A better XBOX Handheld than the XBOX Handheld - GPD Win 5

Quick Overview

The GPD Win 5 handheld gaming PC delivers performance that rivals or surpasses the ASUS ROG Ally X in benchmarks like Cyberpunk 2077, achieving up to 109 FPS at 75W TDP, but its ergonomics and the need to manually adjust power limits when unplugged are noted drawbacks.

Key Points: The GPD Win 5 running Cyberpunk 2077 at 75W TDP achieves an average of 109 FPS, slightly outperforming the ROG Ally X Turbo (35W) which hits 41 FPS, and is comparable to the Ally X Performance (17W) at 32 FPS. When running on battery (DC TDP), the GPD Win 5 is limited to 65W, but dynamically limits to 45W under heavy use if the charger is unplugged, requiring manual adjustment in the Motion Assistant utility to regain higher TDP. The device features a 1920x1080 LTPS display supporting up to 120Hz with VRR and achieving 525 nits peak brightness in testing, surpassing the advertised 500 nits. The GPD Win 5 includes two M.2 PCIe Gen4x2 Mini SSD slots and one M.2 PCIe Gen4x4 2280 SSD slot (single-sided, inside the unit), along with a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A port featuring DisplayPort 2.1 capability. The handheld is heavier than the ROG Ally X, weighing 2.07 lbs (943g) with the external battery attached, compared to the Ally X's 1.58 lbs (715g). The analog sticks use capacitive sensing technology, which the presenter notes is a major improvement over older technologies like TMR found in devices like the Dreamcast controller. The device includes an 180W power adapter for fast charging and maintaining full 75W TDP performance.

Context: This video features an unboxing and initial impressions of the GPD Win 5 handheld gaming PC, a Windows-based device competing in the handheld market against rivals like the ASUS ROG Ally X. The presenter, Linus Sebastian, discusses the device's physical features, performance metrics in games like Cyberpunk 2077, and the specialized software utility (Motion Assistant) used to control its power profiles and TDP limits.

Detailed Analysis

The GPD Win 5 unboxing reveals a premium black device, heavier than competitors like the ROG Ally X, especially when utilizing the massive 80-watt-hour external battery pack, bringing the total weight to 2.07 lbs (943g). The handheld is powered by an AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 processor (16C/32T, up to 5.1 GHz base 3.0GHz) and 64GB LPDDR5X 8000 MT/s memory. Performance testing in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1080p Medium preset shows the GPD Win 5 achieving 109 FPS average at its maximum 75W TDP, slightly ahead of the ROG Ally X's 35W Turbo mode performance. The device features two unique M.2 PCIe Gen4x2 Mini SSD slots in addition to the main M.2 PCIe Gen4x4 2280 slot, and includes a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-A port with DisplayPort 2.1 support. The screen is a 1920x1080 LTPS display capable of 120Hz VRR and tested at 525 nits peak brightness. A key feature is the capacitive analog sticks, which reportedly offer superior precision over older technologies like TMR. A crucial operational note is that when unplugged, the device dynamically limits TDP to 45W, requiring users to manually re-enable higher TDP settings via the Motion Assistant utility if they want full performance while running on battery.