CES 2014 brochure gives few details of system configurations, although NVIDIA GFX and Intel CPUs dominate the lineup.
CES 2014 brochure gives few details of system configurations, although NVIDIA GFX and Intel CPUs dominate the lineup.
A long-awaited glimpse at some of the third-party concepts for Steam Machines has been realised thanks to a brochure released today by Valve at CES 2014. The multi-page PDF shows some of the chassis designs and a few configuration details from the likes of Alienware, GIGABYTE, iBuyPower and ZOTAC alongside ballpark pricing.
Note that in order to qualify as a Steam Machine the system will have to live up to a certain minimum configuration – determined by use as either a streaming point or dedicated gaming machine – and come bundled with SteamOS pre-installed and a Steam Controller included. Each of the systems shown feature at least 8GB RAM and a 500GB storage drive, although we would expect some to included SSDs for their low-noise and high speed relative. Interestingly NVIDIA GeForce dominates the lineup as it did the beta systems, with most of the systems powered by GeForce GTX 700-series graphics.
Price is exactly as varied as you would imagine given that many of the systems listed are effectively configurable small form factor desktop designs. Starting at $499 for the iBuyPower Steam Machine based around an AMD APU with GCN graphics, it can reach as high as $6000 for a fully tricked out Falcon Northwest Tiki with NVIDIA GeForce Titan.
The smallest form factor appears to be the GIGABYTE Brix Pro Steam Machine, which leverages Intel’s i7 4770K CPU and Iris Pro GFX. Although certainly capable of some stand-alone gaming, the system appears to be tailor-made for game streaming from another system elsewhere in the house. Obviously GIGABYTE will be relying on the quality of SteamOS’s streaming implementation to ensure that gaming is enjoyable, but the choice of CPU and likely inclusion of speedy storage drive should make it an extremely zippy system overall.
Trading off overall system footprint against being really, really thin are the ZOTAC ZBOX and Scan’s NC10. The configuration of the former isn’t yet known, whereas the latter uses a mobile parts such as the low-power Intel Core i3 4000M and NVIDIA GeForce 765M. Cooling the systems in near-silence is likely to be the greatest challenge for these diminutive PCs.
Scan’s 3XS NC10 may well be the thinnest of the bunch
No release dates are listed for these systems, although we know that the ZOTAC ZBOX Steam Machine isn’t due until the second half for 2014. In all likelihood the reason why we’re not seeing them sold immediately is the continued development of SteamOS and the controller, which currently aren’t ready for retail.
Full list of Steam Machine systems by vendor:
Alternate
Price:$1,339
CPU: Intel Core i5 4570 Graphics
Graphics: Gigabyte GTX 760
RAM: 16 GB Storage
Storage: 1 TB SSHD
CyberPowerPC
Price: $499 and up
CPU: AMD or Intel Core i5 CPU
Graphics: AMD Radeon R9 270 or Nvidia GTX 760
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 500 GB
Digital Storm Bolt II
Price: $2,584
CPU: Intel Core i7 4770K
Graphics: GTX 780 Ti
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: 1 TB HDD + 120 GB SSD
Gigabyte Brix Pro
Price: TBA
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770R
Graphics: Intel Iris Pro 5200
RAM: 2 x 4 GB
Storage: 1 TB SATA 6Gb/s
Falcon Northwest
Price: $1,799 to $6000
CPU – customisable
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX TITAN
RAM: 8 to 16 GB
Storage: up to 6 TB
iBuyPower
Price: $499 and up depending on configuration
CPU: Quad core AMD or Intel
Graphics: Radeon GCN Graphics
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 500 GB+
Materiel.net
Price: $1,098
CPU: Intel Core i5 4440
Graphics: MSI GeForce GTX 760 OC
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 8 GB + 1 TB SSHD
Next SPA
Price: TBA
CPU: Intel Core i5
Graphics: Nvidia GT 760
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 1 TB
Origin PC Chronos
Price: TBA
CPU: Intel Core i7 4770K (3.9 to 4.6 GHz)
Graphics: 2 x 6 GB Nvidia GeForce GTX Titans
RAM: TBA (>8GB)
Storage: TBA
Scan NC 10
Price: $1,090
CPU: Intel Core i3 4000M
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 500 GB
Webhallen
Price: $1,499
CPU: Intel Core i7 4771
Graphics: Nvidia GT 780
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: 1 TB SSHD
Zotac
Price: $599
CPU: Intel Core (TBD)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX
RAM: TBD
Storage: TBD
ALSO Listed: Alienware
Price:$1,339
CPU: Intel Core i5 4570 Graphics
Graphics: Gigabyte GTX 760
RAM: 16 GB Storage
Storage: 1 TB SSHD
CyberPowerPC
Price: $499 and up
CPU: AMD or Intel Core i5 CPU
Graphics: AMD Radeon R9 270 or Nvidia GTX 760
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 500 GB
Digital Storm Bolt II
Price: $2,584
CPU: Intel Core i7 4770K
Graphics: GTX 780 Ti
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: 1 TB HDD + 120 GB SSD
Gigabyte Brix Pro
Price: TBA
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770R
Graphics: Intel Iris Pro 5200
RAM: 2 x 4 GB
Storage: 1 TB SATA 6Gb/s
Falcon Northwest
Price: $1,799 to $6000
CPU – customisable
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX TITAN
RAM: 8 to 16 GB
Storage: up to 6 TB
iBuyPower
Price: $499 and up depending on configuration
CPU: Quad core AMD or Intel
Graphics: Radeon GCN Graphics
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 500 GB+
Materiel.net
Price: $1,098
CPU: Intel Core i5 4440
Graphics: MSI GeForce GTX 760 OC
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 8 GB + 1 TB SSHD
Next SPA
Price: TBA
CPU: Intel Core i5
Graphics: Nvidia GT 760
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 1 TB
Origin PC Chronos
Price: TBA
CPU: Intel Core i7 4770K (3.9 to 4.6 GHz)
Graphics: 2 x 6 GB Nvidia GeForce GTX Titans
RAM: TBA (>8GB)
Storage: TBA
Scan NC 10
Price: $1,090
CPU: Intel Core i3 4000M
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M
RAM: 8 GB
Storage: 500 GB
Webhallen
Price: $1,499
CPU: Intel Core i7 4771
Graphics: Nvidia GT 780
RAM: 16 GB
Storage: 1 TB SSHD
Zotac
Price: $599
CPU: Intel Core (TBD)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX
RAM: TBD
Storage: TBD
ALSO Listed: Alienware
Source: Valve CES 2014 Steam Machines PDF
