
Steam Machine Teardown - elliottcarlson
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Steam+Machine+Teardown/20473
======
lambda
This is the first console I've ever been interested in actually buying. I've
always refused to buy devices that don't allow you to write and install your
own software (I don't count hacks on them, so this is the first console that's
actually open enough to meet my criteria. The nice thing is that this makes a
pretty good off the shelf home theater PC even if I never actually use it for
gaming.

~~~
Narishma
These are living-room PCs, not consoles.

~~~
swashboon
I always laugh when I see 'PC' because I take it at is literal meaning -
'Personal Computer' \- which always makes me wonder what about apple products,
consoles, or even mobile phones makes them not either personal or computers.
They all seem to be computers, they all seem pretty personal to me...

~~~
freehunter
PC is a holdover from the popular IBM Personal Computer running Microsoft's PC
DOS (later MS-DOS). IBM made PC a brand name in direct competition with Apple.
When other companies started copying IBM, they made IBM PC Compatible devices
and peripherals, generally with an x86 processor. By the 90's, "IBM PC
Compatible" meant "an x86 processor running Windows", still in direct
competition with Apple.

So even though Apple uses x86 processors and technically it is a personal
computer, "PC" still refers to the old brand name that is synonymous with
Wintel. Apple has personal computers, Microsoft has Personal Computers.

~~~
yuhong
Well, even Apple computers are IBM PC compatible nowadays, and today outside
of a few exceptions it is difficult to make x86 computers that are not IBM PC
compatible at the hardware level.

~~~
freehunter
As mentioned in my closing statement.

------
geetee
Does anyone remember Infinium Labs and the Phantom[1]? I'm not at all trying
to make vaporware accusations. I just can't believe it's been 10 years.

[1]
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_Entertainment](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_Entertainment)

~~~
pekk
What is the point of bringing that up here?

~~~
geetee
The Phantom was taking the same approach pretty much. Off the shelf PC parts
and digital copies of games. Just interesting to see how much and how little
changes in a decade.

~~~
bicknergseng
Or how different doing the same approach can be with a successful,
multibillion dollar company driving it.

~~~
joezydeco
Are we talking about the Steambox or the Xbox?

~~~
cma
Xbox One has unified memory with the GPU, which you can't get on PC (aside
from via integrated intel graphics).

~~~
joezydeco
Xbox (2001) was pretty much a PC.

~~~
vinkelhake
The first Xbox also had unified memory. If it was that similar to a PC, you'd
expect there to be several good Xbox emulators around.

~~~
wtallis
No, you wouldn't. There aren't even PC emulators that include 3d graphics,
only emulators that provide graphics card passthrough or provide software to
install inside the emulator to pass high-level graphics commands to the host's
OpenGL implementation. Nobody has a binary-compatible GeForce (or Radeon)
emulator.

~~~
vinkelhake
The unified memory enabled developers to practically start using the GPU for
things other than rendering. This in turn places higher requirements on an
emulator.

None of the emulators you see today existed before someone sat down and
started writing them. Your point about PC emulators is irrelevant since if you
control the guest OS, it's just much more practical to install a pass-through
driver.

------
jonesetc
Basically just a small form PC. Pretty much every component that will be
messed with is just an off-the-shelf part. Not really any surprises here, but
it's nice that it's all confirmed.

~~~
pmjordan
Over the years, I've tried a few times to design a gaming capable PC that
would easily fit in a suitcase and not make as much noise as a 747. I never
found cases with a form factor like that with internal power supplies, and
which will fit, power and cool a mid-to-high range (~€180) graphics card.

The other components are easy of course.

I'd be happy to be proven wrong, because I'm definitely in the market for
something like this. More than 50% of my gaming time happens when I take time
off - which usually means I'm visiting family for a few weeks, and taking
anything bigger than this on a plane or train is not realistic. I was hoping
Thunderbolt might solve the problem with external GPUs, but right now that
seems more trouble than it's worth.

~~~
nitrogen
You could try building a custom PC into a hard-shell travel case. I believe
there are also ITX or micro ATX cases that can accommodate a 400+ watt PSU for
powering a GPU in that range.

~~~
pmjordan
_You could try building a custom PC into a hard-shell travel case._

I tried that, many years ago. I'll be the first to admit I'm not especially
good at working metal, so it was somewhat crude. Keeping everything safely in
place inside, and ensuring sufficient thermal flow ended up too much of a
challenge for me. The thing only ran stably when I left it open, and
eventually a heatsink came loose during travel. Might be easier with today's
more efficient/better designed components, and with a bit of hindsight. Still,
very much a major project.

 _I believe there are also ITX or micro ATX cases that can accommodate a 400+
watt PSU for powering a GPU in that range._

Every 6-12 months I review the market on these. You can indeed get ITX cases
which will take a graphics card. Generally, the form factor is the "cube" kind
(well, square-ish front face), around 20x22x35cm. (~15 litres) I find this
much harder to transport safely (e.g. by packing clothes around it in a
suitcase) than the flat, "VCR-shaped" arrangement, with the graphics card on a
90° riser. The ones on the market also tend to waste space on optical drives,
multiple hard drive bays, etc. and often have external PSUs (not necessarily a
bad thing, but often they don't make the case any smaller).

The Steam Machine prototypes are apparently only around 7.5x31x31cm. That's
less than 8 litres, including the PSU.

Last time I looked into this was in Spring, so maybe things have improved
since then. Specific suggestions welcome.

~~~
nitrogen
It sounds like you're far ahead of me on research into and attempted
implementations of small form factor PCs. My limited experience came from
tangential, coincidental exposure while researching ARM-based single-board
computers.

------
mikestew
$500 video card, huh? After complaining that $500 for the XBone was a little
pricey (I bought one anyway), building my own got just a tad less appealing. I
will be interested to see how much volume pricing brings down the final price
at release.

~~~
salient
That GPU is 3x faster than the one in Xbox One. Also, if you cared so much
about performance/price, you should've gotten a PS4, which has a performance
to price ratio of 1.8:1 compared to the Xbox One (1.8 Gflops/$400 vs 1.2
Gflops/$500), and you can play all games at 1080p.

~~~
mikestew
I never mentioned price/performance at all. I also don't know anyone at Sony
that can get me PS4 games at half price, so there's TCO and more than just the
initial price. And my TV is 720p, so 1080p doesn't matter right now. Other
than that, you were spot-on with your assumptions.

~~~
girvo
Lol :)

Anyway, this is just one config for the SteamBox. Each beta tester has a
different hardware config I'm pretty sure, from real cheap, up to an absolute
beast. They did that because that's the plan with the OEMs too

From my research, you'll be able to get or build an SB yourself cheaper than a
next gen console with the same power at least. I'm excited by that!

------
MartinCron
My goodness, that thing has a PS/2 keyboard port. Maybe I can drag my first-
generation Microsoft natural keyboard out of retirement.

~~~
Zr40
Some gamers still prefer PS/2 if given the choice, even though there's little
technical advantage. Although their most cited reason (key rollover) isn't
valid; the keyboard determines how many simultaneous key presses it will
transmit over USB.

~~~
bri3d
[http://superuser.com/questions/16893/do-usb-or-
ps-2-keyboard...](http://superuser.com/questions/16893/do-usb-or-
ps-2-keyboards-respond-faster)

PS/2 keyboards observationally are known to have a bit less latency. Since
there are a ton of variables at play (keyboard controller, USB poll rate, PS/2
interrupt queuing, etc.) it's hard to evaluate just how much the difference
will be with any given setup.

------
wnevets
The pc hardware is the least interesting part. What really matters is how well
the controller works with PC gamers and is the OS good enough for a TV.

------
viggity
a coworker got into the beta and I got to play with the controller for a
little bit yesterday. I _really_ like the concept of the touch pads,
especially as a big FPS person. Analog sticks just can't compare to a mouse,
but the touch pad will make me consider switching some gaming to the living
room. [http://twitpic.com/dp50dp](http://twitpic.com/dp50dp)

~~~
deletes
Make a video/report and post it on Hacker News!

------
lectrick
I hope 3 things happen

1) SteamOS is very successful along with Steam Machine

2) Windows is knocked out as a gaming platform

3) SteamOS users will be less annoying than Xbox and PS3 users

~~~
gambler
_2) Windows is knocked out as a gaming platform_

I will cheer for Windows demise only when GOG starts selling their games for
Steam OS.

~~~
yaeger
A good chunk on GOG re DosBox games so shouldn't these run in SteamOS already?
There is a DosBox for Linux, isn't there?

------
selectodude
Why would ifixit knock off a point due to a full PC in a small form factor
being a tight fit? Doesn't seem to make any sense.

~~~
dnissley
It's not just the tight fit, it's that without knowing/remembering the proper
cable routing you might not be able to get everything to fit back in the case
after taking it apart.

------
revelation
What the hell is a 32 bit processor doing on a simple button/light
daughterboard?

~~~
jrockway
They're dirt fucking cheap, is why. Last I looked, $0.80 a piece. Why screw
around with an 8-bit AVR when it's _more_ expensive and you're plugged into
the wall and don't care about power?

(Oh, and I'll add a tradeoff: the chips are cheap, but they are not as easy to
get up and running as an AVR. Programmers and a bunch of Windows software
seems to be required; I've given up every time I've tried to use one :)

~~~
PeterisP
Replace a bunch of $0.80 parts with $0.30 parts in any consumer device, and
the difference on your profit margin tends to be quite noticeable.

~~~
jrockway
They made like 300 of these, so that would have saved them $150.

~~~
PeterisP
Sure, but it's meant to prototype a machine that will be produced in millions
- it adds up in volume, and it's not really a drop-in replacement, you have to
engineer the whole subsystem with the cheaper parts in mind.

------
svantana
I don't care too much for gaming, but I'm in the market for a CUDA box, and
this looks pretty much ideal...

~~~
woodson
Same, but since I care mostly about double precision performance I won't be
having much fun with the GTX 780.

------
ToastyMallows
Damn, awesome specs. I also love the subtle unit marker, very cool idea.

------
AmVess
Very nice little box, considering it's all COTS stuff save for the chassis,
LED button and controller.

I imagine these will be available with a range of CPU's and GPU's come release
day.

------
knodi
So based on those off the self component whats the total value of the box?
about 1000$?

~~~
AmVess
Hard to say, since each beta box comes with different goodies:

"The 300 prototype units will ship with the following components: GPU: some
units with NVidia Titan, some GTX780, some GTX760, and some GTX660 CPU: some
boxes with Intel i7-4770, some i5-4570, and some i3 RAM: 16GB DDR3-1600 (CPU),
3GB GDDR5 (GPU) Storage: 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD Power Supply: Internal 450w
80Plus Gold Dimensions: approx. 12 x 12.4 x 2.9 in high"

~~~
Guvante
The GPU RAM almost certainly varies with what GPU you end up with. Titan 6GB,
780 3GB, 760 2GB, 660 2GB.

------
zerohm
If Valve really wants to compete with consoles, they need a wireless
controller. I go back and play the old PS1/2 and Gamecube occasionally, and
the toughest adjustment is going back to a wired controller.

~~~
ajanuary
The beta versions are wired. The plan is for them to be wireless.

------
voltagex_
"The board is wrangled by an NXP LCP11U24F 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0
microcontroller."

I wonder if this could be re-purposed (just for interest's sake).

~~~
pjc50
Almost certainly; that's the same processor as used in one model of the mbed,
all you have to do is find the JTAG/SWD on the board. The default firmware may
be code-protected, but there are ways round that.

~~~
hershel
I wonder if it's coded using the mbed, since the controller might be going to
be sold in volumes?

