We already knew that Microsoft's new Surface Pro 3 tablet will be available in a couple of different versions including a choice of Core i3, Core i5 and the Core i7 CPU, but we did not know which precise CPUs will be behind it, at least until now.


While the official specification sheet revealed by Intel said that the new Surface Pro 3 will be powered by the "4th generation Intel Core i3, i5 or i7" processors", ZDNet.com managed to dig out some more details regarding those CPUs.

According to ZDNet.com, the cheapest version of the Surface Pro 3 will be powered by the dual-core Intel Core i3-4020Y. This 22nm dual-core CPU packs 3MB of cache, works at 1.5GHz, has support for Hyper-threading but lacks Turbo Boost technology and has a maximum TDP of 11.5W. It comes with Intel HD Graphics 4200 working at 200MHz base and 850MHz maximum frequency. The Surface Pro 3 running on this CPU will be available in a single configuration, with 4GB of memory and 64GB of storage.

The Surface Pro 3 powered by Intel's Core i5 CPU, the Core i5-4300U to be precise, is the one that Microsoft showed off during its press event. The Core i5-4300U is still a dual-core part which not only has support for Hyper-threading but also supports Intel Turbo Boost technology. It works at 1.9GHz base clock with 2.9GHz Turbo Boost, has 3MB of cache, 15W TDP and feature Intel HD Graphics 4400 clocked at 200MHz base an 1.1GHz maximum dynamic frequency. Unlike the Core i3-4020Y, it also comes with Intel vPro technology, VT-d and Trusted execution technologies. As detailed during Microsoft's event, the Core i5 CPU equipped Surface Pro 3 will be available in two different configurations, with 4GB of memory and 128GB of storage as well as with 8GB of memory and 256GB of storage.

The last, but definitely not the least, is the Surface Pro 3 with Core i7 CPU. The CPU is the Core i7-4650U dual-core part running at 1.7GHz base and 3.3GHz Turbo Boost clock. It has 4MB of cache, supports both Hyper-threading and Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 technologies, has a 15W TDP and, most importantly, comes with Intel HD graphics 5000 IGP clocked at 200MHz base and 1.1GHz maximum dynamic frequency. As noted earlier, the Surface Pro 3 with this CPU will be available in two different configurations, both with 8GB of memory and 256GB of 512GB of storage.

Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 certainly looks interesting but the high price, which climbs up to US $1949, definitely pushed it to more premium market.



Source: ZDNet.com.