Microsoft upgrades Surface Book 2 with Intel 8th gen processors, starts from $1,499

Microsoft has given its existing Intel 7th gen dual-core Surface Book 2 models a refresh with Intel’s latest 8th gen quad-core processors. Both the 13.5 and 15-inch models are being upgraded while the older 7th gen models are being sold at a discount. The upgrade comes **weeks before the Surface event** which is going to be held in New York City on 17 April. [caption id=“attachment_6365991” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] Microsoft Surface Book 2[/caption] The 13.5-inch Surface Book 2 model comes in two variants of the 8th gen CPU including an i5-8350U and i7-8650U whereas the 15-inch model comes only in the i7-8650U variant. The 13.5-inch model, the most basic configuration that includes the i5-8650U, 8 GB RAM and 256 GB of storage is priced at $1,499. Upgrading that to the i7-8650U variant will take the price to $1,999. The most expensive variant with the i7-8650U CPU, 16 GB RAM and 1 TB of storage will cost up to $2,999. (Also read: **Microsoft Surface Book 2 review: The ugly duckling that refuses to grow up** ) Coming to the 15-inch model, it’s available only in the 16 GB RAM and i7-8650U CPU variant. The base model with 256 GB storage is priced at $2,499 whereas switching to the 1 TB storage variant will cost $3,299. Both the 8th gen quad-core processors will double the core count from the previous generation on the Surface Book 2. With support for Intel’s hyper-threading users will be able to enjoy a significant boost in performance.