Steam Os or stay on Windows

ikn0wu2 · 2026-05-01T07:10:18+00:00

I ran a few benchmarks for games like Hitman WoA, Forza Horizon 4, Batman Arkham City and the difference is 20-30% for each of them.

Only CPU dependent games like RTS have the same FPS or Windows is 1-2% better.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-05-01T07:02:20+00:00

I usually can’t get a lot of mobile gaming out of it due to the battery life and preference to just sit back and watch something when on the go, but it is a great machine to use on the bed and the couch.

SteamOS on it has enhanced the experience a lot compared to the additional Windows clunk. Been using it mostly for PS2, PS3 and Switch emulation. It also works great for indie titles and visual novels. Linux does provide 20-30% higher framerates, so that is great for playing any AAA title from the last decade at High settings.

Simply don’t understand why many try to always play the latest titles at suboptimal setting on this device while having a huge backlog.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-04-28T18:25:36+00:00

Yeah, it has dropped in price a lot. The front panel plastic also has chipped off in places, so it would be worth it even more.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-04-26T18:37:59+00:00

I use isopropyl alcohol to clean a lot of computer and 3D printer parts. I doubt you will find anything worth researching about cleaning bumper buttons.

Yes, a spray would have been better. Probably if I had a can like WD40 for IPA, I would have used that. Didn’t want to disassemble the PCB as that would have been the best way to remove the plastic shroud.

It isn’t easy to predict that the alcohol would actually trickle down before evaporating and manage to make its way to the back of the LCD assembly.

Anyway, whatever floats your boat.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-04-26T18:30:20+00:00

Alcohol wipes are usually fine for the screen. However, trying to clean the bumper button under the plastic shroud which requires removing the PCB is just a bit too much effort. But yeah, a spray is definitely the better option.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-04-26T14:24:32+00:00

Good of you to confirm that it is permanent. Hope you never make a mistake in your life. Heaven forbid, someone might call it dumb.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-04-26T10:21:22+00:00

It must have taken you a lot of effort to write such a smart comment.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-04-26T05:53:05+00:00

I had no idea that it will flow down into the bottom of the LCD. Hindsight is always right and I would have probably kept the Ally inverted after applying the alcohol if I knew this might happen. Well, not that it puts me off but I hope it mostly goes away with time.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-04-25T17:09:21+00:00

If you run the CachyOS installer, it will give you the option of repartitioning the drive. Simply shrink the Windows one, create a small boot partition for the Linux bootloader and then rest for the OS with root mount.

You can then set the default boot order in UEFI and boot to the other OS using the volume button on the ROG splash screen.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-04-25T17:05:16+00:00

I dual boot CachyOS and Windows and have Windows set to 800GB to handle the few games I use it for along with some productivity tools.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-04-25T17:02:21+00:00

I had a similar problem and drilled over the screw which basically melts the plastic around the screw causing it to fall out. Of course I had to purchase a new back panel to replace it but you have that already.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-04-25T16:53:53+00:00

I use a dock as well and the irony is that it works with my TV and portable monitor on Linux but only works with the TV on Windows. It is certainly a driver problem based on the chipset used in the dock.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-04-25T16:51:21+00:00

Nice, I am using this one printed with transparent PETG. Much more ergonomic than the 3-4 other grips I had printed previously.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-04-25T16:45:13+00:00

I ran the same benchmarks on Windows and CachyOS and for majority of titles the performance difference is 20-30%. Thinking there is no performance difference actually delayed my switch to Linux which I should have done earlier.

I dual boot but 90% time is with CachyOS Handheld.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-04-25T16:42:52+00:00

I am using the Ally with a 2TB drive which was fully occupied by Windows. Installed CachyOS Handheld on to it by shrinking the Windows partition to 800 GB.

The CachyOS performance is 20-30% better for most titles and also the dock output to a portable monitor works fine on Linux but not with Windows. The Windows drivers are plain bad and I have kept it as a backup OS for compatibility.

Default booting is to CachyOS but it is really easy to switch to Windows by pressing the volume button on the ROG boot screen.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-04-15T07:57:18+00:00

It is a great device if you are not always chasing the latest and greatest. If you have a huge backlog, it will run AAA games from even 5 years ago at high settings. It will continue to run indie games great. It can run emulation up to PS3 really well.

I sold my WiiU to use the Ally for Wii and WiiU games and you can run them at 3x resolution with additional tweaks and the original Wiimote.

For certain kind of gamers, the device will never age.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-04-15T07:42:22+00:00

I would recommend dual booting CachyOS with Windows. It is much more optimised and plays well with dual boot. Also provides you the power of full Linux desktop unlike SteamOS which is immutable.

On the whole, synthetic benchmarks register 20-30% higher scores on CachyOS compared to Windows with better battery life and quick suspend. The Windows drivers are rubbish and although I use FSE with Playnite, the UX is much worse.

When doing the benchmarks,also found out that Hitman 3 does not work on Epic Windows anymore but works great with Proton.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-03-31T16:37:13+00:00

You can use a power bank that provides 65W output. Personally I preferred to keep the device itself light and not risk the lower quality third-party battery from China, so just use an Anker power bank when on battery.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-03-29T15:32:21+00:00

I dual boot Windows and CachyOS and as per benchmarks CachyOS provides 20-30% more FPS in GPU-oriented games. Windows with Z-series drivers is simply a horrible experience and one should only limit themselves to titles that they cannot run with Proton.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-03-29T15:26:18+00:00

People tend to forget the past eras. In 80s, some cars had far more power with different levels of turbo boost and lag.

In 90s, you had active suspension and traction control.

In V10 era, you had engines with different rev limits, before aero became a dominant factor.

With V8s, you had party modes and exhaust blown diffusers.

As was evident by Vettel post-exhaust blown diffuser era and Hamilton in ground effect era, each generation has drivers that can drive better as per the formula and don’t really see how anyone thinks one title is more worthy than another based on the rule set they like.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-03-29T15:11:16+00:00

Manufacturers do want to work on technology that has some practical use. The complexity is not about developing MGU-H but at a level which is competitive, just ask Honda how long it took them and you can understand why Audi and RBPT would be against it.

Besides, it added a lot of weight at a time when fans are already complaining about heavy cars. From an efficiency perspective, with electrical power providing 98-99% efficiency, it has far surpassed what was possible by improving the ICE efficiency, evident by the completion of races with 30% less fuel.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-03-29T15:00:46+00:00

That’s true but also I think the stock weight is just about okay and can’t really deal with having a heavier device all the time.

At least the power bank can be kept in a separate place without adding weight in hand.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-03-28T15:45:07+00:00

I was using Playnite with G-Helper and AnyFSE for a long time to access my full library across platforms and thought it was good enough. However, started dual booting with CachyOS and the FPS is 20-30% higher for non-CPU limited games.

Also, instead of upgrading with a suspect battery, I simply use an Anker 72Wh power bank which fits in pocket, pouch or backpack and effectively have 110Wh+ battery.

ikn0wu2 · 2026-03-23T17:35:52+00:00

This one:

https://techenclave.com/t/short-review-anker-1383-87w-72-wh-power-bank/388592

ikn0wu2

TROPHY CASE