Right now, we have the perfect combination for a bit of investigative fun, in the form of the release of Valve’s Steam Machine and a week of Amazon Prime Day. The reason why is quite simple: The base price for the little box of underwhelm is $1,049 (no controller, 512 GB storage). I took one look at that and reckoned that, with all the deals currently floating around, it should be possible to build something better for the same money.
We’re curating all the best Prime Day PC gaming deals here
To that end, I rolled up my sleeves and got stuck in. To be fair to the Steam Machine, there was no way I could beat its ultra-compact shape and snazzy styling, and my ‘Nick Machine’ certainly is no looker. But the hardware will give Valve’s efforts a serious kicking, and that’s what matters here.
The grand total for everything you can see below is $1,047, so not only is it cheaper, but it’s considerably more performant. Oh, and has twice as much storage.
Prime Day PC parts to build your own Steam Machine
CPU
AMD
Amd Ryzen 5 7600x 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor
Motherboard
Gigabyte
Gigabyte B650m Gaming Plus Wifi
Memory
Team Group
T-Force Vulcan 16 GB DDR5-6000
Storage
Patriot
1 TB P410 SSD
GPU
MSI
GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB Shadow 2X OC
Cooler
Thermalright
Thermalright Assassin X 120R Digital ARGB
Case
Cooler Master
Masterbox Q300l Micro-ATX
PSU
Thermaltake
Smart 600W ATX
The full details
The CPU inside the Steam Machine is very similar to an AMD Ryzen 5 8540U, with six cores, 12 threads, and a boost clock of 4.8 GHz. While the Ryzen 5 7600X has the same number of cores, it boosts to 5.4 GHz and has a full 32 MB of L3 cache. Turn on Eco mode in the motherboard BIOS, and it’ll be cool as a cucumber.
Key specs: Zen 4 | 6 cores | 12 threads | 5.4 GHz boost | 32 MB L3 cache | 105 W TDPView Deal
To get anywhere near the Steam Machine’s size, you need to use a Mini-ITX motherboard, but they’re a bit too expensive. So this Gigabyte mATX board is the next best thing and looks pretty nice to boot.
Key specs: mATX | AM5 socket | 2x PCIe | 2x M.2 | 4x SATA | Wi-Fi 6EView Deal
All memory is silly expensive these days, so there’s no way around having to spend this much money. At least it’s a dual-channel kit, and it looks quite dashing as well. Make sure you use promo code FTTF4657 to get the full discount.
Key specs: DDR 5 | 16 GB (2×8) | 6,000 MT/s | CL38View Deal
This is another PC component that’s burdened with a horrendous price tag, but 1 TB is certainly better to have than the miserable 512 GB that Valve is giving you in the base Steam Machine.
Key specs: PCIe 4.0 | M.2 2280 | 1 TB | Up to 5,000 MB/s read | Up to 4,500 MB/s writeView Deal
Nvidia’s little 8 GB RTX 5060 Ti will easily beat Valve’s RX 7600-esque GPU in the Steam Machine, and since it fully supports the entire DLSS 4.5 tech suite, you’ll have nicer upscaling and frame generation too. Complete the $20 rebate card to get the full discount.
Key specs: 4608 shaders | 2617 MHz boost | 8 GB GDDR7View Deal
Just as with all prebuilt gaming PCs, I’ve cut some corners to stay within budget by choosing the cheapest, but still decent, CPU cooler I could find. With just one 120 mm fan, you will need to use Eco mode with the Ryzen 5 7600X, but that’s fine. Looks darn sweet, yes?
Key specs: Little | Cheap | Fancy looksView Deal
I picked this case for a couple of reasons, such as size and price, but the most important thing here was that it supports ATX-sized power supplies, despite its compact dimensions. That means I can save quite a few pennies by not going for an SFF PSU.
Key specs: Box | for | your | PC | partsView Deal
Yes, it’s a non-modular power supply unit, so you’ll have ‘fun’ dealing with the cables, but at this price, I don’t think you can complain at all.
Key specs: 600 W | 80 Plus | 2x 6+2 pin PCIe | 6x SATA | 1x 4+4 12VView Deal
So there you have it, a Nick Machine that’s far more potent that the Steam Machine. Yes, it’s nowhere near as dinky and stylish, and unless you’re a dab-hand at cable management, it’ll look like a crow’s nest inside. But for less money than Valve’s little box, you’re getting better gaming performance and more storage. All you need to do is slap on Bazzite and enjoy!
