The last Surface Studio 2 was launched in 2018, four years ago. It still has capable hardware, but a bit old by today’s standards — including Intel’s 7th gen i7-7820HQ CPU and a choice between a GTX 1060 and a GTX 1070. Despite what the Studio 2+ branding might suggest, and the fact that it’s unchanged on the outside, this new device is a huge upgrade over its predecessor.
For starters, the i7-7820HQ CPU in the Surface Studio 2 is being swapped out for an i7-11370H, an 11th gen CPU. It might not be Intel’s hottest right now since we have 12th gen chips and now 13th gen ones, but this CPU is up to 50% faster than the chip in the previous model. The GPU is also being brought up to modern times, with the GTX 1070 discrete graphics card being swapped out for a much better RTX 3060.
The Surface Studio 2+ comes equipped with up to 32GB of DDR4 memory and a 1TB SSD. Some people might dunk on a computer coming out at the end of 2022 with an 11th gen Intel CPU, and frankly, that’s understandable given the price — after all, it starts at $4,300. However, if you’ve been on the fence about a Surface Studio, and didn’t pull the trigger because of the specs, it might be worth it if it’s something you’re willing to splurge in. Especially so given Microsoft’s tendency to update this lineup infrequently.
Source: Microsoft
