DIY Steam Machine-style PC costs more than Valve’s $1,049 box
A parts check by The Verge found that matching Valve’s compact gaming PC with retail components is pricier and much larger.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
Valve’s new Steam Machine starts at $1,049, and a comparable do-it-yourself build appears difficult to assemble for less. The Verge reported that a retail-parts mini gaming PC aimed at similar performance would cost $1,268.81 with 512GB of storage, before rebates or special offers.
The comparison matters because Valve says it is selling the Steam Machine basically at cost, according to The Verge. The device is positioned as a small PC rather than a traditional console, though its entry price is nearly twice that of a PS5.
According to The Verge, the base Steam Machine includes 512GB of storage, while a $1,349 version raises storage to 2TB and adds two faceplates. Both models include 16GB of DDR5 memory, a custom six-core AMD mobile CPU using Zen 4, and a custom AMD RDNA 3 graphics chip with 8GB of VRAM.
The Verge reported that the Steam Machine’s compact design relies on a custom motherboard and cooling system, which makes an exact retail build impossible. Valve’s hardware is a six-inch cube, while the closest off-the-shelf approach in The Verge’s comparison required stepping up to Mini-ITX parts.
The retail build
The Verge based its sample build around Fractal Design’s Terra Mini-ITX case, which measures 13 inches long, 6 inches wide and 8.6 inches tall. The case is just over 10 liters in volume, making the proposed build more than two and a half times the size of Valve’s machine, according to The Verge.
The parts list included an AMD Ryzen 5 8400F CPU at $149.99, an ASRock Challenger Radeon RX 7600 8GB graphics card at $279.97, an ASUS ROG Strix B650E-I Gaming WiFi motherboard at $179.99 and 16GB of G.SKILL Flare X5 DDR5-6000 memory at $204.99, The Verge reported.
The Verge also included a Thermalright low-profile cooler at $21.90, a Team Group 512GB NVMe SSD at $101.99, a Corsair SF750 power supply at $159.99 and the Fractal Terra case at $169.99. Swapping in a 2TB Patriot Viper VP4300 Lite SSD would bring the total to $1,446.81, compared with Valve’s $1,349 higher-storage model, according to the report.
The Verge said the parts are not exact equivalents because Valve uses custom chips, but described the CPU, GPU, memory and storage choices as the closest practical match from retail shelves. The outlet said the resulting system should offer similar performance on paper.
Prebuilt alternatives have trade-offs
The Verge reported that buyers seeking a PC closer to the Steam Machine’s size would likely need a custom prebuilt system. Examples cited by the outlet include the Minisforum AtomMan G1 Pro and Framework Desktop.
The Minisforum AtomMan G1 Pro costs $1,400 and includes an Nvidia RTX 5060 desktop-class GPU, an AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX, 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, according to The Verge. The outlet said it is about the same volume as the Steam Machine and more powerful, but taller, while reviews indicate it can be noisy.
The Framework Desktop starts at $1,269 with an AMD Ryzen AI Max 385 CPU, integrated Radeon 8050S graphics and 32GB of shared memory, The Verge reported. The outlet said it has stronger CPU performance than the Steam Machine but weaker graphics, and measures 3.81 by 8.09 by 8.9 inches.
Valve has said component shortages affected launch quantity, according to The Verge, which may push some buyers toward building their own systems. The Verge also reported that Valve’s SteamOS 3.8 update lets users run the Linux-based SteamOS on PCs with AMD GPUs, while PC builders remain free to use other operating systems and graphics hardware.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.