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[Mister Wolf]

I get your point here, but the PC that you originally commented on had an AIO. Are you saying the fans on the radiator are not needed as well?

edit: DeepEnigma beat me to it

Topher I would argue that water cooling is just an aesthetic showcase and offers no meaningful performance uplift on a setup running at stock speeds vs air. Would love to be disproven and shown otherwise. Im checking out youtube videos right now looking for fps benchmarks. Ive debated this with my good friend whose all into custom PC design that at least liquid should be quieter but he tells me some pumps can be really loud:

 

[alabtrosMyster]

This video and picture from it is an example of what im talking about. Top fans on the computer that are basically doing nothing. Its just window dressing. Aesthetics. That was my original point. Even with all these videos on the subject have you noticed none of them do any gaming performance benchmarks of how much having all of these additional fans running attached to the case actually help.

I think that gaming jesus has a video on the subject, but that may have been done 10 years ago or so!
Edit: Found it!

 

[Topher]

Topher I would argue that water cooling is just an aesthetic showcase and offers no meaningful performance uplift on a setup running at stock speeds vs air. Would love to be disproven and shown otherwise. Im checking out youtube videos right now looking for fps benchmarks.

Overheating can be a problem and it can endanger your components as well as their longevity. That isn't about higher frame rates. I didn't invest in an AIO because I thought I would get better performance.

So with that in mind, this is necessarily about aesthetics. As I said, none of the lights save one on my PC are off and that one is on simply as an on/off indicator. The entire point here is to keep the components cool.

This also will come into play when people want to overclock their CPU or GPU. That can cause higher temps as well from what I understand. I don't overclock myself, but that makes sense to me.

 

[SScorpio]

Brainwashed... lol. It's really a loser argument

I play gaas for 30 years (from when nobody called them gaas) and I do applaud rise of social interactivity in gaming. It expand audience and attract normal people, and as for asocial nerds... They will continue to cry about "casuals" invading their turf (even though gaas often much more hardcore than their puny SP games) but that's life.

What GaaS were you playing 30 years ago? I've very curious what you'll claim as examples as nothing back in 1995 was anywhere similar to what GaaS are today.

 

[Mister Wolf]

I mean.....it sounds like your are arguing that running your computer at higher temperatures isn't a problem whatsoever. That's a bit weird bro. Overheating can be an issue and it can endanger your components as well as their longevity. That isn't about higher frame rates. I didn't invest in an AIO because I thought I would get better performance.

So with that in mind, this is necessarily about aesthetics. As I said, none of the lights save one on my PC are off and that one is on simply as an on/off indicator. The entire point here is to keep the components cool.

This also will come into play when people want to overclock their CPU or GPU. That can cause higher temps as well from what I understand. I don't overclock myself, but that makes sense to me.

These GPUs and CPUs have built in protections to deactivate once they are above their heat threshold. Consistently running at 2 degress below their threshold vs running at 4 degrees below their threshold has little bearing in the longevity of their functioning.

 

[Topher]

These GPUs and CPUs have built in protections to deactivate once they are above their heat threshold. Consistently running at 2 degress below their threshold vs running at 4 degrees below their threshold has little bearing in the longevity of their functioning.

The danger of higher temps is degradation of components over a long period of time. Hell, even with normal use of electronics there is some degradation. I certainly wouldn't buy a used GPU knowing it had been pegged out for years mining bitcoin, would you? Either way, the point is that the cooling solutions people put into place are not just for a light show. Now....I'll admit some folks do overkill with that stuff, but I think for most that isn't the primary goal.

 

[Felessan]

What GaaS were you playing 30 years ago? I've very curious what you'll claim as examples as nothing back in 1995 was anywhere similar to what GaaS are today.

MUDs, UO (I actually started playing them in 97, so it's a bit less than 30 years)
MUDs became MMO and MMO split into multiple genres of gaas as we know them now.

A lot of new is actually long forgotten old. Like extraction genre is copypasted from full loot PvP MUDs.

 

[Hugare]

And that is the difference between a traditional console and a steam machine.

One is a wallet garden, the other is not.

Most people would use it as a SteamOS console instead of as a PC (if priced right and it reaches the masses)

I'm thinking on buying it to use as a console in my living room. I wouldnt bother to stick M+K in it, I would just use it to play Steam games (them being verified for the device is also a plus)

 

[The_Mike]

Most people would use it as a SteamOS console instead of as a PC (if priced right and it reaches the masses)

I'm thinking on buying it to use as a console in my living room. I wouldnt bother to stick M+K in it, I would just use it to play Steam games (them being verified for the device is also a plus)

While I know people, and maybe also you, don't care about online gaming, it's still worth noticing that alot of games doesn't work on steam os because of linux.

Browsing games on my steam deck, I still see alot of games that aren't capable of running on Linux

 

[Mister Wolf]

 

[SScorpio]

The danger of higher temps is degradation of components over a long period of time. Hell, even with normal use of electronics there is some degradation. I certainly wouldn't buy a used GPU knowing it had been pegged out for years mining bitcoin, would you? Either way, the point is that the cooling solutions people put into place are not just for a light show. Now....I'll admit some folks do overkill with that stuff, but I think for most that isn't the primary goal.

Most miners actually underclocked to maximize performance per watt. The issue is the big mining farms were into non-climate controlled warehouses, so rusting can be a major issue.

 

[Mister Wolf]

Most miners actually underclocked to maximize performance per watt. The issue is the big mining farms were into non-climate controlled warehouses, so rusting can be a major issue.

That and I would be concerned about the GPU fan's bearings going bad due to nonstop usage. Like electrical conductors, as long at the electronic conductors within the GPU are not exceeding their temperature rating I wouldn't be concerned with them.

 

[Topher]

Most miners actually underclocked to maximize performance per watt. The issue is the big mining farms were into non-climate controlled warehouses, so rusting can be a major issue.

Ah....didn't know that. I still wouldn't buy one. lol

 

[marjo]

I'd rather stick with PS5 at that price.

And I'd rather have the Gabe cube. Aren't options great?

 

[Botan32]

And I'd rather have the Gabe cube. Aren't options great?

Of course.

As long as everyone is satisfied.

 

[justiceiro]

Saying the obvious. But I guess way too many gamers can't wait to buy papa Gabe a new yatch.

 

[pudel]

Saying the obvious. But I guess way too many gamers can't wait to buy papa Gabe a new yatch.

As long as he keeps doing awesome stuff for gamers/gaming, he can buy as many yachts as he wants imho. Give and take!

 

[damidu]

As long as he keeps doing awesome stuff for gamers/gaming, he can buy as many yachts as he wants imho. Give and take!

awesome stuff as selling sub-PS5 performing box at "pc pricing" in 2026?

 

[DeepEnigma]

Saying the obvious. But I guess way too many gamers can't wait to buy papa Gabe a new yatch.

As long as he keeps doing awesome stuff for gamers/gaming, he can buy as many yachts as he wants imho. Give and take!

Good thing he owns the yacht company.

NEW CHAPTER - GABE NEWELL - Oceanco

www.oceancoyacht.com

 

[Mister Wolf]

awesome stuff as selling sub-PS5 performing box at "pc pricing" in 2026?

He can get away with it. He has a Willy Wonka level of mystique to Steam/Linux fans.

 

[Themacabre]

awesome stuff as selling sub-PS5 performing box at "pc pricing" in 2026?

What's a PS5?

 

[mckmas8808]

over 499€ is DOA

Come on man.....that's a bit harsh don't you think?

 

[pudel]

awesome stuff as selling sub-PS5 performing box at "pc pricing" in 2026?

Dont buy it, if you dont need it. I dont need the box as well (maybe just as an oversized upgrade for my raspberry pi). For others its maybe more interesting.
I also like the controller. I am currently looking for a new one. My old 360pad is slowly showing signs of malfunctioning. And also the VR headset is some interesting kind of tech...able to run steam games on an ARM chip.

 

[ElonMars]

Is the Xbox Play Anywhere program going to be on Steam Box? I mean am I going to have to go and re-buy all the games I bought on Xbox so I can play them on Steam Box? Cause I've got quite the library now on Xbox.

So Steam Box is a PC right? So this means any PC game that ever came out I can still play years if not decades later right? The original Starcraft came out in what 1998? You can still play the original Starcraft on a modern PC just fine right? They talk about preserving video games for future generations, I mean you should be able to play PC games a 100 years later on any PC right? Cause I can't just take a disc of Halo 1 that came out in 2001 and pop it in to my Xbox One and expect it to work.

But I could literally take the disc of Starcraft that came out in the late 90s, so a disc that is 27 years old now, and pop it into a modern PC and it will work just fine, right? The modern PC would recognize the old PC disc and play it just fine right?

This is what excites me about Steam Box, being able to play old games that I would've played on console and now being able to play them on essentially a PC but on max settings this time around.

Is Xbox Game Pass gonna be on Steam Box?

As an aside, gosh fucking Microsoft. They come into the 7th generation of gaming consoles having beaten Sony. Microsoft took half of the gaming market share from Sony (in the USA) and all they had to do was just keep that momentum going coming into the 8th generation of video game consoles but nope, they give us that stupid gimmick Xbox Kinect and then charge us more money for a weaker console. Xbox One was weaker than PS4 but cost more money. Dumbasses. What an epic failure. They had beaten Sony and taken half the market in the USA, all they had to do was keep that momentum going.

As they say. GO WOKE GO BROKE!!!!!

 

[ElonMars]

Wait a second the Steam Box is gonna be weak? It's gonna have a weak GPU that can't even do proper ray tracing? Why the hell would I even buy it?

I want a powerful next gen console with a GPU capable of giving me good ray tracing. If Steam Box can't do this then why would I buy it?

Are they gonna be dropping new Steam Boxes like every year like PC?

I thought the Steam Box was gonna be a beast?

 

[Kacho]

 

[Topher]

Wait a second the Steam Box is gonna be weak? It's gonna have a weak GPU that can't even do proper ray tracing? Why the hell would I even buy it?

I want a powerful next gen console with a GPU capable of giving me good ray tracing. If Steam Box can't do this then why would I buy it?

Are they gonna be dropping new Steam Boxes like every year like PC?

I thought the Steam Box was gonna be a beast?

This is going to be a sub-$1k gaming PC. If you want a beast then no, this ain't it.

 

[ElonMars]

This is going to be a sub-$1k gaming PC. If you want a beast then no, this ain't it.

Yes sub $1k I get that but it should still wipe the floor with PS5 and XSX right? And it should still have a modern AMD GPU capable of doing good proper ray tracing right?

Cause I've been told that it's going to have a subpar GPU not capable of doing good ray tracing, which I don't understand at all.

If they come out with a machine that can't do good proper ray tracing why would I buy it?

 

[Topher]

Yes sub $1k I get that but it should still wipe the floor with PS5 and XSX right? And it should still have a modern AMD GPU capable of doing good proper ray tracing right?

Cause I've been told that it's going to have a subpar GPU not capable of doing good ray tracing, which I don't understand at all.

If they come out with a machine that can't do good proper ray tracing why would I buy it?

Ray tracing isn't important to a lot of PC gamers and Valve is trying to cast a very wide net that hits a targeted price point. So this isn't for you.

 

[SScorpio]

Ray tracing isn't important to a lot of PC gamers and Valve is trying to cast a very wide net that hits a targeted price point. So this isn't for you.

Don't forget that per Digital Foundry comparisons. Many games on console use lower than low PC settings. And upscale from 1080p with the best commonly being 1440p. The Steam Machine should be competitive against that.

 

[Topher]

Don't forget that per Digital Foundry comparisons. Many games on console use lower than low PC settings. And upscale from 1080p with the best commonly being 1440p. The Steam Machine should be competitive against that.

I imagine we will get some head to head comparisons when this gets in the hands of YouTubers. That's going to be quite interesting.

 

[nnytk]

Why would valve - trying to push more people towards steam store - put a disc drive on this thing?

Who's buying disc pc games today?

This should be priced sub $700 though.

I'm buying physical :-/

 

[ElonMars]

Ray tracing isn't important to a lot of PC gamers and Valve is trying to cast a very wide net that hits a targeted price point. So this isn't for you.

Listen dude, the PS5 and XSX came out in 2020 for $500.

The Steam Box is coming out next year right?

A video game console coming out in 2026 for $800 should have hardware that should absolutely wipe the floor with PS5 and XSX.

I'm trying to understand this.

The hardware in the Steam Box is NOT going to absolutely crush PS5 and XSX and wipe the floor with them?

And yeah, if the Steam Box does not have a GPU capable of doing good ray or path tracing why would I buy it?

Doesn't ray or path tracing make a huge difference in visuals in a game?

Isn't path tracing the future?

I might just wait for the next Xbox.

Though if Steam Box is just a PC then they might be releasing new Steam Boxes every 2 years or something like that.

If they do release a new Steam Box every 2 years with better specs then that might get me to jump over to Steam Box and ditch my Xbox.

Path tracing is the future of video games.

PS6 is coming out in 2027 per leaks and I guarantee you it'll be able to do very good path tracing. Path tracing is the future.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

What is the parallel ?

You were very wrong about simple stuff related to Saturn's architecture. And you're wrong about calling Steam Machine a "flop" because it's not like they're aiming for PS5 or Switch 2 numbers in the first place.

Listen dude, the PS5 and XSX came out in 2020 for $500.

The Steam Box is coming out next year right?

A video game console coming out in 2026 for $800 should have hardware that should absolutely wipe the floor with PS5 and XSX.

I'm trying to understand this.

The hardware in the Steam Box is NOT going to absolutely crush PS5 and XSX and wipe the floor with them?

And yeah, if the Steam Box does not have a GPU capable of doing good ray or path tracing why would I buy it?

Doesn't ray or path tracing make a huge difference in visuals in a game?

Isn't path tracing the future?

I might just wait for the next Xbox.

Though if Steam Box is just a PC then they might be releasing new Steam Boxes every 2 years or something like that.

If they do release a new Steam Box every 2 years with better specs then that might get me to jump over to Steam Box and ditch my Xbox.

Path tracing is the future of video games.

PS6 is coming out in 2027 per leaks and I guarantee you it'll be able to do very good path tracing. Path tracing is the future.

It's not a game console. It's a PC with a console-like design and ease-of-use/UI experience, and console-like OS & resource optimization for PC gaming.

How is this so difficult to understand. Why are people trying to make this into a competition with PS5 and Switch? It's like some of you are forcing a console war that doesn't exist.

Weird.

 

[Topher]

Listen dude, the PS5 and XSX came out in 2020 for $500.

The Steam Box is coming out next year right?

A video game console coming out in 2026 for $800 should have hardware that should absolutely wipe the floor with PS5 and XSX.

I'm trying to understand this.

The hardware in the Steam Box isn't going to absolutely crush PS5 and XSX and wipe the floor with them?

And yeah, if the Steam Box does not have a GPU capable of doing good ray or path tracing why would I buy it?

Doesn't ray or path tracing make a huge difference in visuals of a game?

Isn't path tracing the future?

I might just wait for the next Xbox.

Though if Steam Box is just a PC then they might be releasing new Steam Boxes every 2 years or something like that.

If they do release a new Steam Box every 2 years with better specs then that might get me to jump over to Steam Box and ditch my Xbox.

Path tracing is the future of video games.

PS6 is coming out in 2027 per leaks and I guarantee you it'll be able to do very good path tracing. Path tracing is the future.

Dude.....

If you want a beast then no, this ain't it.

So this isn't for you.

What do you want me to say?

 

[adamsapple]

Dude.....





What do you want me to say?

Topher:

 

[Topher]

Topher:

 

[ElonMars]

If the Steam Box comes out in 2026 and does not have a GPU capable of doing excellent path tracing as path tracing is the future of video game graphics then I would not buy it.

 

[ElonMars]

Ray tracing isn't important to a lot of PC gamers and Valve is trying to cast a very wide net that hits a targeted price point. So this isn't for you.

Isn't ray tracing supposed to make a huge difference in the visuals?

 

[Geometric-Crusher]

You were very wrong about simple stuff related to Saturn's architecture. And you're wrong about calling Steam Machine a "flop" because it's not like they're aiming for PS5 or Switch 2 numbers in the first place.

I'm not usually wrong, I treat the history of consoles, hardware, and business strategy like a science. If I said it has already failed and even pointed out a better strategy, then you can believe that's the truth and that it will happen.

 

[Topher]

 

[SScorpio]

Isn't ray tracing supposed to make a huge difference in the visuals?

It makes everything look like a shitty pixelated method whenever I enable it a my NVIDIA cards. So...

That's with "path tracing" RDNA3 has raytracing hardware. It's path tracing that kills its performance.

 

[ElonMars]

It makes everything look like a shitty pixelated method whenever I enable it a my NVIDIA cards. So...

That's with "path tracing" RDNA3 has raytracing hardware. It's path tracing that kills its performance.

So you've got a powerful Nvidia GPU capable of doing excellent ray tracing but you don't like it? It makes the visuals look worse?

 

[SScorpio]

So you've got a powerful Nvidia GPU capable of doing excellent ray tracing but you don't like it? It makes the visuals look worse?

Yup, it requires doing ray reconstruction to fake the image for path tracing.

You should also do some research on your own and education yourself on raytracing versus pathtracing. They aren't the same thing and you are complaining about things you know nothing about.

 

[ZehDon]

...I think some of you are acting as if Xbox still has a brand name value in the market like they had during the peak... If Steam Machine and Xbox Magnus were within $100 of each other, and both companies put out similar volume of production and marketing, Steam Machine would outsell Xbox Magnus by at least 4:1...

So, if Xbox sold 30 million Magnus units you'd expect Valve to sell 120 million GabeCubes, despite Magnus being dramatically more powerful, with full Xbox backwards compatibility, and full-fat Windows? I'm out. Speak to me when you've re-joined reality.

 

[tr1p1ex]

Valve has different aims here. They don't need to be in the hardware business. Their store is independent of pc hardware. They really are just putting out ideas for OEMs to copy and for players to get excited about.

I really don't think they are interested in selling a ton of these. IT's just to show players that hey if you like consoles well we have a tv centric gaming pc. IF you are a pc gamer and you're attracted consoles...stop ...and look at this.

And for OEMs it's hey look at STeamOS and look at this tv centric design. There's some interest in the market for this. Go ahead and copy.


For publishers, it's hey more consumers are liking SteamOS. Maybe you should make sure your games run great on it. Here's some tools.

And they can't subsidize a general pc. Sony can subsidize a console because it only plays games more or less. There is no reason to get the box except for games. And every game bought for it sends a royalty to Sony. Steam Machine doesn't have that.

 

[iamvin22]

Sooo $800 - 1000?!?

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

I'm not usually wrong, I treat the history of consoles, hardware, and business strategy like a science. If I said it has already failed and even pointed out a better strategy, then you can believe that's the truth and that it will happen.

But you've proven nothing to back up your idea that it's "already failed". Reception so far has been very strong, and the device hasn't even launched yet. Rather dumb to try proclaiming it's failed when neither of those have occurred.

Just like the people who were trying to say the Switch 2 failed prior to launch, just because it was priced higher than they would've liked. And look where we are today; it's even dominating the NA market which was NOT on people's bingo cards, I can assure you.

So, if Xbox sold 30 million Magnus units you'd expect Valve to sell 120 million GabeCubes, despite Magnus being dramatically more powerful, with full Xbox backwards compatibility, and full-fat Windows? I'm out. Speak to me when you've re-joined reality.

Magnus isn't going to sell 30 million units, it'll be far less. Not just because of what specs they're aiming for in combination with likely price, but because so far they have shown NOTHING in their strategy or planning that shows they've learned a single meaningful lesson from the failure of Series S & X. So, even if they were going to go for the traditional console business model again, they'd be lucky to hit 20 million lifetime and that'd only assume a pricing strategy similar to what they had early this gen, so a cheaper and weaker SKU Xbox Magnus device would be a must.

Beyond that, let me iterate, some of you have no idea how badly damaged the name "Xbox" is among the gaming space outside of pockets of fanboy extremists bubbles online, or delusional access media shills. Trust in the brand name insofar as hardware is, generally speaking, as badly off as it was with SEGA at the end of the Saturn heading into Dreamcast. An argument could be made it could end up being worst by the time Magnus launches, we'll just have to see what happens.

Compared to that, Valve & Steam's brand names immediately conjure extremely positive connotations with many people in the gaming space, as well as a lot more confidence in delivering a product which actually lives up to the claims. As it should, because Valve have already done this with Steam Deck. That type of goodwill and rapport matters, and it's what other hardware vendors like Sony/SIE and Nintendo have benefitted so much from. Past successes endear people to your future endeavors; past failures make them weary and increasingly indifferent/distrusting.

Microsoft are in the camp of the latter when it comes to gaming hardware, and this isn't anywhere near a hot take. Their best days in hardware are 15 years behind them and it's been a mounting avalanche of a decline ever since.

 

[DavidGzz]

I don't think the next consoles will handle path tracing at all at 60 fps. Gonna have to get a PC rig, bro. Maybe I'm wrong if there are more advancements in A.I.

 

[ZehDon]

... Beyond that, let me iterate, some of you have no idea how badly damaged the name "Xbox" is among the gaming space outside of pockets of fanboy extremists bubbles online, or delusional access media shills...

Uh huh...

For the hardware stuff, their hardware is generally pretty well made. It doesn't sell well because Microsoft doesn't give people a reason to buy it. If they actually did their jobs and showed people why they should buy an Xbox, they'd sell just fine. Is that possible this generation? No, they're done - and they know it. Is it possible next-generation? If they stop trying to tell people a fucking toaster is an Xbox, they might. However, if you think an under-powered Linux PC will sell 100 million units because "Valve", then you have to believe Microsoft can sell 30 million high-powered Magnus units. And that's plenty of units sold as they settle into their multiplatform phase.