Project Volterra Review: Microsoft’s $600 Arm PC That Almost Doesn’t Suck

Microsoft recently released two new systems based on Qualcomm Arm processors. The first, the 5G version of the Surface Pro 9, was mostly criticized by reviewers as software compatibility is a major issue even after two generations of the Arm-based Surface Pro X. The second one is Windows Dev Kit 2023 for $600. formerly known by the much cooler name “Project Volterra”and should help solve this software problem.

Microsoft has tried to release Arm Windows developer boxes before, namely the $219 ECS LIVA QC710, which it started selling about a year ago (it’s no longer sold, at least not through the Microsoft store). But with its 4GB of storage, 64GB of onboard storage, and a low-powered Snapdragon 7c processor, using it felt like a return to the bad days for netbooks. Maybe you could do a basic lookup on it. But real work, even for someone like me who mostly works all day with text and medium resolution photos? Nope.

The Dev Kit 2023 is nearly three times the price, but the hardware is powerful enough to make it look like a typical mid-range mini desktop in everyday use. Freed from the limitations of low-quality hardware, the machine makes it much easier to assess the remaining software limitations of Windows-on-Arm. We won’t be using it as a dev box in this review, but it gives us a good opportunity to gauge where the Windows-on-Arm project is right now, both in hardware and software, especially when compared to the Mac. a different hardware and software ecosystem that provides a much cleaner, broader, and sleeker transition from x86 software to Arm.

Surface in all but name

Microsoft doesn’t sell the Dev Kit as a Surface device because it’s not intended for general PC users. However, there is a lot of Surface in its DNA.

It starts with its design. It’s a solid piece of black plastic on a metal frame with the Microsoft logo on top; it’s smaller than the Mac mini (which, if you’re unfamiliar, has had the same physical dimensions for 12 years), but if Microsoft decided to create a Surface-branded clone of the Mac mini, it probably wouldn’t look particularly different.

One reason the device is smaller is because it uses a 90W external power supply, while the Mac mini’s power supply is inside the case. This stems from the way Microsoft seems to have put together the dev kit – the Mac mini’s internals were designed specifically for their case, while the dev kit looks like literally a Surface Pro 9 with a 5G motherboard with a case built around it. So it looks less like a Mac mini and more like the Apple Silicon “Developer Transition Kit”that adapted the internals of the iPad Pro to fit the Mac mini case.

The most obvious downside is the set of unused connectors that are visible in the top right corner of the board when you remove the bottom of the dev kit – these will be used to control the display and other internal peripherals on the Surface but will remain unused. in the developer kit. The two USB-C ports (again, holding the Surface, with identical placement and spacing) are the only ones built into the board, while the Ethernet port, USB-A ports, mini DisplayPort, and the power jack on the back are all built into a separate board. (Being a Surface Pro clone also means the Dev Kit doesn’t have a headphone jack.) Firmware and driver updates pulled from Windows Update are also Surface-branded.

The Dev Kit can connect to three monitors simultaneously using mini DisplayPort and USB-C ports, and up to two of them can be 4K displays at 60Hz (refresh rates above 60Hz are available at lower resolutions, but 60Hz seems to be tough limit for 4K). Microsoft says DisplayPort is the one you should be using for the primary display and it will only display a signal when you tweak the box’s UEFI firmware settings, probably also a holdover from its Surface roots – the internal display in the Surface is likely to be plugged in to the internal built-in DisplayPort (eDP) connector, which works the same way.

The only upgradable component in the Dev Kit is the 512GB SSD, which is a short M.2 2230 drive, the same as those used by Microsoft in other Surface devices. A typical M.2 2280 SSD will definitely do, though you’ll have to figure out how to hold it in place on your own since there’s no built-in stand for it. The rationale for using a small SSD in the first place is probably the same as reusing a Surface motherboard – it’s cheaper to reuse one thing than it is to develop and pay for a completely different thing, especially in what is likely to be a small volume. product.