Faizan Nizami
It's time. Steam and maker of critically acclaimed Half Life Valve will take their monster project — Steam Machines — to the markets.
Consumers can get their paws on their very own Steam Machines which may release this very month in America.
As many as 13 companies have come together to prepare their own version of the Steam Machines. The thought behind manufacturing such devices is that companies can have their own unique build, with different in-built hardware at varying prices.
About custom building Steam Machines, Valve said, “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."
PC manufacturer Digital Storm will start selling the device with an entry-level price of USD 1,899. However, reports suggest that the Digital Storm Bolt II will be sold at a jaw-dropping price of USD 2,584.
But Alienware is ahead of the curve. It's own build, brewed in collaboration with Valve, is said to be leading the Steam Machines into battle with its acute blend of performance to form factor ratio.
There is no official information regarding the hardware the Alienware Steam Machine is packing but several reports coming out of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) suggest that it may carry an Intel-based processor and an Nvidia chip. When asked about its performance, Alienware said that it beats both Xbox ONE and Sony PlayStation 4 when it boils down to sheer processing power. That's something users can look forward to. That is, if the price hits the sweet spot.
Also, the resolution on the Alienware machine is said to be 1080p native.
In terms of form factor, the Alienware Steam Machine is smaller that the new age consoles. The chassis is kept tight and compact; it's 3-inches tall with an 8-inches by 8-inches square design, two USB 3.0, Ethernet port and two HDMI port as well.
While there's a lot more to come from Valve, especially if it launches its own home grown Steam Machine, for now, check out the list available from CES about the possible prices and specifications of various Steam Machines and their manufacturers.
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CyberPowerPC
Processor: AMD/Intel Core i5
Graphics: AMD Radeon R9 270 or Nvidia GTX 760
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 500GB
Price: USD 499
Digital Storm Bolt II
Processor: Intel Core i7 4770K
Graphics: GTX 780 Ti
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB HDD plus 120 GB SSD
Price: USD 2,584
Gigabyte Brix Pro
Processor: Intel Core i7-4770R
Graphics: Intel Iris Pro 5200
RAM: 2 x 4GB
Storage: 1TB SATA 6Gb/sata
Price: Not announced
iBuyPower
Processor: Quad-core AMD or Intel
Graphics: Radeon GCN Graphics
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 500GB plus
Price: USD 499 and above
Materiel.net
Processor: Intel Core i5 4440
Graphics: MSI GeForce GTX 760 OC
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 8GB plus 1TB SSHD
Price: USD 1,098
Alternate
Processor: Intel Core i5 4570
Graphics: Gigabyte GTX 760
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB SSHD
Price: USD 1,339
Origin PC Chronos
CPU: Intel Core i7 4770K (3.9 to 4.6 GHz)
Graphics: 2 x 6GB Nvidia GeForce GTX Titans
RAM: Not Announced
Storage: Not Announced
Price: Not Announced
Scan NC10
Processor: Intel Core i3 4000M
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 765M
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 500GB
Price: USD 1,090
Zotac
CPU: Intel Core (not confirmed)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX
RAM: (not confirmed)
Storage: (not confirmed)
Price: USD 599
Webhallen
CPU: Intel Core i7
Graphics: Nvidia GT 780
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 1TB SSHD
Price: 1,499
Next SPA
CPU: Intel Core i5
Graphics: Nvidia GT 760
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 1TB
Price: Not announced
