How to Build a PC Equivalent to the Steam Machine

Just similar the Steam Machine’s semi-custom processor, the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is simply a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 4 processor. However, dissimilar the Steam Machine, this desktop processor has a TDP of 65W, compared to the 30W of Valve’s small PC. With doubly the power, you get higher timepiece speeds and much headroom to boost during demanding workloads. Unfortunately to get the benignant of powerfulness bounds that Valve is moving with, you either person to spell for mobile parts oregon for CPUs that would beryllium importantly weaker.

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9x65 chromax.Black

When you’re gathering a mini gaming PC similar this, you privation to get a CPU cooler that volition support things cool, but not instrumentality up a ton of space. The Noctua NH-L9x65 chromax.Black volition beryllium much than capable to support up with the Ryzen 5 7600, and tin adjacent support up with immoderate much power-hungry chips if you take to upgrade. Plus, this chromax.Black exemplary has a beauteous achromatic colorway that’ll look large successful the Cooler Master MasterBox N200.

If you don’t attraction astir having thing small, though, the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Pro has ever been the fund CPU cooler that I recommend, and it’ll beryllium adjacent amended astatine keeping the Ryzen 7600 cool.

GPU: Powercolor Fighter Radeon RX 7600

Just similar the processor, Valve is going with a somewhat stripped backmost mobile mentation of the Radeon RX 7600. The Steam Machine is utilizing an RDNA 3 GPU with 28 Compute Units and a 110W TDP. That lines up beauteous neatly with the mobile mentation of the Radeon 7600, but the desktop mentation is simply a small spot much powerful. This graphics paper is besides an RDNA 3 GPU, but has 32 CUs and a 165W TDP. It’s not going to beryllium a night-and-day quality oregon anything, but the desktop paper is going to beryllium much powerful.

RAM: Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 5600, 16GB

If these were mean times, this kit of RAM would beryllium the astir affordable portion of this mini PC build. These aren’t mean times, though, and this kit of RAM costs astir arsenic overmuch arsenic the graphics card. This 16GB kit of Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 volition get the occupation done, but it’s not the fastest retired there, and has acold from the lowest latency connected the market. But it’s inactive $177 astatine the clip of writing, arsenic opposed to $60-$80 during mean times. Right now, if you’re looking to bash a physique similar this, my proposal is to effort and scrounge up immoderate representation from determination other if you person the chance. It’s simply not a bully clip to bargain RAM close now.

Storage: Samsung 990 Evo Plus

The Samsung 990 Evo Plus is inactive 1 of my favourite SSDs connected the marketplace close now. It strikes a large equilibrium betwixt velocity and affordability, and has capacities of up to 4TB if you’re feeling other wild. And, yeah, I cognize the Steam Machine starts with 512 GB of storage, but let’s beryllium honest: you don’t privation to bounds yourself to that unless you’re truly trying to prevention immoderate cash. Honestly, my proposal present would beryllium to drawback a 1TB drive, conscionable to prevention immoderate other currency for RAM, adjacent though the Steam Machine comes with either a 512GB oregon a 2TB drive.

Motherboard: MSI MPG B650I Edge Wifi

This cute small motherboard mightiness not look similar much, but the MSI MPG B650I Edge Wi-Fi is truly everything you request for a mini PC similar this. It’s not packed with the aforesaid high-end features that a beefier X670 committee would have, but unless you’re going to effort and overclock, you don’t truly request them. You conscionable request a committee that volition fto you plug everything in, and inactive acceptable successful a tiny PC case. And, well, this MSI committee does that successful style. That said, 1 happening you won’t get by gathering your ain is the customized wireless solution Valve has built into the Steam Machine, which lets you wirelessly link up to 4 Steam Controllers without an further dongle.

Mini-ITX boards bash thin to beryllium much costly than modular ATX boards, though, truthful if you’re good with a accepted tower, thing similar the ASRock B650 PG Lightning volition beryllium overmuch much affordable.

Power Supply: Cooler Master V750 SFX Gold

When picking a powerfulness proviso for this build, I went for thing that would acceptable successful a tiny chassis, but inactive beryllium affordable without cutting excessively galore corners connected reliability. The Cooler Master V750 SFX Gold has a powerfulness bounds of 750W, which means you won’t beryllium anyplace adjacent its precocious limits, which is fantabulous for powerfulness efficiency. And with its 80+ Gold rating, you tin beryllium other definite that this powerfulness proviso is going to enactment reliable for years.

If you don’t attraction astir matching the Steam Machine’s tiny size and conscionable privation thing basal to get the occupation done, the Cooler Master MWE Gold 750 is $50 cheaper and has the aforesaid powerfulness capableness and ratio rating.

Case: Cooler Master MasterBox N200

Due to the size of desktop components, it’d beryllium astir intolerable to physique a gaming PC that’s the aforesaid size arsenic the 6-inch-on-all-sides Steam Machine. Instead, I conscionable went with my go-to mini-ITX case, the Cooler Master MasterBox N200. It’s cheap, and it’s not a complete symptom successful the ass to physique in. And, adjacent though it is bigger than the Steam Machine, it’s inactive tiny capable that you’ll beryllium capable to acceptable it into your surviving country setup without it lasting retired excessively much.

Larger cases volition usually outgo other dissimilar astir different components. But if you got the larger parts I suggested, you’re astir apt going to privation to get thing similar the Darkrock EC2 Black. It’s not astir arsenic bully arsenic this Cooler Master case, but it’s besides astir the aforesaid price.

Is It Worth It?

It’s truthful hard to urge anyone spell retired and bargain a clump of PC components close now, acknowledgment successful ample portion to RAM prices. I’ve seen RAM get costly successful the past, but not to the constituent wherever a basal 16GB kit costs astir arsenic overmuch arsenic a graphics card. My proposal would beryllium to hold until Valve reveals the pricing for the Steam Machine and past marque a judgement call. Because if Valve’s console comes successful nether $700-800, past it’s going to beryllium a overmuch amended woody than gathering a PC with these specs close now.

All of these parts together, assuming you’re going to beryllium installing SteamOS oregon Bazzite, volition travel to $1,156 full astatine the clip of writing. You tin prevention a spot by going for a modular ATX build, but acknowledgment successful ample portion to the precocious RAM prices close now, you’re inactive looking astatine a full physique outgo of $959.

If you privation to work much astir Valve's caller hardware, cheque retired our previews for the Steam Machine, Steam Frame and Steam Controller.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor astatine IGN and the PC components queen. You tin travel her @Jackiecobra

Originally posted:

Nov 26, 2025 11:21 pm