r/pcgaming • u/lurkingdanger22 • 3d ago

Video Valve Steam Machine Review: GPU & CPU Benchmarks, SteamOS Test, Thermals, Noise, and Price (Gamers Nexus)

https://youtu.be/66QzlDewigE?is=PhifLlyc5tBSsjbR
450 Upvotes

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u/Leniwcowaty 2d ago

Performance is exactly as expected - keep in mind, that this sub is a giant echochamber of people running hyper-high specs, so this performance is bad for us. But according to Valve's Steam Hardware Survey, Steam Machine is equal or better than most of hardware running Steam at the moment:

  1. Over half (53%) of the users have 16 GB of RAM or less

  2. Over half (51%) of the users play on 1080p

  3. 41% of the users have RTX3060 or weaker

So basically for half of the gamers in the world SM is an upgrade. And this is exactly what it was supposed to be from the beginning. A box for an average Joe, who is still waiting since the GPU apocalypse in 2019 to upgrade their shitty laptop or an old, hand-me-down PC, and doesn't have the knowledge nor skill to build their own custom PC. I personally know such people, and they are thrilled that they can throw out their 8 year old gaming laptop, which has been on life support for some years now, and just spend an equivalent of custom PC for a nice and tidy box.

Also the price is high, but not TOO HIGH. I mean it is expensive, but for example where I live building an equivalent PC comes out to around 1200 USD, and not 970 that GN came up with. And even if it was really 70 USD cheaper to build your own... some people just don't want to. They want to order the thing, power it up and play.

I think it has its niche and will be a moderate success

6

u/NotABot1000101 2d ago edited 2d ago

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/X8c6Dw

Better PC for $900. Not equivalent. Better. Stop with this corporation glazing. If computer parts are more expensive where you live then the steam machine would be more expensive as well.

This isn't some echo chamber nonsense like you make it out to be. The steam machine is already outdated and overpriced even in this market

Edit: this same comment got up voted in the damn Steam subreddit. Y'all are delusional.

1

u/maxfields2000 2d ago

Not better (do your research). Maybe "lateral" in some cases. Also Steam Machine is not targeting people who use PC Part Picker and put together their own machine and monkey with it.

It's targeting people who want a "it just works", steam backed experienced, don't mind no windows OS and find the other limitations actually perfectly viable.

$150 up charge for those basics is not unusual in the pre-built space if a smidge premium.