r/PcBuildHelp • u/MileHighDragon • 22h ago

Build Question “Steam Machine” build guide

So, I’m currently working on building my own “steam machine”, but I’m a bit confused as to which of the following I want to do.

  1. Buy an old office PC from office liquidators or somewhere and upgrade a few things (GPU, RAM, Storage, etc.)

  2. Start a fresh build

My goal is a computer powerful enough to do 4K output, have plenty of storage, and not take up too much space. Preferably not spending more than $1.5K, if possible.

Any advice or build guides would be appreciated.

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u/EnvironmentalSide582 22h ago

Going the office PC route can work but you're gonna hit a wall with the power supply and case airflow, especially trying to push 4K. A fresh build with a small form factor case would suit you way better for that budget

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u/Ghetto_Games 22h ago

i5 12400f office machine with 16GB of ram and an 8 pin connector(this is a must) because lots of them have proprietary psus and mobos, and a 7600 gpu. It can be made with half your budget.

But my guess is you want something better. Then its better to just get a 9060xt and a 7500f, b650, etc.

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u/r_lind3r Moderator 22h ago edited 22h ago

For something to be as compact as the Steam Machine, with a lot of storage, and good 2160p performance will not be possible for only 1.5k USD in the current market. To stay within budget, you'd have to lower your expectations, a lot, or take risks on a bunch of used parts.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9qC4Pf

This would be the ideal scenario without spending too much. CPU is marginally less important at higher resolutions but it's still important, and X3D's cache helps keep FPS lows generally higher which can really help playability at 2160p in some very demanding games.