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Valve has released the full specification of its “high-end” Steam Machines prototype.
The top-end prototype rig, which will be sent out to 300 Steam users as part of an extensive testing phase, contains a Nvidia Titan graphics card, i7-4770 processor and 16GB RAM, and is described by Valve as a “high-end living room package”.
However, specs will vary between users, with some units featuring slightly less powerful graphics cards and processors.
GPU: some units with Nvidia Titan, some GTX780, some GTX760, and some GTX660
CPU: some boxes with Intel i7-4770, some i5-4570, and some i3
RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600 (CPU), 3GB GDDR5 (GPU)
Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD
Power Supply: Internal 450w 80Plus Gold
Dimensions: approx. 12 x 12.4 x 2.9 in high
“As we talked about last week, the Steam Machines available for sale next year will be made by a variety of companies,” said Valve’s Greg Coomer. “Some of those companies will be capable of meeting the demands of lots of Steam users very quickly, some will be more specialized and lower volume. The hardware specs of each of those machines will differ, in many cases substantially, from our prototype.
“Valve didn’t set out to create our own prototype hardware just for the sake of going it alone – we wanted to accomplish some specific design goals that in the past others weren’t yet tackling. One of them was to combine high-end power with a living-room-friendly form factor. Another was to help us test living-room scenarios on a box that’s as open as possible.
“So for our own first prototype Steam Machine (the one we’re shipping to 300 Steam users), we’ve chosen to build something special. The prototype machine is a high-end, high-performance box, built out of off-the-shelf PC parts. It is also fully upgradable, allowing any user to swap out the GPU, hard drive, CPU, even the motherboard if you really want to. Apart from the custom enclosure, anyone can go and build exactly the same machine by shopping for components and assembling it themselves. And we expect that at least a few people will do just that.”
Coomer adds that while Valve isn’t “quite ready” to release a picture of the prototype, it will release shots before the system is sent to testers. Users can still sign up to test the prototype by heading to the Steam Machines website.
As well as announcing Steam Machines, Valve also announced its own gaming operating system SteamOS and the Steam Controller.
Source: steamcommunity.com
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