Steam Machine vs DIY: Why building your own PC won’t save much money
If you’re planning to buy any kind of gaming hardware today, the blunt reality is that you’ll need a seriously solid budget. Between the escalating demands of modern games and the hardware costs that come with them, it’s increasingly difficult for the average buyer to justify spending on new systems—especially for anything beyond a casual upgrade.
Against that backdrop, it’s worth looking at the Steam Machine. What initially sounded like a potentially fair entry point for people who wanted to step into PC gaming now feels more like an overpriced novelty. And the part that’s hardest to swallow is that even if you build one yourself, the savings don’t end up being as dramatic as you might hope.
The Steam Machine costs a lot—building your own doesn’t fix it
When people were waiting for the Steam Machine’s price to finally be revealed, the expectation was that it would land at a point that made it competitive. That information arrived on June 22, and while it did clarify the lineup, it also left many players feeling disappointed.
There are four different configurations (SKUs), and each option increases in price as you move up the stack. The least expensive choice is a 512GB model priced at $1,049. Next up is the 512GB version bundled with a controller at $1,128. After that, there’s a 2TB unit for $1,349, and the top tier is the 2TB model with a controller at $1,428.
So even the most basic Steam Machine will still run you more than $1,000. When you compare that cost to the hardware picture, it also ends up being less powerful on paper than a current-gen Xbox Series X or a PS5 Pro.
Given that the Steam Machine is essentially a compact gaming PC, it’s reasonable to wonder whether you can skip the premium by assembling your own system and using SteamOS. If you’re tech savvy, the idea is tempting: put together similar parts, install the OS, and get the experience without paying the “console tax.”
But the gap isn’t what you’d want it to be.
To test the concept, comparable components were assembled for a 512GB-class system aimed at producing similar results. That DIY total comes to about $930. In other words, if you buy everything today and do the work yourself, you’re only looking at roughly a $100 difference versus purchasing the lowest Steam Machine option.
Those economics change the value proposition. The era where you could build a gaming PC for far less than a pre-made alternative is largely gone here. If the price difference is only around a hundred bucks, it may be more practical to pay the extra amount and avoid potential build errors and the time investment that comes with doing it yourself.
Editor background: Jacob Woodward
Jacob has been gaming since the original Game Boy was placed in his hands. He later began writing about games because of his passion for the space, along with his experience in journalism and a focus on search-friendly content. He made his games journalism debut in 2019. Outside of playing new releases, he spends time tinkering with retro hardware and bringing older tech into a more modern setup.
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