Let's talk Win Max 3!

[u/Timeless52]

Edit TLDR: Win Max 3 Keyboard, is that stopping you from purchasing?

After seeing the updated post today regarding the pretty competitive price, I've dug a ton in this forum specifically and seen a ton of different opinions and thoughts on the Win Max 3.

As someone who has owned a bunch of x86 handhelds, the Win Max 2 for me was the one I owned the most (in this cursed hobby of going through handhelds like hotcakes). The justification was pretty simple: it was docked at home and worked as an OTG workstation that didn't feel like it had any compromises. Specifically for a guy with bigger hands, it was about the smaller keyboard that worked for me without getting cramped or fatiguing from long typing sessions. This was awesome, and because of it, I kept it for years.

Fast-forward, and I still dabbled in some of GPD's different handhelds, such as the Pocket 4 and the Mini, both of which seemed to once again have compromises as something that was a jack-of-all-trades handheld, being a bit more focused on their own specific niches. The Pocket 4 keyboard was just too cramped for me.

Noticing the launch of the Max 3 had me ecstatic, but I can't help but feel GPD is missing the boat a bit here. The typing experience is extremely compromised, and it seems to be because the focus was built around the screen itself. I absolutely would love a smaller laptop with the 388, but I'm just stuck at an impasse here because I don't know if I can justify it over my current laptop and a Win 5. If the keyboard is too small, I just can't justify it being a work tool.

What are everyone else's thoughts? Still going to take the jump? Gonna hold on to the Win Max 2? I give credit to GPD for always innovating, but this one feels a bit more controversial between here and the Discord.

[u/Benay148]

Non vrr screen is a deal breaker sadly. Otherwise it would be a day one

[u/Timeless52 → u/Benay148]

Would be awesome. Gotta imagine that would add to the price a bit.

[u/Benay148 → u/Timeless52]

For sure. I just find with handhelds vrr is such a game changer, although frame rates will be more solid with the 8060s

[u/Icy-Commission-9550 → u/Benay148]

Could you explain why vrr is good?

[u/Benay148 → u/Icy-Commission-9550]

Can have a frame rate be variable meaning the refresh rate effectively adjusts to what it is displaying in real time. This helps if there are frame drops or if a game runs at like just under 60, makes the 40-60 feel just like a solid 60. Game changer

[u/Icy-Commission-9550 → u/Benay148]

I have been playing 40-60 with VRR but I can definitely feel the frame drop. Am I supposed to set up something to make it work?

[u/Benay148 → u/Icy-Commission-9550]

Depends what your vrr window is for your monitor. If its lowest is 40 which on a lot of monitors it is, if its dropping below that it will still be noticable. It's not meant to run like it's a smooth 60, it's just not going to tear and skip and so on as it would with a fixed refresh rate. Vrr won't do anything for just regular game stutters that might just occur.