The Microsoft Surface Pro is Microsoft’s flagship Windows tablet (2-in-1 device) capable of performing tasks done by a PC. The Microsoft Surface Pro is a common feature in the workplace and at home, where people can use it for touch and non-touch applications. If you have recently acquired a Microsoft Surface Pro, you might be wondering if you can use it for gaming.
So, can you use the Microsoft Surface Pro for gaming? You can play games using your Microsoft Surface Pro tablet because it comes with a powerful processor, either Intel Core i5 or 17. However, you can not use it for hardcore gaming because Microsoft did not design it to be a gaming computer. The Microsoft Surface Pro does not have a good enough graphics card to play “heavy” games. You can use the Microsoft Surface Pro for casual gaming and only play games that are less demanding on the processor, such as F.E.A.R, Doom 3, and Bioshock.
The Microsoft Surface Pro is a great device targeting people who are always on the move and need to bring their work with them. The productivity of the Microsoft Surface Pro is well known, but you might be concerned about its abilities when it comes to gaming.
You can use your Microsoft Surface Pro for gaming because of its superior hardware and software. In addition, Microsoft Surface Pro is portable, making it an important device for a gamer who loves traveling.
You also have the option of playing numerous games on different devices. Microsoft Surface Pro also acts as a second screen if you own an Xbox console and someone else is using it. However, the Microsoft Surface Pro is limited to the types of games you can play because of its poor graphics card. It is also not recommended for hardcore gamers.
The Microsoft Surface Pro is a top machine compared to its peers because it features a powerful processor. Depending on your budget, you can buy the one with an Intel Core i5 or i7. The Microsoft Surface Pro also has ample RAM, and you can choose between 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB RAM. For great gaming performance, you should choose the 8GB or 16GB RAM. It also uses SSD storage with options starting from 128GB to a maximum of 1TB. If you wish to play multiple games on your Microsoft Surface Pro, you should buy one with enough storage.
Microsoft introduced the Xbox Live and Windows Store, where gamers can buy and play games online. Microsoft now has a Play Anywhere program where one code can unlock a PC and Xbox version of the game. Therefore, if you own an Xbox console, you can use your Microsoft Surface Pro to play all the games installed in your Xbox.
You do not have to pay any extra money to play games on your Microsoft Surface Pro that are available on your Xbox console. You do not have to buy different versions of one game to play them on different devices.
Microsoft Surface Pro can also be a second screen for your Xbox console. Sometimes, you can have an Xbox Series X in your home, but someone else uses it when you want to play a game or watch a movie. You can let them play their game while you stream your favorite movie or television show in the next room.
You can also play games; however, you will be limited to the type of game you can play if someone else uses your Xbox console. If you use Microsoft Surface Pro as a second screen, you should play racing games or adventure games rather than first-person shooter games because of latency issues.
The one issue about owning an Xbox console is that you cannot bring it everywhere you go. However, if you like traveling and you also own the Microsoft Surface Pro, you can use it as your portable gaming machine. You can install your favorite games before you leave if you are going to a place without a strong internet connection.
If you are going to stay in a hotel with an internet connection, you can access Windows Store or Xbox Live games. You can use the keyboard to play the games or pair your Microsoft Surface Pro with the Xbox Elite Controller.
However, the Microsoft Surface Pro does not have a good graphics card; therefore, you cannot enjoy all the games as if you were using a gaming PC. Gaming PCs have a different graphics card compared to standard laptops because some games cannot run well with normal graphics cards. If you are playing a less demanding game on your Microsoft Surface Pro, you will not experience any issues. However, when you play demanding games, such as Call of Duty or Halo, your tablet might overheat, and it does not have a cooling system to control the temperature.
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Gaming PCs have either fan cooling systems or liquid cooling systems. Microsoft did not design the Microsoft Surface Pro for gaming; therefore, they did not install any cooling system. If you are an avid gamer, you must be aware that hardcore gaming causes overheating, and without a proper cooling system, your gaming machine could get damaged.
Therefore, if you decide to play games on your Microsoft Surface Pro, make it casual gaming. Do not spend hours playing games because you might push it to the limit making your Microsoft Surface Pro crash. It will cost you a lot of money to repair your tablet.
Most games usually have low, medium, and high settings, which you can use accordingly to improve the gaming experience. If you have a powerful gaming computer, you can set the game setting on high, and it will not struggle. Microsoft Surface Pro is a productivity tablet, which means it might struggle to run a game set on high settings. If you want to play a very demanding game on your Microsoft Surface Pro, you should use the low settings to ensure the game does not put a strain on your PC’s processor.
What Ways Can I Improve the Gaming Performance of My Laptop?
If you have experience playing video games on a PC, you can easily tell where your PC performs well and where it needs improvement. Therefore, if you want to improve your laptop’s gaming performance, here are things you can do.
One thing you should do to improve your laptop’s gaming performance is to ensure it is always clean and dust-free. You should also upgrade the hardware whenever possible. It is also important to keep updating your laptop’s drivers to ensure it keeps performing well. You can also adjust your laptop’s settings, such as battery settings.
Other things that can help improve your laptop’s gaming performance might include activating Windows 10 game mode, checking the network speed, updating DirectX, and closing all background applications.
Whether it is a productivity or gaming PC, the key to it functioning well is by keeping it clean. Accumulation of dust and dirt inside your gaming laptop could be the cause of its slow performance. Dirt and dust block the airflow inside the laptop increasing the chances of overheating since the fan cannot get enough cold air. Once the temperature in the laptop increases, the GPU and the processor will start to slow down.
To remedy such a situation, you can remove the dirt inside your laptop by opening it up and cleaning the dusty parts. However, opening your laptop will invalidate your warranty; therefore, ensure that you know how to clean it or take it to an expert to clean it for you.
One advantage of owning a gaming PC is that you can upgrade the hardware whenever you feel like it. The most powerful gaming laptops are very expensive, and most gamers buy a cheaper gaming laptop then buy other better parts later. You can upgrade your laptop’s RAM, for example, from 4GB to 16GB.
You can also switch your laptop’s storage from HDD to SSD, which will improve its gaming performance. You can also improve other parts of your laptop, such as the battery and the cooling system, improving its performance.
It is very important to keep the drivers of your laptop up to date. The developer of the operating system you are using will always release updates of certain drivers periodically, which help improve the PC’s performance. You can also opt to use third-party graphic drivers from developers such as Nvidia or AMD Gaming Evolved.
These graphic developers set their graphics to update automatically, removing the burden to keep checking for new updates. You should also ensure you update the drivers of your controller or external keyboard.
When you buy your gaming laptop, it comes with factory settings, which you can adjust depending on how you use it. One of the settings that you can change that can influence your laptop’s gaming performance is the battery settings. A laptop using Windows gives you three options: the battery conservation setting, which limits the performance of your laptop to essentials.
The medium setting, which gives your laptop enough energy to run most applications, and the best performance mode, which ensures that your laptop runs at full capacity. Therefore, if you want your laptop to have a great gaming performance, you have to use the best performance.
Before launching your game, you need to ensure that you close all the apps. Sometimes, you might close an application, but it will still be running in the background. If you are using Windows on your laptop, you can close all apps by launching the task manager. The task manager will show you all the applications running on your computer. You can close all of them but leave the ones important to your game. For example, if you are using a graphics card management app, ensure you keep it open whenever you play a game.
If you like playing online games, you know very well how important a strong network connection is to online gaming. If you have a poor internet connection, you will experience lag during online gaming. You can check the speed of your internet and find out what is causing the lag. In most cases, low internet speed is caused by out-of-date drivers and slow connection between laptop and router. You can update the drivers or use a gaming router to improve the performance.
If you use Windows 10 on your gaming laptop, you can improve its gaming performance by activating the Windows 10 Game Mode. Windows 10 has an Xbox app with many gaming features, including Game Mode, which helps improve your gaming experience. When you enable the Game Mode, Windows 10 will run all games with optimum settings. When you are activating Windows 10 Game Mode, your laptop might close or suspend some background tasks.
Direct X is a very important software for gaming when using a PC with Windows operating system. In 2020, DirectX 12 Ultimate was the latest version and was pre-installed in laptops using Windows 10. If you do not have the current DirectX, you can update it by opening update & security, clicking on windows update, and checking for updates. You should also ensure you update all other drivers so that your laptop can perform well.
Wrap Up
The Microsoft Surface Pro is the best 2 in 1 device that promises effective products that can also play games. However, since it does not have a GPU, you cannot use it for hardcore gaming. It works very well for casual gaming or with games that are less demanding on the processor. The Microsoft Surface Pro does not have an excellent battery life meaning if you decide to play games on it, ensure you are in an area with electricity.
It is easy to upgrade your desktop gaming computer’s hardware, but you are limited to what you can upgrade when it comes to gaming laptops. Therefore, when buying a gaming laptop, ensure you choose one that will not need excess hardware upgrading in the future. You should try and clean your laptop at least once a year if you live in a dusty area. If you follow the information in this article, your laptop’s gaming performance is bound to improve. Sometimes, no tweaking can change it, so you should think about getting a new and better gaming laptop if it does not improve.
