64 PCWorld MARCH 2021REVIEWS HOW FAST IS THE MS SURFACE PRO 7+
Note that Intel’s Ice Lake chips were
considered U-series processors, while Intel
now refers to its Tiger Lake tablet processors
as “UP4” chips.Surface Pro 7
Display: 12.3-inch PixelSense display
(2736x1824)
Processor: Intel Core i7-1065G7
Graphics: Iris Plus 940
Memory: 16GB LPDDR4x (as tested)
Storage: 256GB SSD
Price: Prices begin at $749.99 (Microsoft)Surface Pro 7+
Display: 12.3-inch PixelSense display
(2736x1824)
Processor: Intel Core i5-1135G7
Graphics: Iris Xe Graphics
Memory: 16GB
Storage: 256GB SSD
Price: Prices begin at $899 (Microsoft)
(go.pcworld.com/m899)At the time we reviewed Microsoft’s
Surface Pro 7 (go.pcworld.com/p7rv), we
were focusing more on whether it was a
better buy compared to the Surface Pro X (go.
pcworld.com/pxrv). Even the subset of
benchmarks we used for that review,
however, paints a picture of the two tablets
and the chips inside.
One important review note: The default
setting for both tablets was “best battery life,”even while plugged in. That’s the lowest
performance setting. When you override that
setting and adjust Windows’ power/
performance slider to “best performance,”
the CPU cranks up. (Those results are outlined
in black in the graphs below.) On a related
note, while the Surface Pro 7+ with Core i5
processor is fanless, the Surface Pro 7 with
Core i7 does have a fan. (The Core i7 version
of the Surface Pro 7+ does, too.)CINEBENCH R15:
UP TO 22% IMPROVEMENT
For every enthusiast and some consumers
who simply want to know how fast the new
11th-gen Tiger Lake chip is, we can see that in
the Cinebench R15 benchmark. This brief test
demands a burst of energy from the CPU, so it
tends to reward chips that have higher boost
clock speeds.
At default settings, it’s a quick sprint for
both tablets, with a small advantage for theThe Surface Pro 7+ shows minor gains over the
Surface Pro 7 until you adjust the performance
slider. These scores reflect multithreaded
performance, with all cores at work.Cinebench R15
Multi-threaded performance
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ MaxCore i5-1135G7
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ DefaultCore i5-1135G7
Microsoft Surface Pro 7 DefaultCore i7-1065G7LONGER BARS INDICATE BETTER PERFORMANCE903737779