When the Steam Machine was first announced in late 2025, it generated considerable buzz but it also raised a pressing question that quickly dampened enthusiasm: how much would it cost? As many had feared, Valve’s new desktop PC comes with a steep price tag, and a significant portion of the gaming community is likely to sit this one out, at least for now.

For those who remain hesitant whether due to budget constraints or a desire to avoid the hassle of fighting for pre-orders, Valve has a piece of advice: skip the official hardware and build your own Steam Machine using standard PC components.

Armar PC gamer Steam Machine

Valve Recommends Players Build Their Own Steam Machine

In a move that took many by surprise, Valve recently confirmed both the console’s official pricing and the start date for pre-orders. Unsurprisingly, the ongoing RAM and component shortages have driven costs upward as the entry-level model starts at $1,049 USD and does not even include the Steam Controller. Although assembling a comparable PC from scratch remains expensive, it is increasingly looking like a more practical path for budget-conscious players.

Fortunately, Valve is actively encouraging this DIY approach. In an interview with The Verge, Valve engineer Pierre-Loup Grifais explained that the latest system update, SteamOS 3.8.10, introduces “improved compatibility with recent Intel and AMD platforms.”

The updated OS can now be installed directly on standard PCs without requiring third-party workarounds, which was previously all but impossible. However, users should expect certain limitations and will need to make some adjustments to replicate the official device’s experience fully.

“If you have something similar to a Steam Machine, a PC connected to a TV using a single storage drive without a dual-boot setup, you can install SteamOS and get an experience very close to that of a docked Steam Deck or an official Steam Machine,” Grifais noted.

He added that users who build their own hardware will still benefit from core SteamOS features, including the graphics driver and shader precompilation. However, there is one notable omission: HDMI-CEC support is not currently available.

Precio final Steam Machine

Steam Machine Tech Specs

Valve also clarified that the SteamOS installer is not yet optimized for dual-boot configurations, meaning players cannot run two operating systems side by side on the same machine. In addition, support for the latest NVIDIA drivers remains absent for the time being.

According to Grifais, the current build should deliver “a good experience” on systems with specifications similar to Valve’s reference design. For context, these are the Steam Machine specs:

  1. CPU: Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T; up to 4.8 GHz, 30W TDP
  2. GPU: Semi-Custom AMD RDNA3 28CUs; 2.45GHz max sustained clock, 110W TDP
  3. RAM: 16GB DDR5 + 8GB GDDR6 VRAM
  4. Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD and 2TB NVMe SSD

Tell us, would you consider building your own Steam Machine instead of buying the official version? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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