Steam Machine vs. Custom PC

Hey, guys.

I've been thinking that my next computer would be a custom PC. I've did lots of research and selected the components I'd like to have in my rig. The specs are as follows:

PSU: Corsair Builder Series CX 600 Watt ATX/EPS 80 PLUS (CX600)

Mobo: MSI Computer ATX DDR3 2600 LGA 1150 Motherboards Z97S SLI KRAIT EDITION

GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 Super Clocked ACX 2.0 4GB GDDR5 Graphics Card

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K Processor 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 BX80646I54690K

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory (CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10)

HDD: WD Black 1TB Performance Desktop Hard Drive: 3.5-inch, SATA 6 Gb/s, 7200 RPM, 64MB Cache WD1003FZEX

My budget is $1000 and I think I need to get the mouse, keyboard and monitor within that range or maybe a little above it. One major obstacle is the shipping price. I live in Qatar and I can easily say the shipping alone would cost over $100 for the above components, although I'm not sure.

I had planned to get these or similar components and cut down the price total price where possible. Anyways, I was casually going through my Facebook page and I saw this post about Zotac's "custom" Steam Machine.

Zotac Steam Machine

I was thinking if it would perform as well or nearly as well as the PC with the above specs. The upside to this device as compared to a custom PC would be that the shipping price would be considerably low and it's actual price also fits my budget exactly i.e. $999. I believe I'll still have to buy a controller separately and a better TV/Monitor, but that talk will come later.

So tell me guys, what do you think? Should I get the custom PC or should I consider a Steam Machine, specifically the Zotac one?

If you're not in favor of that Steam machine, which of the above mentioned component should I replace to cut down on the price without any noticeable performance downside.

I'll let others weigh in on the specific components, but for what it's worth, your custom PC can be a steam machine - you don't have to buy a pre-built steam machine. One thing to be aware of is that Steam OS (what a steam machine runs on) is a Linux distribution. I think that's great, but if you need Windows on the computer for some non-gaming purposes a Steam Machine might not be ideal (last I read, setting up a dual-boot machine with Steam OS isn't as easy as it normally would be with Ubuntu or something)

Easy, build your own PC. That looks like a great build but I heard mixed reviews about Krait mobo. You'd be better off getting Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 5.
Also you probably want a better PSU. Most of Corsair, EVGA, Antec & Seasonic units are solid.
Just avoid Corsair's CX and RM units.

If they don't drastically simplify Steam Machines, they are goning to go nowhere fast. The point of a console is simplicity (although, they are not nearly as simple as they used to be). Do offer so many choices.

@xantufrog I'm comfortable with software stuff, but don't have much experience with hardware. That is, if the machine comes pre-installed with SteamOS, I wouldn't hesitate to install Windows alongside it. Besides, that link says that the Zotac machine supports Windows easily. What I'm asking here is whether it's as good as the PC I'm building.

@insane_metalist What's wrong with the CX600 PSU? It's got the most reviews (I won't say 'best reviews' because I didn't read any of them). Anyways, how is this EVGA PSU:
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-80PLUS-Bronze-Certified-100-B1-0600-KR/dp/B00EON40CS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425754627&sr=8-2&keywords=600+w+power+supply And is 600W enough?
I don't think I'll be doing SLI for another 3 years. Even after that, I'll buy a better GPU instead of SLI.
And about the mobo, the one you suggested is a little too expensive, it won't fit the budget. I need to cut down prices where I can. What do you think of this mobo:
http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Motherboards-Z97-PC-MATE/dp/B00K23BW70/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1425754960&sr=8-6&keywords=z97+motherboard+lga+1150
and this one:
http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Motherboards-H97-PC-MATE/dp/B00K23BUEK/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1425754960&sr=8-15&keywords=z97+motherboard+lga+1150

It's really not fair to compare a steam machine to a custom ATX/MATX build.. These steam machines are suppose to be compact small with ITX boards, small custom cases, ITX graphics etc etc.. My main concern with these steam machines is that of cooling.. Some of the early releases of computers that were suppose to be steam machines have been having throttling problems due to poor cooling.. AMD/Nvidia imo need to work on steam machine tech when it comes to graphics cards.. Because basically what we have been seeing is laptop graphics cards in said machines (which isn't very cost effective) or mid range cards that may have cooling problem due to lack of air flow..

EVGA 600B is a pretty alright PSU. I have one in my other build and it's been going strong for almost a year and a half.

You're better off with one of these mobos (in your price range). Also, you want a Z97 mobo not H97 with 4690K. Z97 + 4690K allows great overclocking.

ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer

ASRock Z97 Extreme3

Gigabyte Z97-D3H

Edit: To answer your question: 600W is an overkill for your build. Your system would be using around 350W.

Just a few quick suggestions and as above you could probably save a bit with the PSU as well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182200

If you want to go cheaper..

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128715

If you want to stay in the same price but get better.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157501&cm_re=z97-_-13-157-501-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487076&cm_re=evga_gtx_970-_-14-487-076-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2W02KJ5977

@insane_metalist: Actually, 600W isn't going to be an overkill. I'm planning on later installing an SSD and maybe more RAM in the future, so what do you say? I tried the PSU calculator and it landed somewhere near 530 W.

And I asked about two 2 motherboards which are much cheaper than the ones you suggested:

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Motherboards-Z97-PC-MATE/dp/B00K23BW70/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1425754960&sr=8-6&keywords=z97+motherboard+lga+1150

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Motherboards-H97-PC-MATE/dp/B00K23BUEK/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1425754960&sr=8-15&keywords=z97+motherboard+lga+1150

What do you think of them? If they're not good enough, then I'll get into the $120-140 price range.

Another question: Is 16GB RAM an overkill? I read it in many posts...

@leeuwenhok: SSD adds like 5W and RAM about same. So your system would be around 350W total. For gaming all you need is 8GB just go with ASRock Z97 Extreme3 or Extreme4. It will plenty for your needs.

If you count the monitor, keyboard and mouse plus your shipping estimate, your probably looking at 1300 dollars. Tried to cut a few corners that some on here won't like, lol. However I was trying to go low while keeping build quality as good as possible. Counting the Optical drive, case, cpu cooler and OS.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/WkkPLk 1086..44 before rebates and 1008.44 w rebates. That's not counting keyboard, mouse, monitor or shipping..

Granted if you wait till the holidays, you can probably build that same pc for 700 dollars.

The steam machine (steambox) will be a cheap, accessable and customisable Gaming computer, while it is better for a person who is not looking to build his own pc an advanced PC player will most likely make his own because they know what they need for a PC.

If I get 8 GB RAM instead of 16 GB now, what would I have to do in order to upgrade it to 16 GB later? And should I buy 1 stick of 8 GB or 2 sticks of 4 GB?

And when I do upgrade from 8 GB to 16 GB, would I have to discard the 8 GB already present in my system and buy 16 GB from scratch or will the new RAM be compatible with the existing one?

If your motherboard have 4 slots, use the 8gb (2 x 4gb) on two slots. Buy two identical 2 x 4gb sticks later on.

If your motherboard only have 2 slots, then... yeah. You'll need to replace the 2 x 4gb sticks with 2 x 8gb ones.

Can you either post working links or makes/models so we don't have to copy and paste 10 times to read a post?

@kraken2109 What links do you want me to update? I'll update the OP links as a start.

@jun_aka_pekto The motherboard has 4 slots, I think. But won't there be compatibility issues if I buy 2 RAM sticks of the same model and add 2 more sticks but of a different model?

Thanks, what you've done is what i wanted. If you make it quick and easy to read like that more people will help you.

Is it okay if I buy 2 4GB Corsair RAM sticks now and after an year or so buy 2 more 4 GB sticks which won't be of the exact model or from Corsair?

Won't there be compatibility issues?

I want to build a futureproof PC but that isn't fitting my budget. So I'm thinking of cutting down from 16GB RAM to 8GB, and later install another 8GB.

These steam machines can you use the internet and are they safe to buy things off websites like amazon etc like using normal windows?.

@skipper847: They use steam Os which is steams linux operating system. You can install windows if you wish and use it as a pc. But to be honest the steam machines are a complete joke, with a super high mark up in price/performance to the point that some of these machines are literally almost like robbing someone. Some are going for $1000 to $2000 that cam be built ranging from $500 to $850. Stay clear and build a pc or buy a decent laptop.

Your custom PC will need a case!

As far as the Zotac, it will likely be worse performing due to laptop components....and worse thermals than a standard PC. It might also mean the system will die sooner due to the heat.

As far as your build, here are a couple ideas - though I am not an expert, I just want to give you some direction...

1. How much wattage do you need for your PSU? I don't know, but if you don't need as much you can save money with a smaller Corsair PSU. PSU quality is important, but having way more power than you need is a waste.

2. Do you need 16 GB of Ram? 8 GB might be fine.

3. Do you need a i5 4690k? An i5 4690 might be cheaper, and I think you just can't overclock it.