What preset settings will I use to run each game at 1080p/60fps on Steam Machine, and what will the heat, power consumption, and noise levels be like?
Overseas users who got their hands on
Valve Steam Machine Review: GPU & CPU Benchmarks, SteamOS Test, Thermals, Noise, and Price - YouTube
The Newell Nucleus: Steam Machine LTT Companion Article | LTT Labs
https://www.lttlabs.com/articles/2026/06/22/the-newell-nucleus-steam-machine-ltt-companion-article
The Steam Machine is a cube-shaped gaming PC measuring 152mm (height) x 162.4mm (depth) x 156mm (width) and weighing 2.6kg.
The specifications are as follows.
| Steam Machine | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Semi-custom AMD Zen 4 6C / 12T - Up to 4.8 GHz, 30W TDP | |
| GPU | Semi-custom AMD RDNA3 28CU - Maximum sustained clock speed 2.45GHz, TDP 110W | |
| RAM | 16GB DDR5 + 8GB GDDR6 VRAM | |
| power supply | Built-in power supply, AC power supply 110-240V | |
| storage | 512GB NVMe SSD or 2TB NVMe SSD Furthermore, it features a high-speed microSD card slot for external storage. | |
| Wifi | 2x2 Wi-Fi 6E | |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.3 dedicated antenna | |
| Input/Output | display | DisplayPort 1.4 - Up to 4K@240Hz or 8K@60Hz - Supports HDR, FreeSync, and daisy-chaining - HDMI 2.0 - Up to 4K@120Hz - Supports HDR, FreeSync, and CEC |
| USB | Two USB-A 3.2 Gen 1 ports on the front. Two USB-A 2.0 high-speed ports on the back. One USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 port on the back. | |
| network | Gigabit Ethernet | |
| OS | SteamOS 3 | |
| Desktop environment | KDE Plasma | |
| size | Height 152mm x Depth 162.4mm x Width 156mm | |
| weight | 2.6kg | |
Game reviewer GamersNexus has published a table comparing the GPU performance of the Steam Machine to that of existing GPUs. 'Immediately Behind' indicates a GPU that is slightly slower than the Steam Machine, 'Closest Equal' indicates the closest performance, and 'Immediately Ahead' indicates a GPU that is slightly faster.
LTT Labs, an overseas media outlet, stated, 'The Steam Machine's processor and graphics are clearly from the previous generation, which is disappointing for a mid-2026 product. The most disappointing aspect is the already outdated RDNA3-based graphics processor. The closest thing to the Steam Machine's performance is the RX 7600 8GB, which we tested in 2023 and found to be 'okay,' but even with the then-current super-resolution technology '
Therefore, LTT Labs is actually running games on Steam Machine to measure how much load it puts on the system.
The following are the results with FSR disabled, resolution fixed at 1080p, and all other graphics settings (Preset) set to maximum. The blue line shows the average FPS, and the red line shows the 1% Low (minimum) FPS. 'Cyberpunk 2077' averages 71 FPS, and the native Linux and Proton versions of 'Shadow of the Tomb Raider' average over 100 FPS, but 'Forza Horizon 6' averages 42 FPS and 'Anno 177: Pax Romana' averages a very low 19 FPS, suggesting that playing AAA titles at maximum settings might be somewhat difficult.
The following are the graphics settings required to achieve 1080p and 60FPS in each game. Below is an example of 'Anno 177: Pax Romana,' where 60 FPS was achieved with the Medium preset. We have also successfully run the game with even lower settings.
In 'DOOM: The Dark Ages,' I had to set the preset to the lowest level, Low.
Forza Horizon 6 achieved 60 FPS with the High preset.
Next, LTT Labs measured the frame rate at 4K resolution with FSR enabled in Quality, Performance, and Ultra Performance settings to achieve 60 FPS. The following is the result for Quality.
Performance.
This is Ultra Performance. Based on the results showing that 60FPS is only achievable at Ultra Performance and the lowest to lowest graphics settings, LTT Labs stated, 'When Valve says they can achieve 4K 60FPS with upscaling, it means you need to set the graphics settings to the lowest and slide the FSR up to Ultra Performance.'
Furthermore, a comparison with the PlayStation 5 has also been released. Looking at this, it appears the Steam Machine performs worse than even the standard PlayStation 5, let alone the Pro version.
LTT Labs also recorded power and thermal states under both light and heavy loads. They found that the heavily loaded game 'DOOM: The Dark Ages' consistently consumed around 105W of power, while the lightly loaded 'Tape to Tape' consumed approximately 30W.
The average GPU and CPU temperature while playing 'DOOM: The Dark Ages' was 66-68 degrees Celsius.
The temperature ranged from 53 to 58 degrees Celsius for 'Tape to Tape' testing.
Regarding noise levels, the idle state is 32.2dB, similar to that of a room, and LTT Labs rates it as 'almost imperceptible.' When playing 'God of War,' the noise level rises to 41.4dB. While the PlayStation 5 recorded 39.7dB and the PlayStation 5 Pro 40.4dB for the same game, LTT Labs considers the 'overall quietness to be roughly the same.'
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