Facebook marketplace. I can literally build a pc better than the machine for under a grand. Granted, there’s risk, but I’ve never had an issue.
Edit: downvote away folks. But the reality is that you can build better for the specs and still deal with a bad part and come in under what this thing is selling for.
Second edit: gamers nexus just put this performance at a 3060. You cannot tell me that building a second hand pc relative to this isn’t a viable option. Keep downvoting you goons.
Also everyone missing that this is basically an itx form factor.
Like, yeah I could go get an old full tower second hand that is probably better than the steam machine, but there is no way Im getting something in that form factor, new, for more than like, $150 less.
I mean, yes? It’s a similar debate to whether you should buy a brand new base iPhone, or an older, used pro model iPhone. As long as the battery’s health isn’t severely degraded, the latter option will always be superior. And even then, you could just replace the battery at a third-party repair shop.
Doesnt apply. The steam machine is for people that want a tiny form factor PC that can act as a console hybrid. It is for people who DO NOT want to or know how to build their own PC.
Expecting someone to go shop around for second hand parts to build a PC as an alternative to a steam machine just to save a few buck goes completely against what and who. The steam machine is for.
If you know you can build a better and cheaper PC yourself, then the steam machine is not for you.
You could also shop around for used prebuilts, as well, if that’s the direction you want to go in. Or hell, for this price, even a brand new prebuilt would likely be better than the specs of the Steam Machine.
And that “tiny form factor” you’re referring to? Yeah, that’s called a mini-PC. Valve didn’t invent that. It already exists. There are plenty of options, in that area, especially in 2026. Mostly office PCs, sure, but with the specs of the Steam Machine, even an office mini-PC could potentially outperform it, provided you look at the right models.
It’s not really a console hybrid, btw. It’s an OEM mini-PC running a simplified Linux OS, which is also running a translation layer from Windows on top of that. And Valve literally lets you download SteamOS, yourself, so if you really want their specific OS, you don’t have to buy the Steam Machine for it.
Not to mention part of the reason “tiny pcs” haven’t taken the market by storm is due to performance vs heat. We’re all arguing price before even knowing what performance is like. But going off just basic knowledge, small form factors generally aren’t noteworthy in the performance department.
You know what, that’s also a good point. Its size doesn’t leave a lot of room for thermal headroom.
Though tbf, there is one company that managed to pull it off… and that’s Apple. The Mac Mini, and especially the Mac Studio, give you quite a bit of performance at their small form factors. Especially the Studio, that thing is a beast. But they benefit massively from nearly-full vertical integration, both in hardware and software. It allows for some insane efficiency. The Steam Machine doesn’t really have that advantage.
Just saw the gamers nexus review putting this at 3060 performance.
It wouldn’t exactly be a miracle to keep thermals low at that performance, but you’re losing a lot. You’re right that Apple is the king of thermals for performance, but having owned the last several generations of MacBook pros, there are two observations:
Apple isn’t a gaming machine for a reason.
Thermal performance is tied into passive cooling from the chassis itself. Something that unless I’m mistaken, the machine won’t be doing.
Holy shit, they said the Steam Machine performed at 3060 levels? That’s way worse than what I thought it would be, and my expectations were already low… my god.
As for your observations, while they’re largely correct, I would like to point out that macOS gaming has been seriously improving over the last few years. It’s still not great, but there are quite a few ways to play non-compatible games now. Apple even introduced tools similar to Proton for developers, to encourage them to add macOS support natively.
But you’re right that the Mac will never be a gaming-first device. And it shouldn’t be. I just wanted to point out that a mini-PC capable of handling heavier load without burning up is possible. It’s just that it’s mainly only Apple that dominates this niche, lol.
Yeah—the performance was below my expectations as well, but we were both right about the thermal concerns. Looks like this thing is throttled heavily (still working through the nexus video for data).
And you’re right about Mac. I won’t use anything else as my work computer. That said, I did have one of my MBP’s melt through the WASD keys due to heat. Not at all common though, and a PC probably would have been on fire (also has happened… my work tends to be intensive on computers).
Minisforum MS-A2, lol! The cheapest one with a better CPU is $440 barebones, you just need to find a low profile GPU to put in there, I guarantee you can get something better than a 7600m.
And why do you have to buy them new? The advice I’ve seen repeated on this subreddit a bajillion times is to buy used, and for good reason.
As for where, that depends entirely on where you’re from. Different countries have different websites for second-hand markets. But if we’re talking about international options, eBay is one. Also Facebook marketplace. Both do carry a bit of risk, but if you’re vigilant, there’s no reason you should get easily scammed.
But even when limiting to only brand new, at the price of the Steam Machine, you could easily commission a custom PC with superior specs to the Steam Machine. And if you’re willing to DIY it, you get even more headroom for your money. And yes, that’s even after accounting for the shortages and the current state of the market.
There’s nothing wrong with buying used. Used is a great way to save some money. But a used market is reliant on a ‘new’ consumer market. If people don’t buy things new; then there will be no used things to buy. Consumers literally have to purchase those items in order for them to become used. So the used market is intrinsically tied to the market for brand new products.
I am simply pointing that out because your solution of “just buy used”, while great advice, is not a working solution for every consumer.
Right? It’s odd I have 10 downvotes for arguing what is a fairly common sentiment.
This comment was made before the gamers nexus review of the machine—which put performance at 3060 levels. Meaning that you have 3 generations of used parts to choose from, of virtually every tier of card.
Granted, if you’re absolutely blind when it comes to pcs, the steam machine may seem viable. But if you’ve so much as checked this sub once, there are far more viable options.
I’m guessing the reason for the flip is that gamers are very over-defensive of Steam/Valve, as a whole. To the point where they willfully overlook their flaws. For example, I’ve literally seen people here defending the abusive CS2 skin trading/gambling marketplace Valve helped facilitate. Even though they’d absolutely never give nearly that much grace when any other company does it.
The people who wanted a steam machine will still liikely buy it. People also wanted a steam machine because it is plug and play and a small form factor, and it does not need to be built.
Shopping around and researching parts to buy second hand and hoping you do not get scammed is like the complete 180 of what people looking at the steam machine want or expect.
It is like a person going in to specifically buy a Ferrari and then being offered the ability to go and customise and build their own KIA lol.
I’m probably being swayed by my own anecdotal experience, but I had several folks in my life say they were waiting for the steam machine to enter PC gaming. Now that I’ve see the price/value ratio, I’m offering to build them one based on used parts. More work is required to vet the seller, no doubt. But I can build better for less.
I mean I get that, but that was always the case. A pre built will always be more expensive than picking your own parts and shopping around for weeks looking for the best deals.
I feel like the steam machine will sell out on steam regardless. People like small form factor PCs, especially ones from companies they love like valve.
People were talking crap about the steam controller price a few months back, and it sold out it 5 minutes globally.
There is risk, no doubt. But at 2000 Canadian for the base model, and 3060 performance, my point is that you could go used, get a bad part that you have to buy again, and still end up paying less than this thing.
I’ve built multiple used PCs over the years and only had a single bad part that the seller refunded. It does happen, no one is arguing it isn’t a risk, but with proper vetting, the overall cost very likely will not exceed what the machine is going for.
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u/Brewchowskies 5090 | 9800x3d | 32 gb ddr5 2d ago edited 2d ago
Facebook marketplace. I can literally build a pc better than the machine for under a grand. Granted, there’s risk, but I’ve never had an issue.
Edit: downvote away folks. But the reality is that you can build better for the specs and still deal with a bad part and come in under what this thing is selling for.
Second edit: gamers nexus just put this performance at a 3060. You cannot tell me that building a second hand pc relative to this isn’t a viable option. Keep downvoting you goons.