The first details of the GPD Win Mini, the next console/portable PC from the Chinese company GPD, have just been released and suggest that the brand wants to remain competitive in the face of the impact that ROG Ally has been causing. The list of confirmed specifications reveals that the device will perform similarly or even better than the ASUS competitor, presenting a similar level of flexibility and possibly offering good ergonomics without giving up a format closer to that of notebooks.
The information arrives through the YouTuber The Phawx, specialized in portable devices, which received the news from the GPD directly. One of the first to bring to the market and popularize this device format, the Chinese brand realized how ROG Ally has received attention, and said it was prepared to remain competitive through the new GPD Win Mini, deciding to disclose details of the novelty.
The solution will be offered in two versions: one with the Ryzen 5 7640U, equipped with a CPU with 6 cores and 12 threads, in addition to a Radeon 760M GPU with 6 Computational Units (CUs), and another with the more powerful Ryzen 7 7840U, with 8 cores and 16 threads, and 12 CU Radeon 780M GPU. Both feature AMD’s latest architectures, Zen 4 for the CPU and RDNA 3 for the GPU, which will also be present on the ASUS console.
This will allow the price of the Win Mini to be much more attractive and be able to compete not only with the ROG Ally, but even with the Steam Deck, which remains the most popular model in the category. Even so, the characteristic is not surprising when we consider that other brands, such as AOKZOE, AYANEO and AYN, also work on new generation notebooks with these processors.
To differentiate itself, the GPD novelty will have features also seen on Ally, starting with the 7-inch screen with Full HD resolution and 120 Hz rate — this is the first time that the company has used a high refresh rate panel. It is not known what type of display it is, but the expectation is that we will see at least one IPS LCD. More interesting is the presence of an Oculink connection for external GPUs (or eGPUs).
Available in different formats, Oculink is a standard that can be connected to an M.2 slot to expand memory, but also to use an eGPU. As communication is done via M.2, we are talking about 4 PCIe lanes available for the dedicated video card, much less than the 16 lanes provided on a desktop, or even the average of 8 lanes on laptops, but equivalent to that devices with USB 4 or Thunderbolt 3/4 deliver, with the advantage of not having bottlenecks due to other information traffic or incompatibilities.
Another aspect that puts it ahead of XG Mobile, the ASUS eGPU that will be compatible with the ROG Ally, is the fact that it is an open standard — users could use 3D printing to produce their own accessory, rather than investing a huge amount of money. amount of money in a proprietary model. The price range closes the package, which can be quite attractive considering the specifications.
The Phawx could not cite the precise amount that GPD intends to charge in its launch crowdfunding, but confirmed that the company hopes to work with options that start from something close to US$ 700 (~R$ 3,560), presenting a cost very similar to of the most advanced Steam Deck model.
Everything indicates that the GPD Win Mini can be a solid option, and possibly even more attractive than the ROG Ally, considering the flexibility it should offer in aspects such as the eGPU. That said, the ASUS device should stand out for its global availability, without forcing interested parties to deal with imports — it will be necessary to weigh which one will be more worthwhile when prices are known. It is not yet known when the Win Mini campaign will launch.
Fonte: The Phawx, via VideoCardz
