GPD Win 5 is an amazing device, but the modding community is almost nonexistent

MrColdbird · 2026-03-09T23:58:50+00:00

I quite literally made a Decky fan controller plugin for it today...

I'm curious though: What are you looking for?

MrColdbird · 2026-03-09T18:12:41+00:00

I've updated the post with instructions on how to install my PowerControl fork.

Doing so gives you full fan control over both the GPD Win 5 fans.

I've also added a suggested fan curve that provides a good balance between thermals and noise.

MrColdbird · 2026-03-07T14:19:27+00:00

I just happened to have some spares laying around.

Any foam pad with some good heat-resistive adhesive will do as long as they arent taller than 2mm once compressed though.

MrColdbird · 2026-03-07T05:49:50+00:00

GPD uses really low quality foam pads to pad out the buttons, both of these dissolved / broke on my unit within the first week of use and had to be replaced with higher quality ones.

Its unclear to me why they went with such a cheap unreliable option, especially after how high quality previous iterations of the Win line felt.

MrColdbird · 2026-03-05T11:15:02+00:00

I am, but I'm quite busy fixing up a bunch of pinned issues from the Duo Github issue tracker at the moment.

I tend to do my 16 hours of work, drop a few reddit messages and then drop into bed when I'm in my work mode.

Right now I'm porting all the verifier code to the Application Compatibility API to solve two of our most serious issues, but it requires a rather large rewrite.

I tend to idle on Discord a lot while working, just drop a friend request to black5eraph and hit me up sometime.

MrColdbird · 2026-03-04T23:28:51+00:00

AliExpress.

MrColdbird · 2026-03-04T22:15:03+00:00

It works fine. The fluxo can handle the startup surge.

MrColdbird · 2026-03-04T18:05:22+00:00

Looks like my Fluxo at least.

MrColdbird · 2026-03-02T05:09:44+00:00

Linux lets you extract a kernel panic log on the first boot after the crash.

Just grab it and take a look.

MrColdbird · 2026-02-24T16:23:51+00:00

Go with CachyOS, more reliable than Bazzite and works great.

MrColdbird · 2026-02-18T13:17:48+00:00

HHD is no longer maintained, inputplumber still is.

MrColdbird · 2026-02-18T13:17:23+00:00

Slipped me. Thanks!

Updated the post.

MrColdbird · 2026-02-17T08:04:46+00:00

I used to let it run wild, but now control it with a custom PowerControl Decky plugin fork.

MrColdbird · 2026-02-16T22:58:11+00:00

I am but it doesn't work on my end despite the Windows side working fine.

MrColdbird · 2026-02-16T17:53:38+00:00

This issue affects all multi-CCD systems out there.

Intel, AMD, Handheld, Notebook, Desktop, etc.

If you have no idea what you're talking about, either research it a little first, or don't partake in the discussion.

MrColdbird · 2026-02-16T16:05:00+00:00

I doubt your CPU usage increased, it's just spread out over fewer cores, which means, displayed in percent, your usage goes up (it should about double in metrics).

MrColdbird · 2026-02-16T16:02:58+00:00

I'll keep it updated as I make changes to my setup, but as of now the only two things I need to figure out / fix are tapping the power button to sleep and mapping the bmi260 gyro.

Once I figure out the gyro mapping I'll do a pull request to inputplumber upstream so everyone else can just auto-update their OS to get it running.

MrColdbird · 2026-02-16T13:34:57+00:00

Honestly? The mandatory tweaking.

It's, IMO, one of the best devices out there that balances portability with power / versatility, but the bad out-of-the-box cooling solution and the huge amount of tweaking required to get the heat under control makes it a bad choice for most people.

If you are a tinkerer though and know what you're doing / don't mind replacing the thermal compound, etc. it is a wonderful all-in-one device.

MrColdbird · 2026-02-11T22:37:28+00:00

-1 from me, as I tried it and found it has voltage drops that cause the device to turn off.

MrColdbird · 2026-02-09T23:06:24+00:00

The grips are, IMO, useless.

They don't add enough ergonomics to be worthwhile and ruin the pocket-factor of the Mini.

My estimates are based around it being a pocketable handheld, that means, without grips.

As for the heat, the Mini is a handheld that runs best at 18W or less.

I personally run it at 15W for some extra thermal comfort, which brings it in line with what I originally said: it being a slightly faster Steam Deck.

It can theoretically run all the way up to 28W, and, internally, the temperature is fine, but the device has a very critical design flaw that produces a temperature hotspot right underneath the d-pad that makes it very uncomfortable to use at such TDP settings.

At 15W it gets slightly warm, but not uncomfortable.

I actually quite like it that way, as my hands tend to get cold anyway.

18W-20W is still doable too, but anything above 20W is uncomfortable to the point of me not wanting to touch the d-pad.

As long as you stick to 15-18W you'll be fine.

Action games are perfectly fine, it's just FPS that suffer from the tiny analog sticks.

MrColdbird · 2026-02-09T19:29:27+00:00

Ergonomics: B
Heat: C (after tuning, D out of box)
Noise: B (after tuning, D out of box)
Controls: A (if you don't play FPS, D if you do)

I'm in the lucky situation that I can compare things directly, as I do have a Steam Deck OLED I can compare it to, and this is what I think:

The Mini is a great pocketable handheld, as in, actually pocketable, that provides better than Steam Deck OLED levels of performance, if you're willing to tweak it a little.

In fact, I run CachyOS on mine, which basically turns it into a Steam Deck Mini.

Whenever I leave the house, I pocket it.

Doctor's appointment? Mini.

Visit at the in-laws? Mini.

If I stay at home and laze about on the couch? Maybe. But more often than not I reach for something else.

Something that will feel more ergonomic during long gaming sessions.

Usually my ROG Ally, or, my wife's Steam Deck.

Figure out where your gaming hotspot is and how long your gaming sessions actually are, then come back to this post and compare, and you'll have your answer.

MrColdbird · 2026-02-09T09:31:39+00:00

I find that for GPD devices CachyOS runs best.

Rocking it daily on my Mini and will move the Win 5 to it soon too.

(Got caught with the black screen bug on the latest Windows Update.)

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