'Stim Machine' is an alternative build outgunning the Steam Machine with a more powerful GPU, all at the same price — but there are notable compromises | Tech Radar

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'Stim Machine' is an alternative build outgunning the Steam Machine with a more powerful GPU, all at the same price — but there are notable compromises

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A French retailer has made its own version of the Steam Machine

The 'Stim Machine' packs an RX 9060 XT GPU, which gives it far faster frame rates at the same price tag

There are other benefits of the alternative PC, too, as well as compromises where the device loses out to the Steam Machine

With the price of the Steam Machine, we've inevitably seen a lot of chatter about alternatives, either in DIY form or with pre-builts, and here's another of the latter: the 'Stim Machine'.

Video Cardz reports that French retailer LDLC made the Stim Machine, although it has since dropped that cheeky name, but I'll still use it here, as I like it, and it's much better than the LDLC 'PC Box' which is the new (yawn-some) name.

The device follows the spec of Valve's gaming PC to a large extent, with a few key differences.

The main change is that instead of the RDNA 3 semi-custom AMD GPU that's in the Steam Machine, you're getting a current-gen (RDNA 4) RX 9060 XT graphics card. It's the 8GB model (the same loadout as the Steam Machine's GPU), but the 9060 XT has considerably more grunt under its bonnet.

The processor is the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, a 6-core and 12-thread effort like the Zen 4 chip in the Steam Machine, and there's also 16GB of DDR5 RAM. You get a 500GB SSD (again, the same as Valve's) but with two additional SATA slots for more storage should you wish (as opposed to the micro SD option with the Steam Machine).

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The price is exactly the same as the Steam Machine in France if you want the retailer to supply you with the pre-built version (or you can save 4% if you just order the parts to be sent and build the rig yourself).

Analysis: Stim versus Steam – the relative pros and cons

As noted, the main difference is the RX 9060 XT, which will boost your frame rates a good deal versus the Steam Machine. Not only is the GPU considerably faster, but you also get FSR 4 with the current-gen Radeon family for better frames per second still. And there's the possibility of upgrading the graphics card in the future, which is missing with the Steam Machine.

Indeed, even upgrading the RAM on the Steam Machine is a relatively fiddly task by all accounts, as you have to remove quite a bit of the internals to get to those RAM slots. The Stim Machine also gives you those extra storage options.

Having argued the case against Valve's creation, it's only right to list the cons of the Stim Machine. For starters, while it's a Mini-ITX case and a compact PC — seemingly a Silver Stone SST-SG13B Sugo case, as pointed out on Reddit – it's still quite a bit larger than the Steam Machine (11.5 liters versus 3.8 liters).

In other words, volume-wise it's three times the size of Valve's PC, and yes, it's still small enough, but part of the draw of the Steam Machine is its diminutive size that lets the device sit unobtrusively in your living room. There's also the thermals, cooling, and noise to consider regarding whacking the 9060 XT GPU in the Stim Machine, particularly in a living room setting. Valve's Steam Machine is impressively quiet, as reviews have made clear.

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What alternatives to the Steam Machine are also missing are some of Valve's quality-of-life features for more streamlined (steam-lined?) operation, including instant sleep/wake functionality and HDMI CEC support (allowing your TV remote to control volume, or switch the TV set on or off with the Steam Machine). These are some really thoughtful touches from Valve.

Not forgetting that with the Stim Machine, you have to set it up and install Steam OS yourself (although the retailer does provide a guide), which could be a stumbling block for tech novices. All that's done for you with the Steam Machine, with just a simple out-of-the-box experience to navigate.

So, all in all, it's not quite such a simple face-off here, but there's no arguing that, due to it packing an RX 9060 XT, the Stim Machine will offer a lot more pep with frame rates than Valve's compact gaming PC. So if frame rate smoothness is your overriding priority, and you can put up with the mentioned trade-offs, an alternative like the Stim Machine is the the way to proceed.

What we also shouldn't forget is that whether you buy a Steam Machine, or an alternative pre-built like this one (or you go the DIY route yourself), it's a win for Valve, as it's another gamer on Steam OS — and buying software from its store, which is the real point of this living room PC. Indeed, Valve is actively encouraging folks to build their own Steam Machines if they feel that the official model is too pricey (but of course, building any computer is an uphill pricing struggle these days).

Another interesting point to note is that among the many interviews Valve's engineers have given of late, PC Gamer has a fresh nugget on the next-gen Steam Machine from Pierre-Loup Griffais and Yazan Aldehayyat.

As far as a potential sequel to the PC goes, Griffais noted: "I don't think we're thinking about [the Steam Machine] with quite as long of a timeframe as something like the Steam Deck."

So, a Steam Machine 2 with more powerful innards shouldn't be as lengthy a wait as a Steam Deck sequel, but that said, Aldehayyat elaborated that it isn't just around the corner (unsurprisingly).

The next Steam Machine will happen "in line with typical PC upgrade cycles and what people typically do", and Aldehayyat said, "It's just a matter of when it makes sense to [upgrade], at what price point, at what time, on what games are available. Like if a bunch of new games come out on Steam that require more performance, that would probably make us wanna upgrade the Steam Machine faster."

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Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for Tech Radar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

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News, deals, reviews, guides and more on the newest computing gadgets
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Unlock instant access to exclusive member features
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards