GPD's New Win Max 3 Ryzen Handheld PC Packs 128GB RAM And 165Hz OLED

Shenzhen firm GamePad Digital, better known as GPD, has been doing its thing since long before the Steam Deck existed. Indeed, while we tend to report on GPD's offerings in the same breath as companies like Ayaneo, OneXPlayer, and Anbernic, the truth is that GPD's wheelhouse is historically not exactly "handheld gaming systems" but rather "handheld PCs." If the recent, highly credible leaks are anything to go by, that's exactly what the upcoming Win Max 3 promises to be.

To be clear, GPD hasn't actually announced the Win Max 3 yet. These details originally surfaced from Bilibili leaker MuBuS, but they've since gained serious traction after popping up as a full product listing on GPDstore.net, which is a third-party retail storefront operated by the tech blog Droix. While GPD itself has yet to confirm anything, the listing includes multiple images of the device that look remarkably plausible.

If these specs hold true, instead of being "a gaming handheld based on PC parts," the Win Max 3 is really "the smallest possible gaming laptop." It is small, too, with a 9.06" AMOLED screen that the listing describes as "Real RGB"; it's not clear if that means it's one of the new RGB stripe OLEDs or if it's just marketing fluff.


That screen refreshes at up to 165 Hz and shines at up to 1050 nits peak brightness, although the listing notes that 650 nits is a more realistic typical brightness value. Both are very bright for an OLED. Despite the small size, the screen sports a 2400×1504 resolution, which makes it very close to a 16:10 aspect ratio, albeit a bit smaller than QHD+ (2560×1600). Because of the compact footprint, it still manages a pin-sharp 313 PPI.

Don't worry about having to use aggressive upscaling factors to hit that resolution in games, because this machine is slated to be powered by your choice of AMD's beefy Ryzen AI Max+ APUs. The eight-core Ryzen AI Max+ 388 seems the obvious choice if you're buying it primarily as a gaming machine, since it drops half of the CPU cores but keeps the full-fat 40-CU GPU. However, the 16-core Ryzen AI Max+ 395, the same chip family we've seen in a few machines we've reviewed, is also listed if you need the extra CPU horsepower.

Because Strix Halo has a 256-bit memory interface, the minimum amount of RAM you can pair with one is 32GB, but for those with deep pockets, the listing indicates the Win Max 3 will offer 64GB and 128GB options as well. For storage, it's set to come with an M.2-2280 SSD that supports PCIe 4.0 x4, while an M.2-2230 slot with PCIe 4.0 x2 connectivity is also available. Like the GPD Win 5, this machine also appears to support Biwin's Mini SSD (called "1517" due to its 15x17mm dimensions) for removable expansion; that uses a PCIe 4.0 x1 interface.


Arguably the oddest parts of the design are the battery and the "external 110W fan module." Much like the GPD Win 5, the leaked Win Max 3 design points to an external, removable battery. This is optional, but not secondary; if it's not attached, you have no battery power and this is basically a mini-PC with an attached screen. The hot-swappable battery module reportedly has a capacity of 97Whr, which should get you about 2 hours of runtime at the minimum 45W power limit.

Meanwhile, the 110W fan module is exactly what it sounds like: an external cooler designed to allow the machine to run at its 110W peak power limit for extended periods. 110W is still far below where Strix Halo stops scaling; we saw continued scaling all the way up to 160W in our HP Z2 Mini G1a review. However, that's likely as much heat as the machine's tiny chassis can dissipate, and it should still give a tremendous boost in performance over the 45W baseline.

If you're raring to buy one, well, you're going to have to keep an eye out and take these early details with a few grains of salt until GPD makes it official. Because this isn't an official launch, finalized pricing and availability are the two key missing details. Just make sure you have a sufficiently fat pocketbook, because this thing, with its premium screen and top-tier hardware, isn't going to go cheap. We expect pricing to start at around $2,000 and go up, up, up from there.