Microsoft upgrades Surface Pro 2 tablet’s CPU with nary a peep of an announcement

By Konrad Krawczyk Published January 3, 2014

A significant component upgrade is no small deal, which is why we’re surprised to hear that Microsoft has very quietly decided to upgrade its Surface Pro 2 slate with a faster CPU. Redmond has apparently swapped out the original Intel Core i5-4200U 1.6 GHz processor with an Intel Core i5-4300U 1.9GHz CPU, while opting to make no announcement whatsoever about the bump. The “Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency” spec got a more modest upgrade; from 1 GHz to 1.1 GHz.

Though it’s entirely possible that Microsoft planned to make the switch all long, we’re left wondering if Redmond made the decision to upgrade the Surface Pro 2’s CPU as a result of firmware issues that have plagued Surface Pro 2 devices since Microsoft issued a blighted version of firmware back in early December that compromised the slate’s ability to maintain pre-update battery life levels. The iffy firmware also messed with how the Surface Pro 2 behaved once it was put in sleep mode.

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However, not every Surface Pro 2 owner is happy about the upgrade. Here’s what Microsoft forum poster “MichaelCunningham” had to say.

“Hey! Buy this insanely expensive device! Now… let us screw it up on you for an entire month or more to the point that it is half unusable… offer no real deadline for a fix… and watch us sell other folks fully functional units with better processors for the same price as you paid! Sorry guys! Your fault for trusting us!”

To be fair though, some consumers are apparently receiving replacement Surface Pro 2 units with the new processor installed. Here’s what forum poster “GuyGlennon” said about what transpired when they got a replacement SP2.

“I returned my Surface Pro 2 (v. 256GB) because of the poor performance after the failed12.10.13 firmware update. I recall the SP2 I returned having a i5 4200U processor. To my surprise, when I checked the System Properties in the Control Panel on my replacement SP2, the processor was upgraded to a i5 4300U @ 1.9Ghz. – 2.5 Ghz.”

What it boils down to is this: yay upgrade, boo firmware issues. We wonder whether people with perfectly functional Surface Pro 2 units can swap their machines for versions with the new processor. Considering that the Surface Pro 2 was released on October 22, it isn’t fair to the people who brought the device in the past two and half months or so that they get a device with an inferior processor, while new buyers get a better device for the same price.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments below.

Konrad Krawczyk

Former Computing Editor

Konrad covers desktops, laptops, tablets, sports tech and subjects in between for Digital Trends. Prior to joining DT, he…

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