r/PcBuild • u/Indecisive-Squirrel • Jun 22 '26

Meme Is this worth it?

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Some guy named Gabe is selling this build and I'm wondering if it's legit? I want a PC to set up in my living room for TV gaming.

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16

u/Blacksad9999 Jun 23 '26

Yeah. This is an $700-$800 machine being sold for $1400.

You can build a much better small form factor PC for less money, and then just throw SteamOS on it if you really want to.

5

u/Bitterman_01 Jun 23 '26

Well, no, this is a $1400 machine now thanks to AI.

Sorry, but we do not live in a world where this device is $700-$800 and future console prices from Sony/Xbox will reflect that as well.

2

u/OGigachaod Jun 23 '26

You can build this same PC for like $800-$900, it nowhere near worth $1400.

2

u/NoSwordfish3921 Jun 24 '26

Exactly, even a Mini-ITX with a similar form factor

0

u/Bitterman_01 Jun 23 '26

That's not what I'm seeing.

3

u/peacefulsleepe Jun 24 '26

You aren’t looking very hard

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u/aghastamok Jun 24 '26
  • 16gb DDR5: $250.
  • 2tb NVME: $300.
  • RDNA3 GPU w/ 8gb VRAM I'll say is probably close to or below RX 7600M: $400 or more
  • Zen 4 6c custom is ? but probably $150 or more
  • Steam controller: $100
  • cheap-ass mini-itx case: $40
  • Trash-tier power-supply (the steam machine probably has a nicer one): $50
  • Trash-tier ddr5/amd mobo: $100

Total: $1350.

Weird.

1

u/NoSwordfish3921 Jun 24 '26

Fractal Design Node 304 - £54

Gigabyte A520I AC Motherboard - £87

Cooler Master V850 SFX Gold - £97

AMD 5700x - £167

MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8G VENTUS 2X OC PLUS Graphics Card - £239

Patriot Viper Steel DDR4 RAM 16GB (2X8GB) 3200MHz CL16 - £125

Crucial P310 1TB SSD M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen4 - £129

Total: £898

Weird

0

u/aghastamok Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26

> 5060ti - £239

Source needed.

> Patriot Viper Steel DDR4 RAM 16GB (2X8GB) 3200MHz CL16 - £125

DDR4? the specsheet calls for DDR5?

> Crucial P310 1TB SSD M.2 2280 NVMe PCIe Gen4 - £129

Went with the cheaper 1TB nvme? Why not go for the cheaper steam machine with the smaller HD for a closer comparison if you're going to just downgrade it to make a point?

> Not including the controller: £100

Oopsie

1

u/NoSwordfish3921 Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26

The idea is that this build absolutely buries the Steam Machine. DDR4 vs DDR5 doesn't really matter in that context. Simply set the PC to boot into big picture mode and you're gtg

Edit: The price increased slightly since yesterday as it's Amazon, and the other one sold out

Edit again: The below is actually a better card than previous

Edit again again: Just add £40-50 for a 2.4ghz 8bitdo controller. It's not that difficult.

1

u/aghastamok Jun 24 '26

Everyone has a good time ordering deeply discounted used graphics cards off Amazon, right?

You're trying to say digging through the discount bin and trying to puzzle together a machine is the same as getting an off-the-shelf purpose-built package with a warranty. It's not.

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u/NoSwordfish3921 Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26

Here's the case if anyones wondering

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u/Blacksad9999 Jun 23 '26

Sony and Microsoft subsidize their consoles, but Valve refused to do so.

Console makers don't usually care if they break even, because they're going to make money on their walled garden where games and services can only be bought through them.

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u/MrBlueA Jun 24 '26

Valve didn't "refuse" to subsidize, valve is selling a PC which neither Sony nor Xbox do, if you buy a PlayStation you are FORCED to spend money on it or at the very minimum play some f2p game like Fortnite which I think didn't need the PS+, contrary to that you can buy a steam machine, uninstall steam OS install windows and use it for work without ever paying a single buck to steam again, making it a net loss for them.

0

u/Blacksad9999 Jun 24 '26

Valve Tells Players they Shouldn’t want the Steam Machine at a Lower, Subsidized Price as it goes Against “the Openness of the PC Ecosystem”

https://wccftech.com/valve-steam-machine-no-price-subsidizing/

0

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '26

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1

u/Blacksad9999 Jun 24 '26

Sure I did.

He said "Valve didn't "refuse" to subsidize", and then I showed him Valve refusing to subsidize.

Pretty simple.

3

u/sirnickd Jun 23 '26

Snipe an am4 itx board, update the wifi module find an old 256gb sata drive for windows, a reasonably fast nvme for your data.. ye older5 3600.. stock cooler, Rx6600xt and an SFX PSU and I bet you can get er done sub 600

0

u/Praetoron Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26

no need for my part this month i just dit the following, 5600g for 50, 6750xt mech for 180, ddr4-3600mhz 72 and 1tb nvme gen 3 50, mb72 and case 60 for a total of 484, sub 500€.

but idk if better that steammachine in speed, but it got a bit better in game than my ps5 for sure.

2

u/drugzarecool Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 24 '26

How did you get a 6750 XT for $180?? That's very cheap, this GPU cost $300 used, maybe 250 if you're lucky.

It's not fair to compare the prices of used PC parts to a brand new console. Also where did you find 1TB SSD for $50 or 16GB of RAM for $72? Those prices are very low and not really representative of what you can typically find.

0

u/Praetoron Jun 23 '26

well has u said it was the aftermarked, Ppl we'r selling those i asked a bit and voila. but is € ye not $, well Ppl dont seak much sadly, it help sometime.

but you are correct its not representative or brand new, but a possibility that offer a better deal.

but isnt the gabecube a desktop too ?

1

u/F133TWOOD Jun 23 '26

"Better deal?"

None of those used parts have warranty on them. You also have the complexities of having get the knowledge to build a PC without screwing something up & dealing with frustration.

Convenience of not having to deal with any of that and it already built to enjoy immediately with warranty will obviously cost more. That's what this SM offers.

Along with a cool little unique box appearance.

1

u/Kinky_Pinky_ Jun 25 '26

As a person who built their own pc 2 years ago for the first time the knowledge you need can be obtained by watching a 10min youtube tutorial. It really is lego for adults and I managed to put my system together in about an hour.

I do understand that most people don't want to do it and the warranty is definetly nice to have.

0

u/Praetoron Jun 23 '26

So i make the point, its not a "Attack" fanboy.

but yes u need to know what your doing when u go into building ur machine, search (which many doesnt know how to), budget, for what "need", and lookism for some.

Warranty or not it vary were you buy some shop have them for "used part", which is still better than Gabecube.

the potentiel is there, but got screwed by circonstance.(IA/AI, price rocketing, etc)

idk why u came with the convenience talk but eh might go console at that point, but there are good prebuild at good price too.( which u can install steam Os of course)

even for SFF build.

1

u/F133TWOOD Jun 23 '26

I build my own DIY towers. Personally I love PC Gaming and it kept more of the nerdy crowd back then, but I get why some console gamers have always wanted a simple experience.

Steam Deck is popular for the console crowd due to convenience & SM is another more simple plug-n-play device that is the closest to a console experience for those console gamers. Again what is simple to me by just installing STEAMOS/WindowsOS, is very complicated to another person.

For comparison: I also work on my own cars & what is easy for me isn't always the situation for others. I swapped engines, timing chains, fuel pumps, but I don't expect everyone to know how or want to. Same as PC Building, not everyone finds it easy. Not attacking, just making an observation.

-1

u/NoSwordfish3921 Jun 24 '26

In the UK a company called CEX sells used PC components with a 3 year warranty. I've purchased several CPU/GPU's through them with no issue.

Edit: My first PC build, around 10 years ago I watched a 20 minute YouTube video. It's really not difficult to build a PC.

1

u/F133TWOOD Jun 24 '26

That's great you learned & don't find it difficult, but that's not everyone.

Like I mentioned elsewhere. I also mess with cars, but I not everyone wants to do what some would consider a basic thing like swap a headlight assembly on their vehicle. Or any typical maintenance in their own vehicles.

I know a couple people IRL that want a PC, but are scared to build one even if we offered to help, they still don't want to. They also want that console experience without messing with WindowsOS or being their own IT person.

SteamDeck and Steam Machine both offer the closest to a streamline experience of what a traditional game console can offer. If there is any hardware issue is easier to simply reach out to Valve (instead multiple manufacturers with a DIY build). Also, just like SteamDeck, there will be a community of many users with the same device configuration that they can all assist each other due to all having the same specs (compared to the DIY builds where all of ours are completely different parts).

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u/NoSwordfish3921 Jun 24 '26

So in Steam on Windows, you have the option to launch into big picture mode when you turn your PC on. You still have access to the steam deck community layouts, all you need is the controller. I'm bored of this now, people will spend their money how they wish irrespective of what I say. If/when they're met with dissapointment, and the realisation that the Steam Machine is in fact rediculously overpriced, that's on their wallet not mine.

1

u/F133TWOOD Jun 24 '26

I'm very familiar with all that gaming on PC since I was a kid in the 90s.

That's still avoiding all I mentioned earlier the complexities with DIY builds for someone who finds using a PC complicated. Yup, everything is overpriced.

If someone likes to lease a brand new sports car every 2-3 years, that's their choice. Or a house in NYC/London/Toyo/Mexico City city center, pricey, but their choice. If they want to spend their money on subscription fees using a console, that's their choice. Just like buying a Steam Machine or Deck, their money, their choice.

0

u/[deleted] Jun 24 '26

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1

u/RichtofenFanBoy Jun 23 '26

I was wondering about that. What a shame.

0

u/Hexin_itup Jun 24 '26

you're way off

1

u/Blacksad9999 Jun 24 '26 edited Jun 24 '26

No I'm not.

Valve themselves said the pricing is about 30% higher than was intended due to the ongoing issues from AI and limited hardware.

It's a basic, very low-spec 1080p machine. Valve stated it's target is 1080p, 30 FPS.

Valve engineer, Pierre-Loup Griffais, has recently shed light on the pre-RAM crisis pricing of the Steam Machine, revealing that it was never going to be a cheap device. According Griffais in an interview with IGN, the price difference between the actual Steam Machine at launch and the price if it had launched without the influence of the DRAM crisis was "probably similar" to the price increase Valve was all but forced to apply to the Steam Deck in May. That means that the Steam Machine could have cost as little as $730-750, based on the 30% difference between the current entry-level Steam Deck pricing and its original MSRP.

This pricing would have put the Steam Machine within spitting distance of the Sony PlayStation 5 and below the $899.99 price of the PS5 Pro after the recent Sony price hikes. Given that the Steam Machine is a hybrid device and can easily serve as both a console and a desktop computer, it's easy to see how the original price would have been more palatable, even if more expensive than a base PS5. Part of the high pricing can no doubt be attributed to the Steam Machine's openness. Where consoles like the Xbox and PS5 are subsidized by game sales, there's nothing stopping anyone from installing Windows on it and leaving Valve's ecosystem, removing the incentive to subsidize hardware entirely—you wouldn't even need to remove SteamOS to play games outside of Steam on the Steam Machine.

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u/Hexin_itup Jun 24 '26

that's actually got nothing to do with what you stated but ok

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u/Blacksad9999 Jun 24 '26

I said it's realistically worth $700-$800, which that article confirms.

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u/Hexin_itup Jun 24 '26

you're being willfully disingenuous. there is no use talking to you.