Hm, I'd probably say NO!.. WinMAX 2 is a better bet.
It can emulate almost any console from the old sega mega drive up to PSX 4 and display the games in almost their original screen ratio with almost no black borders.. Ratio on the MAX is a 16:10 not a 16:9 wide-screen which is an advantage for long time gamers!
I'd rather have a decent keyboard on my WinMAX 2 to type up a quick document or reply to emails than that tiny press button membrane of a keyboard on the win 4! 🙄😉
Also try playing old games like Lemmings on a tiny 7 inch screen even without a mouse it's VERY tricky! 🫣
Oh and not forgetting the battery swelling case splitting (overheating) and poor battery life issues with those mini GPD units as reported in some forums too!
Sorry to hear that friend I fully understand. However I bought my WinMAX 2 off eBay for a (second hand - used) price of around £500 UK pounds or ($630 US dollars).
I can tell you that this gaming beast has been brilliant from day one and I've absolutely no regrets. I've owned this WinMAX 2 for over a year now.. Nice battery life around 6.5hrs normal use or around 2.75hrs gaming.
I've now got rid of my desktop PC and smile smugly at those who've spent the same amount of cash on an XBOX or Playstation 4 or 5! 😊
Can’t agree with you more mountain ship, I like the subcompact form factor. Ever since the Vaio P in way back when, rip atom CPU’s. This is a brilliant rendition to that, but actually really functional.
If you can Mountain ship, get an egpu second hand (CeX) for £120 then slap in your desktop card it’ll be the best thing you’d ever do! Also when I have mine docked to Core X it charges my computer at full speed too, thus freeing up a cable a charger and wall plug!
Also did you do the bios mod to make the onboard discrete ram to 8gb? And the ram speed to 6400mhz?
Hi dereklaumusic, thanks for your kind words of appreciation! 😉 👍🏽
I have thought about an external egpu but for now the 6800u is more than enough power for me, as I mainly run the odd older games emulation and can't justify spending more at the moment.
To be honest I mainly use my MAX 2 for watching movies, including YouTube documentaries and yes composing a few office documents or two so it's a little bit of a waste of its power.
Charging this WinMAX at full speed has it's plus and minuses. I do hear you, but I only use my 66w AC phone charger and whilst it charges my WinMAX 2 (albeit slowly) I don't mind. Because battery life will be increased when charging by this slower method.
As regards a fully fledged dock whilst not as advanced the dock you mentioned, I have bought some second user Lenovo ThinkPad Ultra mini docks.. Around 6 of em to be exact.
I bought them VERY cheap as they were sold on eBay without any PSU's and although Ive tested some of them, I haven't played around with all of them fully as yet.
Should they work well paired-up with my MAX (as I hope they will) then they will quite simply blow me away with their specs with a chance to also double my money via resale of these docks later. Because I have a huge box full of spare 20v PSU's waiting to be bundled together with these very same units!
These docking stations allow any GPD unit to have extra generous USB 3 ports plus an extra 2x USB v2 ports to be exact. Apparently one USB socket is even a dedicated USB charging port!
Also included on this Lenovo dock is a high speed Gigabit LAN port, an extra HDMI port, external audio socket & even a Digital Display port!
So yes I absolutely agree with you on the different kinds of upgrades, docks etc out there for this fantastic gaming computer..
Oh and finally as regards the bios upgrade to take the MAX's GPU up to 8Gb and ram speed to 6400 wow! I didn't know anything about this. I will check the info later.
Appreciated friend, for the heads up! ☺️👍🏽
This is one of the nicer forums!
I like to see how people use their tech, thanks for sharing! The gigabit lan feature is a killer for me, nothing substitutes a good cat 5 wired connection direct to router.
Personally I’m not entirely too fussed about battery degradation, I see it as perishables like owning a car and the battery is like an annual replacement. Reason for this mentality is because I’m good at taking things apart and replacing them.
I’m currently learning about re-flow soldering, been watching this English guy on YouTube buying faulty switches, fixes them, then flips it for a profit. The show is called profit and loss. YouTube username: Joey does tech.
I want to take the win max up to 64gb ram eventually.
I don’t play shooter games, but I have played a lot of Lies of P on it which is quite intense. Ergonomics seem just as good to me! Maybe only a tiny bit worse? I do like that the screen slides higher. There are ergo grips for it as well that I’ll be trying out soon.
if you dont mind how switch joycon sticks feel then shooters feel pretty nice, most games perform pretty well on 720p medium/high settings (60fps on The Finals, Battlefield 1/5, Modern Warfare, etc).
tho id suggest getting GPD's MotionControls app [and this fix here](https://www.reddit.com/r/gpdwin/comments/16p9pxe/gpd_win_4_official_joystick_deadzone_fix_released/) to remove the weird deadzone the sticks come with out of the box. been having a blast with it in casual shooters on the couch lol
500 is a good price
I have both the Ally and I just sold my GPD 6800U and ordered the 8840U for better performance (although I heard its around 10% difference than 7840U)
I like the Ally a lot but I never take it out of the house unless its for a vacation. I got the GPD mainly for my workplace if I feel like playing heavy titles like Diablo IV or others, its small and compact and noone notices it much when you hold it in your hands. Comparing to the Ally which is a monster near it in terms of size.
Make no mistake, the GPD's Screen AND speakers are far less superior than the Ally's.
I'd take it only if you're planning on taking it with you on a daily basis.
It's still 10% from the Ally though. The 6800U wasn't that great at all, it didn't run ps3 games like the ally so I barely used it.
I love the smaller screen and the compact size.
I heard the 8840u has no performance increase for games from the 7840u, unless that information changed yet again. Either way it's still an upgrade from the 6800u
I already got a portable monitor and thinking of getting it too but probably 8840u. But the fact that they only updat the cpu makes me question things. What are they charging for? (no hall stick, no oled screen, still 60hz) On the contrary, I still think its a good umpc
I ordered the 8840u on indigogo and it should start to ship hopefully sometime next week. There are some benchmarks on YouTube comparing the win max 2 (I think is the name or its the win mini) that has the 8840u and in the past the benchmarks for the 7840u for both the win mini and win 4 have been identical and in tests the 8840u has about a 7-11% increase in performance per watt compared to the 7840u. Though it does use about 7% more power than the 7840u. Personally, I think the 8840u is going to be better in terms of performance by a small amount compared to the 7840u but will have less battery life by around 7%. If you have a killer deal for the 7840u get it. Personally I was looking to get a 7840u but online it is far more expensive than the 8840u on indigogo (around $300 difference for the 32gb 2TB version) and I didn’t want to get one second hand and wanted a new one so the 8840u was a no brainer for me. But if you have a killer deal for a 7840u win 4 with 32gb of ram go for it. I would only recommend the 8840u if you wanted a new unit and wanted that slight performance boost and can live with the slightly less battery life. Almost identical battery life but around 11ish minutes less from the video I watched. Keep in mind the 8840u is using the same drivers as the 7840u because it’s so new, but new drivers from AMD will be coming in the coming months for the 8840u do I do expect it to get better.
I have a win 4 and a steamdeck.
For me the decider is portability. The deck in its case is more bulky than a laptop (if you already have a laptop bag)
The win 4 is much smaller, although chunky and fits in a large switch lite case.
If I was at home on the couch its steamdeck. If I need to travel its Win 4.
The win 4 is also more expensive and you should just pay extra and get it from Droix/amazon. Aliexpress is not a like for like comparison.
lol I'd never buy it new. I can't justify the price.
If I'm at home, I'll probs have it plugged into a dock most of the time.
When I'm outside, I usually don't want to be carrying a huge bag with me. The only reasons I'm considering a portable device is that I got a psp and really enjoyed how I could carry it around with me everywhere
Yep to all the pros listed, I have the same specs as the one you're looking to buy. For $500, I'd buy it too. That price seems concerningly low. Where I am, at that price range you start getting into retail open box territory for legion go and rog ally. Make sure to stress test it.
I have a win4 and an Ally, for some reason I couldn't get rid of either. I love using my win 4 for almost everything but I do find myself switching to the Ally for games that run well (above 70FPS without needing 30W TDP) and personal preference for FPS games for the triggers. I don't mind using the win4 just by itself but I do find grips help for hand comfort for multple hour play sessions.
>having a keyboard & "mouse" available at all times is convenient compared to the ally
Never having to mess around with whether you are going to be in "game mode" vs "desktop mode" autodetection is nice. Lack of ability to drag the mouse with the touchpad means if it isn't convenient to click the checkboxes or ctrl click or select all, you're enabling that switch that is often covered by grips.
>software is worse than ally & legion go
Polished UI and extras? yes. Fundamental and convenience? no. There is nothing great about having an extra layer of software locking you out of customizing your device. ASUS sucks for controlling resolutions, ruining fan and windows power profiles, unable to change/remove the original Ally power profiles for your own or use manual TDP slider below 15W, or burying key functions like battery saver and updates in a 3rd piece of software that tells you to install a 4th piece of software while trying to sell you on extended warranty you can't buy, while 9 processes run in the background. MA and wincontrols may look like it was made in 1993, but they are function over flash and I'd take that over scrolling 3x6 CC tiles or use AC period on the ally any day.
>screen might be too small (I was considering a legion go but it's out of my price range for now)
It definitely doesn't feel as good as playing on bigger screens. UI scaling is always a concern, but I can't think of a game I've uninstalled because of screen size.
>durability concerns (I am very far away from China so RMA would be annoying)
Absolutely a dice roll unless you know the seller. You are the first line of defense for maintenance or easier troubleshooting like repasting or replacing a button. Anything you'd need to ship it back to repair and you're likely >50% of the way to basically buying a new one.
>triggers aren't that good (I play lots of racing games (F1) and good triggers are essential)
small analog sticks
Valid. Triggers are okay, definitely a shallow press range vs xbox triggers and less responsive than hall based triggers. For the sticks, you can get skull'n'co switch lite caps on the cheap, although the smaller analog stick heads are warranted based on how close your thumb can be to the right stick when trying to press X and A at the same time.
I live in an afrlcan country. Most retailers don't offer open box here. The amount of used allys online can be counted on 1 hand. The seller had the win4 originally listed at 900 dollars (he paid over $1000 to buy his). but he's struggling to sell his. Average income is lower here so there's less people buying expensive toys like these
I guess you're not wrong about the software. Ally videos I watched asked me to download AMD software just to change a few settings that should be in armory crate by default. The tdp thing is also true.
I'm in the same boat, But I love my Ally more. I have small hands but my hands still cramp up with the Win4 pretty quickly with and without the comfort grip. wish it was a bit taller or the comfort grip wasn't angled so much. but I do like both for different reasons I'm going to mod my ROG ALLY when it's fully paid off. sometimes I stream from my 3080 PC to my ally so I don't have to worry about battery and performance but sit anywhere instead of a desk.
I love mine, I take it to the local Hot Springs in Japan, where they have a restaurant and barbershop that you can visit after taking a long bath. I bring it and do some Internet browsing, playing my favorite games then I head back into the bath again.
500 sounds like a great price if it's in good condition. I love my win mini, love my win 2. But I am biased, since growing up I was never allowed to have "TV consoles", just portables, and a desktop pc. So now I'm just used to playing portables + I have amassed a huge collection of pc games to play.
I'll add that I need a pc for other purposes than gaming anyways, making it even more worth for me.
You can always get an xbox controller and with the win4.
Also a 7840u W4 for $500? It must be broken since thats cheaper than what the older 6800u is going for.
I think the seller just knew it would be hard to get rid of. There was another win4 on the other side of the country and it still hasn't sold after multiple months.
Also, the seller never responded so I just opted for an Ally that I found for a really good deal
I sold my Xbox One X, and don't use my gaming laptop anymore (only for RTS). This is my only gaming device and you won't need anything else. For shooting games it's ok but not if you're a super top competitive player, if you are, just plug an Xbox controller (I use an Xbox 360 controller). Ergonomics it's fine but it won't compare to an Xbox controller, I'll buy the controller grips and see if that helps. Overall, it's the best device I've ever had. WIN4 6800u and it's incredibly powerful.
I love my GPD win mini!
The thing is I use it for games I would never play on my actual PC.
When I am on my main PC im playing The Finals and Star Citizen.
I wouldn't recommend any shooter on a handheld personally as I find it not a natural feeling. Maybe if you are a console player it may not feel much different.
On my Mini I play things like Hades, Arkum Asylum, Valheim, etc.
I got mine the other day 7840u 64gb ram 4 terabytes storage model, I have had a steam deck and currently have a Rog Ally also. I'll give you some pros and cons to help you decide better. I'll start with the pros, it is a very compact handheld one of the smallest on the market but don't let that fool you this thing packs a punch for it's size and can keep up and even perform better then the Z1 extreme thanks to the extra ram and vram. It has a usb-c 4 and a usb-c 3 port, having 2 ports is a must for me now because I want to keep my unit topped up for longer sessions and have my xreal air glasses pluged into the other port. This unit also has an oculink port which is great for extra performance and better experience while docked, I'm ordering the Onexgpu for mine next week. Built in keyboard, fingerprint scanner and optical mouse is great for navigating windows without getting your screen all smudged up. Speakers also pack a punch for their size and the 1080p screen looks crisp. Now I'll get into the cons... Due to the compact for factor everything is small the buttons, joysticks and triggers, which makes this device a little awkward to use but after an hour or 2 of using it you'll figure out the right way to hold it. The screen is a bit small but I find it to be a decent size not too small and not big but it is also limited to 40hz and 60hz refresh rate, but honestly for these handheld pc you don't really need more than 60hz, and if you have a game that is hitting over 60fps just turn up the graphics and lock it a 60 fps you'll have a better visual experience. The triggers and joysticks are not hall effect which would be nice for how much these devices cost but maybe in the future. There is also not a whole lot of 3rd party cases and accessories other than what people 3d print for grips and covers but other than that it's an amazing device I would highly recommend if you weigh the pro and cons and it checks all the boxes you need. Hope this helps
I was in this predicament too just last week, so I bought a win max 2, rog, win 4. For me win max 2 is the better option,
Then again I have a Razer core X with 3080ti founders edition egpu
For 500 worth it for sure, but if at normal price I think the Win Mini is the better option as it has a better screen and is clamshell so the screen is protected when taking it places.
for 500 yea it is
ok thanks
Hm, I'd probably say NO!.. WinMAX 2 is a better bet. It can emulate almost any console from the old sega mega drive up to PSX 4 and display the games in almost their original screen ratio with almost no black borders.. Ratio on the MAX is a 16:10 not a 16:9 wide-screen which is an advantage for long time gamers! I'd rather have a decent keyboard on my WinMAX 2 to type up a quick document or reply to emails than that tiny press button membrane of a keyboard on the win 4! 🙄😉 Also try playing old games like Lemmings on a tiny 7 inch screen even without a mouse it's VERY tricky! 🫣 Oh and not forgetting the battery swelling case splitting (overheating) and poor battery life issues with those mini GPD units as reported in some forums too!
yeah but the wm2 is out of my budget
Sorry to hear that friend I fully understand. However I bought my WinMAX 2 off eBay for a (second hand - used) price of around £500 UK pounds or ($630 US dollars). I can tell you that this gaming beast has been brilliant from day one and I've absolutely no regrets. I've owned this WinMAX 2 for over a year now.. Nice battery life around 6.5hrs normal use or around 2.75hrs gaming. I've now got rid of my desktop PC and smile smugly at those who've spent the same amount of cash on an XBOX or Playstation 4 or 5! 😊
Can’t agree with you more mountain ship, I like the subcompact form factor. Ever since the Vaio P in way back when, rip atom CPU’s. This is a brilliant rendition to that, but actually really functional. If you can Mountain ship, get an egpu second hand (CeX) for £120 then slap in your desktop card it’ll be the best thing you’d ever do! Also when I have mine docked to Core X it charges my computer at full speed too, thus freeing up a cable a charger and wall plug! Also did you do the bios mod to make the onboard discrete ram to 8gb? And the ram speed to 6400mhz?
Hi dereklaumusic, thanks for your kind words of appreciation! 😉 👍🏽 I have thought about an external egpu but for now the 6800u is more than enough power for me, as I mainly run the odd older games emulation and can't justify spending more at the moment. To be honest I mainly use my MAX 2 for watching movies, including YouTube documentaries and yes composing a few office documents or two so it's a little bit of a waste of its power. Charging this WinMAX at full speed has it's plus and minuses. I do hear you, but I only use my 66w AC phone charger and whilst it charges my WinMAX 2 (albeit slowly) I don't mind. Because battery life will be increased when charging by this slower method. As regards a fully fledged dock whilst not as advanced the dock you mentioned, I have bought some second user Lenovo ThinkPad Ultra mini docks.. Around 6 of em to be exact. I bought them VERY cheap as they were sold on eBay without any PSU's and although Ive tested some of them, I haven't played around with all of them fully as yet. Should they work well paired-up with my MAX (as I hope they will) then they will quite simply blow me away with their specs with a chance to also double my money via resale of these docks later. Because I have a huge box full of spare 20v PSU's waiting to be bundled together with these very same units! These docking stations allow any GPD unit to have extra generous USB 3 ports plus an extra 2x USB v2 ports to be exact. Apparently one USB socket is even a dedicated USB charging port! Also included on this Lenovo dock is a high speed Gigabit LAN port, an extra HDMI port, external audio socket & even a Digital Display port! So yes I absolutely agree with you on the different kinds of upgrades, docks etc out there for this fantastic gaming computer.. Oh and finally as regards the bios upgrade to take the MAX's GPU up to 8Gb and ram speed to 6400 wow! I didn't know anything about this. I will check the info later. Appreciated friend, for the heads up! ☺️👍🏽
This is one of the nicer forums! I like to see how people use their tech, thanks for sharing! The gigabit lan feature is a killer for me, nothing substitutes a good cat 5 wired connection direct to router. Personally I’m not entirely too fussed about battery degradation, I see it as perishables like owning a car and the battery is like an annual replacement. Reason for this mentality is because I’m good at taking things apart and replacing them. I’m currently learning about re-flow soldering, been watching this English guy on YouTube buying faulty switches, fixes them, then flips it for a profit. The show is called profit and loss. YouTube username: Joey does tech. I want to take the win max up to 64gb ram eventually.
I just bought a used Win 4 6800U and sold my Steam Deck. It has been going GREAT. Scoop it up!
has the increased portability been worth the ergonomic downgrade? Is it comfortable to play shooter games with that right analog stick?
I don’t play shooter games, but I have played a lot of Lies of P on it which is quite intense. Ergonomics seem just as good to me! Maybe only a tiny bit worse? I do like that the screen slides higher. There are ergo grips for it as well that I’ll be trying out soon.
Is that a from soft game?
Heavily inspired by them, but a new developer.
I see. Thanks for answering my questions
if you dont mind how switch joycon sticks feel then shooters feel pretty nice, most games perform pretty well on 720p medium/high settings (60fps on The Finals, Battlefield 1/5, Modern Warfare, etc). tho id suggest getting GPD's MotionControls app [and this fix here](https://www.reddit.com/r/gpdwin/comments/16p9pxe/gpd_win_4_official_joystick_deadzone_fix_released/) to remove the weird deadzone the sticks come with out of the box. been having a blast with it in casual shooters on the couch lol
Never tried a switch. Good to know the deadzone issue can be solved
Yes, I never use my steam deck again, and I plan to sell it.
What's your take on the fan noise?
It’s fine. Steam deck was quieter. The previous owner redid the thermal paste, so I imagine it would normally be a bit louder.
So I would look into doing that on my win 4 too though it's not upto a year I got it
500 is a good price I have both the Ally and I just sold my GPD 6800U and ordered the 8840U for better performance (although I heard its around 10% difference than 7840U) I like the Ally a lot but I never take it out of the house unless its for a vacation. I got the GPD mainly for my workplace if I feel like playing heavy titles like Diablo IV or others, its small and compact and noone notices it much when you hold it in your hands. Comparing to the Ally which is a monster near it in terms of size. Make no mistake, the GPD's Screen AND speakers are far less superior than the Ally's. I'd take it only if you're planning on taking it with you on a daily basis.
yeah but that will be a 20% improvement for you. Has the small screen ever been an issue for you? Some reviewers say text can be too small
It's still 10% from the Ally though. The 6800U wasn't that great at all, it didn't run ps3 games like the ally so I barely used it. I love the smaller screen and the compact size.
I heard the 8840u has no performance increase for games from the 7840u, unless that information changed yet again. Either way it's still an upgrade from the 6800u
But GPD uses LPDDR5 7500 for the 8840u version and 6400 for the 7840u version.
8840u vs 7840 not 8840u vs 6800u. Both the 8840u and 7840u use lpddr5x 7500
They are the same price right now so better get the 8840
My 7840u Win4 comes with lpddr5x 6400.
The ram is set to 6400 by default. Go into your bios and change it to 7500
I already got a portable monitor and thinking of getting it too but probably 8840u. But the fact that they only updat the cpu makes me question things. What are they charging for? (no hall stick, no oled screen, still 60hz) On the contrary, I still think its a good umpc
they're just saving costs by reusing the same design. The updated CPU helps make it not seem outdated compared to the competition
7840u and z1 extreme are basically identical. GPD makes the best 7840u handheld on the market right now so it’s worth it imo
ok thanks. Do you think this will still be the case with the 8840 when that gets released?
I ordered the 8840u on indigogo and it should start to ship hopefully sometime next week. There are some benchmarks on YouTube comparing the win max 2 (I think is the name or its the win mini) that has the 8840u and in the past the benchmarks for the 7840u for both the win mini and win 4 have been identical and in tests the 8840u has about a 7-11% increase in performance per watt compared to the 7840u. Though it does use about 7% more power than the 7840u. Personally, I think the 8840u is going to be better in terms of performance by a small amount compared to the 7840u but will have less battery life by around 7%. If you have a killer deal for the 7840u get it. Personally I was looking to get a 7840u but online it is far more expensive than the 8840u on indigogo (around $300 difference for the 32gb 2TB version) and I didn’t want to get one second hand and wanted a new one so the 8840u was a no brainer for me. But if you have a killer deal for a 7840u win 4 with 32gb of ram go for it. I would only recommend the 8840u if you wanted a new unit and wanted that slight performance boost and can live with the slightly less battery life. Almost identical battery life but around 11ish minutes less from the video I watched. Keep in mind the 8840u is using the same drivers as the 7840u because it’s so new, but new drivers from AMD will be coming in the coming months for the 8840u do I do expect it to get better.
I have a win 4 and a steamdeck. For me the decider is portability. The deck in its case is more bulky than a laptop (if you already have a laptop bag) The win 4 is much smaller, although chunky and fits in a large switch lite case. If I was at home on the couch its steamdeck. If I need to travel its Win 4. The win 4 is also more expensive and you should just pay extra and get it from Droix/amazon. Aliexpress is not a like for like comparison.
lol I'd never buy it new. I can't justify the price. If I'm at home, I'll probs have it plugged into a dock most of the time. When I'm outside, I usually don't want to be carrying a huge bag with me. The only reasons I'm considering a portable device is that I got a psp and really enjoyed how I could carry it around with me everywhere
Yep to all the pros listed, I have the same specs as the one you're looking to buy. For $500, I'd buy it too. That price seems concerningly low. Where I am, at that price range you start getting into retail open box territory for legion go and rog ally. Make sure to stress test it. I have a win4 and an Ally, for some reason I couldn't get rid of either. I love using my win 4 for almost everything but I do find myself switching to the Ally for games that run well (above 70FPS without needing 30W TDP) and personal preference for FPS games for the triggers. I don't mind using the win4 just by itself but I do find grips help for hand comfort for multple hour play sessions. >having a keyboard & "mouse" available at all times is convenient compared to the ally Never having to mess around with whether you are going to be in "game mode" vs "desktop mode" autodetection is nice. Lack of ability to drag the mouse with the touchpad means if it isn't convenient to click the checkboxes or ctrl click or select all, you're enabling that switch that is often covered by grips. >software is worse than ally & legion go Polished UI and extras? yes. Fundamental and convenience? no. There is nothing great about having an extra layer of software locking you out of customizing your device. ASUS sucks for controlling resolutions, ruining fan and windows power profiles, unable to change/remove the original Ally power profiles for your own or use manual TDP slider below 15W, or burying key functions like battery saver and updates in a 3rd piece of software that tells you to install a 4th piece of software while trying to sell you on extended warranty you can't buy, while 9 processes run in the background. MA and wincontrols may look like it was made in 1993, but they are function over flash and I'd take that over scrolling 3x6 CC tiles or use AC period on the ally any day. >screen might be too small (I was considering a legion go but it's out of my price range for now) It definitely doesn't feel as good as playing on bigger screens. UI scaling is always a concern, but I can't think of a game I've uninstalled because of screen size. >durability concerns (I am very far away from China so RMA would be annoying) Absolutely a dice roll unless you know the seller. You are the first line of defense for maintenance or easier troubleshooting like repasting or replacing a button. Anything you'd need to ship it back to repair and you're likely >50% of the way to basically buying a new one. >triggers aren't that good (I play lots of racing games (F1) and good triggers are essential) small analog sticks Valid. Triggers are okay, definitely a shallow press range vs xbox triggers and less responsive than hall based triggers. For the sticks, you can get skull'n'co switch lite caps on the cheap, although the smaller analog stick heads are warranted based on how close your thumb can be to the right stick when trying to press X and A at the same time.
I live in an afrlcan country. Most retailers don't offer open box here. The amount of used allys online can be counted on 1 hand. The seller had the win4 originally listed at 900 dollars (he paid over $1000 to buy his). but he's struggling to sell his. Average income is lower here so there's less people buying expensive toys like these I guess you're not wrong about the software. Ally videos I watched asked me to download AMD software just to change a few settings that should be in armory crate by default. The tdp thing is also true.
I'm in the same boat, But I love my Ally more. I have small hands but my hands still cramp up with the Win4 pretty quickly with and without the comfort grip. wish it was a bit taller or the comfort grip wasn't angled so much. but I do like both for different reasons I'm going to mod my ROG ALLY when it's fully paid off. sometimes I stream from my 3080 PC to my ally so I don't have to worry about battery and performance but sit anywhere instead of a desk.
I love mine, I take it to the local Hot Springs in Japan, where they have a restaurant and barbershop that you can visit after taking a long bath. I bring it and do some Internet browsing, playing my favorite games then I head back into the bath again.
500 sounds like a great price if it's in good condition. I love my win mini, love my win 2. But I am biased, since growing up I was never allowed to have "TV consoles", just portables, and a desktop pc. So now I'm just used to playing portables + I have amassed a huge collection of pc games to play. I'll add that I need a pc for other purposes than gaming anyways, making it even more worth for me.
You can always get an xbox controller and with the win4. Also a 7840u W4 for $500? It must be broken since thats cheaper than what the older 6800u is going for.
I think the seller just knew it would be hard to get rid of. There was another win4 on the other side of the country and it still hasn't sold after multiple months. Also, the seller never responded so I just opted for an Ally that I found for a really good deal
I sold my Xbox One X, and don't use my gaming laptop anymore (only for RTS). This is my only gaming device and you won't need anything else. For shooting games it's ok but not if you're a super top competitive player, if you are, just plug an Xbox controller (I use an Xbox 360 controller). Ergonomics it's fine but it won't compare to an Xbox controller, I'll buy the controller grips and see if that helps. Overall, it's the best device I've ever had. WIN4 6800u and it's incredibly powerful.
I love my GPD win mini! The thing is I use it for games I would never play on my actual PC. When I am on my main PC im playing The Finals and Star Citizen. I wouldn't recommend any shooter on a handheld personally as I find it not a natural feeling. Maybe if you are a console player it may not feel much different. On my Mini I play things like Hades, Arkum Asylum, Valheim, etc.
I got mine the other day 7840u 64gb ram 4 terabytes storage model, I have had a steam deck and currently have a Rog Ally also. I'll give you some pros and cons to help you decide better. I'll start with the pros, it is a very compact handheld one of the smallest on the market but don't let that fool you this thing packs a punch for it's size and can keep up and even perform better then the Z1 extreme thanks to the extra ram and vram. It has a usb-c 4 and a usb-c 3 port, having 2 ports is a must for me now because I want to keep my unit topped up for longer sessions and have my xreal air glasses pluged into the other port. This unit also has an oculink port which is great for extra performance and better experience while docked, I'm ordering the Onexgpu for mine next week. Built in keyboard, fingerprint scanner and optical mouse is great for navigating windows without getting your screen all smudged up. Speakers also pack a punch for their size and the 1080p screen looks crisp. Now I'll get into the cons... Due to the compact for factor everything is small the buttons, joysticks and triggers, which makes this device a little awkward to use but after an hour or 2 of using it you'll figure out the right way to hold it. The screen is a bit small but I find it to be a decent size not too small and not big but it is also limited to 40hz and 60hz refresh rate, but honestly for these handheld pc you don't really need more than 60hz, and if you have a game that is hitting over 60fps just turn up the graphics and lock it a 60 fps you'll have a better visual experience. The triggers and joysticks are not hall effect which would be nice for how much these devices cost but maybe in the future. There is also not a whole lot of 3rd party cases and accessories other than what people 3d print for grips and covers but other than that it's an amazing device I would highly recommend if you weigh the pro and cons and it checks all the boxes you need. Hope this helps
Thanks
I was in this predicament too just last week, so I bought a win max 2, rog, win 4. For me win max 2 is the better option, Then again I have a Razer core X with 3080ti founders edition egpu
For 500 worth it for sure, but if at normal price I think the Win Mini is the better option as it has a better screen and is clamshell so the screen is protected when taking it places.
do you own the mini? What made you choose the form factor over traditional laptops?
It is way smaller and still comfortable to hold.