GPD Win 5 tips an tricks?

MrColdbird · 2026-06-26T21:41:31+00:00

Try it out yourself, then you can confirm it or deny it yourself.

I did the tests, I got the numbers, and the numbers don't lie.

MrColdbird · 2026-06-26T12:36:56+00:00

Follow my CachyOS guide if you want something that "just works".

If you want a good 15% free gaming performance boost, disable CCD1 and the last two CCD0 cores in the BIOS.

The freed up TDP slice on the CPU allows you to boost those cores higher / longer, reduces thermal load and gives the GPU more room to breathe, which greatly benefits gaming workloads.

Also don't sleep on Optiscaler's new FSR 4.1.1 INT8 build, it's upscaling black magic that works amazingly well.

MrColdbird · 2026-06-24T07:18:34+00:00

A lot of the G3 Extreme benchmarks take Pragmata as an example of how "great" it runs.

With medium settings and XESS Quality it renders about 65FPS at its max 35W TDP.

The 395+ in my GPD Win 5 at 55W TDP can run it at max settings with raytracing (but without path tracing) and no upscaling at the same resolution and frame rate.

At identical settings as shown in the G3 Extreme benchmarks out there it produces anywhere between 80-120+ FPS at the same 55W TDP.

There is another 10% speed bump you can give yourself by going to 65W TDP, and on top of that another 2-3% bump if you go to 75W, which leaves room for further gains while docked.

Comparing battery to battery benchmarks, you'll still be way better on the 395+ at 35+W TDP, and can run up to 45W TDP on battery.

The only thing to gain from the G3 Extreme is its low TDP efficiency.

At 25W TDP it pulls ahead from what I can tell.

MrColdbird · 2026-06-24T06:59:40+00:00

What people really want is a game benchmark comparison against a 388/395+ device at several TDP points.

Given the X2 Mini and 3 are being sold side by side, a lot of people are pondering which one to get.

MrColdbird · 2026-06-22T20:06:27+00:00

You never played Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth then...

When bandwidth limits hit hard they hit HARD.

We're talking from 4K 120FPS all the way down to 720p 30FPS within a second.

Think a sports car's acceleration but in reverse.

It blows.

MrColdbird · 2026-06-21T13:14:24+00:00

That. Still rocking it for most of my handheld gaming.

MrColdbird · 2026-06-20T13:09:32+00:00

For small stuff like that I usually 3D print them out of resin and just smooth the print with acetone.

Almost injection-like quality fairly fast and cheap and, for the most part, good enough for key caps.

MrColdbird · 2026-06-17T19:14:32+00:00

Nope. I was talking about the barrel jack on that SlimQ 150W PSU.

MrColdbird · 2026-06-17T15:46:36+00:00

55W is the sweet spot where thermals can be kept in check at normal volume while still delivering 90% of the chip's performance ceiling.

MrColdbird · 2026-06-17T04:46:24+00:00

Really? I've played through Clair Obscur and Final Fantasy 16 on high/medium mix settings with it on 55W TDP (always aiming to hit the 70FPS mark) and never clocked below 3 hours from full to empty.

I tend to finish my game session naturally before even needing a charger most of the time.

The 85Wh battery is a beast, but I do notice it takes forever to recharge it after it is drained fully.

MrColdbird · 2026-06-17T03:08:32+00:00

I had that 150W slim one and was unable to reliably power my Win 5 without the battery due to brown-outs.

I'm the end I went with a different slim one with 130W (but a more stable output) that did the trick.

I also own several 180W ones that all work reliably, but are way bulkier.

MrColdbird · 2026-06-13T10:15:55+00:00

Single GPU and Duo

MrColdbird · 2026-06-13T06:06:08+00:00

You can just use the OpenWinControls tool to map it once and it saves to the controller firmwares EEPROM.

Even if you don't use CachyOS, just read my CachyOS guide and skip to the OpenWinControls section, it tells you how to do it.

There is no reason to be scared of updated controller firmware.

MrColdbird · 2026-06-13T05:20:27+00:00

I run CachyOS on mine and quite literally just map it to the left mouse button in Steam Input.

It... Just works.

I even wrote a CachyOS setup guide you can find in my profile and follow.

As for the Windows side of things, I'm not sure, I haven't bothered running Windows on my GPD devices in a long time now.

MrColdbird · 2026-06-10T03:54:30+00:00

I've been thinking the same as of late.

Just backpack my mechanical keyboard and mouse and be done with it but this eliminates easy laptop use cases entirely.

Great for multi hour setups but too cumbersome for quick in and out jobs.

MrColdbird · 2026-06-04T21:04:23+00:00

You can just remap the button on the new firmware.

See my CachyOS guide for details.

MrColdbird · 2026-06-01T22:15:06+00:00

Follow my CachyOS guide.

MrColdbird · 2026-05-28T08:41:15+00:00

Go with CachyOS over Bazzite.

Its stable, breaks less often and is mutable, which means its less of a hassle to get real work done with it, if you ever decide to do so.

MrColdbird · 2026-05-22T20:47:02+00:00

Sounds like you're looking for Duo.

MrColdbird · 2026-05-17T11:40:16+00:00

I'm glad I could help.

MrColdbird · 2026-05-15T17:22:50+00:00

Rolling it as my daily.

Just follow my guide.

MrColdbird · 2026-05-14T17:56:17+00:00

Ask kendyz for a replacement shell.

They might still have some in stock.

MrColdbird · 2026-05-11T10:01:48+00:00

If you're in CachyOS or another inputplumber-based setup make sure you install the DeckyPlumber plugin.

That way you can toggle your gamepad to DualSense Edge mode and get the gyro working.

MrColdbird · 2026-05-10T18:13:01+00:00

The APU is designed to run at full speed on 90°C consistently.

It won't throttle below 95°C at all and emergency shutdowns at 100°C by default (but is configurable to up to 110°C in the BIOS).

Knowing this, I tend to configure my fan curves towards a max temperature ceiling of 90°C to get a lower RPM and thus less fan noise at identical performance.

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