The above image has been all too common for some Surface Pro 3 users with the i7 4650U model. Some of which are on their 4th replacement unit from Microsoft and still have issues. The good news is Microsoft has just officially commented that they are aware there is an issue (Finally) and a fix is coming as soon as possible, they were also quick to state that only small number of units were effected.
The Surface Team is aware of a very small number of Surface Pro 3 Intel Core i7 devices that are temporarily restarting and incorrectly showing a ‘Thermometer Gauge’ icon while attempting to boot up. Our investigation reveals that the system is triggering this event sooner than it should for some people, only when the device restarts, and this does not occur when the device is booted and running. We have an update that will address this that will be ready for our customers as soon as possible.
The i7 version of Surface Pro 3 is a first-of-its-kind tablet delivering i7 processing power in a thin and light package. As such, the increased power calls for the fan to spin more regularly and at higher speeds – and for the unit to run slightly warmer. If customers have any questions or concerns, they should contact Microsoft Support.
However, it would seem its more than just a few units with this issue in particular looking on the official MS answers forum and around the internet. User Jarem was an early adopter of the Surface Pro i7 model and has been struggling with temperature related issues since it was out of the box.
Got the temperature warning for the first time with my fourth unit. This time while applying the 8/19/2014 firmware update. A reboot during a firmware flash doesn’t seem like a safe thing for a device to do. 🙁
Threads on the answers forum about high CPU load while systems are idle have still not been solved from the numerous firmware updates. Our own Surface Pro 3 i5/256GB units are still suffering from this issue, killing the battery life and it seems if Microsoft is in indeed aware of this issue they have yet to find a fix.
Hopefully, this update is live very soon and address the other outstanding issues plaguing what is a great hybrid tablet. Are you a Surface Pro 3 owner? And do you have an issues? Please let us know in the comments below.
