Noob’s Journey
Deck Mode ON
Your handheld, your rules: 40/45 FPS silk, smart TDP, cool fans, and battery that actually lasts.
Why 40/45 FPS is the cheat code
- Frametime: 45 FPS ≈
22.2 ms, 40 FPS ≈25 ms— easy for handheld APUs to hit consistently. - VRR love: 40–48 Hz floors on many handheld panels = tear-free smoothness.
- Battery: Lower GPU clocks + gentler CPU boosts = fewer watts burned.
Tip Cap to 40/45 in OS/game and keep render scale ~90–100% with a light upscaler if needed.
TDP & Thermals (The Real Boss)
Safe Ranges
- Story/indies: 7–10 W APU
- AAA @ 40–45 FPS: 12–18 W APU
- Competitive 60 FPS: 18–25 W APU (watch temps)
Power Budget Rules
- Raise TDP in 1–2 W steps; stop once frametime stabilizes.
- Use balanced CPU governor; disable turbo only if spikes cause heat.
Per-Game Profiles (Set & Forget)
What to lock per game
- FPS Cap (40/45/60), TDP, fan curve
- Upscaler mode (Quality/Balanced)
- Controller layout + gyro
Stability Hygiene
- Shader cache warm-up: run the tutorial/first area once.
- Keep one overlay only (OSD or Afterburner, not five).
Compatibility Modes (Proton, DXVK, etc.)
- If it stutters: try different Proton versions, disable esync/futex once for testing.
- Use fullscreen/borderless that plays nice with your OS’s FPS cap.
Crash loop triage: 1) Change Proton version 2) Verify files 3) Disable overlays 4) Lower RT/Heavy shaders 5) Reboot (cache unlock)
Fans & Noise
- Set a gentle curve that ramps after ~70°C; keep intake/exhaust clear.
- Use 40/45 FPS + Quality upscaler = cooler die temps → quieter session.
Battery Life Estimator
Enter your numbers
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Quick Targets
- Story @ 40 FPS, 10 W: ~4 h
- AAA @ 45 FPS, 16 W: ~2.5 h
- eSports @ 60 FPS, 22 W: ~1.8 h
Pocket Checklist
[ ] Cap 40/45 FPS • VRR on [ ] Set TDP 12–18 W (AAA) / 7–10 W (indies) [ ] Upscaler Quality + 90–100% render scale [ ] Per-game profile (cap, TDP, fans, layout) [ ] Warm shader cache; kill extra overlays [ ] Keep temps sane (<80°C sustained)