Following the official announcement of the Steam Machine’s release date and price, it’s time to delve into its performance, and yes, it’s disappointing. We already knew the Steam Machine was intended to be a modest living room device focused on 4K gaming at 60 FPS, but naturally, this would be contingent on AMD’s FSR being available for scaling. As we suspected, all performance tests are being conducted with very selective settings to try and mask the data and create the illusion of a great product for its price. However, in reality, we’re looking at a power-limited device, and this is evident in the visual quality. It often resorts to medium graphical settings with upscaling.
First and foremost, it’s important to emphasize that the Steam Machine was initially planned to be more affordable. In summary, the device experienced several delays due to RAM shortages and price increases for RAM and SSDs. Consequently, the company had to adjust the price, now asking 1,039 euros for a Steam Machine with a 512 GB SSD and without the Steam Controller. It doesn’t help that for the same amount of money, you can build a more powerful conventional computer. And yes, you can install SteamOS on that PC as well. Thus, the premium price might be justifiable if it were positioned as a niche Mini-PC for gamers.
Digital Foundry Tests the Steam Machine Against Mid-Range Gaming PCs
According to Digital Foundry’s tests, which measured performance at 1440p resolution with ‘optimized graphics settings,’ the Steam Machine’s lack of performance becomes apparent. The Steam Machine is clearly defined as a low-to-mid-range PC gaming computer, not a direct replacement for a powerful gaming PC. In their tests, Digital Foundry used the Steam Machine as a baseline reference and compared it with three PC configurations: one with a Ryzen 5 5600X and a Radeon RX 6600, another with a Radeon RX 7600, and a third with a Radeon RX 9060 XT.
The average results place the Steam Machine above an RX 6600 but below an RX 7600. For example, in Black Myth: Wukong, the Steam Machine is set at 100%, while the PC with the RX 7600 reaches 111.9% (+11.9% performance), the RX 9060 XT rises to 163.2%, and the RX 6600 drops to 89.6%. A similar situation occurs in Resident Evil Requiem: the RX 7600 is at 114%, the RX 9060 XT at 160.9%, and the RX 6600 at 91.2%.
The performance gap remains consistent across almost all analyzed games. In Forza Horizon 6, the RX 7600 is 13.3% faster, while the RX 6600 practically ties with the Steam Machine, scoring 99.4%. In Crimson Desert, one of the most demanding tests, the RX 7600 achieves 116.3%, the RX 9060 XT reaches 172.5%, and the RX 6600 stays at 93.1%. Why this method of measuring performance? In most games, it doesn’t reach 60 FPS. Therefore, Valve is not fulfilling its promises.
In tests displaying absolute FPS, the reading is the same. In Cyberpunk 2077, the Steam Machine achieves 60 FPS, compared to 68 FPS with the RX 7600, 82 FPS with the RX 9060 XT, and 52 FPS with the RX 6600. With DOOM: The Dark Ages, Valve’s machine is stuck at 32 FPS with low graphics settings, while the RX 7600 reaches 36 FPS, the RX 9060 XT reaches 58 FPS, and the RX 6600 gets 28 FPS.
Performance-to-Price Ratio Puts the Steam Machine in a Difficult Position
The Steam Machine not only fares poorly in terms of performance-to-price ratio. In terms of visual quality, the Steam Machine is comparable to a standard PlayStation 5 in performance mode. Even in games like Crimson Desert, the PS5 looks better, albeit with slightly lower performance. But of course, the PS5 can be purchased for almost half the price. The same story repeats with Wukong or Alan Wake 2. The PS5 not only generally looks better but also usually offers slightly superior performance. Furthermore, the PS5 includes a controller.
The overall average compared to the most logical comparison, the Radeon RX 7600, places the Steam Machine in a delicate position. Across the six tests shown, the RX 7600 performs an average of 13.6% better than Valve’s machine. Viewed from the other side, the Steam Machine offers around 88% of the performance of that PC configuration, making it approximately 11.9% less powerful than a system with an RX 7600.
The Steam Machine starts at a price of 1,039 euros. With that budget, you can opt for a Ryzen 5 5500 + Radeon RX 7600 and even get double the RAM (32 GB) and SSD (1 TB). By reducing the RAM and SSD (16GB/512GB), you could still have more performance while saving money, with a price point around 800 euros. If we consider Intel CPUs, the situation could be even more favorable.
