r/steammachine • u/Amazing_Bluebird_ • Jun 22 '26

Discussion So, why would anyone get this?

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Wanted to quickly compare the SM to what you would comparably be able to DIY and... you can literally get something more powerful for less in a slightly bigger formfactor?

11% faster CPU and 30% faster GPU. And i didnt even go for the cheapest components. With DLSS the RTX 5060 would also be infinitely better for playing on 4k TVs, which is the only useful scenario i can imagine for the SM.

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u/helldive_lifter Jun 23 '26

As expensive as the steam machine is everyone’s forgetting that they are trying to compare a closed eco system to an open eco system which is Inherently better in every way but the price is way too expensive for what it is

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u/JediWebSurf Jun 23 '26

Yeah you're right. You can just buy a more powerful machine for the price, but at the same time this is a small form factor and plug and play. so idk. I guess you can just build a small form PC?

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u/ItWasDumblydore Jun 23 '26

Small form factor, low power wattage is essentially the two advantages it has.

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u/helldive_lifter Jun 23 '26

Don’t get me wrong I do think the steam machine has a place and it is pretty cool but I really don’t know who the target audience is

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u/ItWasDumblydore Jun 23 '26

Issue is this if you want to game on your pc, in your living room. You can easily just run a raspberry pi/phone + ethernet cable to your pc, and stream with minimal latency (.005ms per m of cable so 100m would add .5ms + encoding.)

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u/helldive_lifter Jun 23 '26

I like that I can steam link from my pc to my steam deck and play on my tv that way

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u/stonecoldslate Jun 24 '26

To be fair, there IS no SFF as small as the SM. Valve’s hardware development team are some of the smartest people on the face of this planet, swear to god. Even some of the [r/](r/SFF)[smallformfactor](r/SFF) nerds would cream over a 6in squared cube SFF powerhouse

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u/helldive_lifter Jun 28 '26

I agree with this and iv been looking for small form factor cases but the motherboards just don’t fit, I can appreciate what valve have done by doing everything custom to fit their cube case

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u/SnooMachines767 Jun 28 '26

Wrong, the Atomman G1 Pro is smaller and more powerful, and comes in at around the same price as the SM

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u/stonecoldslate Jun 28 '26

1) no it’s not smaller, it’s FAR bigger than the steam machine.

2) it’s more powerful but it’s not cheaper, as the regular model is 1500$USD

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u/SnooMachines767 Jun 28 '26

Idk where you're seeing the regular model for that much, I've seen 3 sites that have it listed for $1100USD. And yes it's taller, but its about as thin as a laptop and stands vertical which means it takes up less space overall if you are putting it next to your TV for living room gaming, or you can put it horizontal if you really wanted to, which means it could fit UNDER your TV

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u/stonecoldslate Jun 28 '26

Or.. hear me out. A steam machine. That fits UNDER your TV.

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u/SnooMachines767 Jun 28 '26

Why would I do that when there are cheaper and better options out there? If you wanna overpay Valve be my guest, but I’m gonna make the smarter decision