The question is how much 4K performance the new Steam Machine is really capable of. In short: not much. But is that really a problem?
Both the PlayStation 5 (Pro) and the Xbox Series X are advertised with a focus on 4K resolution, and the same applies to the new Steam Machine.
At the same time, it’s debatable whether Valve’s mini PC should be seen as competition for the established consoles or not.
One thing is certain, however: Valve itself is also explicitly targeting the main area of use for PS5 Pro & Co., namely the living room. This can be seen in two points in particular:
- Valve sells the Steam Machine prominently with the words “Your games on big screens” and names a place under the TV as the first location for it (the desk and a hiding place under a banana are also mentioned, the latter of course jokingly and in reference to its compact size).
- In terms of resolution and performance, the focus is clear:
FSR-supported 4K gaming at 60 FPS thanks to a modified AMD processor and a dedicated graphics card
.
The problem: There is a huge gap between reality and expectations when it comes to the hardware used. This is particularly true, but not only, due to the limited VRAM size of 8.0 GB, even when taking into account the FSR upscaling technology (more on this later).
Looking at the PS5 (Pro) and Xbox Series X, it is also reasonable to ask how much 4K capability the hardware really has.
However, a comparison with the technical data of the current consoles, which we will now turn to, illustrates why this question is clearly the most pressing for the new Steam Machine.
Steam Machine vs. PS5 Pro and Xbox
As requested in the comments and for the sake of completeness, you will also find the Switch 2 in the following table.
Keep in mind, however, that unlike the other products, it relies on Nvidia/ARM hardware instead of AMD/x86 hardware, which puts it in a special position that is less comparable.
| Steam Machine | PlayStation 5 Pro | PlayStation 5 | Xbox Series X | Switch 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chip manufacturer | AMD | AMD | AMD | AMD | Nvidia |
| CPU cores/threads | 6C/12T (4.8 GHz) | 8C/16T (3.8 GHz) | 8C/16T (3.6 GHz) | 8C/16T (3.6 GHz) | 8C (1.7 GHz) |
| CPU architecture | Zen 4 (x86) | Zen 2 (x86) | Zen 2 (x86) | Zen 2 (x86) | Tegra (ARM) |
| GPU | 8.8 teraflops (max. 2.45 GHz) | 16.7 teraflops (max. 2.35 GHz) | 10.3 teraflops (max. 2.23 GHz) | 12.1 teraflops (max. 1.85 GHz) | 4.3 teraflops (max. 1.4 GHz) |
| GPU shaders | 1,792 | 3,840 | 2,304 | 3,328 | 1,536 |
| GPU architecture | RDNA3 | RDNA3 + RDNA4 (ray tracing) | RDNA2 | RDNA2 | Ampere |
| RAM | 8 GB GDDR6 + 16 GB DDR5 | 16 GB GDDR6 + 2 GB DDR5 | 16 GB GDDR6 | 10 GB (560 GB/s) + 6 GB (336 GB/s) GDDR6 | 12 GB LPDDR5X |
| Internal memory | 512 GB / 2 TB | 2 TB | 825 GB | 1 TB | 256 GB |
| Price | Unknown | Approx. $729 | Approx. $500 | approx. $650 | approx. $530 |
In theory, the performance of the Steam Machine is just below that of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X in terms of teraflops (despite the more recent RDNA3 architecture).
With 8.0 GB of GDDR6, it also has significantly less video memory than the consoles.
Unlike the Steam Machine, the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X do not have two different types of system memory, so their 16.0 GB is not completely available to the GPU.
But even if you subtract about 2.0 to 4.0 GB of that, you still have 12.0 to 14.0 GB left – which is significantly more than in the case of the Steam Machine. Not to mention the PS5 Pro with its additional DDR5 memory for the system.
But how does all this fit in with Valve’s 4K promise, and to what extent can PS5 & Co. do better, but still fall short of the full promise?
A question of perspective and gameplay
To be honest, it doesn’t fit with Valve’s 4K promise at all. The performance of the Steam Machine in the range of a Radeon RX 7600 and its 8.0 GB VRAM scream Full HD
a hundred times louder than 4K
.
But why is Valve doing this anyway?
- On the one hand, because they’re not lying: the Steam Machine can output images in 4K at 60 FPS, and in less technically demanding titles, this is also possible in native resolution or, at the latest, with the help of upscaling via FSR.
- On the other hand, because, as already mentioned, 4K resolution TVs have been established in living rooms for years, and more and more PC gamers also own corresponding monitors.
It is conceivable that the memory crisis currently underway (and entirely foreseeable) influenced Valve’s decision regarding the amount of VRAM. Nevertheless, it can still be viewed critically.
Why the focus on 4K can also be criticized in consoles
We asked our console expert Chris Werian from GamePro to estimate how many games will run in native 4K at 60 FPS on the PS5 (Pro) and Xbox Series X. His answer:
- About 30 to 40 percent, assuming that indie games make up the majority.
- When it comes to big AAA titles with open game worlds and particularly good graphics, Chris says the number is closer to zero.
Now, it’s not fundamentally important that games run in native 4K resolution and at 60 FPS or more, as long as they look good enough and the gaming experience isn’t marred by display issues or other factors such as poor performance.
However, consoles are much less likely to run into difficulties here than the Steam Machine. This is not only due to the respective hardware, but also to the software.
It is much easier to optimize software for a closed system with identical hardware (i.e., consoles) than for open platforms with many different hardware configurations (i.e., devices running Windows or Linux, as in the case of the Steam Machine).
False expectations
Anyone who buys the Steam Machine in the hope of enjoying all their favorite games in 4K at 60 FPS will be disappointed (at least if they don’t just play small indie titles).
In many games, it will not only be necessary to use aggressive upscaling, but also to reduce the graphics details, in some cases significantly.
Both factors result in visibly poorer image quality, which no one wants to see on a 4K TV (or monitor), regardless of whether they are a PC or console gamer.
There are warning signs for this, even from Valve itself. For example, they told GamersNexus that the Steam Machine will not be priced like a console, but rather like an entry-level PC (whatever that means exactly).
And entry-level PCs are not computers that are really suitable for gaming in 4K.
I would therefore have liked Valve to advertise the Steam Machine honestly for what it is: a compact PC for gaming in Full HD.
A general problem?
I also take a critical view of the focus on 4K in consoles. Those who are not so familiar with the technology will probably assume from features such as “4K display-capable gaming” (Sony on the PS5) that they will always be gaming in 4K.
As already mentioned, gaming in native 4K resolution is not crucial to having a lot of fun. Nevertheless, I would like to see more honest and accurate marketing with regard to resolution, even for the PS5 (Pro) and Xbox Series X.
Perhaps Valve would then have felt less compelled to talk about “FSR-supported 4K gaming at 60 FPS” in relation to the Steam Machine, even though, in my opinion, it will only be capable of this to a very limited extent in actual gameplay.
Please let me know in the comments how you rate the Steam Machine in terms of its 4K capability and whether you are generally considering purchasing it!
