When Microsoft announced Surface Pro 3 earlier this year, 5 different SKUs with various configurations was revealed. However, only the Intel Core i5 models was made available for sale till now. Starting this August 1st, Surface Pro 3 versions with a Core i3-4020Y and Core i7-4650U will be available for customers. Intel Core i3 version starts at $799 whereas Intel Core i7 starts at $1549. AnandTech today posted a detailed post on the new low cost Intel Core i3 Surface Pro 3 version. As expected, the performance is below the Intel Core i5 version of Surface Pro 3, but how much? Does Intel Core i5 justify the extra $200 cost?

Here is the conclusion from AnandTech,

Subjectively, the entry level Surface Pro 3 feels pretty quick. Even running at only 1.5GHz, a pair of Haswell cores are plenty fast. The real question is whether or not the extra $200 is worth the increase in performance. For anyone looking to use the Surface Pro 3 like a real PC and less like a tablet, the $200 Core i5 upgrade is a wise investment. Lighter tasks and more tablet oriented usage models however may not merit the extra expense. In a lot of lighter tasks we’re looking at a 20 – 30% advantage to the Core i5 for a 25% increase in system cost. Ultimately I feel like the increase in storage capacity in addition to CPU performance may be what really justifies the larger expenditure for users who don’t necessarily need the extra CPU performance.

Also, it is important to note that Intel Core i3 version of Surface Pro 3 easily beats the high-end tablets like Apple iPad Air. Take a look at the below benchmark results,

You can order Surface Pro 3 from the links below.

Read about the performance in detail from AnandTech.