Valve Announces Steam Machine Prototype Specs

[lacktheknack]

Why a freaking Titan?!?? That thing is useless, unless you are going for a triple monitor setup or 4K res, and even then its still debatable whether its worth it. And the power supply does look kinda weak.
And no GAMING PC needs 16 Gigs of Ram. 8 Gigs? 12 Gigs? Maybe, and the second is already pushing it. 16 is just not necessary.

Future-proofing: It is a thing.

Also, if you run recording software (say, FRAPS, like I do), then all of a sudden, you can't have enough RAM.

Why buy minimal specs if that means that you'll have to upgrade next time you get hyped about anything?

 

[loc978]

Geforce.com- a site I got to via the official Nvidia site when searching for product information- advises that a 600w minimum PSU is to be used with the Titan.

Link can be unceremoniously found after this colon: http://www.geforce.co.uk/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-titan/specifications

according to...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-780-performance-review,3516-23.html
...the power consumption of a GTX Titan peaks at about 266W, so if you set aside 300W for it, you're completely safe from a brownout. So long as the rest of the system doesn't peak at over 150W, a 450W PSU is more than enough.

So many people buy more power supply than they need... especially people who aren't running an optical drive...

 

[SpAc3man]

3GB DDR5 (GPU)

That should read 3GB GDDR5 (GPU).
There is no such thing as DDR5 RAM. GDDR5 is a high bandwidth, higher latency version of DDR3.
DDR4 hasn't even been released yet.


Some of those specs are a bit crazy but it is clear that they are trying out a large number of configurations just to get an idea of the sweet spot. Most games will run perfectly on an i5/GTX660 system. My PC runs everything with a late model Core 2 Quad and GTX 760 with no issues.

 

[BernardoOne]

Urg...

I worry Valve is going to overshoot on the price. That's incredibly important nowadays, and even just 100$ more can hit you pretty hard on the sales side.

On the plus, this is really powerful I guess.

Erm, they arent going to overshoot anything. This boxes are just for testing and will not be comercialized. There will be no steamboxes made by valve other than 300 test ones, and those will be given away.

Okay, I expected it to be good, but damn. TITAN? 780s? 16 Gigs of ram, all that CPU power.. What a behemoth. Certainly outdoes my rig. Wonder how much it'll cost..

It costs 0$

So folks who know about PC bits, does this tell us anything about pricing other than there will be one ridiculously expensive box?

Read above. This steamboxes will not be available for purchase.

 

[rapidoud]

Every youtuber I've heard talk about this all agree that they have no reason to have this box. They'd rather play PC games in a chair on their computer as it's more ergonomical and comfortable, and they can just plug a gamepad in if they so desire. If any of them actually wanted to play PC games on their TV then they'd already hooked up their PC to their TV and done it all the time.

I just don't see the market for this, I really don't. I imagine nvidia may give Valve lower prices for the boxes seeing as AMD got all the good contracts, but nvidia already love to overcharge in my country so I just don't see that happening. Considering how much valve LOVE geopricing I seriously doubt they won't make us charge more either and they are very anal about IP checking on their steam service.

At least the PS4 only costs $550 but is trivial to get shipped for $400.

 

[major_chaos]

Why buy minimal specs if that means that you'll have to upgrade next time you get hyped about anything?

Because a. by the time something with the titan's power is actually needed I will be able to get it for far less than a thousand dollars and B. my HD7950 already does just fine on everything I throw at it and that only cost around three hundred. In other words. yes Future-proofing is a thing, but these specs are overkill even for that.

OT: these Steam announcements seem so pointless to me. its like "wow steam has its own OS!! [sub]but its actually just Linux[/sub] and its own console!! [sub]but its actually just a prebuilt PC[/sub]" I already have access to linuix, and I could already buy a prebuilt PC if I suddenly decide I hate myself, so why exactly are those things suddenly special when you stick a valve logo on them?

 

[Andy Chalk]

Remember that these are just the specs for the beta beds that are being sent out next year. There will be other units, specced for people with lower-end needs, and presumably a wide range of options from different manufacturers at all ranges. The truth is that we still know very little about how this is going to work - Maybe Valve is trying to cook up a boutique PC business, kind of like early-days Alienware but with third-party manufacturing partners, or maybe the whole thing is just a branding exercise to try to broaden Steam's footprint.

In the post, Valve basically admitted that these are just high-end PCs in a custom case that you could put together yourself - and they're even going to release the source CAD files for their enclosure, so people who want to home-build the whole thing can do so. But ultimately... it's just a PC.

 

[lacktheknack]

Why buy minimal specs if that means that you'll have to upgrade next time you get hyped about anything?

Because a. by the time something with the titan's power is actually needed I will be able to get it for far less than a thousand dollars and B. my HD7950 already does just fine on everything I throw at it and that only cost around three hundred. In other words. yes Future-proofing is a thing, but these specs are overkill even for that.

Fair.

Although sometimes, buying in bulk/on sale can alleviate the cost a good amount. I bought a 1000W power supply three years ago for $450, and I regret nothing. I shall continue to regret nothing for at least six more years, at the current rate. Seeing how my friend has already gone through two power supplies in the last two years at $200 each, I think I'm going to come out on top in the end.

OT: these Steam announcements seem so pointless to me. its like "wow steam has its own OS!! [sub]but its actually just Linux[/sub] and its own console!! [sub]but its actually just a prebuilt PC[/sub]" I already have access to linuix, and I could already buy a prebuilt PC if I suddenly decide I hate myself, so why exactly are those things suddenly special when you stick a valve logo on them?

The "pre-built PC" is attractive to console users who want to try PC gaming/Steam but don't want to learn how to build one.

Also, every time you say "It's just Linux, so the announcement is nothing special", God kills a kitten. It's the most exciting part of all this: Valve has thrown its weight behind Linux as a gaming platform, so it's going to move that direction now. There's literally no downside to this on our end, and a whole freaking lot of upside.

 

[Brian Tams]

I love how a lot of people are missing the paragraph directly after the specs.

"To be clear, this design is not meant to serve the needs of all of the tens of millions of Steam users. It may, however, be the kind of machine that a significant percentage of Steam users would actually want to purchase - those who want plenty of performance in a high-end living room package," the post says. "Many others would opt for machines that have been more carefully designed to cost less, or to be tiny, or super quiet, and there will be Steam Machines that fit those descriptions."

So, what we can learn from this (if we remember Valves initial announcements) Is that A) People can build their own Steam Machines, and B) There figure to be many Steam Machines that you can purchase directly from Valve, with various specs that can fall within someone's price line better. So, what the beta testers are getting are probably the more expensive version of the Steam Machine.

But, man, if the beta testers get to keep them, they are going to be extremely lucky (also, if any of that last sentence s either badly misspelled or has some serious gramatical issues, its because I'm typing this blind because of a fucking pop-up add is currently blocking this portion of the reply box, and everytime I hit the close button, another popup shows up. I mean, sure I could just quickly edit it after I submit, but I shouldn't have to do that. I also don't care if pointing out broken ads is against escapists Forum Rules, because this is ridiculous.)

 

[major_chaos]

[
Although sometimes, buying in bulk/on sale can alleviate the cost a good amount. I bought a 1000W power supply three years ago for $450, and I regret nothing. I shall continue to regret nothing for at least six more years, at the current rate. Seeing how my friend has already gone through two power supplies in the last two years at $200 each, I think I'm going to come out on top in the end.

Also fair.
You can certainly put me down as a fan of using sales to future proof for less, seeing as every part of my current PC was bought when it was on sale. Although I doubt these steam boxes are going to have any steep discounts. Also what is your friend doing to those poor power supplies? I have been PC gaming for years and I never had a power supply die, even when it was cheapo crap.

The "pre-built PC" is attractive to console users who want to try PC gaming/Steam but don't want to learn how to build one.

That doesn't seem like a market that is willing to spend $2000 on a gaming machine. And again, Pre-built PCs already exist, what makes the steam box special? And I'm not even to go into how silly it is to not build your if you want to game on PC.

Also, every time you say "It's just Linux, so the announcement is nothing special", God kills a kitten.

Well I just got done cleaning up cat shit so I'm im angry sooooo... It's just Linux It's just Linux It's just Linux It's just Linux ect.

There's literally no downside to this on our end, and a whole freaking lot of upside.

Unless you are someone like me who literally does not understand the point of Linux and has never heard anyone justify it with reasons other than "M$ rapes fish! Death to Windows! Death to Bill Gate$!" or "but.. but... open source" neither of which actually make a good case.

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well you better be putting together some prices, because those titans are a grand all by their lonesome and people will not be lured in by such pricing.

Also a curious lack of AMD options, don't want to point fingers too soon but this could lead to some awful porting practices down the line.

 

[lacktheknack]

Also what is your friend doing to those poor power supplies? I have been PC gaming for years and I never had a power supply die, even when it was cheapo crap.

Presumably, he sacrifices a virgin power supply as required to update his ATI card.

The "pre-built PC" is attractive to console users who want to try PC gaming/Steam but don't want to learn how to build one.

That doesn't seem like a market that is willing to spend $2000 on a gaming machine. And again, Pre-built PCs already exist, what makes the steam box special? And I'm not even to go into how silly it is to not build your if you want to game on PC.

I know it's silly. Around the time I met someone who said "I want to play games on the computer, but I don't want to update my drivers constantly", I knew it was a losing battle.

Also, only a very select few Steam Machines cost that much. Many will be down in the low-mid-hundreds, be as small as possible, specialize in quietness, etc. Re-read the OP. It's all about buying what you want if you are stubborn and refuse to build.

Also, every time you say "It's just Linux, so the announcement is nothing special", God kills a kitten.

Well I just got done cleaning up cat shit so I'm im angry sooooo... It's just Linux It's just Linux It's just Linux It's just Linux ect.

;___________________;

There's literally no downside to this on our end, and a whole freaking lot of upside.

Unless you are someone like me who literally does not understand the point of Linux and has never heard anyone justify it with reasons other than "M$ rapes fish! Death to Windows! Death to Bill Gate$!" or "but.. but... open source" neither of which actually make a good case.

How about "Windows 8, with its constant transition to touchscreen interfaces, an app store and subscribed software stacked on bloatware, makes me a sad panda"?

It's not a question of what Linux has, it's a question of what Linux DOESN'T have.

But if you want features, its programmer-friendly interface, excessive customizability and established modder-base means that we're tapping into a veritable goldmine of free software, free major modifications and the like.

Plus, if Linux develops a sizeable userbase (say, if a large gaming company up and moved the majority of its business over there, or something like that), companies will decide it's worth it to port their software to Linux, which makes the "But nothing's compatible" complaint self-fixing.

 

[lacktheknack]

Why a freaking Titan?!?? That thing is useless, unless you are going for a triple monitor setup or 4K res, and even then its still debatable whether its worth it. And the power supply does look kinda weak.
And no GAMING PC needs 16 Gigs of Ram. 8 Gigs? 12 Gigs? Maybe, and the second is already pushing it. 16 is just not necessary.

Future-proofing: It is a thing.

Also, if you run recording software (say, FRAPS, like I do), then all of a sudden, you can't have enough RAM.

Why buy minimal specs if that means that you'll have to upgrade next time you get hyped about anything?

Never future proof that much. Most games dont even use up 8 Gigs of RAM. 12 IS OVERKILL. Besides... by this time next year we will probably have DDR4 Ram... why not wait for it? Same with Titan, why not wait for Maxwell/ AMD thingy and get an even more powerful GPU in the future that will use GDDR 6 (again next year).

Besides, I remember buying my i5 750 (admittedly a powerful CPU for the time) with 4GB of ram and an ATI HD 5770. It still runs games well, on DX11 med-high settings (my res is 1650x1080 though) and without problems:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSsbpRr_Qog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Fin3YRp_5u4#t=616

I suffer framerate issues recording on 6GB on more recent games.

Add in my graphics-whore qualities (ultra everything or die) and my annoyance at games running under 50FPS, and I apparently need better specs than you run. It gets worse when I mod things.

As I said in another post, I bought a 1000W power supply three years ago, I'm going to keep it for another five at least. That was a good investment. My friend keeps chewing through his cheap ones, and he's going to spend more than me in the long run.

 

[major_chaos]

"I want to play games on the computer, but I don't want to update my drivers constantly", I knew it was a losing battle.

*twitch* Where do people even come up with these statements? Is there some console fanboy movement spreading rumors that vastly exaggerate how difficult PCs are?

Also, only a very select few Steam Machines cost that much. Many will be down in the low-mid-hundreds, be as small as possible, specialize in quietness, etc. Re-read the OP. It's all about buying what you want if you are stubborn and refuse to build.

Fair enough on the price issue, but that still doesn't tell me what makes a Steam machine better than something from Ibuypower or Alienware.

How about "Windows 8, with its constant transition to touchscreen interfaces, an app store and subscribed software stacked on bloatware, makes me a sad panda"?

Thing is that thus far, nothing has forced me to stop using 7, and considering some people are still using XP I doubt anything will. Also windows 8 wouldn't be the first time Microsoft put out a shitty OS, so I'm not going to start panicking until I see if they pull their heads out of their collective assess with Windows 9.

its programmer-friendly interface,

That is great for programmers. I am not a programmer.

excessive customizability and established modder-base means that we're tapping into a veritable goldmine of free software, free major modifications and the like.

1. examples plz? Windows has both customization and free software, in what way are those features superior on Linux? I really do want to understand what the fuss is about.

 

[lacktheknack]

"I want to play games on the computer, but I don't want to update my drivers constantly", I knew it was a losing battle.

*twitch* Where do people even come up with these statements? Is there some console fanboy movement spreading rumors that vastly exaggerate how difficult PCs are?

Yes.

Also, only a very select few Steam Machines cost that much. Many will be down in the low-mid-hundreds, be as small as possible, specialize in quietness, etc. Re-read the OP. It's all about buying what you want if you are stubborn and refuse to build.

Fair enough on the price issue, but that still doesn't tell me what makes a Steam machine better than something from Ibuypower or Alienware.

Oh, it's not, really.

They even said you can build your own Steam Machine, if you so desire.

It's just more tailored to the console audience mentioned above than even those sites.

You could build your own computer and install SteamOS on it, and you've successfully made a Steam Machine of your very own. It's rebranding, but I don't see an issue with that.

I mean, you do realize that Alienware/ibuypower do have an audience, right? I used to be part of it. Valve putting its oar in isn't anything to be surprised about.

How about "Windows 8, with its constant transition to touchscreen interfaces, an app store and subscribed software stacked on bloatware, makes me a sad panda"?

Thing is that thus far, nothing has forced me to stop using 7, and considering some people are still using XP I doubt anything will. Also windows 8 wouldn't be the first time Microsoft put out a shitty OS, so I'm not going to start panicking until I see if they pull their heads out of their collective assess with Windows 9.

I think "Office 365" was my breaking point.

its programmer-friendly interface,

That is great for programmers. I am not a programmer.

Have you ever downloaded a mod from the Nexus mod database? A bored programmer made that, and you used it.

excessive customizability and established modder-base means that we're tapping into a veritable goldmine of free software, free major modifications and the like.

1. examples plz? Windows has both customization and free software, in what way are those features superior on Linux? I really do want to understand what the fuss is about.

It has more to do with the culture of the place. Linux users tend to get VERY uppity about being told they have to pay something (which makes it a bit baffling that they tend to like Steam, but whatever). Look up Richard Stallman's website for a glimpse into the dark extremes of open-source purism.

But the advantage of such a culture is that you have the various alternatives to Office, Adobe, iTunes, etc, and they will cut you if you try to block features behind a paywall.

Currently, the popular brands will lock features, Microsoft can refuse software entry into its app store, and it's generally moving towards an Apple setup, which annoys me greatly. If a popular brand attempted to block features on Linux, there would be a feature-complete alternative out within days.

Like these:

http://www.tecmint.com/windows-alternatives-for-linux/

It's not so much that they're "superior" as much as they're at much, MUCH less risk of trying to BS you.

 

[DarkhoIlow]

A titan alone is around 1000$ so I'm guessing that version of a steambox is going to be really expensive.

And at a point where you are willing to pay so much for a high end SB like that, I think you are better off if you buy a PC instead for that money for the next generation.

 

[major_chaos]

Yes.

nooooooo. This can not be allowed to continue. wat do?

It's rebranding, but I don't see an issue with that.

Honestly neither do I, its just that the amount of hype some people appear to have for these things seems excessive for them just being a new brand of Prebuilt, so I thought I might be missing something.

I mean, you do realize that Alienware/ibuypower do have an audience, right? I used to be part of it.

I know they do, and I too used to be part of it. Its the number of issues and terrible price to performance ratio of the Ibuypower PC I had that convinced me to build all my gaming PCs myself.

Valve putting its oar in isn't anything to be surprised about.

Which is exactly why I'm confused about how excited some people seem about these things.

I think "Office 365" was my breaking point.

I... erm.. eewwwww. I hadn't heard about that one before (office 2007 4 life). Its a good thing open office exists because that... thing looks terrible.

Have you ever downloaded a mod from the Nexus mod database? A bored programmer made that, and you used it.

I could be wrong about this, but aren't most Bethesda game mods made using the creation tools, which to my knowledge only work on windows?

It's not so much that they're "superior" as much as they're at much, MUCH less risk of trying to BS you.

Honestly the effort it would take to switch over still seems to outweigh the benefits for me at this point, especially considering a lot of those "free open source alternative" applications are available for windows too, but you have helped me at least somewhat understand the Linux crowd, so thanks.

 

[lacktheknack]

Yes.

nooooooo. This can not be allowed to continue. wat do?

I'd say "evangelize", but we all know how much the internet enjoys being evangelized to.

I suppose we could let them have a Steam Machine for a while and then tell them "You realize it's a full-on PC, right?"

It's rebranding, but I don't see an issue with that.

Honestly neither do I, its just that the amount of hype some people appear to have for these things seems excessive for them just being a new brand of Prebuilt, so I thought I might be missing something.

I mean, you do realize that Alienware/ibuypower do have an audience, right? I used to be part of it.

I know they do, and I too used to be part of it. Its the number of issues and terrible price to performance ratio of the Ibuypower PC I had that convinced me to build all my gaming PCs myself.

Valve putting its oar in isn't anything to be surprised about.

Which is exactly why I'm confused about how excited some people seem about these things.

Ah. That makes sense.

I think the main difference is that Steam Machine has the potential to be somewhat less expensive than Alienware, and is specifically designed to be left in your living room.

I think "Office 365" was my breaking point.

I... erm.. eewwwww. I hadn't heard about that one before (office 2007 4 life). Its a good thing open office exists because that... thing looks terrible.

;___;

This is why I'm increasingly anxious to escape Microsoft. Imagine if they did this with an OS.

Have you ever downloaded a mod from the Nexus mod database? A bored programmer made that, and you used it.

I could be wrong about this, but aren't most Bethesda game mods made using the creation tools, which to my knowledge only work on windows?

Well, if a third of the PC gaming community moves to Linux, then you can bet they'll find bring Elder Scrolls VI and its Creation kit to Linux as well.

And also, there were thousands of mods out and circulating well before the Creation Kit came out. Creation Kit just made it easier to make mods.

It's not so much that they're "superior" as much as they're at much, MUCH less risk of trying to BS you.

Honestly the effort it would take to switch over still seems to outweigh the benefits for me at this point, especially considering a lot of those "free open source alternative" applications are available for windows too, but you have helped me at least somewhat understand the Linux crowd, so thanks.

Fair enough, and you're welcome.

 

[Vigormortis]

Unless you are someone like me who literally does not understand the point of Linux and has never heard anyone justify it with reasons other than "M$ rapes fish! Death to Windows! Death to Bill Gate$!" or "but.. but... open source" neither of which actually make a good case.

How about Linux; or more to the point SteamOS; having a more efficient kernel and significantly far less system bloat?

Assuming Valve's promises of drastically improved drive support are true, SteamOS will be a more stable and more efficient operating environment for whatever games are coded for it. Meaning you can run the latest, greatest graphic-whore-pleasing games, at max settings, with far lower system specs than the equivalent PC or MAC versions. Or, to use some internet vernacular: you can achieve "god-tier" levels of gaming performance without having to spend ridiculous amount of cash on "god-tier" hardware.

A lot of the excitement seen not only among members of the gaming community but also among members and veterans of the gaming industry stems from this idea. The idea of not only an open-source coding environment, but one that is faster, more stable, more reliable, and more customizable than Windows or iOS.

It's not just all, "hur grrr we hate Microsoft because reasons!"

 

[taciturnCandid]

How about "Windows 8, with its constant transition to touchscreen interfaces, an app store and subscribed software stacked on bloatware, makes me a sad panda"?

That is weird that windows 8 is a constant transition to touchscreen interface because ever since I updated to 8.1 I don't even see the start screen anymore. It is there but I am never forced to interact with it because I boot to desktop and I have all my most used programs pinned to the taskbar. Furthermore a quick search gets anything I don't have pinned very quickly.

The app store is something optional that isn't being pushed by microsoft that hard. They haven't really required anything to be purely app store and most things offered in the app store are offered in the desktop as well. Most people don't even touch it and microsoft hasn't exactly been forcing anything on there.

And bloating? Windows 8 has always run on less ram and been less of a tax on cpu than windows 7 for me. It might help that I custom installed it myself and so I don't have any bloatware installed.

I haven't had a single crash on windows 8 ever since I installed and no virus problems. It has remained stable.



On topic: What are they thinking with that power supply? I can't see them running that hardware on that power supply.