Valve's Steam Machine offers a unique blend of console simplicity and PC expandability, a feature highlighted by a recent teardown and upgrade performed by YouTuber ETA Prime. This modification demonstrates that buyers can significantly increase the system's memory and storage capacity without voiding the core hardware structure. The ability to upgrade these components matters for users who need more resources for modern gaming or content creation than the base model provides.
ETA Prime demonstrates memory and storage expansion on the console hybrid
The base Steam Machine is powered by a semi-custom AMD RDNA 3 Navi 33 processor and ships with a compact 2TB SSD. It includes 16GB of system RAM and 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, though the video memory is not user-upgradable. The system uses a single 16GB DDR5-5600 module installed in one slot, which means it operates in single-channel memory mode by default.
Specifications
- Base RAM: 16GB DDR5-5600 (single-channel)
- Upgraded RAM: 64GB Crucial DDR5-5600 SODIMM
- Base Storage: 2TB SSD
- Upgraded Storage: 4TB Kingston FURY Renegade NVMe SSD
- Total Build Cost: $3,247
ETA Prime replaced the base memory with 64GB of Crucial DDR5-5600 SODIMM memory and upgraded the storage to a 4TB Kingston FURY Renegade NVMe SSD. This upgrade path allows the machine to transition from single-channel to dual-channel memory operation, potentially improving data throughput for memory-intensive tasks. The physical design supports these standard SODIMM and NVMe form factors, making third-party parts accessible.
The total cost of the upgraded machine reached approximately $3,247, starting from the base price of $1,428. This price jump reflects the significant investment required to maximize the system's hardware potential. The upgrade confirms that while VRAM remains fixed, the CPU memory and storage scales with user demand and budget.
Source: NotebookCheck
