I still use my Surface Pro 3, but geez, that’s a lot of money for a 5 year old laptop.
Unless they figured out why the SP3 was overheating and corrected that issue, it’s a solid “no-go”. Microsoft went radio silent when complaints were pouring in to them about overheating, crashing and the noisy fan to try to cool it down. No remedy was offered.
how is this a deal?
There definitely is a fan in the SP3. I picked one of these up about 2 years ago. Similar pricing. I haven’t had any issues with mine. Maybe I’m lucky in that regard. Great for browsing and mobile work. Battery life is not the best so always have you adapter with you. If you’re surfing YouTube, *cough alternate non-Amazon flix streaming services etc. you get about 2 hours or so. Connected up to AC Power I can play WoW however the fan kicking up kind of makes it good for quick checks or dailies. The price though at this point is probably the only downfall. It’s an older platform and I’d probably only want to pay $400 tops.
I haven’t checked current prices to see if this is actually a good deal, but I have a Surface Pro 3 from when they were originally sold, and had no problems. It’s been a great tablet for me.
I have had my Surface Pro 3 i7 for at least 5 years. Never turn it off and has never overheated.
My mistake. I misread it. I was referring to the plain Surface. Nice to know, though, as it helps in my quest for a silent Windows tablet.
I got this today. There is no certificate or product key. The operating system is windows 10 home not windows 10 pro and the Key programmer won’t allow me to activate.
Hello! Starting with Windows 7 (or was it 8?), the software key is stored in BIOS. I’m sorry it has the wrong OS.
Please contact Woot Customer Service for assistance. From a browser, use the Woot Customer Service form. In the Woot App, choose Account from the bottom navigation and then Support.
Ordered this on Monday, got it on Tuesday. I got the i5 with 4G ram. I have a Pro 4 which I transfer from work>home and back. Wanted something to keep at home to surf and watch videos. The charger works Pro3<>Pro4. The non-Microsoft charger runs REALLY hot and I wonder how long it will last. I would not leave it plugged in unattended at work because I fear it will fail/melt/catch fire. No USB charging port on that charger. It may be a safety hazard. It has a note on it “Careful, may become hot”. Indeed. The light at the connection end lights up whether it is connected or not. I found that it can sit magnetically attached to the Surface with the light on and still not be charging because the connectors are not where they should be. The Microsoft version light comes on only when it is connected properly.
Have not tried the detachable keyboard. It says Microsoft on it so I assume it will work. But one never knows. The pen is non-Microsoft (NuVision) and only has buttons on the side. It connected to the Surface right away.
Played with the Pro 3 last night and it worked fine. I was debating 12.9" iPad ($1000) or other tablet for surfing/videos. This looked like an economical alternative. I was watching woodworking videos on youtube last night and was very satisfied with the performance. Others have noted a long start up time. It seemed to freeze a couple of times. I think it was trying to update and after a few hard restarts then just leaving it alone it updated and it booted fine and is fully functional. I hate Windows 10 as it is designed to collect data, so I spent a lot of time turning things off and customizing to how I use the tablet.
I think this is a good value and I will add a glass screen protector as that saved my Pro 4 after a drop. I am just wary of the charger.
Cale31
Update: The charger tip that fits into the computer must have a short (or as my Benedictine Father Physics Professor used to say “infinite resistance”) I have to move it around till it lights up. I have connected it to my computer as mentioned above where it magnetically stuck to the computer, but the contacts were not properly seated. Guess what? It did not charge and the transformer/block did not get hot. Keyboard works fine as does the pen.
Hi there. Sorry about the charger issue. Please contact Woot Customer Service for assistance. From a browser, use the Woot Customer Service form. In the Woot App, choose Account from the bottom navigation and then Support.
Not related to any Woot purchase, but FYI regarding stuff in BIOS…I picked up a S3 with a bad digitizer very cheap to test it for use to edit audio (it works.)
The re-installed OS was not activated and the activation requires connection to the original company’s server (corporate licence?). Since this was some broken surplus buyout that was resold, there is no way to find the server or know the company.
So BIOS based systems and refurbs can be problematic if not done right.
Buyer’s BEWARE
This deal was a rip-off from the get-go… This Surface model (SP3) has been discontinued & been that way for quite a while according to online and MS support. I purchased one back in Dec and got it Jan 2019. I’ve had issues with it from the moment it arrived & contacted Woot support immediately.
Item is advertised as “Refurbished” or “Open box” by Seller -
- Item seller sold is a USED device that was cycled out from the “Evergreen School District” with the inventory tag still attached under the kickstand.
- Keyboard shows long time usage with large amounts of dirt & debris that couldn’t even be blown out with compressed air ($130 credit from the seller).
- OS was supposed to be Win 10 Pro - came with Win 10 (No seller support - told to contact MS for assistance with activation).
- No additional warranty coverage offered at time of purchase with only a 30 day warranty by the seller (Refund ONLY).
Now less than 4 months after purchasing this deal, the device is dead. Contacted MS Surface support for assistance, only to find out that this is a discontinued model with a no-power issue. The only option is an Out-of-Warranty exchange for the next available model an SP4 for an additional estimated amount of $450.00 from a MS store (Located almost 4 hrs away).
The only thing new with this deal is the after-market pen with limited in compatibility & just usable (basic point & click).
Very disappointed with this transaction & regret my decision to make this purchase. Not only I am out the money for the purchase, but also the cost of the additional accessories purchased afterwards.
Many suppliers are now playing it fast and loose with terms such as refurbished, reconditioned, scratch and dent and open box. It is to the point that unless it is FACTORY RECONDITIONED, finding one on eBay (with their no-nonsense refunds) may be a better choice.
Sellers such as Woot and Amazon may have to get tough on these sellers.