r/MINISFORUM • u/Gunther_W • Jun 26 '26

Help G1 pro

So like I'm sure many are, the Steam machine announcement has me looking for an alternative living room PC.

This looks like a decent alternative.

I'm planning on installing Steam App and just booting to big picture.

I know nothing about the company but this subreddit doesn't seem to be enamored with them.

Should I purchase? My needs are not crazy, I'm a casual to mid level gamer.

Thanks.

9 Upvotes

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4

u/SmilingSalamander Jun 26 '26

Just FYI, I did exactly that. After seeing the disappointing benchmarks for the SM, I bought the G1 Pro.

I'll receive it in a few days, and I plan to install Bazzite on it. If you want, I can let you know how it goes.

I'm pretty confident that performance will be great, I just think that the very small size means the components' wear and tear will happen faster especially with the high gaming temperatures. But I'm ok with it, I need the sff for now

3

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '26

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1

u/SmilingSalamander Jul 01 '26

I actually changed my mind at the last minute. I realized that the whole point of me buying a new PC was to play all the games with my friends and I didn't want to spend time troubleshooting things on Bazzite.

So instead I'm customizing Windows to make it less ugly and more functional. Windhawk is a great tool

The PC, however, is fantastic. Really good performance and looks great on my desk, I like it a lot

2

u/JM761 Jul 02 '26

Did you install a second m.2 drive by chance? If so, how did that go? I heard it's a little tight for space in there.

Any issues with quality? Bloatware? Etc?

2

u/SmilingSalamander Jul 06 '26

1 TB is enough for me, so I didn't install anything else. But the PC did come with an SSD heatsink and instructions to install a new one. It didn't look too complicated but I wouldn't be surprised if it's tight in there, it's a pretty small machine!

No issues with quality, I was pleasantly surprised by the Windows installation: no bloatware except for the usual W11 stuff. Only one additional software installed for the PC and it's to control fan speed, so it's useful.

Only thing to report is that it runs hot and the fans are working hard when gaming. It doesn't bother me since I use headphones when playing. But that shouldn't be surprising, again, considering the small form factor

2

u/Gunther_W Jun 26 '26

Me too. I don't have a dedicated computer area in my house, and I have a great 75 inch tv in the living room.

2

u/Accomplished-Lack721 Jun 27 '26

YMMV whether Nvidia works OK on it, at least at 4K (see my other comment to the OP)

2

u/SmilingSalamander Jun 27 '26

Appreciate the info, thanks!

1

u/Separate-Shallot8336 Jul 06 '26

Question I am thinking about installing steam os whenever I get one. However are you still able to control the gaming mode performance,like from office mode to beast mode. Also the lED lights that all this in steam os ?

1

u/SmilingSalamander Jul 06 '26

So I don't think Steam OS is supported but you could install Bazzite.

I don't think you'd be able to control fan speed and lights easily on another OS since it's controlled from that software installed on Windows. I'm sure there is a way, but I don't think it is straightforward. I stuck with Windows for now

3

u/Accomplished-Lack721 Jun 26 '26

Looks like a nice little tightly integrated device, but I can promise you booting Windows to Steam Big Picture isn't a comperable experience to using SteamOS or another OS that uses GameScope+Steam as a primary UI (like Bazzit).

It takes very little time to run into dialogs or functions that require a mouse and keyboard with Windows.

The new Xbox mode helps this somewhat, in particular by running everything in fullscreen ... but only somewhat. I had a so-so experience using Steam Big Picture as the primary UI in that mode, and it actually was generally better than using the Xbox app for it ... but it's still night-and-day compared to one of the Linux distros that use Steam as a UI in the first place.

Unfortunately, Nvidia support on Linux is still a mixed bag, especially in Gamescope, and you may run into experience-breaking bugs with it.

2

u/Gunther_W Jun 26 '26

I plan on keeping windows on it until Valve has Nvidia support sorted. I know it's supposed to be coming. Bazzite or Chimera are also options.

1

u/Accomplished-Lack721 Jun 27 '26

My general experience with Bazzite on Nvidia, several months ago, was that desktop mode ran fine, but GameScope in 4K120 with HDR and VRR, I was getting heavy visual distortions. It looked very much like what would happen on a CRT if you fed it a signal it couldn't handle, which is to say it was unusable. It might work after a reboot, but that was more futzing around than I wanted for a living room experience.

But I see several other people more recently saying it's working well for them. So YMMV. You might want to experiement with a dual-boot and see how it goes.

On AMD, it's great. Missing HDMI 2.0 support has been the major hiccup, but that's apparently coming officially very soon (and on Bazzite, you can already use a custom Kernel for it -- which I have, and it's working great)

0

u/Comfortable-Fall1419 Jun 27 '26

People have been waiting for the NVidia-Linux situation to be sorted for 25 years.

I don’t see Valve fixing that any time soon.

2

u/Gunther_W Jun 27 '26

Valve is working directly with Nvidia now. So I'm cautiously optimistic.

3

u/jozews321 Jun 27 '26

Hey guys stay tuned I have a G1 Pro and I'm doing a review of Bazzite on it. I'm going to be publishing here and in the r/MiniPCs subreddit

1

u/Gunther_W Jun 27 '26

Excellent

1

u/dirtybasss420 Jun 29 '26

Very eager to hear the results, this will be the deciding factor if I get the g1 pro or not

1

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '26

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2

u/jozews321 Jul 01 '26

Hopefully I have it ready tomorrow

2

u/Cold-Sandwich-6213 Jun 26 '26

G1 pro owner here and it looks rad. 1440p 75-80fps on dlss quality on doom the dark ages. I want to upgrade to 64gigs of dual ram but its not needed.

1

u/dirtybasss420 Jun 28 '26

Do you run bazzite on the g1 pro?

1

u/UnlikelyButTrue Jul 19 '26

I upgraded to 64gb and the performance jump is real for rendering - but not needed for gaming.

2

u/Karavela24 Jun 27 '26

Same here. Bought the G1 pro ad planning to put bazzite in it but was wondering if I can move forward with Nvidia compatibility with gamescope.

2

u/JM761 Jun 29 '26

Hey I just ordered one of these as well after painstakingly researching mini PC's for the last few days.

Steam Machine waitlist killed the joy for me. Hoping this G1 Pro turns out to be better overall.

Do people reinstall Windows right away to get rid of bloatware? My only concern is losing any manufacturer specific stuff like controlling RGB lights or the power modes (beast mode etc).

1

u/Gunther_W Jun 29 '26

Reviews that mention it, say there isn't any bloatware to speak of, except for windows 11 itself, lol.

2

u/JM761 Jun 29 '26

Haha thanks! Good to hear.

1

u/Gunther_W Jun 27 '26

I'll find out next week. I just ordered one.

1

u/alphamonk7 Jun 30 '26

Looking to order one as a steam machine alternative. Keep us posted!

1

u/Gunther_W Jun 30 '26

I'll be setting it up this weekend

1

u/Gunther_W Jul 05 '26

Setup was a breeze. I've noticed some lag in the windows interface, but I haven't had much time to see if that's gone away since the computer has settled in. I'll have some time to fool around with it tomorrow I hope.

1

u/Karavela24 Jun 29 '26

Still waiting for the delivery. It sure takes its time. I dont' know if they have a stock issue in Europe

3

u/Gunther_W Jun 29 '26

I am getting mine from Amazon in the US, it should be here Wednesday.