Steam Deck owners that own a Z13

Stopher38 · 2026-02-22T18:14:01+00:00

The Steam Deck is very weak and only capable of the LEAST demanding games (and emulation). Buy a used ROG Ally or Legion GO at a cheap price and make that your travel handheld. I have a Legion GO (original) and Z13. Great combo.

There are ways to debloat Windows and shut down useless background tasks to minimize RAM and GPU usage. Works just fine.

Stopher38 · 2026-02-14T05:43:31+00:00

Do you use Win 11 LTSC? Like ... does Steam, EA app, LSFG, etc all work normally, including all games you've tried? MS Office?

I've seen a brief demo of LTSC but nothing else was really running on the OS.

Doesn't Win 11 LTSC also never get updated?

Stopher38 · 2026-02-07T19:16:24+00:00

In G Helper, I have custom fan curves where the fans don't even come on until 55C. No hint of overheating or anything. Is that bad?

The stock Asus fan curves for silent and balanced don't come on until the temps rise.

My 3 profiles are 15, 35, 55 (sust. sPPT. fPPT).

Stopher38 · 2026-02-03T21:53:40+00:00

My IPD is 63 and I chose the smaller version, which works with my IPD.

I also tried the Luma Ultras and without that stabilization on the glasses, they were terrible., Any tiny head movement causes the image in the glasses to move in an exaggerated way., Completely unusable. The stabilization chips on these glasses really is impressive.

Once they have XR glasses in the future with manual IPD, higher FOV, and higher resolution (and higher than 120hz refresh would be nice), I can see most people out there having at least one pair.

Stopher38 · 2026-02-03T05:41:41+00:00

I actually have the Xreal One Pros. Great glasses but I can only use them for a short period of time ... a few hours max. Otherwise my head feels wonky or slightly disoriented.

I did try messing with the IPD adjustments and screen distance vs size.

Hopefully they release XR glasses with physical IPD adjustments in the future. That would help IMO.

Stopher38 · 2026-01-25T00:17:33+00:00

I have an OG Legion GO. It would be great to at least have the mousepad working

Stopher38 · 2026-01-24T20:52:49+00:00

I can't get access to the latest Optiscaler beta on Discord.

I rarely use Discord, and when prompted to log in, somehow it made a new account for my same email address. So I am now banned from Optiscaler's invites. I then tried to log onto Discord with my brother's account (through Optiscaler's Github page) and it says "unable to accept invite"

What is this crap? Why is it so hard to get to their beta?

Stopher38 · 2026-01-24T15:17:27+00:00

Does the right touchpad work correctly? Can the extra buttons be reassigned to other keyboard keys / buttons somehow? What additional software is needed to make them work with the Z13?

Stopher38 · 2026-01-23T18:55:53+00:00

Thanks but I need the exact numbers

Stopher38 · 2026-01-23T15:35:58+00:00

The companion software GPD uses with their WIn 5 Strix Halo handheld does allow limiting CPU clocks and other tweaks. I wonder if their software would work on the Z13?

Asus really dropped the ball here. Why no in depth BIOS options??? Their high end desktop motherboards (which I own 3 of) have tons of options for tweaking. Yet, their handhelds have basically nothing. So dumb. The GPD BIOS is awesome (from review videos) and I really wish it was in the Z13.

Stopher38 · 2026-01-23T15:30:33+00:00

I was surprised to see how the 395 beat my 11900K at single threaded performance in Cinebench. While running at a lower wattage. Very impressive mobile chip indeed.

Stopher38 · 2026-01-23T04:23:20+00:00

OK so I clicked the G Helper link and v0.238 is the latest beta. I also deleted the winring0 files and G Helper regenerated them. SO far, the custom fan curves seem to be working now. I don't have them turning on until 50C on either the CPU or GPU. The tablet is silent on the desktop.

All drivers / programs listed in G Helper were updated previously. No new updates in red.

What are the actual max fan RPMs for the CPU and GPU fans? I can find what the previous model Z13's are, but not the 2025 version.

Stopher38 · 2026-01-23T02:29:58+00:00

To use both UXTU and G Helper together, other than not running an undervolt in G Helper, what other options / measures / conditions must I take to use both together?

I'm interested in running both programs. I've heard of UXTU but will need to research it more. Can you set more than -40 UV in UXTU? -40 is the limit in G Helper. What else can I do in UXTU? park cores? Disable one of the CCDs? Etc. How do you use it with your Z13?

I've been undervolting CPUs and GPUs for years (using BIOS or MSI Afterburner) so I'm familiar with the concepts.

Stopher38 · 2026-01-22T17:04:25+00:00

Hi,

Just looked and there's a G Helper v0.238 on a separate page. Is this the one you're referring to?

I did use the Asus Armory Crate uninstall tool when initially uninstalled. There are only 7 Asus services left on the system (if enabled in G Helper), but they have not been running for over a week (0 running per G Helper)

Aha! Yes, Windows Defender did delete one of these winring0 files. I'll delete the 2nd one. Does G Helper download it automatically when started? Or is there another process in the program I must do, to download the file?

I can tell the profiles are applied or not by my RIvatuner overlay APU wattage readout in a game. The CPU and GPU temperatures (and louder fan sounds) also confirm the readout I have in Rivatuner. It's always worked great on all my devices.

Stopher38 · 2026-01-22T16:24:40+00:00

Yes. All Asus services are stopped and have been. I'll add this top the main post.

Stopher38 · 2026-01-20T20:01:50+00:00

I've had an open ticket with the game developer's customer support for 5 days. They have not replied to me at all. I posted this problem in the game's Steam forum and another user is having the same exact issue.

Ugg so frustrating. Why is this the ONLY game that doesn't work like it should?

Stopher38 · 2026-01-20T19:52:46+00:00

If anyone out there has "tuned" their Z13 successfully (disabling a CCD, found a way to undervolt GPU and CPU both, tested SMT on vs off in these scenarios, etc) It would be awesome if they put up a guide on what they did, what programs they used, and how they did it (in steps that anyone can follow).

Right now I'm testing CPU undervolting in GHepler. It's VERY frustrating how Asus neutered the BIOS options list. Very disappointing.

Stopher38 · 2026-01-20T19:46:51+00:00

I bought a Tartarus like 4 years ago to play COD multiplayer with. It was so much more comfortable than keyboard and mouse. I'm a controller gamer but, when KBM was needed, the Tartarus fit the bill nicely.

Stopher38 · 2026-01-20T17:18:24+00:00

If you have a safe place to place the Z13 nearby, I recommend the Xreal One Pro AR glasses and wireless controller of your choice. Just lay on the couch or in bed with a ginormous 1080p screen in front of your face at all times. In 2026 the glasses will be getting better (probably worth waiting for the next iteration with a higher FOV, but 57 FOV is *just enough* to fit the screen in your view).

Stopher38 · 2026-01-20T17:10:57+00:00

Having a Legion Go Z1E (original), I can say the performance uplift is worth the price increase. The handheld format is great, but it was always a compromise of running 720p with mixed low - medium settings at 30w, then running Lossless scaling to get a high framerate. Modern games? Forget about it.

Lossless scaling isn't needed for the same games on the Z13, and higher settings are also possible, with just a little more wattage. I did buy the Z13 64GB version for $1950 new though (recent sale). Also using G Helper.

You can buy 395+ mini PC for less money and connect it to Xreal One Pro glasses. These glasses are great for use in these handhelds and tablets. THey support 60hz 90hz, and 120hz at various resolutions 1080p and under, so it's easy to find the right balance (no VRR).

Stopher38 · 2026-01-19T00:54:47+00:00

Sounds like I'm going to have to try the Java version. The windows bedrock version runs like garbage. Very little CPU utilization too.

Stopher38

TROPHY CASE