I built a “Steam Machine” in 2024. I’ve run it for 8 months, and I’m really happy with it! I hope that after reading this, you’ll be encouraged to build one too!

I’m running the latest Steam OS 3.7 (the OS running on the Steam Deck) on conventional AMD desktop hardware, running at equal or improved performance over Windows.
We’re here! You can just build a Steam Machine now, and get a console-like experience running PC games in your living room, on Linux, with great controllers, on your 4K OLED TV (and surround sound if you have it), running in parity with your Steam Deck.
The OS (SteamOS 3.7)
The OS to install is SteamOS 3.7. It’s available in Valve’s “preview” update channel for the Steam Deck, but you can download the recovery image and try installing it on anything.
There isn’t much more to say about this, other than yes, the rumors that Valve is expanding hardware support are true. It works on a lot more devices now, including conventional AMD desktop hardware.
If you are interested in the details on installing not-quite-released software, read:
Prior to updating to SteamOS 3.7, I ran SteamFork, and before that, Chimera OS. SteamFork (the project) has thrown in the towel, and Chimera OS remains a great option. If SteamOS 3.7 isn’t quite working for your hardware yet, read about other similar projects that are helping bridge the compatibility gaps:
The Hardware
I targeted a budget of $1500 for the core hardware. Final cost came to $1799.71. Part lists go stale REALLY quickly, but if you want to build exactly what I have, here is the list. I wrote up the build on PCPartPicker too, but hey—feel free to use my referral links if you found this useful:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D
- Cooler: Noctua NH-L12S (Run this CPU fan in this case unless you have a good reason not to)
- Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix B650E-I
- RAM: G.SKILL Flare X5 Series (AMD Expo) DDR5 32GB (Use RAM matching tools)
- NVMe: WD_BLACK 2TB SN850X (Avoid low-end Samsung Gen5s)
- GPU: GIGABYTE Radeon RX 7700 XT (Go better here if you increase on anything)
- Case: Fractal Design Ridge
- PSU: CORSAIR SF750 (Avoid bulky, cheaper SFX-L PSUs in this case)
- Case Fans: 4 × Noctua NF-A6x25
- Top Fans: 3 × ARCTIC P8 Slim PWM
- Fan Hub: Noctua NA-FH1, 8 Channel Fan Hub
- WiFi Antennas (I don’t have Ethernet near my TV)



The controllers
Finding good controllers has been a challenge. It needs to be on par with the Steam Deck controller, but unfortunately, nothing on the market matches that. Skipping a lot of nuance and details, the Steam Controller, DualSense Edge, and an HTPC keyboard have covered all my needs. Finding decent controllers that work well enough for PC games on the couch has been difficult, and I intend to write more about each one I’ve tried.

It’s surprising and hard to explain to people unfamiliar with the issue just how important of a development Gyro Aim is. This thesis is required watching if you haven’t had hands-on time with a Gyro input:
The only controller that comes close to what is offered by the Steam Deck controls is the DualSense Edge (unfortunately!). It’s a great controller, with Gyro, paddles, and a trackpad, and has high-end OEM quality, but it’s the most expensive controller on the market—and Bluetooth only (among other flaws).
Speaking of Bluetooth, I recommend getting an extended range dongle and ensuring your controller has line of sight to it. Latency-sensitive controls like Gyro need a solid connection, and I found that without line of sight, signal drops off around 6 feet. With line of sight, controllers work great—even at 10 feet.
The Steam Controller is nice to have. Probably not worth paying scalper prices for it these days, but if you still have yours lying around, get that thing going again. They work better than you remember and have a 2.4GHz dongle!
Any HTPC keyboard-mouse combo works. You mainly use it for one-off tasks where the on-screen keyboard is too cumbersome, and it mostly lives in the closet. I recommend the Logitech K400 Plus over the no-name Chinese Amazon ones, having tried both.
- PlayStation DualSense Edge Wireless Controller
- PlayStation DualSense Charging Station
- PlayStation DualSense Edge Stick Module – Pick some up before they go dead-stock pricing.
- TP-Link USB Bluetooth Adapter for PC, Bluetooth 5.3 Long Range Receiver
- Logitech K400 Plus Wireless Touch TV Keyboard
- Steam Controller (RIP)






The Screen

Whatever TV you have will work. Playing on a large 4K HDR OLED TV has been a real joy, and it’s easy to forget how many pixels are in these things. Just don’t forget to put it into game mode. I would also note—if you can, avoid Android TV, and definitely disconnect the smart features from any network connection.
The Audio
I can’t run surround in my current living room, so in the meantime, I run AirPods Max—mainly because they have the best audio sharing feature on the Apple TV. They work well with the Steam Machine though.
Build notes
Building in the Fractal Ridge was super easy, but seeing how other builds tackled little issues in the small case was helpful. Here are the builds I found most useful as a reference:
- Fractal Design Ridge full of Noctua fans feat. delidded 7800X3D and deshrouded RTX 4080
- ITX laptop destroyer
- All Fractal Ridge Completed Builds














Other notes
If you are familiar with the Steam Deck, you will feel comfortable with a Steam Machine. They are basically the same!
The following are helpful resources when trying to run games on it:
- ProtonDB – Compatibility reports for games running on Linux in Proton. Any Deck Verified game will also run great.
- Are We Anti-Cheat Yet? – If you must play multiplayer with cheating competitors who require kernel modules to stop them, you will run into some compatibility issues versus Windows. This site tracks those.
- GamingOnLinux – This has consistently been the best news site focusing on gaming on Linux.
- GoL AntiCheat Tracker - GoL also has it’s own excellet data on Linux anti-cheat stats.
- SteamDB – General player and game price tracking on Steam.
- /r/GyroGaming/ – The GyroGaming subreddit can often be helpful when figuring out gyro on games with poor mouse and controller inputs.
- /r/SteamDeck/ - The SteamDeck subreddit is also a decent source of news fore SteamOS related info.
If you end up building a Steam Machine or something similar, please share your results! If you want to chat or ask more questions about the process, you can join the former SteamFork Discord, where there are still a bunch of users of SteamFork migrating to SteamOS and facing similar issues and questions.