Hey, I’m thinking of upgrading from my old work laptop (which isn’t really built for gaming at all, but is great for productivity), and I was eyeing either an OLED steam deck or a more powerful laptop that I could bring with me and use on campus away from my home setup. I plan on using linux for either machine, but I was wondering if any of the Steam Deck’s secret sauce or price to performance puts it ahead compared to a Framework or Gaming laptop.
Also, if anyone has experience using a steam deck as a workstation/portable work setup, I would love your input on if it’s a good idea to replace a laptop with a steam deck entirely.
Few questions here:
First, “I want a Framework”. Framework is REALLY overpriced for what it is. I haven’t run the math since Liberation Day but generally the following shows that Framework actually doesn’t make sense for a consumer:
Let
Nbe the price of a brand new Framework laptop,Mthe price of just the motherboard of the same quality tier, andPbe the price of a similarly specced laptop at Best Buy or whatever.For upgrading a Framework to be cheaper than just buying another laptop in however many years,
N+M < 2*P. And the math usually comes out as it being a few bucks cheaper, at best. Which ALSO assumes that your keyboard, monitor, etc all remain in good condition and that Framework don’t change their form factors or anything.Frameworks only make sense if you are in an environment where you burn through laptops quite quickly. So… a corporate environment (where they still have fairly shite support) where you will just give Fred a new laptop and then repair the one he ran over with his car later. And from when I actually ran the numbers for a company… the existing solutions were MUCH cheaper and the better ones actually have strong policies towards how they recycle e-waste. I could imagine a very small business threading the needle and making it work but… yeah.
Second is “Can I use a Steam Deck as a conventional laptop?”. Conceptually, yes. Desktop mode is just KDE Plasma (best desktop!). That said, the Steam Deck is built, first and foremost, as a gaming device so your lock screen is basically a shitty version of a phone lock screen with a touch screen that you probably only use when entering your passcode. It is also a high profile distro to attack. So… do yourself a favor and do not put any secrets (other than your Steam and GoG and whatever credentials) into that. I am not sure if the other Handheld Form Factor Gaming PCs have better security but I doubt it.
I definitely use my Steam Deck for a LOT of around the house debugging and even when I visit family or less tech savvy folk. When I don’t need to enter data and just need to be able to test a network connection or see a log? It is actually really nice. But I wouldn’t write any code or check my accounts on one.
So lastly we have “What should I do?” or, more accurately, “What would you do?”.
Personally? Get a cheap beater laptop (which it sounds like you already have) as your daily driver. Unless you are doing heavy local workloads (video editing or, I guess, compiling LLVM constantly) you don’t actually need all that much oomph in a laptop. And most of those workloads are best done on remote systems (of which you should have lots of access to as a college student).
As for gaming? The Steam Deck is an excellent choice and is what I would recommend since you’ll probably actually come out ahead on buying a Deck+Laptop versus a Gaming Laptop AND you won’t have to schlep that monstrocity around just to toast your crotch while you use it.
But… depending on how much gaming you do and how ideological you are… nVidia Geforce Now is actually REALLY REALLY REALLY good if you have even a decent internet connection (and you are at uni so you will have a good one). 10 bucks a month isn’t cheap, but considering a Deck starts at 400 USD for the LCD… 40 months or so to break even.
I was looking for a repairable device with longevity and open for software or hardware modding (No locked down firmware at the device level), which put Framework laptops and the Steam Deck at the top of my list.
(For context, I’m currently using a surplus HP laptop salvaged from work, and it has been an absolute POS to get everything configured and installed the way I want it)
Regarding security, you do have a point, although I could always bring my current laptop with me alongside the Steam Deck - I’d just prefer not to because of increasing the weight in the backpack I have to lug around each day.
I guess there’s more thought I should put into this than I previously expected regarding data management, but it sounds like a Steam Deck makes sense for a dorm gaming setup compared to a laptop with a powerful dedicated GPU.
Look… we all go through our LTT phase.
I would strongly recommend ACTUALLY looking at what modding a Framework or a Steam Deck would mean. The latter has a decent number of controller mods and varying levels of jank regarding their cooling or storage.
But, at their core, both are more SOC than not. Theoretically, you can replace a USB controller if you break the port but they aren’t devices where you are making heavy changes and the Framework upgrade model is to literally buy a whole new motherboard (and, depending on the model, you have to do that for RAM too…). I think the Level 1 Techs review was probably the best where Wendell acknowledged that he would configure his laptop (basically what USB dongles and keyboard layout) once and the rest was just an excuse for him to goof off during a meeting.
You know you. But my experience from back in uni is that carrying a gaming handheld was pointless. if I have free time between classes I am going to do my homework or hang out with friends. And once classes are over? I am going home (or to hang out with friends again). And I commuted. For folk who actually live on campus there is even less reason to carry a gameboy around.
I agree. When I was in college, both in between classes and after them I either didn’t have the time, energy, or mood to play anything.
@Truscape@lemmy.blahaj.zone, if I were in your shoes, I’d stick with the laptop you currently have. Especially if it’s still in working condition and if it’s light. Get a new laptop only if the current one is heavy – you don’t want to carry around a 20-kilogram gaming laptop everywhere!
If you want to get a new machine and you’re set on getting either the Framework or the Steam Deck, I would choose the Framework. I think they are similar in terms of performance (all I know is that both of them can play Spider-man Remastered), but I can’t imagine doing anything productive on the Steam Deck (even with a mouse and keyboard connected). And hauling two devices around (laptop plus Steam Deck) gets annoying quick.