I am using my PC for gaming 80% of the time. Instead of buying a new PC (mine is getting old), I was wondering if I can just buy a Steam Deck with docking station, to work as PC substitute.
How hard would it be to:
- Play strategy games with keyboard/mouse/screen setup.
- Mod steam games.
- Browse web through a browser that supports adblocking.
- Watch Netflix/D+/Twitch.
- Install random linux apps (e.g. Anki).
- Do some recreational python programming .
simple answer is yes it will be more powerful than any laptop/PC in the same price range. I have a gaming laptop and gamingdesktop but use my steam deck more because not only can it transform into a Laptop, a Desktop, a Console, or just be used as a handheld but I also like having all my data on one portable device instead of having to worrying about having to get it off my other devices. as for your questions
The GPU definitely, but the CPU isn’t.
It’s a trade-off, you get a great mobile GPU but a slightly weaker CPU, and split RAM for the GPU.
Overall it works quite well though, but could be an issue for strategy / simulation heavy games like Rimworld, Dwarf Fortress, Victoria 3, etc.
But it performs really well for GPU-heavy games that can run well at the 1200x800 screen resolution and don’t require a mouse - like third-party combat games.