Dodge DeBoulet

Yet a 4 year old mid-tier laptop can do it. Go figure.

bullroot

Right...very, very few people I know need more than 4GB RAM (as all their applications are 32 bit)

DenverBrian

I figure it's about four pounds more than a SP3. @:-)

nkedel

...and they only run one at a time, and aren't using Google Chrome (which is 64 bits by default; Firefox will be soon and AFAICT with the complexity of the JavaScript and DOM model lot of sites, that's none too soon -- Firefox has been known to run out of memory on 32-bit Windows.)

I don't recommend 4GB RAM (or a 32-bit OS, which will generally top out around 3gb actually usable) to anyone anymore; 4gb is an unsatisfying experience even with just a recent browser versions and MS Office 2010/2013 if you are a heavy user of either or both.

My work machine was briefly 8gb, and out of habit I had disabled the swap file to save room on the SSD, figuring that it was (until I could get a more powerful machine approved) just going to be using a web browser, NX/SSH and Office/Acrobat with my real work done remotely. Windows gave a LOT of warnings under load without a swap file with only 8gb...

A 32GB option on reasonably compact options (probably coming in late next year with Skylake) will come none too soon.

For that matter, would be nice to see fewer manufacturers jumping on the ULV bandwagon -- this last generation of machines is the first in my memory where the average machine speeds actually went down significantly.

Dodge DeBoulet

I don't understand your point. The TP420's additional 4 lbs isn't RAM, fer cryin' out loud.

I figure that another 8GB of surface-mount (ooh, a pun!) RAM would add, at most, a couple of grams to the SP3 . . .

Dodge DeBoulet

Say hallelujah, brother!

nkedel

I suspect the real reason is (A) there may not be space on the board layout they used, and (B) it would be another, higher-priced SKU on what's already an overpriced device.

Mind, Lenovo watered down the T440 and T440s into ultrabooks which can't take 16gb either. Introducing the T440p makes up for that in part (I found it interesting that Dell ditched the full powered, quad core 14" model which had been pretty much unique to their line at the same time Lenovo introduced one.)

Braindrain

Just got a SP3 from work today. Initial impressions are good - except for ONE. On my laptop (or Android tablet), it could play any video I threw at it. On the SP3, not so much.

After Googling what the best video players for the SP3 are, it seems having a decent video player is an achilles heel.

I don't have tough requirements. I just like watching my mkv files with subtitles. Pretty much none of the (free) players I've tried will do that.

nkedel

Did you try the desktop version of VLC? I have hit very few things (mostly truly antique formats from the 1990s) that it wouldn't play.

edoa

^ Should run well, I use VLC on my work's SP3 (i5, 4GB RAM) and I can play all my MKV Files.

wco81

Or XBMC if you want to pass any DTS MA bitstreams to your AVR.

YVR Cockroach

As far as using Windows Media Player, Shark007 codecs as least for a x86/x64 CPU.

Braindrain

Forgot to mention that my SP3 is locked down. I can't install any programs or else I would've installed MPC-HC. However, stuff from the "Store" seem to get through.

nkedel

There is a Windows Store version of "VLC for Windows 8." I don't know if it matches the desktop version of VLC, but it's worth a try.

Braindrain

Thanks. I did try that but it's a shadow of the regular program. It kept stuttering on a mkv file and couldn't display subtitles at all.