$796 shipped, I had some gift card balance but the original total was $800 and change.

here was the listing:

https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Surface-Pro-Intel-Core/dp/B01606KJ6C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1484290575&sr=8-1&keywords=surface+pro+4

Edit: For those viewing the thread late -

For an entry level Surface tablet I'd currently recommend the Surface 3 64GB/2GB model + external monitor over the Surface Pro 3 i3 model since the performance is so similar - just don't expect to be able to play more than basic games or the ability to watch high bit-rate HD video.

If you want to splurge on a mid-range Surface tablet then I'd go for the Surface Pro 4 i5 128GB/4GB model - the CPU performs twice as fast as the low end tablets, and the graphics performance is about 70% better than all the others. The display is also higher quality and slightly larger, pressure sensitivity is increased x4, better camera, and it comes with a pen. The extra RAM and storage space will really help stave off any headaches you may experience with the entry models.

I think the main decision here is how much money you are willing to spend on it. Objectively, more money gets you a better device, so setting a price point pretty much establishes which one you are going to get:

• Low-end: ~$400 - Surface 3 Atom 64GB | 2GB | 1.6 - 2.4 GHz | 2MB Cache | 600 MHz
• Low-end: ~$500 - Surface Pro 3 i3 64GB | 2GB | 1.5 GHz | 3MB Cache | 850 MHz
• Mid-range: ~$700 - Surface Pro 3 i5 s4 128GB | 4GB | 1.9 - 2.9 GHz | 3MB Cache | 1100 MHz
• Mid-range: ~$800 - Surface Pro 4 i5 s6 128GB | 4GB | 2.4 - 3.0 GHz | 3MB Cache | 1000 MHz
• High-end: ~$1000 - Surface Pro 3 i7 256GB | 8GB | 1.7 - 3.3 GHz | 4MB Cache | 1100 MHz

* Image comparison

The 10.8" devices are actually a Surface 3's with a Atom x7-Z8700 processors. The 12" devices are the Surface Pro 3's with core i3/i5/i7 processors. The i5/i7 CPU's generally perform twice as well as the Atom/i3 in benchmarks. The Surface Pro 4 also performs about 70% better than the Pro 3's in graphics benchmarks (+7-15% better in CPU tests).

Since you are unlikely be using it for anything super demanding, I'd recommend you go for the mid-range Surface Pro 3 (see my note at the bottom about the Pro 4 though, which is a decent upgrade for +$80). Both screens have the same DPI (detail level), so you are getting roughly 25% more screen real estate with the bigger one (no quality improvement). Draw two rectangles with the following dimensions to get an idea of the difference in viewing area:

9" x 6" vs. 10" x 6.7"

Otherwise, the core i5/i7 processors have TurboBoost to add another 1 GHz of processing power (the i3 apparently does not, Atom has Boost for +800 MHz). 4GB of ram is much better than 2GB, and 128GB storage space would be much better than 64 as you could easily bump into the later's limit. 8GB Ram, 256GB storage, and a Core i7 are the top-end luxury options which have diminishing returns over the mid-range options.

Keep in mind the following things:

• You may want to invest in a Type Cover in order to have a physical keyboard
• Similarly, you may want a USB or bluetooth mouse
• Try to get one which comes with Windows 10 instead of 8
• A larger investment, but potentially worthwhile one, would be an external monitor with a DisplayPort connector - both devices have Mini DisplayPorts for hooking up to monitors for lots more screen real estate
• There are Surface Pro 4 devices available which cost roughly $100 more for the same system specs as the Pro 3 versions, but with better DPI and .3" larger screen