Microsoft Surface Book 13.5" 512 GB, Core i7-6600U, 16GB, 512GB SSD, Silver

The 3000x2000 display is the star here, ranking in the 90th percentile and making everything look sharp. But the Intel HD Graphics 520 sits in the 14th percentile with a gaming score of 5.4 out of 100, so this is strictly a productivity machine. At 549 USD refurbished, it's a screen-first purchase for people who don't need real GPU power.

Let's talk about that Intel HD Graphics 520, because it's the elephant in the room. It ranks in the 14th percentile for GPU performance, which puts it firmly in 'one of the worst we've seen' territory for anything beyond basic display output. You can watch video, run PowerPoint, and scroll through spreadsheets without issue. But the moment you try anything with real graphical demands, this thing taps out. The gaming score of 5.4 out of 100 isn't a typo. It's a warning label.

The Core i7-6600U is a dual-core, four-thread chip running at 2.6GHz. In our database it lands at the 53rd percentile for CPU, which is about average for older ultrabooks but well behind modern silicon. The 16GB of RAM helps with multitasking, though it sits at the 37th percentile, meaning most competing machines now ship with faster DDR4 or DDR5. The 512GB SSD gives you room to breathe, but again, 37th percentile. This is a machine that was impressive in 2016 and is now a competent office companion, nothing more.

Stacked against the Apple MacBook Air M4, this Surface Book gets absolutely demolished on performance. The M4's CPU and GPU scores are in a different universe, and the Air is lighter too. But the Surface Book's 90th percentile screen holds its own against anything Apple ships, and the detachable form factor is something the Air simply doesn't offer. Against the Lenovo Legion 5i or Acer Predator Helios Neo, the comparison is almost comical. Those machines have discrete GPUs and gaming scores that make the Surface Book's 5.4 out of 100 look like a rounding error. The ASUS Zenbook and MSI Prestige are closer competitors in the thin-and-light space, but both offer newer CPUs and better port selection. The Surface Book wins on screen quality and the unique detachable design, and loses on basically everything else.

At 549 USD for a refurbished unit, the value proposition hinges entirely on what you need. You're paying for that 90th percentile screen and the detachable 2-in-1 form factor. If you want a premium display for reading, writing, and light productivity, that's a reasonable ask. But you're also getting a 2015-era dual-core CPU, integrated graphics that rank near the bottom of our database, and port selection that's genuinely frustrating at just two USB-A ports. For the same money, you can find newer machines with better performance but worse screens. It's a trade-off, and the screen is the only thing tipping the scales.

The screen is the story here. That 13.5-inch 3000x2000 IPS panel sits in the 90th percentile for displays, which means it's genuinely one of the best screens you'll find on a 2-in-1 at this price point. The 3:2 aspect ratio gives you extra vertical room for documents and web browsing, and the pixel density makes text look crisp. But the rest of the machine is a mixed bag. The Intel Core i7-6600U is a dual-core chip from 2015, and it lands right in the middle of the pack at the 53rd percentile for CPU performance. That's fine for Office work and light browsing, but it's not going to impress anyone in 2025.

The compact score of 65.5 out of 100 tells you what this thing is built for: portability and note-taking. At 1.77kg it's not the lightest 2-in-1 out there, but the detachable screen mechanism still feels clever. The 512GB SSD and 16GB of RAM are decent on paper, though both sit at the 37th percentile, which means most modern laptops in this category are shipping with faster storage and more memory headroom. The gaming score of 5.4 out of 100 is a polite way of saying don't even think about it.

Skip this if you need any kind of graphical performance. The Intel HD Graphics 520 ranks in the 14th percentile, and the gaming score of 5.4 out of 100 is one of the lowest we've seen. Skip it if you need modern connectivity, since two USB-A ports put it in the 24th percentile for port selection. And skip it if you care about having a machine that feels fast in 2025. The dual-core i7-6600U at the 53rd percentile will handle basic tasks, but it'll feel sluggish the moment you push it with multiple browser tabs, video calls, or anything beyond light productivity.

The Surface Book 512GB is a one-trick pony, but it's a really good trick. That 90th percentile display is genuinely lovely, and the detachable screen makes it a solid choice for note-taking, reading, and document work. The 81st percentile reliability score is also reassuring for a refurbished unit. But the 14th percentile GPU, 53rd percentile CPU, and 24th percentile port selection mean this is a machine with hard limits. If your workload is email, web browsing, Office, and media consumption, it'll serve you well at 549 USD. If you need anything more, look elsewhere.