The Steam Machine is an awesome little system with serious gaming chops and cute aesthetics. They make a great entry-point for PC gaming if you’ve been sitting on the sidelines for a while and want that console-like experience, with some added PC functionality. But like everything else in 2026, they’re a bit expensive, and like everything Valve makes, hard to buy right now.
Fortunately, along with releasing the Steam Machine to the masses, Valve also dropped an updated version of SteamOS which works well with AMD GPUs, making it much easier to build your own homebrew Steam Machine. Yes, Bazzite is an option and is arguably more fleshed out, but if we’re going to be building our own Steam Machine, let’s use the real deal and make it as comparable as we can.
I’ve gone through more retailer listings than I can count, and here’s what I’ve managed to come up with for a DIY Steam Machine that will outperform what Valve made, for (slightly) less money. It’s not as compact, but it’s far more upgradeable, far easier to work with, and with its off-the-shelf components, far easier to fix and maintain, too.
The Build
From the outset, I wanted this build to be relatively compact, but there was no way we were going to be able to compete with the Steam Machine’s super-svelte design. It’s using bespoke hardware to deliver its performance and cooling potential in such a small footprint, and we just don’t have access to that.
What we do have, is an enormous range of components from a massive list of manufacturers, so we’ll be targeting a Micro-ATX system, which is smaller than a standard desktop system, but doesn’t have the price premium of maintenance headaches of Mini-ITX. So it's a mATX motherboard, mATX case, and nothing too huge on the cooling or GPU front.
CPU
7600X
$167
Cooler
Thermalright Assassin X120
$18
Motherboard
ASRock B650M-HDV
$100
Memory
PNY Performance 16GB (1x16GB) 5600
$200
Graphics
ASRock Challenger RX 7600
$280
Storage
Kingspec 512GB
$86
PSU
be quiet! Pure Power 12 650W
$70
Case
Montech Air 100 ARGB
$70
Total
$991
The total comes in $58 less than Valve’s Steam Machine, giving us a useful saving that is well worth pocketing. However, if you still have that money handy and want to put it to good use, there are some upgrade options that aren’t too expensive you might want to consider. A faster CPU, dual-channel memory, maybe a bump to the next tier of GPU?
Let’s take a closer look at each of these components, why we chose them, and what alternatives there might be if your budget is a little lighter or has a bit more room to manoeuvre.
Thermalright has been one of the most prominent budget cooling brands for a number of years and it still offers some of the best coolers for absolutely bargain basement prices. For less than $20 you get a CPU cooler that’s big and powerful and will easily keep our 7600X within reasonable temperatures.
There are many alternatives, but you’re not going to find much better performance for this kind of money.
