Performance Insights on Valve’s Steam Machine with Windows Drivers
Valve has recently made strides in enhancing the user experience for its Steam Machine living room console by releasing new Windows drivers. According to benchmark results shared by ETA Prime, a well-known YouTuber and gaming hardware reviewer, the performance of these drivers is commendable. After installing Windows 11 on the Steam Machine, ETA Prime reported a smooth installation process, with all hardware components functioning seamlessly.
Interestingly, the graphics processing unit (GPU) is identified as an AMD Radeon RX 7600 in both Windows Task Manager and AMD’s Radeon Adrenaline driver. The Steam Machine under review has been upgraded to feature 64 GB of memory, which may lead to some variations in performance, particularly as the Windows installation accumulates additional software.
When comparing the performance of SteamOS and Windows, the two operating systems exhibit a competitive edge over one another. However, Windows does secure a few notable victories. For instance, in the Geekbench 6 multi-thread benchmark, Windows outperforms SteamOS by a significant margin of 22%, while the single-core benchmark results are nearly equivalent. In Cinebench 2024, the Steam Machine achieves a score of 99 points in the single-core benchmark and 554 points in the multi-core test, although it lags behind competitors like Apple’s M1 Max and the AMD Ryzen 5800X in multi-thread performance.
Gaming performance reveals a more balanced competition between the two operating systems. The Steam Machine running Windows tends to gain a slight advantage at both 4K and 1080p resolutions. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Windows shows a marginal improvement over SteamOS, with a 1.7% uplift at 1080p and a more significant 4.3% advantage at 4K. However, at 1440p, SteamOS takes the lead with a 2.4% faster performance.
In the case of Cyberpunk 2077 on Ultra settings, SteamOS demonstrates a clear advantage, outperforming Windows by 8.8% and 4.7% at 4K and 1440p, respectively. Both systems struggle at 4K resolution, with SteamOS averaging 18 FPS and Windows slightly better at 20 FPS. The performance in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered is closely matched, with Windows achieving a 7.1% advantage, while SteamOS is 2.1% faster at 1440p and Windows again takes a 1.7% lead at 1080p.
Ultimately, running Windows on the Steam Machine appears to be a viable option, aligning with Valve’s marketing message that the Steam Machine functions as a standard PC, allowing users the flexibility to utilize it as they would any other computer. Nevertheless, there are additional considerations for choosing SteamOS beyond gaming performance, as explored in previous discussions comparing Fedora Linux and Windows 11 in gaming tests.
