Steam machine options

[Juni]

I want to play The Witcher 3, Project Cars, etc. on a TV.

Which one is best?

1.
Alienware Steam Machine: http://www.gamestop.com/pc/consoles/alienware-steam-machine-i5-1tb/121864

I5 which runs up to 3GHz, 8GB RAM, 860+M card very similar to 750 TI. SteamOS. Steam controller. $650

Benefits: small like Wii U, Downsides: slow graphics card

2.
Cyberpower Syber Vapor

AMD X4 860K, pretty good 450watt PSU from the sound of it, Windows 8.1, 1TB hard drive, 8GB RAM, Radeon R9 270X, Logitech K400 keyboard, F710 game controller

$675

Downsides: These Cyber Vapors tend to run hot, especially the CPU for some reason, from what I've read, and there is no option for beyond stock cooling here

3.
Custom built by me
Asrock M8: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FIVBICK/?tag=tec06d-20

8GB RAM, 1TB hard drive, GTX 960, Windows 8.1, Core i3-4160, XBox 360 game controller, K400 keyboard

Price: $860. Would have to sell my XBox One to pay for it

4.
MITX PC custom built by NCIXUS
Core i3-4160, 8GB RAM, SteamOS, GTX 960, Xbox 360 controller, Logitech k400 keyboard, 1tb hard drive, wifi Motherboard, Xigmatech MITX case, 500 watt Corsair

$760-800 range. Bit out of my price range

5.
"All options are terrible, and here is why..."

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Custom built would be best (long run anyway) but I wouldn't sell an Xbox One to pay for it. Perhaps wait a while until you can afford it? I definitely would get a quad-core for gaming so i3 -> i5.

 

[Juni]

Custom built would be best (long run anyway) but I wouldn't sell an Xbox One to pay for it. Perhaps wait a while until you can afford it?

Part of the rising cost of having one custom built is since I don't have a PC right now to put SteamOS on a USB to put it on the new PC, I would have to pay $100 for Windows.

 

[Frick]

I agree with Ford, I wouldn't sell the Xbox for it. Can you download something from a friend? You can probably use a lightweight Linux thing and do it from there.

 

[Juni]

Do you think I will miss out on anything running Ubuntu over SteamOS? Besides possible enhancements to using the official Steam controller I mean.

 

[MakeDeluxe]

Do you think I will miss out on anything running Ubuntu over SteamOS? Besides possible enhancements to using the official Steam controller I mean.

I don't think so, since SteamOS is basically an easy to use Linux with Steam Big Picture tacked on top of it. Maybe enhanced support for the controller will come later to Ubuntu/other distros than to SteamOS but that's it.

 

[qubit]

Just get a regular PC and stick Steam on it. Install Linux if you really don't want Windows, but it's more hassle and there's much less choice.

 

[Juni]

Okay guys, what do you think of this?

CyberPowerpc

Cooler Master Haf xb evo case: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/P5op9KtnA3Y/maxresdefault.jpg
FX-6300 processor
8GB DDR3 2133MHz
Radeon R9 280 graphics card
128GB Sandisk SSD
1TB standard hard drive
Corsair 500w power supply

Price: $627

Then...

Ubuntu installed by me (saves oodles with no Windows)
Xbox 360 controller
Logitech K400 keyboard

I can buy the controller and keyboard with an Amazon gift card I have, making them free in a way.

Final costs will be about $650

 

[newtekie1]

What I'd do:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4160 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($121.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($202.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone GD05B-USB3.0 (Black) HTPC Case ($94.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 OEM (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $711.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-21 17:08 EDT-0400

At this point, runing stock SteamOS/Linux isn't a good option. The game selection for Linux is too limited. You can also save almost $60 off my build if you don't care about having a "HTPC" style case. If you just want a decent PC case that looks classy, an NZXT Source 210 would easily fit the bill, and they can be had for $35-45.

 

[krusha03]

Here is my suggestion:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($72.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($43.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($188.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 110 Mini ITX Tower Case ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($34.00 @ Newegg)
Total: $597.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-21 19:02 EDT-0400

If you dont mind higher power consumption and probably noise you can also go for 280 for $30 less. There is some margin left to add SSD or windows. If you don't need WiFi you can go for a less fancy board and save some money there also

 

[GorbazTheDragon]

I would suggest building your own. You can use an unlicensed copy of windows to download steamOS etc. Otherwise you can also buy it from somewhere like reddit.com/r/microsoftsoftwareswap/ for far less than retail price. I'd say it would be best to run windows regardless, Linux gaming is still far behind windows. Running them side by side would be good.

I have my main rig built in a Silverstone RVZ01, it's an interesting case to work in, but very well sized for using as a living room PC. i5 and GTX 960 should fit within your budget and give really good performance.

 

[Juni]

Okay, I ordered.

Now keep in mind, I'm not a computer guru. I don't know with certainty what parts can go together, and I wanted to save some hassle putting it all together possibly as well, so I went with an Asrock M8 barebones: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FIVBICK/?tag=tec06d-20

Paired with that is a Pentium G3258 processor, a Radeon R9 280, 8GB RAM, and a 1TB hard drive. I will also be running Ubuntu to save money.

Just thought I'd tell you what I got. I did have to go down from an i5 to a Pentium, but at the end of the day, this might still get the job done.

 

[silkstone]

You can save money, for the time being, by signing up to the Windows 10 Insider Program. You'll get a copy of Windows 10 that you can use for free until you save for a licensed version. The downside is that the OS might have more bugs as you will be getting "test/beta" updates.

 

[Frick]

Okay, I ordered.

Now keep in mind, I'm not a computer guru. I don't know with certainty what parts can go together, and I wanted to save some hassle putting it all together possibly as well, so I went with an Asrock M8 barebones: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FIVBICK/?tag=tec06d-20

Paired with that is a Pentium G3258 processor, a Radeon R9 280, 8GB RAM, and a 1TB hard drive. I will also be running Ubuntu to save money.

Just thought I'd tell you what I got. I did have to go down from an i5 to a Pentium, but at the end of the day, this might still get the job done.

Some games apparently don't run on dual cores.