Whats in the box

The Steam Machine looks pretty cool, I’ve got to say. I may be the only one of the lazygamer crew that wants one, but I will say it loud and proud. Except now, Valve has said what’s going to be inside the prototype, and I’m a bit less than impressed.

According to a statement, the 300 prototypes will have various specs. In essence, some machines will be more equal than others.

The 300 prototype units will ship with the following components:

  • GPU: some units with NVidia Titan, some GTX780, some GTX760, and some GTX660
  • CPU: some boxes with Intel i7-4770, some i5-4570, and some i3
  • RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600 (CPU), 3GB GDDR5 (GPU)
  • Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD
  • Power Supply: Internal 450w 80Plus Gold
  • Dimensions: approx. 12 x 12.4 x 2.9 in high

In the statement, Valve stresses the fact that the machines are fully upgradable, allowing users to swap out any parts as they see fit. Some may opt for a Steam Machine that is focused on high performance, while others are looking for something low cost, small or quiet. I understand that, however I’m not entirely impressed with the range of Steam Machine. The top of the range will definitely be fantastic – but the bottom of the range will be pretty bad. As I learned in technology a long time ago, it’s generally the best idea to go for top of the range – even the best machine will be obsolete in a few years, you might as well give it a chance at more longevity.

What do you think? Are you still excited about the Steam Machine, or has this soured the appeal?

Last Updated: October 7, 2013

1.1
was reviewed on PC

40 Comments

  1. John's better judgement

    October 7, 2013 at 07:58

    Ah, great header Z

    Reply

  2. Admiral Chief of Rivia

    October 7, 2013 at 07:58

    All of them look bad, cuz Intel and Nvidia

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      October 7, 2013 at 08:06

      Where’s the AMD?

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief of Rivia

        October 7, 2013 at 08:10

        Nvidia probably bribed them as well (Steam), as per the Origin thing

        Reply

        • John's better judgement

          October 7, 2013 at 08:11

          Man I hate Origin. I’ve refrained from buying games simply because they were only on Origin

          Reply

      • Brian Murphy

        October 7, 2013 at 14:47

        Currently the high range GTX cards are outperforming the AMD ones, the Titan is just a monster card. Though, the problem here is going to be cost. Since a single Titan is still upwards of a grand.

        Reply

    • Alien Emperor Trevor

      October 7, 2013 at 08:16

      The most expensive combo in gaming.

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief of Rivia

        October 7, 2013 at 08:30

        If they want to be competitive pricing wise and have awesome reliable performance, they should stick to AMD

        Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          October 7, 2013 at 08:31

          I can only give that 1 up vote 🙁

          Reply

          • Admiral Chief of Rivia

            October 7, 2013 at 08:50

            In other news, I’m currently looking at a photo of you in a lagz tshirt….

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            October 7, 2013 at 09:01

            As long as you’re not typing one-handed I’m okay with it. ;P

          • Admiral Chief of Rivia

            October 7, 2013 at 09:02

            …too late

            XD

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            October 7, 2013 at 09:02

            lulz

    • UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy

      October 7, 2013 at 10:56

      I only ever had issue with my AMD CPU and never with my Intel ones.

      I must admit I had more love from my Radeon than from my Nvidia card… Thinking about going back, but the Nvidia software is pretty damn awesome.

      Reply

  3. Tortoise

    October 7, 2013 at 07:59

    Seems a bit pointless unless it’s cheap – otherwise why not just build a pc from same components?

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief of Rivia

      October 7, 2013 at 08:00

      For that size?

      Reply

      • John's better judgement

        October 7, 2013 at 08:00

        ‘Plakking’ a Steam sticker on my pc box won’t have the same effect either.

        Reply

        • Hammersteyn

          October 7, 2013 at 08:07

          You want to belittle your PC?

          Reply

        • Alien Emperor Trevor

          October 7, 2013 at 08:08

          I’m going to create my own Steam machine by suspending mine over a pot of boiling water. What could do wrong?

          Reply

      • Tortoise

        October 7, 2013 at 08:01

        What some people won’t do for a few inches ey.

        Reply

        • Admiral Chief of Rivia

          October 7, 2013 at 08:02

          In this case smaller is better 😛

          Reply

  4. oomjan

    October 7, 2013 at 07:59

    Nice intel and nvidia. Only thing I disklike is the PSU. 450W is not enough for 780 or TITAN

    Reply

  5. TiMsTeR1033

    October 7, 2013 at 08:07

    Those specs are not too bad.. Besides the PSU which could be worrying, Guess they will have like a low range to high range versions. At what cost though?

    Reply

    • John's better judgement

      October 7, 2013 at 08:13

      I’m also looking at the PSU

      Reply

  6. Hammersteyn

    October 7, 2013 at 08:07

    DICKS? I’m to tired to read the article so I am assuming

    Reply

  7. Alien Emperor Trevor

    October 7, 2013 at 08:10

    I don’t see anything wrong with the various specs. The whole point of the Steam machine is being able to customise it to your needs & budget. In some cases it becomes your primary machine, in others it’s an additional device that only needs to handle streaming between your PC & the TV.

    Reply

    • ToshZA

      October 7, 2013 at 08:38

      Well, why not just use an hdmi cable for streaming from your PC to your TV? It’s a heck of a lot cheaper, and won’t need to be upgraded until the core tech is changed.

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        October 7, 2013 at 08:43

        Because some people would prefer not having a PC in the living room I guess.

        Reply

        • ToshZA

          October 7, 2013 at 09:34

          Wireless networks work as well, but to each his own. I’d honestly just run a cable through the roof or wireless link it up to my Xbox. I honestly don’t see the point of the Steam Box.

          Reply

  8. ElimiNathan

    October 7, 2013 at 08:54

    Would love a price on the Titan machine LOL

    Reply

  9. silverscorpio

    October 7, 2013 at 08:55

    The PRICE of that thing in South Africa. Why will I buy it if I allready have a gaming pc?

    Reply

  10. Mark Treloar

    October 7, 2013 at 08:56

    Not exactly competitively priced versus consoles or PC’s

    Reply

  11. Uberutang

    October 7, 2013 at 09:05

    Nice range. R5000 – R35000. A Steam machine for every budget.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief of Rivia

      October 7, 2013 at 09:14

      Hahaha, R35k

      Reply

    • FoxOneZA

      October 7, 2013 at 09:24

      I doubt the Steam Machines will be outdated as fast as Zoe predicts because Simply because of the Custom OS and that Hybrid Drive.

      Reply

      • Brian Murphy

        October 7, 2013 at 14:50

        Agreed, besides, if they’re outdated in a few years, the newer consoles will be outdated on launch day.

        Reply

  12. Skyblue

    October 7, 2013 at 09:22

    I really can’t see this working as well as Valve hope it will. Steam users are generally PC oriented gamer’s who understand the concept of upgrading rigs every few years (fortunately, this cycle has slowed dramatically thanks to longer console lifespans) or replacing certain components to maximize performance in accordance with newer games whereas console gaming has an established system spec which gets developed for negating the need to worry about upgrading. Console gaming is “hassle free” and that has awesome appeal for many people and Steambox is already alienating that market with (horror)… options.

    Reply

    • ToshZA

      October 7, 2013 at 09:38

      Well put, and I agree with you on this. Console is hassle free, buy the box, buy the game, play the game.

      PC has traditionally been for the tinkerers who want to tweak and customise and break a few things along the way (ok, they don’t want to, but they do). I don’t see there being a market half-way between them, when a PC gamer can just connect a controller and an HD TV, use Big Picture (if they’re playing steam games) and get the same result. Only, they’d have an awesome case to brag about, and they’d build a machine to exactly the spec that they want.

      Reply

  13. UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy

    October 7, 2013 at 11:28

    Still very excited to see what comes of this!

    Reply

  14. Brian Murphy

    October 7, 2013 at 14:43

    If the GTX Titan is obsolete in a few years, that doesn’t speak very highly of the status of the new consoles on the day they launch.

    Reply

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