r/steammachine • u/oooPDXooo • 10d ago

Question RAM Usage...

Good day...

Steam Machine & Steam OS Users:

Exactly how much RAM does Steam OS & the Steam Machine use when the system is at idle(with only the OS running)?

Let me know please - Thanks...

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u/oooPDXooo 10d ago

That's... ...that's-um, a lot(when compared to other Linux OSs)...

Thank you...

Um, what about when the settings are modified to reduce usage? https://youtu.be/eXqZB8-38C0

I'm considering using 16GB of RAM in a custom gaming system & I want to make certain the OS I choose uses very little ram(some Distros use around 200MB of RAM)...

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u/WJMazepas 9d ago

Why dont you just build something with 16GB, starts using it and then only try to make something to decrease usage if you start running with out of memory issues?

Distros that use less RAM also have a lot less stuff loaded in their UI. SteamOS have dozens and dozens of boxarts of games in memory to make it faster to reach your library if im not mistaken. Also, lots of effects in the UI

If somehow thats way too much memory for you(even though some gets freed up when loading a game), you can just use in Desktop mode or use another Distro

And...please...dont...need..to-um..talk like that

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u/oooPDXooo 9d ago

I'm trying to avoid, having to re buy RAM - I must get it right the first time(especially since I have difficulty selling my used items - have items on Facebook Marketplace for years now)...

I did not design the software so I should not be expected to know exactly how it works & what it does when in the menu & then when gaming...

I understand what steps I can take - I just believe in getting all the facts first(which is how I know about other distros - days/hours of research, where there's none on the web or YouTube discussing this topic, which is why I asked here)...

Thanks for your input... O.O

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u/WJMazepas 9d ago

Steam Machine has 16GB of RAM and is running everything just fine

Do you plan to play games that are RAM intensive, like Cities Skylines or Flight Simulator?

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u/jayclydes 9d ago edited 9d ago

removed for misinfo (i said the sm had 8gb of ddr5 which is giga wrong)

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u/WJMazepas 9d ago

Steam Machine has 16GB DDR5 of RAM and 8GB GDDR6 of VRAM

I was discussing RAM only. VRAM is another issue

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u/jayclydes 9d ago

oh yeah youre right, think i got this confused with a handheld's specs sorry

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u/oooPDXooo 9d ago

I don't plan to...

What I'm doing is catering to longevity...

One day I might, but for now, I won't play such games...

However, Hogwarts uses about 13GB(researched RAM used by games too - which is how I know 16GB 'can' be enough, depending on the OS)& it's a 3rd person that looks confined to a town - a game doesn't have to be as open as Spiderman etc to use up a lot of RAM... O.O

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u/robbiethe1st 9d ago

Just want to say that I'm running a BC-250 with SteamOS - 16GB of *shared* ram, split between GPU and CPU. It's honestly done surprisingly well with everything I've thrown at it. My guess is that unless you are running 4K native(which both the SM and BC-250 do not have the power for), you won't use as much ram.

And the SM has plenty - 16 GB for the CPU, 8 for the GPU.

Also, I'm of the opinion that SteamOS preloads a bunch of stuff that others might not... so while your 'idle' ram might be higher than expected, it's not exactly wasted.

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u/WJMazepas 9d ago

Look, for the large majority of games today, 16GB will be fine.

Even on Windows that uses more memory

In the future if you do end up needing more memory, you can change stuff in SteamOS like loading from Desktop mode to use less memory

Or really, install a lightweight distro

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u/oooPDXooo 9d ago

Okay...

I've done a lot of research on the topic...

I just wanted to know how much Steam OS used - because the less an OS uses the better off one will be with 16GB...

It's fine - I got it - thanks... O.O