Tablet pc /hybrid - Alternatives to surface pro 3?

LeeMeredith

Hello, I'm thinking of buying a tablet/laptop hybrid for the main purpose of being able to animate using Maya, 3ds Max, possibly motion builder (might be a stretch too far) and use Photoshop without having to drag around a heavy laptop/set it up.

Surface pro 3 seems perfect for me, I'm eager to learn to use a pen while animating but the price is insane, I read that for programs like Maya I need i5 Surface pro which is around 600 pound then add the keyboard 700 or so. It just seems like insane money to be spending for something I'll use 2 hours each day.

Does anyone here have alternatives to the Surface Pro 3 which is hopefully a lot cheaper but does relatively the same things, pen pressure, runs Maya, Max, Mobo, Photoshop etc


Thanks for any replies.

elGuapo

If you can wait a little while, I would expect clones to come out from Lenovo, Dell, etc. As for the price, it's not that bad if you factor in how much it costs vs how much you use it:
2 hours a day x 365 days a year = 730 hours. Divide the cost by that $800/730 and you are looking at about $1.10 per day if you use it for just one year. Just be sure that you are actually going to use it, and that you don't just like the idea of it.

iadagraca

Then why get a surface pro 3? Besides battery life, screen size, and the pen tech being different the 1 or 2 could be great options that are a lot cheaper.

Fuiosg

Just thinking about using a modeling package (aside from Zbrush) on a surface pro makes my eyes hurt. You should seriously go to a store and download blender or something just to see what kind of an experience that is.

Tablets have yet to reach that middle ground between economic and useful, you give up too much for what you get imo. Better to just go with a laptop.

nasty1

Look up the Asus Vivotab Note 8. Its small, cheap, and has decent specs. Good for just goofing around on the go.