Friday, November 28th 2025

Valve Steam Machine May Cost Less Than Anticipated

Nov 28th, 2025 16:03 Discuss (118 Comments)

Valve recently sparked concern among gamers when it revealed that the Steam Machine would be priced similarly to a competitive gaming PC, with ensuing speculation resulting in up to $1,000 prices being thrown around. Likely in response to many of these concerns, Linus Tech Tips on YouTube took it upon himself to build a gaming PC with similar specifications and performance to the upcoming Steam Machine in an attempt to estimate the price of the new living room console. The build itself consists of an AMD Ryzen 8400F, an ASRock B650M motherboard, 16 GB of Crucial DDR5-5600 memory, a Kingston 500 GB SSD, a Seasonic 550 W PSU, and an ASRock AMD Radeon RX 6600 GPU. Taking the build's cost at face value, at the time the PC was built, and with the lowest available prices, the Steam Machine will launch at somewhere around $910, with the possibility of bringing the price down by cutting certain features.

However, Valve is not a regular consumer, and economies of scale play a big role in pricing when you start talking about devices that are expected to sell hundreds of thousands or millions of units. Valve also previously said that the pricing for the entry-level Steam Deck was "painful," suggesting that it had employed very aggressive pricing for that device. At Valve's scale, it seems likely that the specific components that the YouTuber used in the build would come to around $700-750, but when accounting for the semi-custom nature of the Steam Machine and adjusting for the potential savings that Valve gets from its direct-to-consumer model, it seems like the Steam Machine cost as little as $600-650 in hardware. Accounting for Valve's assumed profit of around 10% and taking into account Valve's comments to Linus about its hardware business aiming for sustainability, the official pricing guess comes out to $699.99. This price estimate isn't incredibly reliable, since it doesn't account for the current DRAM shortage that has resulted in prices skyrocketing across the board, which will certainly affect Valve when the Steam Machine launches, and it assumes Valve will sell the Steam Machine at a high profit margin.

Source: Linus Tech Tips on YouTube

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118 Comments on Valve Steam Machine May Cost Less Than Anticipated

#76

TheGeekn°72

joesaiditstruelikely less powerful than a base PS5/XSX

how do you know? all of the attempts at reproducing the specs of this thing -including using a 6600 which matches the closest known commercially available SKU's performance, the 7600M- have managed to equal a PS5's performance/experience and we know the Machine is getting a juiced up version of that (without being a fully fledged 7600M XT)

Shonkand no doubt gave them a bargain on the gpu's also

that I don't doubt, all those Navi 33 dies that AMD likely stockpiled have to go *somewhere*

Shonkhow much do you think an apu with a dead gpu
2P Cores and 4E Cores is worth?

besides the Z1/Z2 series, I don't remember AMD making P/E core APUs and the Machine spec sheet doesn't mention anything about P/E cores

EDIT : after making a sanity check, the 8700G & 8600G are full Zen4 cores, respectively x8 & x6, the 8500G & 8300G are Zen4/4c mix, respectively x2+x4 & x1+x3
interesting, I did not know about that

AusWolfWhat makes you sure that it's a cut down 8400G? I mean, it's highly likely, but we can't be sure.

There is no such thing as an 8400G, they have 83/85/86/8700G but only an 8400F (and an 8440U)
it cannot be a cut down 8000G APU either because those get at the very most a 780M and they only get x12 RDNA3 CUs, it can't be a cutdown since Valve said the Machine gets x28 CUs

#77

AusWolf

ShonkI understand what a Zen C core is its just a simple way to describe them
they are cut down are they not

dont play semantics

No, they are not. They have interconnects condensed into a smaller space, which makes them tolerate slightly lower clock speeds due to the increased heat density. Otherwise, they are identical to regular Zen cores.

www.techpowerup.com/review/amd-ryzen-5-8500g/2.html

#78

Onasi

ShonkI understand what a Zen C core is its just a simple way to describe them
they are cut down are they not

dont play semantics

Not in the way E cores are, no. They are full Zen cores still.

TheGeekn°72There is no such thing as an 8400G, they have 83/85/86/8700G but only an 8400F (and an 8440U)
it cannot be a cut down 8000G APU either because those get at the very most a 780M and they only get x12 RDNA3 CUs, it can't be a cutdown since Valve said the Machine gets x28 CUs

The Machine doesn’t use the iGPU. It’s fused off. Whatever GPU is on board the CPU doesn’t really matter. You know this, you mention the N33 die in that same post. It absolutely can be an APU with the GPU fused off.

#79

AusWolf

TheGeekn°72There is no such thing as an 8400G, they have 83/85/86/8700G but only an 8400F (and an 8440U)
it cannot be a cut down 8000G APU either because those get at the very most a 780M and they only get x12 RDNA3 CUs, it can't be a cutdown since Valve said the Machine gets x28 CUs

You're right, I meant the 8500G. I don't know why I had 8400 on my mind.

#80

doc7000

OnasiNot in the way E cores are, no. They are full Zen cores still.

The Machine doesn’t use the iGPU. It’s fused off. Whatever GPU is on board the CPU doesn’t really matter. You know this, you mention the N33 die in that same post. It absolutely can be an APU with the GPU fused off.

I do not see why they would use an SOC, having CPU and GPU cores on one substrate would save on cost IMHO for such a system and may allow them to come to a sub $600 price point. When I look at the GPU TDP of 110 watts that isn't super high.

#81

Shonk

OnasiNot in the way E cores are, no. They are full Zen cores still.

The Machine doesn’t use the iGPU. It’s fused off. Whatever GPU is on board the CPU doesn’t really matter. You know this, you mention the N33 die in that same post. It absolutely can be an APU with the GPU fused off.

Yes and?
With most of the cache ripped out
lower clocks and no the ipc isnt the same as it has less cache
its the same as a standard core with cache disabled but not one with full cache

You know what intel called that? a Celeron
e.g. its cut down
my god you people

#82

AusWolf

ShonkYes and?
With most of the cache ripped out
lower clocks and no the ipc isnt the same as it has less cache
its the same as a standard core with cache disabled but not one with full cache

You know what intel called that? a Celeron
e.g. its cut down
my god you people

Read the article I linked. Zen 4c has the same cache. It has all the same components condensed in a smaller area. A slightly lower clock speed is all you get. The IPC is identical.

doc7000I do not see why they would use an SOC, having CPU and GPU cores on one substrate would save on cost IMHO for such a system and may allow them to come to a sub $600 price point. When I look at the GPU TDP of 110 watts that isn't super high.

Designing a new SOC costs money, too.

#83

Onasi

ShonkYes and?
With most of the cache ripped out
lower clocks and no the ipc isnt the same as it has less cache
its the same as a standard core with cache disabled but not one with full cache

…you were literally linked the article on the topic by Aus. Like, it’s right there. It says, in quite readable English, that the CACHE IS INTACT. Why are you acting smart and lippy when you fail basic facts?

doc7000I do not see why they would use an SOC, having CPU and GPU cores on one substrate would save on cost IMHO for such a system and may allow them to come to a sub $600 price point. When I look at the GPU TDP of 110 watts that isn't super high.

Potentially? Valve not wanting to deal with the additional power consumption of the IOD. AMD APUs are, unlike their CPUs, monolithic.

#84

Shonk

8500G has 16MB of L3 Cache
this is a cut down 8500G as its missing 2 non C cores so god knows what else is cut

a Standard Desktop part has 32MB

#85

AusWolf

Shonk8500G has 16MB of L3 Cache

So does the 8700G which has only normal Zen 4 cores, no "c" ones. The size of the L3 cache is not dependent on the cores.

Shonkthis is a cut down 8500G as its missing 2 non C cores so god knows what else is cut

What? It's not missing anything.

Shonka Standard Desktop part has 32MB

Which one?

Please, stop being thick, and just read the article I posted, will ya? :)

#86

R-T-B

TheinsanegamerNLooking at the top 10 GPUs, we have the 3060, the 4060, the 4060ti, the 3060ti, the 3070, the 3050, the 1650, and the 4070.

You are skipping igpus I assume? I guarantee you they hold a metric ton of share.

#87

doc7000

AusWolfRead the article I linked. Zen 4c has the same cache. It has all the same components condensed in a smaller area. A slightly lower clock speed is all you get. The IPC is identical.

Designing a new SOC costs money, too.

How few of these things does Valve intend to sell? I would have figured intended sales would be in the millions.

#88

AusWolf

doc7000How few of these things does Valve intend to sell? I would have figured intended sales would be in the millions.

I think it was the LTT identical system build video where they said that AMD only accepts contracts to design a new chip if the customer buys 10 million units. Without having any idea about the interest for the Steam Machine, it's a tough call. It's not like the Deck that was literally the second such machine after the Switch. The Steam Machine has to compete with a whole bunch of consoles as well as desktop PCs.

#89

dgianstefani

TPU Proofreader

AusWolfRead the article I linked. Zen 4c has the same cache. It has all the same components condensed in a smaller area. A slightly lower clock speed is all you get. The IPC is identical.

#90

AusWolf

dgianstefani

From the TPU review I linked above:

As my university profs always said: Wikipedia is not a source.

#91

dgianstefani

TPU Proofreader

AusWolfFrom the TPU review I linked above:

As my university profs always said: Wikipedia is not a source.

I edited the article you're quoting to me.

"even the L1 and L2 cache is the same"

"reduced L3 cache per core"

Do you see the difference between these two statements and how it contradicts "Zen 4c has the same cache"?

#92

AusWolf

dgianstefaniI edited the article you're quoting to me.

"even the L1 and L2 cache is the same"

"reduced L3 cache per core"

Do you see the difference between these two statements and how it contradicts "Zen 4c has the same cache"?

Reduced compared to what?
The 8700G has 8 Zen 4 cores and 16 MB L3.
The 8500G has 2 Zen 4 and 4 Zen 4c cores and 16 MB L3.
How is this reduced?

It's also worth noting that the L3 cache is not part of the cores. It is a separate entity shared among the cores.

#93

dgianstefani

TPU Proofreader

AusWolfReduced compared to what?
The 8700G has 8 Zen 4 cores and 16 MB L3.
The 8500G has 2 Zen 4 and 4 Zen 4c cores and 16 MB L3.
How is this reduced?

All G series APUs have half the L3 cache, lower clocks, and reduced PCIe lanes compared to non G, non cut down desktop chips, essentially, they're close to being Zen 4c SKUs already, except AMD didn't bother to remove the through silicon vias that allow the connection of X3D cache, nor use the higher density libraries. Only laptops and these G series desktop APUs offer the Zen 4c cores, besides server parts, which surprise surprise, also have reduced L3 cache per core compared to full Zen 4 SKUs.

AusWolfIt's also worth noting that the L3 cache is not part of the cores. It is a separate entity shared among the cores.

As stated already, the L3 cache amounts on Zen 4c SKUs is reduced compared to full fat Zen 4 SKUs (which the G series APUs are not), therefore, "reduced L3 cache per core", and not "Zen 4c has the same cache", which it does not. Arguing the L3 cache is not part of the core is semantics. All Zen 4c parts have half the L3 cache per core compared to full fat Zen 4 parts.

#94

AusWolf

dgianstefaniAll G series APUs have half the L3 cache and reduced PCIe lanes compared to non G, non cut down desktop chips, essentially, they're halfway to being Zen 4c SKUs already, except AMD didn't bother to remove the through silicon vias that allow the connection of X3D cache. Only laptops and these G series desktop APUs offer the Zen 4c cores, besides server parts, which surprise surprise, also have reduced L3 cache per core compared to full Zen 4 SKUs.

As stated already, the L3 cache amounts on Zen 4c SKUs is reduced compared to full fat Zen 4 SKUs (which the G series APUs are not), therefore, "reduced L3 cache per core", and not "Zen 4c has the same cache", which it does not. Arguing the L3 cache is not part of the core is semantics. All Zen 4c parts have half the L3 cache per core compared to full fat Zen 4 parts.

All G-series parts have half the L3 cache compared to chiplet-based X and non-X CPUs. The Zen 4c cores have nothing to do with this.

Like I said, the 8700G has only full fat Zen 4 cores, but the same 16 MB L3. It's not semantics. It's the design of the CPU, not the Zen 4c core.

#95

dgianstefani

TPU Proofreader

AusWolfAll G-series parts have half the L3 cache compared to chiplet-based X and non-X CPUs. The Zen 4c cores have nothing to do with this.

*Compared to Zen CPUs from the same generation. The common factor between G-series parts and Zen c cores is having half the L3 cache. The G-series parts also have half the PCIe lanes and are monolithic, compared to standard non-G series parts.

There are no Zen 4c cores with 4 MB of L3 cache per core. Therefore, Zen 4c cores have less cache. This is fairly obvious if you're not trying to play word games.

#96

mikesg

It's a mobile Zen 4 APU, so that means it's a Ryzen 5 8540/8640, or a Ryzen 5 220/230.

Ryzen 5 8540 & 220 are the most cost-reduced with a disabled AI NPU.

MLID calculated costs using silicon size * yield rate, etc. Costs come out in the range of USD $300 - 425. Total for the whole box.

Literally only RAM & NVMe drive costs have sky rocketted.

Linus is on the extreme low end of value in the field of speculation compared to leakers, insiders, and professionals.

#97

AusWolf

dgianstefani*Compared to Zen CPUs from the same generation. The common factor between G-series parts and Zen c cores is having half the L3 cache. The G-series parts also have half the PCIe lanes and are monolithic.

There are no Zen 4c cores with 4 MB of L3 cache per core. Therefore, Zen 4c cores have less cache.

Semantics.

The Zen 4c core, or any Zen core in fact, doesn't have any L3 cache. The CPU does. It's not semantics. It's a technical fact.

#98

AusWolf

dgianstefaniSo is "reduced L3 cache per core", which you're still arguing about, and stating that Zen 4c has the same cache, despite every Zen 4c SKU having less cache. The location of the cache is irrelevant to the conversation.

Is it?

Let's say you're running a single threaded load on your 8700G and a Zen 4 core, and the same single threaded load on an 8500G and its Zen 4c core. Doesn't your workload have the same 16 MB L3 cache to work with on both CPUs? And if you match the clock speed, too, will it not get done in the same amount of time?

L3 cache is not allocated per core. It is shared among all cores. That fact does matter, especially when making stupid statements like "Zen 4c is a cut-down core".

#99

dgianstefani

TPU Proofreader

AusWolfThe Zen 4c core, or any Zen core in fact, doesn't have any L3 cache. The CPU does. It's not semantics. It's a technical fact.

So is "reduced L3 cache per core", which you're still arguing about, and stating that Zen 4c has the same cache, despite every Zen 4c SKU having less cache. The location of the cache is irrelevant to the conversation.

Excess cache makes X3D chips faster, a lack of cache, amongst other things, makes Zen 4c chips slower, and "cut down". AMD marketing claims about "IPC" being identical assumes the cores are fed, a core that has access to literally half the L3 cache isn't fed as well as a core that has the normal 4 MB per core, therefore IPC is not identical because Zen 4c cores aren't as well fed as Zen 4 cores, even if the rest of the core has the same specifications.

AusWolfL3 cache is not allocated per core. It is shared among all cores. That fact does matter, especially when making stupid statements like "Zen 4c is a cut-down core".

So does the c core that has half the shared cache available as the non-c core have the same amount of cache AusWolf?

Zen 4c is literally a cut down core specifically designed to reduce die area and therefore cost. This is a classic example of you stubbornly dying on a hill that has little technical merit.

#100

AusWolf

dgianstefaniZen 4c is literally a cut down core. This is a classic example of you stubbornly dying on a hill that has little technical merit.

How is it cut down? Which parts of it have been cut compared to regular Zen 4? Enlighten me.

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Valve Steam Machine May Cost Less Than Anticipated

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