Get a … mini. Install Debian with KDE or Mint.

I already did that. Specifically, I got this and put either Debian or Kubuntu on it (can’t remember off the top of my head and can’t check because it’s at their house, not mine).

My mom freaked out because it got kinda hot once and started whining about how she should’ve stuck with a Mac. So now if I want her to stay on Linux it has to be a mini PC that comes with it from the manufacturer, and AFAIK the Steam Machine is the only such thing that exists.

I fucking know it’s irrational!

The Mac Mini m4 is no longer available where I am, the new Mac Mini m6 is slightly more expensive than the Steam Machine.

Interesting. In the US, the Mac Mini is $899 for the cheapest model, while the Steam Machine is $1049. It’s another $400 for 24GB unified RAM/512GB SSD to match the Steam Machine’s specs, but the Mac Mini’s low end starts lower.

The mini PC brands still matter even with linux, because I want hardware reliability and drivers support.

Ah, that’s a different kind of “trust” than I thought. I thought you meant factory-installed malware because they’re mostly no-name Chinese brands or something like that.

I have some experience with that, as I’m running Linux on four mini PCs of three different brands (a “Minisforum,” a “Bosgame,” and two “Nimo”). The Nimos have been fine (but I don’t recommend the Amazon seller I got them from because he screwed me out of some RAM). I had a problem installing Debian on the Minisforum, but it works fine with Kubuntu.

The Bosgame is the most relevant: I got it for my parents and installed (I think) Kubuntu on it, but it seems to have some kind of driver problem with the power management because it doesn’t wake from sleep properly. It also got hot enough to scare my mom, although I’m not sure how reliable her complaint is because what she thinks is too hot might still be within the normal operating range, for all I know. (It’s at their house, so I don’t have easy access to diagnose it myself.)

Anyway, even though it’s massive overkill for their “hardly computer-literate Boomer” use-case, I’m replacing that Bosgame with a Steam Machine solely because it’s the only mini PC I know of with first-party Linux support! (If it were me, I’d just deal with the slightly janky drivers rather than spend literally 5x the price, but my mom can be incredibly picky and stubborn.)

(Sigh) At least the grandkids might get some actual gaming use out of it when they visit…

He did say he didn’t want a large PC. My gaming computer is damn near as small as it gets – see size comparison pic below – but (a) even that’s over twice the size of a Gabe Cube, and (b) the ITX motherboard and SFX PSU do add some amount to the cost, along with the case itself. (I would’ve also mentioned the mandatory AIO cooler my particular case requires, but it turns out those are surprisingly cheap these days.)

(Note the Steam Machine measures 156 × 152 × 162.4 mm. About the same width as my A4-H2O, but only 2/3 as tall and 1/2 as deep.)

8. I’ve considered getting a Mac Mini, but the new one is too expensive.

The cheapest Steam Machine is more expensive than the cheapest Mac Mini (although a Mac Mini with comparable RAM and storage is more expensive).

• I don’t trust most mini PC brands

I’m not sure how much that matters if you’d be running Linux on it anyway.

Sorry, that’s all the argument I got. I myself just bought a Steam Machine with even less good reason, so…

How much are used Indexes going for these days?

According to the Gamers Nexus (I think) video I saw, they’re sourcing whatever RAM they can find, so some units ship with 1x16GB and others ship with 2X8GB and it’s just random luck which you’ll get.

Wait, the gabecube isn’t exactly a cube? Well that’s just mildly annoying for no good reason!

Look, if you just want something that vibrates there are a lot of easier ways to achieve that.

I’m not sure anybody really cares about the streaming codec as long as it works with good quality.

But fair enough: I agree it would be nice to have a “Steam Link 2” that could do 4K60 (or better) and (as pointed out in a Machine review video I just watched) support HDMI CEC.

(Maybe some third-party company should do it and name it the “Missing Link,” LOL)

Depends how many memory channels the CPU supports. On a small consumer CPU, no benefit, but start getting up into bigger chips like Threadripper or especially Epyc and some of them support even more than four channels.

(Also, it might be worth noting that I’m pretty sure the Steam Machine only has two RAM slots, let alone channels. 4x8GB won’t even be possible.)

What they should have done is made a new Steam Link with more capable hardware for cheap. That would have sold like hotcakes.

The Steam Link was pretty much a dumb terminal for VNC. In what way does it need to have “more capable hardware?”

Apparently, some units will ship with 1x16GB RAM and some will ship with 2x8GB RAM. I understand Valve’s decision to scrounge both types of memory to be able to ship more units, but I wish they’d let customers express a preference.

As it is, there will be some 1x16GB customers annoyed they didn’t get dual-channel and some 2x8GB customers annoyed they can’t easily upgrade, and it’s a shame those groups will be larger than they needed to be.

Sounds like a worthwhile tradeoff for something you’re strapping to your face and therefore want to be as light as possible.

• It’s a full controller, no “only one joystick” like the 2015 model.

This is 16-bit controller slander.

I also have a pair of underused Steam Controllers, and a Steam Link to go with them. Turns out I just don’t care about gaming on my TV.

So, there’s a pretty big leap going from Strix Point (mid tier) to Strix Halo (high-end)

Holy shit, no kidding! I guess maybe that’s the reason Valve didn’t go that way: they wanted to put their product right in the middle of that graphics gap. Also, even that first one apparently has 12 CPU cores, so the whole balance between CPU and GPU performance is just off.

Still though, if we’re talking custom, it would’ve been cool if Valve could’ve had them build something equivalent to a “Ryzen AI 7” or “Ryzen AI 5”, but still with Radeon 8050S or 8060S graphics.

larger chip, lower yields

Oh right, I forgot about that part.

Not sure what kind of area one could expect for the CPU alone (without the integrated GPU) for this kind of process

I guess you could look up specs for a desktop Ryzen CPU that doesn’t have integrated graphics. Not sure which is the right one to pick, but I checked a few Zen 4 AM5 chips and they were all 71 mm² @ TSMC 5 nm.

BTW, what actually is “Strix Halo” anyway? I’m confused about whether it’s what they’re calling all the latest-generation APUs, or just the high-end ones, or Asus co-branding, or what.

Are there not any lesser APUs (with smaller die size and higher yields) that aren’t “Strix Halo” but still have a similar architecture and decent gaming performance?

Unified still requires a significant amount of chip area per die

Even compared to having two entirely separate memory controllers, one for the CPU and one for the GPU?

They say it’s a custom design, so surely they could’ve custom-designed it to be unified rather than discrete if they wanted. I guess maybe they were trying to make sure it would only be bought by gamers by deliberately making it less versatile for AI?

Anybody else mildly surprised it isn’t based on an APU with unified memory, like a cheaper/slower Framework Desktop?