PSA: You can save almost $400 on Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 by buying refurbished

On October 6, Microsoft will host a press event in New York City, at which it will unveil a new generation of devices, including two new Lumia flagship phones, the second version of its Band wearable, and the Surface Pro 4.

With new hardware on the way, the company has been increasing the size and frequency of its discounts, to help clear stock of the older devices and make way for the new ones - and under its latest promotion, you can currently save up to $150 on a new Surface Pro 3.

But if you're willing to forego a brand new machine, and instead opt for a refurbished one, you could save a good deal more.

The most affordable Surface Pro 3 is the Intel Core i3 model, with 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. Usually priced at $799, the i3 model has generally been excluded from Microsoft's discounts in the past - but as it aims to shift older stock, even this variant is now available with $100 off.

But you could save an additional $60 - bringing the total savings to $160, more than enough to also cover the cost of a new Type Cover keyboard - by purchasing a refurbished model instead, paying just $639, instead of $799.

And there are much larger savings available on higher-specced models, the largest of which is the $390 difference between the new and refurbished Core i7/256GB model:

	Brand new	Refurbished	Savings
Intel Core i3 / 64GB / 4GB	$799	$639	$160
Intel Core i5 / 128GB / 4GB	$999	$799	$200
Intel Core i5 / 256GB / 8GB	$1299	$959	$340
Intel Core i7 / 256GB / 8GB	$1549	$1159	$390
Intel Core i7 / 512GB / 8GB	$1949	$1599	$350

Microsoft says that refurbished products are restored to their "original specifications for electrical performance", but also warns:

Unit may contain cosmetic imperfections. 1 year Limited Warranty. See Limited Warranty inside or at Surface Warranty and Service for details. New Surface devices and accessories may be covered by a longer Limited Warranty, but it does not apply to refurbished systems or accessories.

Clearly, then, there are some downsides to purchasing a refurbished system rather than a new one - but if you're willing to overlook these imperfections, the potential savings are significant.

Source: Surface Pro 3 - New / Refurbished (Microsoft Store)