Steam Machine Discussion

[leifp]

SteamOS doesn't support NVIDIA GPUs yet but you can try installing Bazzite or CachyOS.

The Steam Machine has a custom GPU that's around RX 7600M w/8GB VRAM. I reckon it will beat the RTX 2060 6GB on your Phantom Canyon NUC but I don't know what the performance delta is like. Probably the same as the mobile RTX 3060 8GB and RTX 2060 6GB delta.

Mind, I remember the Phantom Canyon NUC was around $1K barebones when it was released?

Yes, $1k. It has an Intel iGPU of no particular value as well. And I’d guess they’re broadly comparable. Beating in some metrics while losing in others and nothing glaring means I’ll wait. Particularly since I’d have to pay more for broadly the same…

And steamOS is what I say on a Mac site but Bazzite is on the list. As is almost any generic Linux distribution with a bit of legwork.

 

[TracerAnalog]

Why not install SteamOS on your PC (AMD GPU)? Or Bazzite or CachyOS for NVIDIA?

Because I tried and it is still too much hassle because of driver issues.

 

[rui no onna]

Because I tried and it is still too much hassle because of driver issues.

Sorry to hear that. NVIDIA seems to be hit or miss on Linux. Some folks have no issues while other PCs seem to just crash and burn.

 

[rui no onna]

Yes, $1k. It has an Intel iGPU of no particular value as well. And I’d guess they’re broadly comparable. Beating in some metrics while losing in others and nothing glaring means I’ll wait. Particularly since I’d have to pay more for broadly the same…

I've been doing a bit of research and it actually looks like the RX 7600M might be closer to mobile RTX 4060 performance. That's not a bad upgrade coming from the 2060. But yeah, nowadays, it feels like game devs want you to buy RTX 5070 Ti minimum (on the laptop side).

 

[leifp]

I've been doing a bit of research and it actually looks like the RX 7600M might be closer to mobile RTX 4060 performance. That's not a bad upgrade coming from the 2060. But yeah, nowadays, it feels like game devs want you to buy RTX 5070 Ti minimum (on the laptop side).

I have a home and an away setup. The NUC is part of the away setup. At home I have a large desktop with 5800X and 4070. I doubt I’ll replace the NUC until something broadly similar in size (e.g. SteamMachine) can broadly compete with my home setup. What might be meaningful for me to upgrade a GPU on my home system (e.g. moving from the 4070 to a 5070ti/9070XT just not at those prices) will absolutely not be enough for me to see it as meaningful on the NUC (a handful of %/fps improvements in fewer than all metrics).

The whole thing is more complex than that but I expect to remain quite staid in my computing purchases for a few years.

 

[Dex762]

PS5 look for a Pro with a controller,

I have PS3 and not playing it because I get confused how to play with all that buttons everything and end up dying or crash etc so I prefer to use PC it easy for me to use finger on key and mouse etc

 

[maflynn]

My new Steam Machine is adorably disappointing

The article seems a bit biased though game playing seemed largely positive, with that said, the final assessment in the article is spot on - Its a horrible value

The worse stuff: A horrible value​

The elephant in the room for the Steam Machine has always been its price. Even before “AI” absolutely massacred PC hardware, back when we assumed it would be somewhere in the $600-900 range, that was a big chunk of change for either a console or a medium-power gaming PC. At $1,050 — and I’m assuming Valve pinched every penny it could and failed to get it down to $999 — it just looks bad.

 

[maflynn]

So, I've been kind of down on the steam machine, but I can admit I was wrong (no I didn't buy one). It seems while I think it offers a horrible value, my opinion is not shared by many others
Valve Reportedly Sells 12-15K Steam Machine Units Per Week

it turns out that Valve's sales data have reportedly been good. Some investigative journalism led to an estimate that Valve is selling anywhere from 12,000 to 15,000 Steam Machine units per week

 

[macfacts]

So, I've been kind of down on the steam machine, but I can admit I was wrong (no I didn't buy one). It seems while I think it offers a horrible value, my opinion is not shared by many others
Valve Reportedly Sells 12-15K Steam Machine Units Per Week

Your url links to an incomplete sentence not a web URL.

 

[maflynn]

Your url links to an incomplete sentence not a web URL.

oops I fixed it

 

[aespana]

What I really like about the Steam Machine is the form factor. Man, that little cube is beautiful (since I always wanted a little PC). My current PC is not that powerful but it has a better performance than the SM but man, it lands on a Lian Li O11 Air Mini that it has a really good airflow with good temperatures but, it is a MASSIVE case.

Probably I will buy a little case in the future. Specially since my 9060XT is the 2 fan version.

 

[dmr727]

Anything that brings

Probably I will buy a little case in the future. Specially since my 9060XT is the 2 fan version.

Yeah, my next PC will be small as well. My 4070 is three fan, so I'm still a few years from upgrade, but maybe by then there'll be some interesting integrated stuff out there too.

 

[aespana]

Anything that brings


Yeah, my next PC will be small as well. My 4070 is three fan, so I'm still a few years from upgrade, but maybe by then there'll be some interesting integrated stuff out there too.

Yeah, integrated stuff is becoming really appealing. Let's see what happens in the future but I think that Valve puts a form factor that will be used a lot in the future.

 

[rui no onna]

So, I've been kind of down on the steam machine, but I can admit I was wrong (no I didn't buy one). It seems while I think it offers a horrible value, my opinion is not shared by many others
Valve Reportedly Sells 12-15K Steam Machine Units Per Week

While the Steam Machine is a poor value compared to normal desktop parts or consoles, its pricing is actually pretty on par with ultra small form factor Mini-PCs when scaled to performance.

There's actually no direct competition to the Steam Machine in the Mini-PC space right now. There are $500-600 Mini-PCs with Radeon 680M-780M (~GTX 1650), $800-900 with Radeon 890M (~RTX 2050) and then you jump to $1400+ discrete RTX 5060 mobile or $2000+ Strix Halo APU.

 

[rui no onna]

Yeah, my next PC will be small as well. My 4070 is three fan, so I'm still a few years from upgrade, but maybe by then there'll be some interesting integrated stuff out there too.

Yeah, integrated stuff is becoming really appealing. Let's see what happens in the future but I think that Valve puts a form factor that will be used a lot in the future.

I've been a SFF enthusiast for a long while. My first M-ITX build was an Intel Atom motherboard with S-Video out connected to CRT. I haven't had a full-size desktop in maybe 8+ years.

Gaming-capable Mini-PCs is very, very, very niche and I find it great that the release of the Steam Machine has driven interest towards them. I'm hoping we see more, relatively affordable off-the-shelf prebuilts with similar or better performance in the future.

 

[aespana]

I've been a SFF enthusiast for a long while. My first M-ITX build was an Intel Atom motherboard with S-Video out connected to CRT. I haven't had a full-size desktop in maybe 8+ years.

Gaming-capable Mini-PCs is very, very, very niche and I find it great that the release of the Steam Machine has driven interest towards them. I'm hoping we see more, relatively affordable off-the-shelf prebuilts with similar or better performance in the future.

Yeah! I really like those mini PC, even with a Low Profile GPU but the case and the components are usually more expensive. I've seen some chinese mini PC with LP GPUs that are really impressive to be honest.

 

[Queen6]

So, I've been kind of down on the steam machine, but I can admit I was wrong (no I didn't buy one). It seems while I think it offers a horrible value, my opinion is not shared by many others
Valve Reportedly Sells 12-15K Steam Machine Units Per Week

No ****. Yes it's not great value, but try building the same formfactor in such a tight package? Steam is in a very difficult position as they simply dont have the same purchasing power of many other big name HW providers. They have openly said that they have limited options in the current silicon economy and have to work with what they can get.

TBH I dont have a dog in the fight as, I dont even have a Steam account. Equally I'm not willing to right off one of the few pro gamer companies HW releases, just because of the current situation. Tip without the likes of GOG or Steam you'd be paying a lot more for your games if not be straddled with a subscription only service by greed driven companies like Microsoft & Ubisoft. HW & SW works in tandem and like as not Steam will continue to optimise their OS for gaming...

Just wait on the next generation of consoles release with $80-$100 games, then you'll have a real reason to complain... The silicon shortage is likely to continue past 2030, unless the A.I. bubble bursts, then you'll have bigger issues.

Q-6

 

[Queen6]

While the Steam Machine is a poor value compared to normal desktop parts or consoles, its pricing is actually pretty on par with ultra small form factor Mini-PCs when scaled to performance.

There's actually no direct competition to the Steam Machine in the Mini-PC space right now. There are $500-600 Mini-PCs with Radeon 680M-780M (~GTX 1650), $800-900 with Radeon 890M (~RTX 2050) and then you jump to $1400+ discrete RTX 5060 mobile or $2000+ Strix Halo APU.

That's it, I'm very close to the source here in Asia but to build a comparable system in performance, size and DB level would still be a push. My system is a lot more powerful, so have no need. That Said I want to see the Steam Machine succeed as hopefully time passes pricing will drop or more likely specs will increase. Most are solely out for the money grab by ripping you off. GOG & Steam I do believe are there for the gamers equally they too need to turn coin... Just not to the max.

Q-6