Microsoft Surface Book 13.5" SV9-00001 2000, Core i5-6300U, 8GB, 256GB SSD, plateado

A beautiful screen trapped in a slow, aging body. Buy it for the display, not the performance.

The 6th gen i5-6300U sits in the 17th percentile for CPUs in our database, which is a polite way of saying it's slow. 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD don't help much either, landing in the 13th and 16th percentiles respectively. The optional NVIDIA GPU sounds nice on paper, but this config doesn't include it, so you're stuck with integrated graphics that rank in the 14th percentile. The screen is the one bright spot, sitting in the 89th percentile, and it genuinely looks great for photo editing or watching video. Just don't expect to edit 4K footage on this thing.

The Surface Book gets embarrassed by the Lenovo Slim 7 and ASUS Zenbook UX3405CA, both of which offer modern CPUs, more RAM, and better battery life for not much more money. The Apple MacBook Pro MWP72LL/A is in a different league entirely, with a screen that matches or beats the Surface Book and performance that makes the i5-6300U look like a calculator. Even the HP OmniBook X Flip and Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge, both 2-in-1s, do the convertible thing better with current-gen hardware. The Surface Book's only real advantage is that 3:2 aspect ratio display, which is genuinely nice for reading and documents.

At $379 USD refurbished, this is a tough sell. You're paying for a pretty screen and a clever hinge, but the performance is worse than a $200 Chromebook. The 3.1 out of 5 customer rating backs that up. If you need a cheap Windows machine for basic tasks, there are better options. If you want the Surface Book specifically for the detachable screen, just know you're paying a premium for a party trick.

The Surface Book is a weird, wonderful machine that Microsoft never quite figured out how to follow up. The detachable screen trick is still cool, and that 3000x2000 PixelSense display remains gorgeous. But the internals here are ancient, and the i5-6300U dual-core chip is going to feel slow the moment you open more than a few browser tabs. This is a refurb from 2015 trying to pass as a budget laptop in 2025, and it only half works.

If you're looking for a fast, modern laptop for work or school, this isn't it. Go get a Lenovo Slim 7 or an ASUS Zenbook instead. If you want a 2-in-1 specifically, the HP OmniBook X Flip or Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge will run circles around the Surface Book for similar money. This is only for people who specifically want the Surface Book's detachable screen and are willing to accept 2015 performance to get it.

Skip it. The Surface Book was innovative in 2015, but in 2025 it's a nostalgia purchase at best. The screen is lovely and the detachable design is still neat, but the ancient CPU, limited RAM, and missing GPU make this a frustrating daily driver. If you absolutely must have a Surface Book, find one with the discrete GPU and 16GB of RAM. Otherwise, put your $379 toward something newer.