Yeah I was very worried when watching his first video on the mini but like you after watching this follow up video I'm happy I didn't cancel my IGG order too.
got mine a few days ago and loving it, what a wonderful little pc, such a nice screen , the only annoyance is the fan pitch and the only regret is not getting the 7840 version
I am most curious to learn about the fan noise and whether it can be mitigated by lowering the tdp. I mostly want this for general use, portable programming, etc. and sometimes some gaming.
@@SamGarfield1 its not too noisy just high pitched if you playing a game doesnt really matter as you will have audio but for work Id say headphones and music as vscode will get its fans spinning quite quickly :D also dont think you can code on that keyboard, its so tiny its not really comfortable for a lot of typing, so It will be a desktop setup with external everything
I'm liking this a lot, but I did get a Win Max 2 that I still like a lot as well. I'll probably sit this one out, but maybe next iteration or the one after, I'll be on board. That's the one problem about making them so good, you kinda don't need to update them for a bit. I loved my Win 2, but it was too problematic that I bailed on it for the original GPD Win Max, which was excellent for the time. The Max 2 was just above and beyond, so much so I use it for everything today.
@@ctrl_x1770 they've got a pattern of every year releases at this point. I think next year they'll refresh the APU on the Mini, then the year after that they come out with some new model. I think the Mini is going to be a major hit for them. The following year, they'll either revise it, come out with something completely different, or make a Max 3 or GPD Win 5. Who knows at this point. As far as computing power goes, I'm fine with the 6800u for now. It's very capable, covers all the games I want to play, does all the emulation I want, and does a fine job with productivity and even virtualization. The next one I get, whatever it is, will be my dockable desktop replacement device.
@@creaturecore13 maybe, but for me I use them the same way, a mobile gaming and productivity device. I would love the Mini, and if I had the desire to migrate, I would use it as a 1 to 1 replacement for the Max 2. I almost did because I want to get my kid something to game on for Christmas. The thing that made me decide against it for now is mostly cost (I'd need a new 2230 since it doesn't do 2280, driving up the price for me into about $1,200), not wanting to migrate because of laziness, and finding machines that meet his needs for $500-$700. He's still a little bkid and I think a GPD may be a bit much to trust him with. I think I'll do a hand-me-down when I upgrade in 2 to 3 years though. Hell be older and I'll be looking for more power for sure.
I have the max 2 and plan on getting this one, I love everything about the Max 2 but playing games on it. the only comfy way to do it for me is laying down in bed with the keyboard on my standing up right on my stomach screen straightened all the way out. The steam deck has a nice size screen and i'm glad the mini is the same
Wow, I was waiting for this update! If you plan to make comparison of battery life between say old steamdeck and new win mini, would be awesome, I'm very curious how much battery life I can expect on a lower TDP settings for older games like New Vegas or say Dishonored or Human Revolution with it.
I know that I'm hard to satisfy but I'd love something between the Mini and the MAx size wise: an 8inch screen with small bezels (the fist win max had way too big ones) and full sized keys.
I doubt an 8 inch would be pocketable. The win mini already seems to be cutting it close. I'll wait to get it before making a final judgement though I guess.
I don't understand...this looks even bigger to me than the Steam Deck (in terms of how you'd actually hold it) seeing as it's more or less a full laptop (just smaller than most, of course). Maybe it's a lot lighter than I'm thinking
@@zake64 It’s nowhere near as wide as the Steam Deck, so it should be much easier to take it with you. I also really like GPD’s clamshell design, since you don’t need to look as far down when holding it.
@@ThePC007 Also nor only is the GPD pocketable, the clamshell design protects the screen and most buttons. The Steam Deck is not pocketable, and you really want to carry it in the case, adding more bulk. I do love my Steam Deck, but it's not a pocket handheld... What I don't like about the GPD Win Mini is Win 11. I wonder how much of the software is a necessity and can't be ported to another OS. I'd love to do a Steam OS GPD Mini, but if I lose functionality, such as calibrating joystick dead zones, I'm not sure it's worth it.
In your earlier review, you mentioned that the display being backlit in portrait mode along with the 120Hz display causes a lot of smearing. This was one of the main reasons against the Win Mini. Since you didn't speak at all about the display, I'm guessing this is still the case on the production model
I have the 7640u mini and the form factor, size, and weight can not be overstated enough. I have the Legion Go as well and I rather play at lower fps, with the much smaller screen of the mini just for the comfort factor, ergonomically, of using it. My 2¢
@@kadash977if you search for gpd win mini and order it by release on RU-vid, there is a CoD video showing fan curve settings. It stays at 60% on 20w with cpu never going above 77
At 20w playing call of duty it does not go above 77°c and the fan at 60% which is good for me. At 80°c the fan goes to 80% which is loud but can be ignored when gaming with the sound on. 60% even when not gaming is not loud enough to be bad but 80% if not gaming and nothing coming out of the speakers is too loud for me
Yes, it's absolutely pocketable and I've been taking it with me everywhere just in my pocket. I will get a skin and screen protector for it to protect it at least a little but
I think when it'll be time to replace my desktop, I'll seriously consider using a device like this paired with an eGPU, I don't think there are really good GPU cases just yet though, also having the handheld plugged at all time sounds scary for battery life.
Mine's on the way. I ordered the grips because I have long thumbs (compared to most handheld reviewers I see on youtube) and figured it's best to get them just in case I need that extra distance. The GPD Win 3 to me is not comfortable to hold, but the silicone grip case helps somewhat. If I do end up needing to use the grips on the Win Mini, I'll carry a purse or something if it won't fit in an inner jacket pocket.
@@stevestevenson-d6h if ur in ur window send it back. They have a refresh that was announced with better thermals, vrr screen, and a few little upgrades. I sent mine as soon as I heard about this rumored Refresh. If they need to refresh a product 6 months after launch they shouldn’t have launched it to begin with. (Also has the new 8840u in it )
Honestly I just got the SD Oled a couple of days ago I've been on it nonstop this weekend everything feels good about it except that it's bulky. I often look over at my Vita and want that form factor I'm think of returning my OLED and grabbing this which would also serve as my laptop's replacement but I'm not sure :(
@@MicaelAzevedo I've tried the ally although not as long, that was also too big for what I wanted I was hoping the OLED and better software would be the difference for me, it wasn't enough.
I was like you, that's why I bought a win 4. But I realised the win 4 is too small to game on it comfortable for hours. I didn't ever have that problem with the steam deck, and it's solely because it's bigger and more ergonomic. Btw I don't have big hands, rather small hands actually.
8000 series seems like it won't be a big jump. I would wait for an 8000 series APU just so the 7840U will be cheaper (unless GPD decides to make it OLED then I would get the refresh)
Visually, pay attention to the part where when I place my finger down on the plastic side and how you can see the entire area of my finger changes the temperature versus the metal. It's not just temps but how the plastic *stays* cool when heat is robbed from the shell, whereas the metal always stays hot
So is it still portrait screen? And if so, why does that matter so much on, for example, the Legion Go, but doesn't get a mention here? Dealbreaker for me in any case.
@@michaelbmw1931 There's nothing confirmed that I know of. But when I left a comment on the GPD Channel saying that I didn't buy the Win Mini because it doesn't have an OLED. They replied that since Steam & Nintendo have an OLED version that they will look into it. My dream would be that the refresh of the Mini (they seem to do refreshes of all their recent products) would have an OLED screen.
I had a gpd win 2 and a gpd win max, I preferred the symmetrical layout of the win 2 personally. The offset layout feels weird when the controls are aligned. They probably just don't have enough room internally to put the thumbsticks in the middle. I agree that ideally it would be like playstation/steam deck/gpd win 1.
Super cool, but after getting the win max, I'm just not a fan of the form factor. I tried a win4 in person and it's just so much better for me. Gonna hold out for a win5. For now it is super fun having such a powerful tiny laptop haha.
@The Phawx did you try baldur's Gate 3 on the Mini? I've heard some units have issues in gamepad mode with the screen going co-op splitscreen thinking the trackpad is for player 2 or something.
I was planning on getting one because of the pocket-ability -- even though I'd be putting it in a purse -- though when the Legion Go came around at a much cheaper price, larger screen, and good purse-compatability (the tablet easily fits in a pocket of my small-mediumish purse) it was a no-brainer -- that and I could return it to Best Buy if anything was wrong.
@@michaelbmw1931 legion has higher refresh rate, nicer screen, detachable controllers and a real actual warranty and is returnable if there are any issues. The win mini, good luck if you have any issue. You arent getting it fixed or getting a refund without a huge hassle.
Dealing with stuff this expensive, along with overseas shipping and support. Seems no point with the Ally, Deck, and Go. Unless you want a PC in a really big pocket.
@@lev3k It doesn't even need to be a big pocket. My gpd win 4 fits in my back jeans pocket. This is even smaller and flatter and will fit better. And I wear right jeans and have a BIG butt too. It's gonna be so easy to fold up and slide into a back pocket and free a hand whenever needed.
@@ThePhawx haha I'm just messing with ya but, you know.. "Look at this GPD Rog can take a knee Less support than steam deck has But that don't mean it can't be best!" Okay, retiring ✌️
Was very interested in this previously, but the heat issue with the shell in the preview + reveal of ayaneo flip KB/DS + steam deck oled just kills the interest in this. Hope they learnt the leasons from this and may consider this if they refresh it with the zen 5 8XXX series next year. Maybe they can even get a true landscape panel by then.
I saw on hackaday that someone turned one into a modern smartphone keyboard. If it's as good as you're saying, it would be the _perfect_ accessory for the Steam Deck.
@@GSBarlev Well you can buy the new "psion" devices Gemini PDA, Astro slide or cosmic slide they have silly names, basically a dualboot linux/android smartphone. But I would love to gut out a broken psion 5 and add a Pi or x86 board to it!
I love your zeal for the Win Mini! I almost bought one but I wanted it to function initially as a mini laptop, where I can write notes and such, then secondarily as a gaming handheld but the keyboard buttons are much too small for that. The GPD win max 2 fit that bill more so but it was too expensive considering for a similar price I could just get a new laptop.
My gpd mini arrived yesterday and is awesome, but the dpad after playing a while turn warm, is the only complain. I played a lot switch at 12 watts (mario rpg) and is almost 3 hours.
No, you can limit fps to 40 and since it's divisible into 120 you get a smooth picture. Actual power savings is very small. So far measured only .5w difference between 120hz and 60hz.
I am on the fence between this, the GPD Win 4, and the Ayaneo Flip. I’d really love to see VRR, but I’m starting to feel like I should prioritize OCuLink over that (especially since I’m mostly casual in handheld mode and the screen on the Switch Lite I have doesn’t bother me). Ayaneo’s attention to detail and software are suuuuuper compelling for me. I’m just not in love with the Flip’s overall aesthetic. Anybody have opinions they wanna share?
Your hour of game play footage was a total system draw of about 15-18W which puts the set TDP around 10-12W. So it's not a fair assessment since 15W set TDP would draw around 23-25W and would be more heat to dissipate. Honestly seeing the thermals still greatly disappointed me. They're much improved but the heat is still heavily concentrated in touch areas. Your video does have me tempted to use my IR thermometer and get some shell readings of my handheld collection
I was hoping when I placed my finger on the plastic "hot" area and you could see how big of a difference it makes versus the metal version it would accurately reveal the type of "heat" While the thermal camera shows that heat and it's initially warm to the touch, it rapidly cools down whereas the metal remains the same.
Thank you for this masterpiece review! I will buy one. Just an help. 32gb model or 64gb? I will use it for gaming and paired with GPD G1. Thanks for all advices
If you're going to use it with the G1, I recommend getting the 64GB. That way, you can give the iGPU 16GB of ram and still have 48GB's of system ram available when using the G1. You get to set it and forget it, so to speak. On my 32GB Win Max 2 6800u, I usually give my iGPU 8GB's, leaving me with 24GB's of system ram. If I wanted to give the iGPU any more, I'd be starving my system of ram while using my oculink eGPU, so sometimes I have to change the amount in the bios.
@@oz85 Not at all! The iGPU doesn't need that much ram while your'e using the eGPU. It's just that newer AAA games might need more than 24GB's of system ram at the highest resolutions and settings. For reference, I played Star Wars Jedi: Survivor at 1440p ultra with a 3090 (and later 4k ultra with a 4090) over Oculink, and my performance was noticeably smoother after dropping my iGPU's ram to 2 GB's and raising my system to 30GB. With a G1 this is totally unnecessary, as the G1 itself only has 8GB's of vram, and you'll be playing in higher quality settings at 1080p and maybe 1440p in most games. Having 64GB's just means that you can split the ram 16GB/48GB to get the smoothest possible performance both portably and with an eGPU without ever having to change the allocation, but it's purely a luxury thing more than anything else. A 32GB Win Mini with the 8GB/24GB split that GPD recommends should be perfectly fine with the G1
Can u please do a video on the bios locking retail units to 20 watts, why they did that, and how to unlock it to 28? Also mention the 7500mts vram option and why a warning pops up when selecting it, is it dangerous for the system? I am experienced with these handhelds but this gpd is a whole new beast. Finding the latest version of things is not nearly as easy as it should be. My win mini has no 720 p option, only 768 and it cuts 80 percent of the screen off. I watch ur videos before considering these handhelds (and others) why has nobody mentioned these issues, like the tdp being locked and the 7500 ram option issuing a warranty warning? It’s such a cool device but gpd has to have the worst software I’ve ever seen
I understand the recommended tdp however If i wanted to go full blast 30 tdp while plugged in, will this thing still stay cool (cool enough to be not uncomfortable)?
Im a little upset this came out right after i received my gpd win 4. Long time user of the original win max i would of loved this pocketable clamshell. But i like the win 4 enough not to sell and buy this instead
That’s great! Now I need GPD to provide long term support for it. And That’s the thing. In order for this to be a real competitor to the Ally and SteamDeck and Legion GO. Even though GPD is a pioneer in this space. Have they proven to be good on that front??
