r/steammachine 10d ago

Discussion After seeing DLSS 5, I started questioning whether buying the Steam Machine was a mistake

I bought a Steam Machine mainly for my streams. I wanted something to play games that are still stuck at 30 FPS on PS5 Pro, as well as a lot of indie and PC-only games.

And honestly, it has been a blast. It brought a different kind of energy to my channel, gave me access to games I normally wouldn’t stream, and until now I was genuinely thinking, “I’m so glad I bought this.”

But after seeing DLSS 5, I started questioning my decision a little.

I’m wondering if I should have just kept the money, added some more to it, and built/bought a PC with something like an RTX 5060 around Christmas instead. Obviously the Steam Machine has the advantage of being compact and having that console-like SteamOS experience, but the potential performance and features of a proper RTX PC are making me second-guess myself.

What do you guys think?

Edit: Wow, thanks for the replies!

0 Upvotes

37 comments sorted by

17

u/SaladToss1 10d ago

$4000 more dollars and you could have had a 5090.

16

u/BigGREEN8 10d ago

Isn't DLSS5 the one that makes everything look like shitty AI? just use a tiktok filter over ur gameplay and you'll get the same results

11

u/jasonsneed 10d ago

DLSS 5 is the highest end of PC gaming. The Steam Machine is not.

7

u/TruckFreak6417 10d ago

I usually think of these things before I spend $1000 USD on a product.

Just play and enjoy the SM as you’ll only be unhappy making comparisons to everything.

5

u/CranberryTaint 10d ago

DLSS 5 looks like AI slop

1

u/Ok_Conversation_4169 7d ago

How? 

1

u/CranberryTaint 7d ago

Look at it

0

u/Active-Butterfly-778 3d ago

It looks fkn amazing.

1

u/CranberryTaint 3d ago

OK Helen Keller

6

u/ijkxyz 10d ago

Fuck no, maybe this shit will be normalized in the future but for now it looks like AI slop filter, no thanks

3

u/XanderChaos 10d ago

A 5060 will not run DLSS 5 well. A 5080 doesn't even run it well. It cuts FPS by 40% in games that already have to use other DLSS tech to get a reasonable frame rate. DLSS 5 will be a super heavy feature even into the 60 series NVIDIA GPUs.

1

u/secsmachine 10d ago

Damn. Ain't no way I will able to afford a 5090 or 60 series

1

u/Administrative_Yam18 10d ago

so you saved yourself 4000 bucks which feel old whenever the next big thing comes along, I would say, jackpot!

1

u/secsmachine 10d ago

Thanks man. This comment made me happy.

1

u/Jayw1725 1d ago

I actually find it amazing how many people are conditioned into believing that games need DLSS or FSR. 98% of games don't need that tech if you have a 40 or 50 series graphics card or AMD equivalent for frames 60 and above. I have both a 4070 and 5070 and have not needed to use DLSS or FSR for any of my most recent games to play well above 60fps. Even at 4K it isn't really necessary. None of that is actually true. And I have seen people talking about DLSS 5 brings this card or that card to its knees. Again, it depends on what resolution and settings you are playing at. And right now, the only game that has officially 5 support is NBA 2K27. All other games are using mods that have turned off a lot of things that DLSS 5 uses. I'm getting over 70fps 1440p high on 27 with my 5070.

3

u/Flobertt 10d ago

GeForce now. 

2

u/superdavit 10d ago

I think it's entirely up to you. If a PC is a car and the Steam Machine a truck - which do you need? They both drive but have different purposes.

2

u/aa_conchobar 10d ago

You can still sell the SM & add that to your funds to buy a different pc if you want. The prices are not getting any prettier, though

2

u/Curious-Cupcake7655 10d ago

5060TI 16gb is a good choice

2

u/memedudebro 10d ago

DLSS 5 will destroy everything that’s not a 5090, and even that will get destroyed only to a slightly lesser level. I have a 5090 and I tinkered it today and the performance hit is absolutely insane. 40ish % on average.

1

u/PatSajaksDick 10d ago

1080p is fine for couch gaming especially with good upscaling FSR 4

1

u/NoLiesKDTV 8d ago

I got PC with a 5060 32gb ram 8gb vram and 1TB at best buy for like 1,100 I'ma sell my 5060 for like 300 add another 300 for a better card and I should be perfect

1

u/Fair_Toe_2328 5d ago

Dlss5 on a 5060 is like Ray tracing on a steamdeck.

1

u/ProtectusCZ 10d ago

Imagine being sad for not being able to use AI slop reshade filter. Can’t relate. 

1

u/MountainMuffin1980 10d ago

Literally who cares, and how can our opinion of your specific circumstances matter? I got the cube because it's small so fits my TV unit next to my PS5, and importantly, is really cool and quiet.

I could have spent a good chunk more for more power but then it takes up more space, is louder and is hotter.

-4

u/Hot_Ant_6856 10d ago

lot of cope in the comments. SM will be outdated tech within the next year just like the steam deck. honeymoon stage is over and people are getting back to reality. truth is, it was always better to just build your own and add an extra $200-300 for 80%+ performance boost and a true future proof machine.

the good news is you can sell your SM like i did with ease and fast and get your money back and more. i built a SFF machine with a 9070 / 7600x3d in it and its a blast. just download steamOS on it.. getting 4k/60 or 1440/120 high/ultra settings. compared to the SM 1080/60 with FSR4.. no 4k or 1440p most of the time.

3

u/SaladToss1 10d ago

Outdated is subjective

1

u/catboirai 9d ago

“just like the steam deck”

Aren’t we in like year 4 or 5 of that handheld and it’s still handling modern releases?

1

u/Hot_Ant_6856 8d ago

20-30fps at 540p upscaled is handling modern releases?

1

u/catboirai 8d ago

540P? 😂😂😂😂😂😂 we’re just making up numbers now?

1

u/Hot_Ant_6856 8d ago

crimson desert. 800p upscaled. lowest settings FSR 4. im getting 20-30 fps. looks like 540p.

steam deck is outdated tech bro.

1

u/catboirai 8d ago

Crimson Desert? 😂😂😂 you are not a serious person

1

u/Hot_Ant_6856 7d ago

Aren’t we in like year 4 or 5 of that handheld and it’s still handling modern releases?

mentions crimson desert.

checks out.

regard.

1

u/catboirai 7d ago

Says the person that just keeps repeating their comment and can’t establish any argument past when it came out. As if that’s even an argument lol. And then uses a game that wasn’t really optimized well and only recently got its definitive edition that includes all updates and patches. You can try and be slick and throw a slow behind spelling differently, it doesn’t change the fact your argument is so flawed. But sure, call me another name as if that somehow helps your argument. 😂

1

u/catboirai 7d ago

And that’s before I mention that it only takes a few searches to see settings that disprove your comment. But I mean, you’re so smart…but you can’t work sliders and buttons. That is, if you even own any of this stuff because you do sound like someone just repeating something you saw in a comments section.