[IGN] How to Build a PC Equivalent to the Steam Machine

LectureMaster

Or is it just one of Adam's balls in my throat?


ComponentProduct NamePrice (USD)
CPUAMD Ryzen 5 7600$184.00
CPU CoolerNoctua NH-L9x65 chromax.Black$79.87
GPUPowercolor Fighter Radeon RX 7600$239.99
RAMKingston Fury Beast DDR5 5600 (16GB)$177.99
StorageSamsung 990 Evo Plus$104.99
MotherboardMSI MPG B650I Edge WiFi$169.99
Power SupplyCooler Master V750 SFX Gold$139.99
CaseCooler Master MasterBox N200$59.99
TOTAL**~$1,156.00**

Is It Worth It?

It's so hard to recommend anyone go out and buy a bunch of PC components right now, thanks in large part to RAM prices. I've seen RAM get expensive in the past, but not to the point where a basic 16GB kit costs almost as much as a graphics card. My advice would be to wait until Valve reveals the pricing for the Steam Machine and then make a judgement call. Because if Valve's console comes in under $700-800, then it's going to be a much better deal than building a PC with these specs right now.

All of these parts together, assuming you're going to be installing SteamOS or Bazzite, will come to $1,156 total at the time of writing. You can save a bit by going for a standard ATX build, but thanks in large part to the high RAM prices right now, you're still looking at a total build cost of $959.
 
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ComponentProduct NamePrice (USD)
CPUAMD Ryzen 5 7600$184.00
CPU CoolerNoctua NH-L9x65 chromax.Black$79.87
GPUPowercolor Fighter Radeon RX 7600$239.99
RAMKingston Fury Beast DDR5 5600 (16GB)$177.99
StorageSamsung 990 Evo Plus$104.99
MotherboardMSI MPG B650I Edge WiFi$169.99
Power SupplyCooler Master V750 SFX Gold$139.99
CaseCooler Master MasterBox N200$59.99
TOTAL**~$1,156.00**

Is It Worth It?

It's so hard to recommend anyone go out and buy a bunch of PC components right now, thanks in large part to RAM prices. I've seen RAM get expensive in the past, but not to the point where a basic 16GB kit costs almost as much as a graphics card. My advice would be to wait until Valve reveals the pricing for the Steam Machine and then make a judgement call. Because if Valve's console comes in under $700-800, then it's going to be a much better deal than building a PC with these specs right now.

All of these parts together, assuming you're going to be installing SteamOS or Bazzite, will come to $1,156 total at the time of writing. You can save a bit by going for a standard ATX build, but thanks in large part to the high RAM prices right now, you're still looking at a total build cost of $959.

And people think this is going to be 700 dollars especially when valve said they aren't subsidizing it. Even though this will be doa they got money to burn.
 
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I feel like building your own PC to a similar or better spec is just kind of missing the point of the device. Looks and form factor matter here. The target market doesn't want a fucking Coolermaster mini-tower visible under their TV lmao.

They want this:

sUnI7LKu6Vw3FjKa.png


Actually, the target market doesn't want to even build a PC at all!
 
I feel like building your own PC to a similar or better spec is just kind of missing the point of the device. Looks and form factor matter here. The target market doesn't want a fucking Coolermaster mini-tower visible under their TV lmao.

They want this:

sUnI7LKu6Vw3FjKa.png


Actually, the target market doesn't want to even build a PC at all!
Who is the target market?
 
Buy a laptop, you don't need to build one, it's small, stylish, and comes with Windows so you can play BF6, COD, and maybe GTA 6 multiplayer. Who guarantees that the Steam Machine will run GTA 6 online ?
 
I listened to a couple of YouTubers who built an equivalent PC for 420$ but that was before the RAM prices skyrocketed in the last couple of days. I still think Steam Machine comes in at 699$. They need this console to be affordable considering the target audience.
 
Who is the target market?

Gamers who want as frictionless of an entry into PC gaming as possible. "PC gaming in a padded room", as Digital Foundry put it.

Normies do not want to research parts and build it themselves. They want an attractive box they can plug and play without all the funk that usually comes with a PC.

Ease of use is the reason why consoles continue to have appeal. You could distil it down further and just say Valve wants the console market.
 
I can buy a PC more powerful than the Steam Machine for €699 right now. Has a 4060 in it so has DLSS as well.
I said the same thing in another Steambox thread.

You can get a laptop with a 4060 for around $700.

I wonder what the screen, keyboard, trackpad, and Windows license cost on that laptop would add up to? $150 - $200?

If the Steam Box doesn't come in around $500 (maybe $595 with the controller) it's not going to be a good deal at all.


EDIT: In the IGN example above, I know you can find a cheaper CPU cooler and probably a cheaper motherboard as well.
 
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Gamers who want as frictionless of an entry into PC gaming as possible. "PC gaming in a padded room", as Digital Foundry put it.

Normies do not want to research parts and build it themselves. They want an attractive box they can plug and play without all the funk that usually comes with a PC.

Ease of use is the reason why consoles continue to have appeal. You could distil it down further and just say Valve wants the console market.

There's no such thing as frictionless when it comes to PC. If it's not performing good they will have go in to the graphic settings and play around with it. Also if they want to play games like Battlefield 6 or Fortnite they have to put windows on it and because of this the normies will go back on PlayStation. I would say the steam deck is a better option because atleast it's portable. The PS5 will play triple A games better than this because the games will be optimized better.
 
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There's no such thing as frictionless when it comes to PC. If it's not performing good they will have go in to the graphic settings and play around with it. Also if they want to play games like Battlefield 6 or Fortnite they have to put windows on it and because of this the normies will go back on PlayStation. I would say the steam deck is a better option because atleast it's portable. The PS5 will play triple A games better than this because the games will be optimized better.

"As frictionless as possible." Steam Deck does what its supposed to do. Most will agree it feels more like a console. You get a reference hardware with a suitable os, you are going in the console direction at least.
 
lol i guess thats how they'll try to shill this thing at $700+
much better deal my ass.
bomba of the decade incoming, will make series look like a runaway success.
i guess they can always try again in 2040
 
Why are they trying to build a mini ITX? Valve said the pricing would be competitive with PCs with a similar spec. Not similar spec and form factor. Valve said the form factor would be the selling point. I don't think this is a good build in which to try and predict the price from.
 
The only people I see buying this is affluent pc enthusiast who like the idea of a small easy box they can plug into their big TV and maybe play some of their casual controller like games.

Or gaben loyalists. It's too complicated for casuals and console kids. Your average pc gamer would be mad to buy this over upgrading their current pc.

Less market than the steamdeck basically.
 
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No, it's not worth paying $1000+ to buy a Desktop PC that will be completely obsolete in less than a year. That thing will be completely RAM/VRAM starved.

Steam machine at least has the form factor and the possibility that it's going to be cheaper than that.

Better buy a slightly more expensive desktop that has a proper graphics card with at least 12GB VRAM and 32GB of main RAM. But not right now because that's like the worst time to buy a PC.
 
Ign build pc has much stronger cpu, stronger gpu too, and lol at putting in there 80 usd top air cooler, 750W goldrated psu and 2x as expensive as needed mobo just to baloon up the cost :D
Under 700$ and that gpu is at least 50% stronger from laptop rx 7600m(so desktop rx 6600 non xt) thats in gabecube, its also rdna4(gabecube's is rdna3) so better rt and ai upscaling capabilities :)

Thats the dung of a gpu we getting in gabecube, only difference is 90W vs 110W tdp in gabecube so lets be generous and add that 15% performance on top...
 
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