SketchUp Pro 2017 on Surface Pro 4 - Hands On Questions

I’m completely aware that Sketchup on integrated graphics is not supported or recommended. I’ve read many forum posts on the subject already.

My specific question is for those who have actual experience with SketchUp on the Surface Pro. What was your experience like? What type of models have you worked with on this platform?

I have a fully spec’d desktop that runs SketchUp great, but I’m looking for a mobile solution that I can take with me when I’m away from my home office, or for when I’m laying in bed at night. My hope is to be able to use a Surface Pro with a wireless mouse. If all else fails, I’ll go with the XPS 15, but I’d love to have the added portability of the Surface Pro.

Thanks to anyone who is able to share their hands on experience!

Not :100:% true. Not recommended because of a multitude of issues and they share system RAM [ie, no dedicated GRAM of their own,] … but is supported (as best as can be.)

One of the SketchUp Team members mentioned several people in their office using a Surface Pro.
(Definitely do not buy a used lowest end Surface 3 model with an Atom processor. [See Jody’s comment.] Recommend i5 or better processor.)


I notice that the Surface Book high end models (both i5 and i7) come with Nvidia GeForce dedicated GPU, but the product page does not state which GeForce model. (And IMO they are quite expensive compared to other detachable notebook computers.)

Hi Dan,

Thanks for taking the time to respond. It’s actually been your comments on this subject throughout all of the posts that I’ve read that have been the most helpful.

I was just hoping that someone out there with hands on experience with the Surface Pro 4 (i7 model) would be able to share what they have been able to accomplish on this specific platform, along with any limitations they’ve found.

The surface book does seem like a great piece of hardware, but at that point I’d probably get the XPS 15 with the gtx 1050. I already own an iPad pro, so having a tablet isn’t really an issue. Just looking for a portable solution for SketchUp. The surface pro really seemed to fit that description, but not if I wont be able to build full home designs with materials and full framing for estimates. I do a lot of work using profile builder assemblies.

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Here’s hoping … :tropical_drink: (The thread is still open)

There have been some comments in older threads (some on SP3, some SP4):

https://forums.sketchup.com/search?q=%22Surface%20Pro%22

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