to power the laptop.
You'll know when the BMS has updated its flag when the reading changes. TBH though, if you were to download the program right now and run it, 9/10 it'll be pretty accurate
I believe it's not really possible/practical to replace the batteries on these.
Checks ifixit guide
Oof, 56 steps not including reassembly, marked as difficult, 1-3 hour duration…
"All products are covered with a 180 days RTB warranty unless specified different" so it is 12 months ?
12
Are these good for browsing and excel work? Thanks
Only thing to be aware of is that the keyboards on these are a massive compromise. If you're not going to be using it as a tablet at all and you're going to be doing 8 hours a day of work on it, then I'd really be looking at a laptop.
The keyboards aren't horrible, but they're no where near as good as an even half-decent laptop keyboard.
Thanks. Laptop it is.
Lol what? Are you for real?
The surface line has arguably the best laptop keyboards there exists. I've gone from an SP4 to SL1 to SLGo, all have excellent keyboards.
??? I can only assume you've never used another laptop.
The surface keyboard covers like offered with this post are pretty good compared to detachable keyboards for iPads or android, but are at best "ok" compared to a regular laptop.
Key travel is necessarily very limited, lots of flex if you use it on your lap. It's ok on a desk.
@mskeggs: I've played around with plenty of laptops on display at jb, nothing comes close to the surface line ups. You'll find that most reviews of surface device praise the keyboard.
If you want limited keyboard, just try out a macbook lol.
@wizko: True, Apple hardware is the most ergonomicly compromised (they sell by looks, & less is more$ ;)
Nothing compares to proper mechanical keyboard. I still use Logi G110 (not the most expensive gamers, for work only) & after >10yrs it's more reliable than the latest MX Keys or any laptop keyboard.
I always use separate good keyboard & mouse with laptops.
My new work Surface Laptop keyboard is just OK.
For a super thin keyboard, they're fine, but the lack of travel, sponginess and keyboard flex make it hard to use them like a real keyboard if you're typing 8 hours a day.
The keyboard on the Surface Pro is ok, but the trackpad is as bad as any Windows laptop.
Had to chime in here. Surface keyboards in general are phenomenal to work on. I have countless different keyboards from pricey apple keyboards for my Macs to proper pricey mechanical gaming keyboards to SO many different top of the line logitechs to mushy piles of junk for my auxiliary stuff. But after owning an original Surface book and loving the key action, I got a standalone surface keyboard and haven’t looked back. Then got another for work and more for family members. The surface line has got to be one of the most perfectly industrially designed I have owned. Having said that, the surface pro keyboard itself is very good but not as super great as the rest of the line. This is mostly down to the design goals for its use case. It is supposed to be thin, light and ultra portable so the keyboard tends to be a bit flexy and key travel is more limited. But, come on, at such a low price, get the surface and buy a standalone keyboard. That should just be a given for serious work anyway.
The surface keyboards are some of the better one, better than many laptops. there are also 3rd party options for them or just plug an external keyboard in if you have a specific keyboard type you love.
Yeah that guy has absolutely zero clue what he's on about lol.
I agree.
If you are going to type on it 8hrs a day, definitely get another keybord.
Just $10 USB keyboard from officiworks will do.
Especially have something with numeric keypad if you use excel a lot.
But, I will go with same advice with most laptop if you use excel a lot.
Get a keyboard with numpad.
Most laptop keyboards are a massive compromise to a nice full sized keyboard.
I do however think the surface type cover is towards the better end of that spectrum.
I have massive hands and fingers, I am extremely fussy about my keyboard and have used mechanical keyboards with my desktop pc's for a long time. I would even buy one to use in the office wherever I worked at my own cost.
All that said, I used a SP4 as my main pc in my last job as an employee and then when I started my business I used a SP4 then SP5 for 2 years full time as my main work pc. It wasn't bliss but it wasn't bad either.
I now use a Surface Book which is better but only due to size and spacing.
tldr: Don't listen to these guys. I am super fussy with keyboards but I found the the type cover to be a good keyboard and while not perfect, it is not something that should really be the determining factor on whether you get this SP5 or not.
On a side note, I bought a bunged SP4 for my wife many years ago while the Microsoft store in Sydney was still open and used a loophole with a SP4 display defect to get it replaced out of warranty on the spot to a SP5. She is still using it today for minor admin here and there and when we travel. I find myself using it too sometimes and it serves its purpose really well.
My business partner used the same loophole to replace his SP4 and is still using his SP5 as his main work PC and one of my project coordinators uses an SP5 as his main work pc.
It still runs the POS software that is Bluebeam adequately enough for us to run our business so not a bad little rig for this price.
I used a Surface Pro for years and the keyboard was great
They also don't sit well on your lap as a laptop. Because there's no rigid hinge it relies on the tablet section sitting with the stand.
They're more than powerful enough and you can use a bluetooth keyboard if your prefer.
I used a similar spec surface pro for working from home for about a year, used an external monitor and keyboard though, the surface keyboards are only good for a quick entry of information not for all day use.
Thats my 2 cents worth
Thanks everyone for suggestions and feedback. Appreciate it.
Thank you, bought one for my wife :) Please send me the good one!
bought one for my wife
which version wife?
may not be compatible.
Nothing says "I love you" more than a 5 year old refurbished device.
Nothing says "I love you" like wasting money on the latest model even though you don't need it.
Nor can really afford it
And if you're using gift to say "I love you", I think you're doing it wrong ;)
You should now treat yourself to a 85" oled tv 👍
What so good about ChromeOS over windows 11?
Lightweight speedy OS for people who don't require entire Win11 feature.
Also, I'm pretty sure Win11 is not officially supported for Intel 7th Gen CPUs and below versions link.
Any comments on this OP?
Yeah, what’s the deal here? Are they running an unsupported version of Win11? OP?
@next gen: Win 11 can be installed - it's just not supported nor recommended by Microsoft.
I've done it on my Surface Pro 3 and it works fine.
MUCH quicker on the same hardware. I have an ancient Lenovo 120s running ChromeOS Flex. Feels like night and day even comparing to a fresh win10 install.
The downside is hardware compatibility is hit and miss. My Lenovo's touchpad doesn't work. Google have published a certified hardware list for ChromeOS Flex but thSurface Pro 5 is not on it.
Nice, I have a slow win 10 Lenovo lappy that I have running Ubuntu. Might give this a try.
What's the compatibility of Chrome OS with Android apps in this setup?
Do you have any with 16gb ram ?
Thanks OP bought one
is there a tax invoice for TRS?
WHATS INCLUDED
Product
Power Adapter/ Cable
Tax Invoice
Is this any good for kids games and videos? Or am I better off with a Lenove Android tab. Considering the lack of apps available on Microsoft.
This will run older windows games, but not android games.
I'd choose the former, but you might have different priorities.
The kids want to know if it will run fortnight…
No, just no.
Netflix HD?
Works great, I used the Netflix app from the MS store to download content for offline viewing on 2-3 train trips. Still had plenty of battery and was comfortable to watch when it was hot on the train because the heat/processor is behind the screen, not in the base.
how does 7th gen intel support Windows 11?
Not officially; but can be done via a clean install.
I've installed Win 11 on my Surface Pro 3 as a test and it works fine.
I've installed Win 11 on my Surface Pro 3 as a test and it works fine.
How?
I have a spare Surface Pro 3 I might try it on.
All you need is a spare USB drive and about 35 minutes.
Note there is one step that's a little different from the video - when I installed Win 11 on my SP3, I needed to remove the USB drive after the OS has been loaded or else the tablet just loops back to booting from the USB.
@jv: Win 11 Pro is what I installed - didn't bother with any other version.
The video instructs you to download the proper Win 11 ISO from the Microsoft page so you know it's legit.
@jv: Yes, the Windows license is encoded in the Surface BIOS and the upgrade won't need a license key to be entered manually.
Powerful enough for Lightroom?
8gb.. 2 core.. 5 yr old CPU. 8 ball says No.
Thanks OP, have picked one up. Let the mystery cover colour suspense begin!
I've bought a few of these over the years and so far all have been black.
Why do you keep buying them, don't they last?
For different people.
Only one died, but Microsoft game me a $400 trade-in for it…
Personally speaking, I've got an iPad Air and played around with Android tablets - just not a fan of either. Although admittedly I've never really used Macs so I never got into the Apple ecosystem.
I'm a fan of the Surface Pros so I could understand why some people might want to purchase multiple units. I've got a Surface Pro 3 and a 7+; got the newer 7+ setup as a retro gaming machine - loving it so far (especially the fanless 7+).
also worth noting the Intel i5 7300u is a dual core CPU where Quad Core is the norm at this age
CPUS from 8th Gen onwards are quad cores
This is absolutely noteworthy.
I even find that MS Teams with a few people on video can make my previous i5 7300u laptop grind to a halt, even with 16GB of memory.
Yep, we were running 6600u at work until a few months ago….teams killed those dual core cpus.
Yes the 8th gen is a big step up in speed and battery life. However under $400 for a Surface with Gen 8 will be a little while yet…
Realistically what can use many cores?
Is it that each app can use a core, so more are better? Or do you need multi-core apps to take advantage?
Processor and schedule manger for windows dictates what core to use based on primary vs non primary core and work type. Just starting windows is difficult on dual core especially if you load enterprise/pro and some other startup apps.
For basic office application use, ok. If you want to run YouTube/Spotify and outlook, teams + more, no go Joe.
hi rep is this model 1796 or 1807?
Pretty sure these are 1796
thank you!
Just bought one? Thanks OP! Please send a good one!
hey OP, any ETA on the refurbed Surface Pro 6 with 8th Gen CPUs?
negative
Doh!
$399 or $379.05 for eBay plus members
Does Ebay pay you the $19.95?
Interested to know this too, who takes the hit?
and why does eBay plus still suck so much?
How’s the fan noise?
Passive cooling, no fan.
![[eBay Plus, Refurb] Surface Pro 5 i5 7300u 2.6GHz 8GB 128GB SSD Win 11 + Keyboard $379.05 Delivered @ BNEACTTRADER eBay](https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/31/719031.jpg?h=119e90e2)
What is the battery life like?
I believe it's not really possible/practical to replace the batteries on these.