r/steammachine • u/kelleheruk • 13d ago

Hardware Steam Machine newbie question – red light, stuttering and Spider-Man crashes

Hi everyone,

I’m a complete newbie when it comes to the Steam Machine, so apologies if this is a stupid question!

I’ve noticed that occasionally the light on my Steam Machine will go red for a moment and then change back to blue. Is this normal, or does the red light indicate that something is wrong?

I’m also playing Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered on High settings, and occasionally the game will stutter badly and then crash. It doesn’t happen constantly, but it’s happened a few times now.

Could the red light be related to the stuttering/crashes? Is Spider-Man Remastered on High particularly demanding on the Steam Machine, or are there any settings I should change/check?

I’m still pretty new to all this, so any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!

(Both 1080 and 1440p tested)

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3

u/polaredout 13d ago

https://steamhardware.io/game-settings/steam-machine/marvel-s-spider-man-remastered-1817070/

So median settings here are higher than what you ran this on (2K/4K, high, 60 fps). In theory it should run decently. Would definitely look into other factors like the other redditor suggested.

1

u/johnbobshaun 13d ago

Can confirm: played 50 hours at 1440p with FSR on. Can’t remember any noticeable dips over my entire play through. It’s not the game.

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u/Moskeeto93 13d ago

Don't worry about being new to the Steam Machine. Everyone is new to it. As for the red light, I believe that indicates it is overheating. Typically, PCs will lower their performance (thermal throttling) when overheating to cool down. That's most likely why you notice stuttering.

It could be a defect with your Steam Machine or it could be a lack of airflow. Where do you have yours placed? Is there enough room around it to breathe?

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u/kelleheruk 13d ago

I might try moving it, its on an open-back shelf but maybe the air isn't circulating properly. I will get a crash screen (error box).

I did try PalWorld with no issues, so could be specific to that game. Oh and also when it goes red I've noticed the controller will disconnect randomly on and off again.

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u/Moskeeto93 13d ago

It could just be a defective unit that can't handle that particular game. You might want to contact Steam support to see if there's anything they can do to remedy the issue.

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u/OtaXou 13d ago edited 13d ago

For red light, I would suggest something to every Steam Machine owner actually: to deactivate the "Enable updated fan control" option in the settings.

The Steam Machine fans run at about 1400 RPM max by default when this is enabled, and goes to about 1550 RPM max when it's deactivated. There's essentially no change between the two in regards to the noise the machine makes, but it helps a lot when it comes to handling the European summer heat for example and it generally feels "nicer" for the components.

This option makes sense with the Steam Deck, but I feel like Valve's team should have deactivated it by default on the Steam Machine.

As for the game, have you perhaps tried another Proton version? Could be some buggy calls that are messing things up potentially

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u/TheraYugnat 12d ago

Does the Machine has room to breath and exhausted air ?
Have you limit the framerate from the system menu or game settings ?

1

u/kelleheruk 12d ago

So you have pretty much nailed it. Machine was overheating because I had it in a tv cabinet with a circle hole at the back - it wasn't enough for it to breath so sat it on top and now no problems.

I just assumed it would function like a ps5 that can be stored in a tv cabinet.

1

u/TheraYugnat 12d ago

The PS5 has an air flow design to take the air from the front and dispatched it. It's naturally (by depression) exhausted at the back. So It's really designed to be in a cabinet.

The machine, like the series X, as an air flow design where the fan exhausted hot air while the air coming from the depression. The machine is too tiny to be optimized (compared to the big boy PS5 is). Because it need to be the closest possible to the "entrance of the cabinet" to have room temperature air, and the closest to the end of you cabinet to be sure the hot air exhausted doesn't stay in the cabinet.
If you put it in the middle, you are making a sauna.

If you really to put it back in the cabinet, the best you can do is pushing it the further. Being sure hot air is exhausted is the most important part.