Today we are comparing the GPD Win MAX 2020 version with the new GPD Win MAX 2021 i7-1195G7 model. We will be running some system and gaming handhelds benchmarks GPD Win MAX 2020 vs 2021 to see the difference in performance between the two, and answering is it worth upgrading if you have the 2020 model?
GPD Win MAX 2020 vs 2021 Video
GPD Win MAX 2020 vs 2021 Technical Specifications
Let’s first take a very brief look at the technical specs of both Windows handheld models.
| GPD Win MAX 2020 | GPD Win MAX 2021 | |
| PROCESSOR | Intel 10th Gen. Core i5–1035G7 | Intel 11th Gen Core i7-1195G7 |
| CORES/THREADS | 4 Cores / 8 Threads | 4 Cores / 8 Threads |
| MAX SPEED | 3.70 GHz | 5.0 GHz |
| GPU | Intel Iris Plus Graphics | Intel Iris Xe Graphics |
| MAX SPEED | 1.05 GHz | 1.40 GHz |
| RAM & STORAGE | 16GB LPDDR4X @ 3733Mhz 512GB SSD | 16GB LPDDR4x @4266MHz 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD |
The GPD Win MAX 2020 has the Intel 10th Gen i5-1035G7 with a max speed of 3.7 Ghz. The Win MAX 2021 has the 11th Gen i7-1195G7 running up to 5 Ghz.
The GPD Win MAX 2021 features the newer Intel Iris Xe graphics which runs a 1.4 Ghz
Both models have 16GB of LPDDR4X ram, but the 2021 is faster at 4,266 Mhz which is 13% increase in speed.
GPD Win MAX Benchmarks
PassMark
We start the benchmarks with PassMark which stress tests the handheld PC CPU, GPU, RAM and storage to its maximum. The GPD Win MAX 2020 scores a respectable 3,258. With average CPU and RAM scores, below average scores for GPU and above average for storage.
The GPD Win MAX 2021 scores 3,703. With above average CPU, RAM storage scores.
This gives us a score difference of 12.7% which is a reasonable jump in performance between processor generations.
PCMark
PCMark tests day to day tasks ranging from web browsing, media consumption and working with large office documents. The Win MAX 2020 scores 4,101, with good scores across the tests.
The Win MAX 2021 scores a far higher 5,503, with considerably higher scores across the tests.
That’s a score difference of 29.1% which is a very large difference. Using both devices side by side you would notice faster software opening, faster data processing and media rendering for example.
3DMark
3DMark tests the CPU and GPU performance over a series of tests to indicate how well they work together as a handheld gaming console. The GPD MAX 2020 scores 900 which is around average for this specification.
The GPD MAX 2021 scores 1,409. Despite there being an issue with the latest intel drivers and 3DMark, it still scores far higher. We would normally expect the score to be higher.
This gives us a score difference of 44% which is a massive gap. Here we can see the higher CPU speed and faster GPU making a difference.
GPD Win MAX Gaming Benchmarks
The GPD Win MAX 2020 has some issues running at 1920×1080 resolution on some games, so to be fair we run both devices at 720P. Incidentally the Win MAX 2021 had no such issues.
Forza Horizon 4
For this test we are running at 1280×720 with the default ultra graphics settings. The Win MAX 2020 scores an average 19 FPS with a low of 17 and high of 25.
The Win MAX 2021 scores an average of 43 FPS with a low of 37 and high of 60 FPS which is the target FPS.
This gives us a score difference of a massive 77.4% which is again a massive gap.
Street Fighter V
The MAX 2020 was having some issues running at 1080P on this test so we were not able to fully stress test. As a result we are running both at 720P.
The MAX 2020 scored an average of 52 FPS at the end of the match. The MAX 2021 scored an average of 60FPS at the end of the match. We were limited by the refresh rate at 720P, at 1080P it gets 50FPS so you can judge the difference.
Either way, it is still a good difference in performance, with the MAX 2020 being at least 15% slower performance.
Final Fantasy XIV
Our final benchmark is for Final Fantasy XIV. Again the MAX 2020 did not like running this at 1080P so we have switched to 720P with Maximum graphics settings.
The Win MAX 2020 scores a respectable 3,841 with a slightly low rating.
The Win MAX 2021 scores a vastly higher 7,273 with a fairly high rating level.
This gives us a score difference of 61.7% which is again, a very large difference.
Summary
Time to sum everything up now and compare the benchmark results.
| GPD Win MAX 2020 | GPD Win MAX 2021 | % DIFFERENCE | |
| PASSMARK | 3258 | 3703 | 12.7% |
| PCMARK | 4101 | 5503 | 29.1% |
| 3DMARK | 900 | 1409 | 44% |
| FORZA HORIZON 4 | 19 FPS | 43 FPS | 77.4% |
| STREET FIGHTER V | 52 FPS | 60 FPS | 15% (minimum) |
| FINAL FANTASY XIV | 3841 | 7273 | 61.7% |
So we can see from the results that for day to day general tasks such as web browsing, consuming media and so on, that you would see some differences in speed if you had them running side by side.
It is when we get to the gaming performance that there is a considerable difference in speed. To be honest I was expecting an increase in performance, but not such a large difference. The difference in performance between the 10th gen. i5 and 11th gen. i7 is enough to definitely consider upgrading if gaming is your main use for the Win MAX by GPD. It makes possible that recent games that would struggle on the MAX 2020 are now playable on the 2021.
That wraps up this comparison of the GPD Win MAX models, we hope you found it useful in deciding to upgrade if you have the older model. You can read our full review of the GPD Win MAX 2021 here.
You can learn more and buy the GPD Win MAX 2021 here, or browse the range of GPD products and other gaming handhelds here.
