I think my bro went w/a Surface & was a bit disappointed in some features. I think your versions of "strong" may be different than mine. I want to be able to use the library free books & maybe surf & email on occasion, maybe Candy Crush sometimes too, lol. Yes, I'm that lame!
When I said my Surface 3 was strong I meant as a reader and general tasks along with lighter games. Of course it will not match my main desktop but just the video card for my main was over $1100.00 USD. About the most "advanced" game I play on my Surface is Plants vs Zombies if you remember that one.
One thing I like about the Surface 3 is that it is a 2in1 with a magnetic mounted keyboard. I normally use without the keyboard making it a tablet... Just a LOT less clumsy for reading without the keyboard attached.
. However I can slap on the keyboard and I have a small 10.1 inch laptop.
From what I've heard the Surface 3 (2017) was the last decent model. Seems later models DID go downhill some.
I'm not saying that you should go out and find a Surface 3. You should look at all your options. I am VERY happy with my Surface 3 but that does not mean that you would like. Look at as many reviews as you can stand reading but pay more attention to the 1 and 2 star ratings than the higher ones. You want to know more about issues a user has had than ones from people that are happy. Still, DO look at some 4 and 5 star ratings as you may find that there are features the spec sheet doesn't list. When you find a system of interest add it to a list. When you have several go to a store and handle as many on the list as possible. As what you want is largely for reading make sure that it feels good in your hands.
I wouldn't buy used if you're like me. It's great that you can bring your whole library on a trip, not so great when your battery life is lousy and you forgot to bring your charger.
I've actually had very good luck with refurbished. My Surface, Mac Book Air and Asus laptop are all refurbished. Shoot, I've had the Asus for 14 years and have replaced the battery once. I also have a $200.00+ Belkin router that I've been running for 5-6 years without issue and it is also refurbished. I paid around $20.00 USD. Even at 14 years the Asus will still run Win 10 fine although I currently have Linux Mint on the thing. As to the Surface 3 and Mac Book Air, I've had for, give or take, 3 years and the battery life is still fine. Even if the battery fails, which will eventually happen even if new, they are easy enough to replace. LOL! (just teasing
). If you forget your charger that is your fault, not the unit's.
Would I buy refurbished from Amazon or eBay? Absolutely not. All four of the units I listed came from New Egg. I've been dealing with New Egg for over 20 years and know how they work and trust them. Also, when New Egg sell refurbished the item includes a warranty. Of course the warranty is not as long as that of a new unit but, with electronics, if it is going to fail it is usually sooner rather than later.
This is a large part of why I never waste my money on extended warranties.
