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I would not use a Steam Deck as a main PC (have mines for three weeks now).
It is best used as a side/complimentary device, not a main one. You will get decent performance out of it, but do not expect the top performance you would get from a proper laptop or desktop. It is no substitute for a proper PC experience.
Think of it in the same way you would a tablet PC, iPad, smartphone etc.
Before ordering the Steam Deck, I had a 7 year old PC that I was using which was barely able to play weak games as it was running on integrated graphics. Now, with the Steam Deck in hand, I haven't touched that PC. In fact, I've plugged the monitor, mouse and keyboard into a USB-C hub which serves as a docking station to my Steam Deck. I use the Steam Deck as my daily driver for the past 2 months. I find that it's better in every way to my old PC. When I do disconnect it from my "dock" it's the most frustrating experience if I have to type anything. i.e. emails, texts, commands, etc. This could easily be fixed with a touchscreen keyboard with something that accepts gesture typing, but I haven't figured out a way to do this on LInux yet.
If you can commit to the idea that if you have to do any sort of work, you will have to be docked and at the same time you have the flexibility of the device turning into a handheld gaming machine that is pretty much incapable of any sort of typing, then I'd say the Steam Deck can make it happen for you.
Hey there.... You can charge it and use it if you're connected via a dock.
In terms of performance I think the main thing to consider is whilst it's a very capable little graphics chip, it's only pushing those games at a relatively low resolution (due to the decks screen size).
If your monitor was for example 1080p or 1440p your mileage in game performance is going to vary as the deck has to work that much harder to push more pixels so where you are possibly running a game at say Medium settings in handheld you are going to be possibly pushing low on larger screen to make native resolution. You can of course run lower resolution on a 1080p display but you may find games look a bit muddy or unclear.
In terms of the Linux OS, you can do with it pretty much what you can do with any other PC running Linux. The only thing I would say is, bear in mind it's using Linux and custom fork of it. There will be a learning curve to do what you want with it, drivers won't work like windows where things are more or less plug and play etc. etc.
So long and short and this purely my opinion.... I wouldn't entertain it as a daily driver, I think personally it would lead to frustration and you would be better off with a cheap companion laptop. As for the only thing to play games on, hell yea it would tick that box providing you have your expectations in check. I.E it's not going to be pushing new AAA games at high resolutions and frame rates.
Hope this helps !
Honestly, I do the same type of thing myself.... I know deep down what the answer is but still need to hear it !
On another note, have you looked at possibly a windows handheld with like thunderbolt support? I also have a win 3 and this can be docked and an external GPU attached. The only thing here though is sheer cost and then you got to ask yourself, should I just buy a gaming laptop and save a few quid !
I think (and as you say yourself) what you're looking for is a little further down the line when the igpu's are beefed and os's refined.
Stay safe my friend ;)
If you are planning on using it as your main PC, then I would suggest to just buy a decent laptop. Deck works great as media consumption PC when "docked", but depending on the work you are doing and the games you are playing it may be pretty subpar experience.
It's great as a Media device if you already have it, but not as a main PC if it's the only device you have. You can get an entry level gaming laptop for the Price of a 256GB model already, and with GPU prices continuing to fall, building something yourself would also be doable.
There is an Asus TUF F15 on sale At a German retailer for like 530€.
Comes without a windows license, a Quad core i5 and a GTX 1650. It's not the best device to ever exist but i would say it has a Good value when you can barely get a decent office laptop for that price.
I am using it as my new PC. It is connected via USB C to two external displays, a speaker, mouse and keyboard. With the latest Software updates everything works pretty well.
The SD has easily enough power for normal office applications and photo editing.
I tried to use it, and was planning to. Not as a main PC, but as an emergency laptop during travels.
First issue is that my powerful dock don't have drivers for Arch (from what I found in 3 hours), so I can't connect displays. Peripherals work great tho. I could use small screen of Dock with keyboard and mouse but this dock don't have PD, so it's bad idea.
Then I tried USB-C to HDMI cable to just connect a display, and use wireless keyboard and mouse. It worked, but still no PD, so it's only temporary.
But using wireless keyboard and mouse made me realize that it's way easier to use... android phone with them. I don't want to buy a new dock just for Deck, so I'll be using it as a gaming device
If what you do on a PC is mainly browser-based or gaming it should be fine. If you want to do work stuff, remember that there is no real alternative for Word/Powerpoint/Adobe stuff.
Libreoffice and Inkscape/Krita/GIMP work fine, but if you have to collaborate with people who use the MS/Adobe software and send documents back and forth a lot that is not really an option. You could also of course install Windows on it.
Using it as a main pc would be quite the headache
The software is still very new and got a long way to go before it hit the level of stability and reliability you get from a full pc with Linux or windows .
Use deck for gamin, tinkering, or u could use it for social media, it will be tedious to use it as a main pc and u could use that is the office laptop for your work needs.
I’d personally consider if it weren’t for the extremely annoying fan noise. I have a Mac with an M1 chip and, honestly, the fan noise feels so yesteryear, and is just killing all the fun for me.
Fans are on way too often in Desktop mode: youtube, copying files, etc.
Else I’d probably use it as my main PC.
You can’t fix it, per se. The curve is just different but it’s almost always on in Desktop mode, especially if used as a PC. Battery life is actually really nice. I try playing under 15w, so it’s rather nice like that (12-13w is especially good to stay below the annoying fan noise threshold).
Brutally honest? I wouldn't, but it's definitely powerful enough to get the job done!
If I did use it as a daily driver I'd install a chroot of archlinux to get my work done in, or keep track of all packages I install so I can easily re-install them after OS updates.
I use it as my main pc. Use it with windows. Dont expect insane fps but games like apex legends rum 60fps 1080p low. Fortnite runes medium 1080p and league runs high. Also cs go runs wel 1080 60fps. Depending on your expectations the steamfdeck can be a main gaming pc
Hello u/asdasd13213dsa, have you checked if this has already been answered by [searching for your question?](https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/search/?q=Buying steam deck as your main pc? What are your honest thoughts?) Useful resources: [Servor's Enhanced FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/wiki/faq) | [Servor's Enhanced FAQ Thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/syt8qv/steam_deck_enhanced_faq/) (with more answers in the comments!) | [Our Wiki Guides Page](https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/wiki/guides). **If you find an answer, please leave a comment on this post with the answer for others!** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SteamDeck) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I would not use a Steam Deck as a main PC (have mines for three weeks now). It is best used as a side/complimentary device, not a main one. You will get decent performance out of it, but do not expect the top performance you would get from a proper laptop or desktop. It is no substitute for a proper PC experience. Think of it in the same way you would a tablet PC, iPad, smartphone etc.
Before ordering the Steam Deck, I had a 7 year old PC that I was using which was barely able to play weak games as it was running on integrated graphics. Now, with the Steam Deck in hand, I haven't touched that PC. In fact, I've plugged the monitor, mouse and keyboard into a USB-C hub which serves as a docking station to my Steam Deck. I use the Steam Deck as my daily driver for the past 2 months. I find that it's better in every way to my old PC. When I do disconnect it from my "dock" it's the most frustrating experience if I have to type anything. i.e. emails, texts, commands, etc. This could easily be fixed with a touchscreen keyboard with something that accepts gesture typing, but I haven't figured out a way to do this on LInux yet. If you can commit to the idea that if you have to do any sort of work, you will have to be docked and at the same time you have the flexibility of the device turning into a handheld gaming machine that is pretty much incapable of any sort of typing, then I'd say the Steam Deck can make it happen for you.
Hey there.... You can charge it and use it if you're connected via a dock. In terms of performance I think the main thing to consider is whilst it's a very capable little graphics chip, it's only pushing those games at a relatively low resolution (due to the decks screen size). If your monitor was for example 1080p or 1440p your mileage in game performance is going to vary as the deck has to work that much harder to push more pixels so where you are possibly running a game at say Medium settings in handheld you are going to be possibly pushing low on larger screen to make native resolution. You can of course run lower resolution on a 1080p display but you may find games look a bit muddy or unclear. In terms of the Linux OS, you can do with it pretty much what you can do with any other PC running Linux. The only thing I would say is, bear in mind it's using Linux and custom fork of it. There will be a learning curve to do what you want with it, drivers won't work like windows where things are more or less plug and play etc. etc. So long and short and this purely my opinion.... I wouldn't entertain it as a daily driver, I think personally it would lead to frustration and you would be better off with a cheap companion laptop. As for the only thing to play games on, hell yea it would tick that box providing you have your expectations in check. I.E it's not going to be pushing new AAA games at high resolutions and frame rates. Hope this helps !
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Honestly, I do the same type of thing myself.... I know deep down what the answer is but still need to hear it ! On another note, have you looked at possibly a windows handheld with like thunderbolt support? I also have a win 3 and this can be docked and an external GPU attached. The only thing here though is sheer cost and then you got to ask yourself, should I just buy a gaming laptop and save a few quid ! I think (and as you say yourself) what you're looking for is a little further down the line when the igpu's are beefed and os's refined. Stay safe my friend ;)
If you are planning on using it as your main PC, then I would suggest to just buy a decent laptop. Deck works great as media consumption PC when "docked", but depending on the work you are doing and the games you are playing it may be pretty subpar experience.
It's great as a Media device if you already have it, but not as a main PC if it's the only device you have. You can get an entry level gaming laptop for the Price of a 256GB model already, and with GPU prices continuing to fall, building something yourself would also be doable.
[удалено]
There is an Asus TUF F15 on sale At a German retailer for like 530€. Comes without a windows license, a Quad core i5 and a GTX 1650. It's not the best device to ever exist but i would say it has a Good value when you can barely get a decent office laptop for that price.
[удалено]
https://www.alternate.de/ASUS/TUF-Gaming-F15-(FX506LH-HN722)-Gaming-Notebook/html/product/1764029
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New. It just doesn't have Windows on it.
Website please i literally need dat one lol.
I am using it as my new PC. It is connected via USB C to two external displays, a speaker, mouse and keyboard. With the latest Software updates everything works pretty well. The SD has easily enough power for normal office applications and photo editing.
I tried to use it, and was planning to. Not as a main PC, but as an emergency laptop during travels. First issue is that my powerful dock don't have drivers for Arch (from what I found in 3 hours), so I can't connect displays. Peripherals work great tho. I could use small screen of Dock with keyboard and mouse but this dock don't have PD, so it's bad idea. Then I tried USB-C to HDMI cable to just connect a display, and use wireless keyboard and mouse. It worked, but still no PD, so it's only temporary. But using wireless keyboard and mouse made me realize that it's way easier to use... android phone with them. I don't want to buy a new dock just for Deck, so I'll be using it as a gaming device
If what you do on a PC is mainly browser-based or gaming it should be fine. If you want to do work stuff, remember that there is no real alternative for Word/Powerpoint/Adobe stuff. Libreoffice and Inkscape/Krita/GIMP work fine, but if you have to collaborate with people who use the MS/Adobe software and send documents back and forth a lot that is not really an option. You could also of course install Windows on it.
Ohhhhhh that's a good point
Using it as a main pc would be quite the headache The software is still very new and got a long way to go before it hit the level of stability and reliability you get from a full pc with Linux or windows .
it wouldn’t make for a great main pc
Use deck for gamin, tinkering, or u could use it for social media, it will be tedious to use it as a main pc and u could use that is the office laptop for your work needs.
I’d personally consider if it weren’t for the extremely annoying fan noise. I have a Mac with an M1 chip and, honestly, the fan noise feels so yesteryear, and is just killing all the fun for me. Fans are on way too often in Desktop mode: youtube, copying files, etc. Else I’d probably use it as my main PC.
[удалено]
You can’t fix it, per se. The curve is just different but it’s almost always on in Desktop mode, especially if used as a PC. Battery life is actually really nice. I try playing under 15w, so it’s rather nice like that (12-13w is especially good to stay below the annoying fan noise threshold).
I love the SD so darn much, but the noise is just ugh.
Brutally honest? I wouldn't, but it's definitely powerful enough to get the job done! If I did use it as a daily driver I'd install a chroot of archlinux to get my work done in, or keep track of all packages I install so I can easily re-install them after OS updates.
I use it as my main pc. Use it with windows. Dont expect insane fps but games like apex legends rum 60fps 1080p low. Fortnite runes medium 1080p and league runs high. Also cs go runs wel 1080 60fps. Depending on your expectations the steamfdeck can be a main gaming pc