Microsoft Surface Pro 8 vs Acer Chromebook 512 Comparison

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Microsoft Surface Pro 8

13 inches | September 2021

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Acer Chromebook 512

12 inches | January 2022

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Microsoft Surface Pro 8 vs Acer Chromebook 512 Comparison Overview

Microsoft Surface Pr...

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Acer Chromebook 512

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Microsoft Surface Pr...

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Acer Chromebook 512

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In this review, we will be comparing Surface Pro 8 and Chromebook 512, two laptops from Microsoft and Acer. Microsoft Surface Pro 8 was introduced to market in September 2021 and Acer Chromebook 512 was launched in January 2022. There is only 4 months difference between Surface Pro 8 and Chromebook 512 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Click for Available Configurations of the Laptops

Here is a brief look at the main features of Microsoft Surface Pro 8 and Acer Chromebook 512 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 Key Specs

Launched in September 2021
13.0" TouchScreen - IPS LCD, 3:2 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Core i5 1135G7
GPU: Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (80EU)
8GB Ram
287 x 208 x 9.3 mm (11.3 x 8.19 x 0.37 inches)
Weight: 0.88 kg (1.94 lbs)

Acer Chromebook 512 Key Specs

Launched in January 2022
12.0" TN LCD, 3:2 Aspect Ratio Display
CPU: Intel Celeron N5100
GPU: Intel UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 24 EU)
4GB Ram
297.18 x 231.4 x 21.08 mm (11.7 x 9.11 x 0.83 inches)
Weight: 1.3 kg (2.87 lbs)

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 was replaced by microsoft-surface-pro-9. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
microsoft-surface-pro-9 vs Microsoft Surface Pro 8
microsoft-surface-pro-9 vs Acer Chromebook 512

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Surface Pro 8 and Chromebook 512 compares and decide which one is better for you.

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Microsoft Surface Pro 8 over Acer Chromebook 512

Weight	0.88 kg vs 1.30 kg	0.42 kg lighter
Screen-to-Body Ratio	~84.3% vs ~62.4%	Larger screen area ratio
Side Bezel Thickness	6.2 mm vs 21.8 mm	15.6 mm thinner bezels
Display Size	13 inches vs 12 inches	Larger Screen Estate
Refresh Rate	120 Hz vs 60 Hz	Smoother media experience
Screen PPI	266 ppi vs 137 ppi	More pixels per inch
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Interact with your fingers
Screen Resolution	2880 x 1920 pixels vs 1366 x 912 pixels	Higher pixel count screen
Max Brightness	450 nits vs 235 nits	Brighter Screen
GPU FLOPS	1.41 TFLOPS vs 0.3 TFLOPS	Easily increase the Storage when needed
Upgradable Storage	Yes vs No	Faster data transfers
NVMe Type SSD	Yes vs No	3D Surround Sound Support
Dolby Atmos Speakers	Yes vs No	Better Sound capture
Number of Microphones	2 vs 1	More advanced Bluetooth connectivity
Bluetooth	v5.1 vs v5	Faster USB-C connection
USB-C Port Type	v4.0 vs v3.2	Support audio, data, power and video all through one single port
Thunderbolt	v4 vs No	Easily see the keys under low light
Keyboard Backlight	Yes vs No

Reasons to choose Acer Chromebook 512 over Microsoft Surface Pro 8

Screen Type	Matte vs Glossy	potentially less reflections on screen
SD Card Reader	Yes vs No	Read & Write SD Cards with the built-in reader

Common Strengths of Acer Chromebook 512 and Microsoft Surface Pro 8

Launch Dates	September 2021 vs January 2022	Both laptops are recent models
Wi-Fi Standard	v6 vs v6	Fast and Reliable Wi-Fi Connections
VGA Output	No vs No	Connect to External Displays via VGA cable

Common Weaknesses of Acer Chromebook 512 and Microsoft Surface Pro 8

Upgradable RAM	No vs No	No Option to increase the RAM size
HDMI Output	No vs No	Need an adapter to connect to HDMI displays

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 vs Acer Chromebook 512: Physical Specs Comparison

In this section, we will be comparing the physical specifications and body features of the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 and the Acer Chromebook 512.

Physical Specs
Weight	0.88 kg (1.94 lbs)	1.3 kg (2.87 lbs)
Surface Area	597 cm2 (92.5 inches2)	688 cm2 (106.6 inches2)
Screen to Surface Ratio	~84.3%	~62.4%
Side Bezel Thickness	~6.2 mm	~21.8 mm
Weight per Inch of Screen	0.07 kg/inch	0.11 kg/inch
	0.154 lbs/inch	0.242 lbs/inch
Colors	Black, Silver	Black

Comparison of the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 and the Acer Chromebook 512 External Dimensions

Weight

Surface Pro 8 weighs 0.88 kg (1.94 lbs), whereas the Chromebook 512 weighs 1.3 kg (2.87 lbs). There is a notable difference in weight between these two laptops. However, it's important to consider that comparing their weights directly may not provide a complete picture since they also have different display sizes.

Weight Comparison

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 0.88 kg

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 1.22 kg

Acer Chromebook 512 1.30 kg

Avg: 12.0-12.9" 1.11 kg

Thickness Comparison

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 9.30 mm

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 15.38 mm

Acer Chromebook 512 21.10 mm

Avg: 12.0-12.9" 14.24 mm

Another value that we use for comparing the weights of the laptops is the Weight per Inch of Screen, which is calculated by dividing the total weight of the model with its usable diagonal screen size. This value for the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 is 0.07 kg/inch.In comparison, this value for the Acer Chromebook 512 is 0.11 kg/inch.Here are some of the best performing laptops in this area:

Microsoft Surface Go 4: 0.05 kg/inch
LG Gram SuperSlim 15.6 2023: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus ProArt PZ13 HT5306: 0.06 kg/inch
Asus Zenbook A14 UX3407: 0.06 kg/inch
Dell Latitude 7330: 0.07 kg/inch
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 2: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2022: 0.07 kg/inch
LG Gram 14 2-in-1 2022: 0.07 kg/inch

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 vs Acer Chromebook 512: Internals (CPU, GPU, RAM, Battery, SSD, etc.) Comparison

CPU Comparison

CPU Model	Intel Core i5 1135G7 Intel Core i7 1185G7	Intel Celeron N5100 Intel Pentium Silver N6000
Base Frequency	0.9-2.4 GHz	1.1 GHz
Turbo Frequency	4.2 GHz
Number of Cores	4	4
Number of Threads	8	4
L3 Cache	8 MB	4 MB
Integrated GPU	Iris Xe Graphics G7 80EU	Intel UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 24 EU)
CPU Fabrication Process	10 nm	10 nm
Geekbench 5 (Single)	1324	623
Geekbench 5 (Multi)	4633	1665
Cinebench 23 (Single)	1355	697
Cinebench 23 (Multi)	5087	1812

Above you can see the CPU options and the CineBench and GeekBench test scores for both laptops, which gives an idea about what kind of performance difference you may experience between the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 and Acer Chromebook 512.

You may also read reviews of latest laptops with the same CPUs and compare them:

Laptops with: Intel Core i5 1135G7

Laptops with: Intel Celeron N5100

GPU Comparison

GPU Model	Intel Iris Xe Graphics G7 (80EU)	Intel UHD Graphics (Jasper Lake 24 EU)
Base Clock Frequency	300 MHz	300 MHz
Boost CLock Frequency	1100 MHz	1200 MHz
TGP (Total Graphics Power)	15 W	15 W
Type	Integrated	Integrated
FLOPS	1,408 GFLOPS	460.8 GFLOPS
Memory Size	System Shared	System Shared
Memory Type	System Shared	System Shared
Memory Bus	System Shared	System Shared
Memory Speed	System Shared	System Shared
Shading Units Cores	640	192
TMUs	40	12
ROPs	20	6

GPU is as critical as the CPU for graphic heavy applications and the table above gives a picture of how the two GPU compares. FLOPS is a measure of a GPU's performance based on the number of floating-point arithmetic calculations that the processor can perform within a second. Microsoft Surface Pro 8 has a FLOPS value of 1.41 TFLOPS whereas the Acer Chromebook 512 ' has a FLOPS value of 0.3 TFLOPS. If graphical performance of the laptop is important for your use type, the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 may be the better choice between these two setups.

RAM Comparison

RAM	8GB 16GB 32GB	4GB 8GB
Memory Bus	2x4 GB	1x4 GB
RAM Clock	4266 MHz	4266 MHz
RAM Type	LPDDR4X	LPDDR4X
Upgradable	No	No
Memory Bus	PCI-E Gen 4.0 (4x)	Custom

With a larger RAM capacity of 8 GB, the Surface Pro 8 offers an advantage for multitasking and resource-intensive applications compared to the Chromebook 512's RAM capacity of 4 GB.

LOCAL LLM Compatibility Evaluation

This quick guide shows what types of large language models (LLMs) each of these laptops could support, based on their respective hardware specifications. It's meant to help you compare their suitability for running AI models locally.

LLM Category	Microsoft Surface Pro 8	Acer Chromebook 512
Small Models(1-3B):Examples: Phi-2, Qwen-1.8B	✔ Run smoothly.	✖ Not supported.
Medium Models(7-8B):Examples: Mistral-7B, Qwen-7B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Large Models(13-30B):Examples: Mixtral, Qwen-14B	✖ Not supported.	✖ Not supported.
Extra-Large Models(65B+):Examples: LLaMA2-70B, Qwen1.5-72B	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.	✖ Not supported on most systems. Requires high-end GPU or advanced setup.

Note: Optimized (e.g., 4-bit) models may run on limited hardware. Performance depends on runtime and setup.

📌 MoE Models: Some models like Mixtral 8x7B and Qwen3-30B-A3B use a Mixture of Experts (MoE) design, activating only part of the model during inference. This means they can often run efficiently on laptops with 12–16 GB of VRAM when quantized.

BATTERY

BATTERY	51.5 Wh	0 Wh
Replaceable	No	No
Fast Charging	No	No
USB Power Delivery	Yes
Charging Port Position	Right	Left
Charge Power	0 W	45 W

Moreover, the Surface Pro 8 boasts a larger battery capacity of 52 Wh, offering extended usage time compared to the Chromebook 512's45 Wh.

Battery Comparison

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 52 Wh

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 53.1 Wh

Acer Chromebook 512 45 Wh

Avg: 12.0-12.9" 43.28 Wh

STORAGE
With a larger storage capacity up to 1 TB, the Surface Pro 8 provides more space for storing files and applications compared to the Chromebook 512's max. storage capacity of 64 GB.

Storage Options	128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB	32 GB, 64 GB
Upgradable	Yes	No
Storage type	SSD (M2)	eMMC
NVMe	Yes	No

If your budget allows, we recommend opting for the largest possible disk size, considering the potential increase in storage capacity needs in the future. However, please keep in mind the question 'What will the laptop be used for?' when making this decision. Of course, you can later upgrade the hard disk capacity by getting a larger disk. However, if your laptop has only one disk slot, it may not be as straightforward as a RAM upgrade, where you simply add or replace a module, as moving or cloning files to a new disk may be necessary.

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 vs Acer Chromebook 512: Display Comparison

The display is an essential aspect to consider when comparing the Microsoft Surface Pro 8 and Acer Chromebook 512 since its is the component that you interact the most and significantly impact the experience.

Screen Area and Dimensions

Now let's look at the comparison of the actual display areas of both laptops below, keeping the bezels around the screens out of the equation. Surface Pro 8 has a display size of 13.0".On the other hand, Chromebook 512 has a smaller 12.0" display.The total usable screen area of the Surface Pro 8 is 503cm² / 78inch² whereas the Chromebook 512's total usable screen area is 429cm² / 66inch².

PPI (Pixels per Inch)
Additionally, the Surface Pro 8 features a higher pixel density with 266 pixels per inch (PPI), ensuring sharper image details.

Screen PPI (Pixels Per Inch) Comparison

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 266 PPI

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 186 PPI

Acer Chromebook 512 137 PPI

Avg: 12.0-12.9" 199 PPI

Refresh Rate
The Surface Pro 8 offers a higher refresh rate of 120 Hz, resulting in smoother motion and improved visual experience.

Brightness
The Surface Pro 8 offers a higher maximum brightness of 450 nits, delivering a brighter screen.

Brightness Comparison

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 450 nits

Avg: 13.0-13.9" 438 nits

Acer Chromebook 512 235 nits

Avg: 12.0-12.9" 370 nits

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 vs Acer Chromebook 512 Connectivity Comparison

In terms of connectivity,

Wifi
Both laptops offer the same Wi-Fi standard (v6), ensuring fast and reliable wireless connections.

Below, you'll find a Wi-Fi Versions Table, along with their release dates and speeds, to provide a brief overview of its development.

Wi-Fi Versions and Speeds

Standard	Speed	Release Date	Network	Frequency Bands (GHz)
Wi-Fi 7	up to 40 Gbps (5 GB/s)	2023	802.11be	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6E	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2020	802.11ax	2.4, 5, 6
Wi-Fi 6	up to 9.6 Gbps (1.2 GB/s)	2019	802.11ax	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 5	up to 6.93 Gbps (866.25 MB/s)	2014	802.11ac	2.4, 5
Wi-Fi 4	up to 600 Mbps (75 MB/s)	2009	802.11n	2.4, 5

* Please note that the provided transfer rates are maximum theoretical values, and real-life performance may vary based on environmental factors.

USB
Chromebook 512 is equipped with 2x USB 3.2 USB-A ports. Surface Pro 8 does not have USB-A ports.
Both Surface Pro 8 and Chromebook 512 have USB Type-C ports. Surface Pro 8 has 2x USB 4.0 USB Type-C ports, while Chromebook 512 has 2x USB 3.2 USB Type-C ports.

Below, you'll find a table of USB ports, along with their release dates and speeds.
To mitigate the confusion caused by generation names, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) suggests using marketing names like USB 5Gbps, USB 10Gbps, and so forth, based on their respective transfer rates.

USB Type and Speeds

USB Type	Version	Speed	Date	Other Features/Explanations
USB4	Gen 4 (2.0)	80 Gbps	2022	Also known as USB 80Gbps
USB4	Gen 3×2	40 Gbps	2019	Also known as USB 40Gbps
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2x2	20 Gbps	2019	Double the data transfer rates of Gen 2
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.1
USB 3.2	3.2 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2017	Previously known as USB 3.0
USB 3.1	3.1 Gen 2	10 Gbps	2013	Faster data transfer rates
USB 3.0	3.1 Gen 1	5 Gbps	2010	SuperSpeed USB, improved data transfer rates
USB 2.0	2.0	480 Mbps	2000	High-speed data transfer
USB 1.0	1.0	1.5 Mbps	1996	Original USB standard

Thunderbolt
Surface Pro 8 is equipped with Thunderbolt 4 port. Chromebook 512 does not have Thunderbolt port.

HDMI
Neither Surface Pro 8 nor Chromebook 512 has an HDMI port for connecting to external monitors. Neither Surface Pro 8 nor Chromebook 512 has an HDMI port for connecting to external monitors.

Below, you'll find a comparison table detailing different HDMI versions, including their bandwidth, color depth, maximum resolution, and release dates. This information can be helpful in understanding the capabilities of each HDMI version and choosing the most suitable one for your needs.

HDMI Comparison Table

HDMI Version	Maximum Resolution	Bandwidth (Gbps)	Color Depth (bits)	Release Date
HDMI 2.1-2.1b	7680 x 4320 *(8K)* @ 60p 3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 120p	48.0	48	2017
HDMI 2.0-2.0b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 60p	18.0	48	2013
HDMI 1.4-1.4b	3840 x 2160 *(4K)* @ 30p	10.2	48	2009
HDMI 1.3-1.3a	2560 x 1440 @ 60p	10.2	48	2006
HDMI 1.0-1.2a	1920 x 1200 @ 60p	4.95	24	2002

* Please note that the provided resolution values represent the maximum supported resolution, and actual display quality may depend on other factors such as source content and connected devices.

SD Card Reader
Chromebook 512 is equipped with an SD Card Reader for easy access to memory cards. Surface Pro 8 does not have an SD Card Reader.

Audio Jack
Both Surface Pro 8 and Chromebook 512 are equipped with a 3.5mm Audio Jack, providing seamless connection to headphones and speakers.

To summarize the connectivity and ports details, please refer to the table below to see them listed.

Connectivity and Ports
WiFi Standard (latest: v7)	v6	v6
Bluetooth (latest: v5.4)	v5.1	v5
USB-A (latest: 3.2)	No	2x USB 3.2
USB Type-C (latest: USB4 2.0)	2x USB 4.0	2x USB 3.2
Thunderbolt (latest: 4)	Thunderbolt 4	No
HDMI (latest: 2.1)	No	No
Display Port (latest: v2.0)	No	No
VGA	No	No
Optical Drive	No	No
Audio Jack 3.5mm	Yes	Yes
Ethernet RJ45	No	No
SD CardReader	No	Yes
Proprietary Charging Port	Yes	No