A Powerful Radeon RX 9070 XT Was Connected to the Compact Steam Machine Computer

Valve’s compact Steam Machine computer usually cannot boast high performance, but users are finding ways to radically transform it. According to ixbt.com, a Reddit user known as Large_Customer_3840 significantly upgraded the device, turning it into a genuine gaming machine. The main upgrade was a modern AMD flagship: a discrete Radeon RX 9070 XT graphics card was connected to the system. This was reported by Ixbt.com.

This graphics card is several times more powerful than the solution in the original device and is considered one of the most powerful solutions of the current generation. Naturally, such a large board cannot fit inside the compact case, so the graphics card was connected through the Oculink interface using an external dock. In fact, the Steam Machine has neither an Oculink port nor a straightforward way to expose one.

System Modification Method

However, the device has an internal SSD slot with a PCIe 4.0 interface. Installing an NVMe-to-Oculink adapter there made it possible to create the required connector. Since the computer has only one storage slot, this solution eliminates the possibility of equipping the system with an SSD in the usual way. To solve the problem, the author had to connect flash storage via USB-C using an additional adapter.

Although this process is not technically complicated, it turns a small computer into a large system spread across the desk. The graphics card itself requires a separate power supply. As a result, the user ended up with a standalone Steam Machine and a dock consisting of the graphics card and power supply. Initial tests showed that Crimson Desert achieved more than 100 k/s.

Software and Other Experiments

Interestingly, no special configuration of the SteamOS operating system was required—the system immediately detected the graphics card and activated it as the primary GPU. However, experts point out that the Radeon RX 9070 XT may not operate at full power in this configuration because the Steam Machine processor’s power limit is strictly restricted. Therefore, building a mini-PC with similar specifications may be much more practical.

It is also worth noting that another user, techmagnet, developed a custom water-cooling block for their Steam Machine computer. This reduced temperatures by 20-30 degrees under load, although it is still not possible to fully overclock the device. Such experiments nevertheless demonstrate the high level of interest among gamers.