08/18/2022
Performance
All versions of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 have an 11th Gen Core i5 CPU. It’s a great chipset. However, it’s important to recognise we are reviewing the best version of the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2, with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD.
With double the RAM of the base model, there are no hitches to day-to-day performance. Stutters are much more likely in the 4GB RAM version. We rarely get to experience Windows 11 running with 4GB RAM and a Core i5 CPU, because you only usually see such limited system memory in laptops with very low-end processors.
If you can afford the most expensive Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 you are in for a treat. Windows 11’s general performance is great, with virtually no disparity in responsiveness between this and a £1000+ laptop for everyday jobs.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 also has Intel Xe graphics, letting you play last-gen AAA staples and less demanding new titles happily. We tried out a selection, including Skyrim, The Legend of Grimrock 2 and Project Cars.
Skyrim Special Edition does not get on with the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2’s odd screen resolution at all well, but it plays well enough at Medium graphics settings. Thankfully the other titles had so such issues and ran perfectly.
This isn’t a gaming laptop, but it can take on the odd session, plugged in or not – you don’t see the huge dip in performance on battery as you would in an ç-powered system.
However, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2’s performance does become limited by heat build-up a bit more than some. You can tell why when you hear the fan.
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2’s fan is quiet, but has the high-pitch character of a small diameter heat-shifter. And even when it’s maxed you can’t feel too much air movement by the screen hinge, which is the main place cool air is drawn in and hot stuff is pumped back out.
Low noise is clearly a priority here, as it was in the Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio, but it’s a shame Microsoft hasn’t avoided a slightly grating fan tone as well.
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio vs Surface Laptop 4: what’s the difference?
Microsoft also loses out by not using one of the more recent 12th Gen Intel processors. To be fair to the Surface team, all 12th Gen laptops we’ve seen so far have more power-sapping CPUs that would not be suitable for the Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2. However, it’s very late in the day to be trotting out a brand new model with an 11th Gen processor. Swift timing for its hardware is not a Microsoft strength.
