This week's hottest game isn't a robotic extraction shooter or a buggy martial arts RPG, but Guess Steam engine Price: a well-intentioned (though largely speculative) time guide, in which the one who converts most accurately Valve mocks at the final retail price for the revived SteamOS mini PC. In 2026 when it launches.
I'm feeling left out so I'll try it myself, although there's a pretty serious flaw in my or anyone else's plan to buy a Steam Machine ticket by choosing the equivalent homebrew PC. Unfortunately, RAM prices have skyrocketed, something not seen among computer components since the Great Graphics Card Dumpster Fire of 2020.
As then, so now, the reason is an industry-wide deficit, only this time provoked by – you again – artificial intelligence. In short, AI data centers are rapidly expanding, gobbling up memory capacity and leaving meager RAM supplies for consumer PC builds. What remained, mostly from October, but especially last week, was covered with obscene inscriptions: this unremarkable Decisive 32GB DDR5 memory a set, for example, cost 88 pounds a month ago. Now it's 206 pounds. Standard Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB? In September it was 100 pounds, now yours is only for £350. This premium 64GB kit was already priced at £210 back in September and is now £210. £557 – over RTX 5070, basic PS5 or 1011 packs of M&S Extra Cream Bourbon biscuits. 1011! Makes me sick.
OEMs can make large purchases and have enough RAM modules to maintain production, perhaps for months, while shortages are expected to persist. But those who haven't stockpiled spare parts will eventually feel the crunch – Microsoft allegedly considering the possibility of another price increase for its Xbox Series X/S consoles to cover higher memory costs.
None of this bodes well for the Steam Machine. In the worst case scenario, Valve would have to pay a premium for its DDR5 modules (these are smaller DIMMs for laptops rather than desktops, but the type in question still seems affected) and increase the price of the machine to compensate. At best, they have enough memory from pre-crisis times for a more affordable launch. But at some point, those supplies will run out, and Valve will have to choose between shipping more Steam Machines with that AI tax or waiting until those digital shelves become overgrown with cobwebs.
However, at the moment, no one knows what the situation will be at the beginning of 2026, including probably Valve itself. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising if fluctuating parts prices were one of the reasons they didn't just announce the prices for the Steam Machine, Steam controllerAnd Steam frame as part of the initial disclosure. In any case, I wouldn't put too much weight on someone's price estimates for a Steam Machine just because they added up the cost of a similar homebrew PC.
In any case, here's my estimate of the cost of a Steam Machine based on the cost of a similar homebrew PC. I specifically look for parts that closely match those of the Steam Machine. performancebased on my testing at Valve HQ last month, and this is not necessary specifications on paper. Partly because it has what appears to be a custom laptop processor, and no one would bother putting something like that into a DIY desktop computer.
- Happening: A3 mATX Wood Edition (£60)
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (£162)
- GPU: Zotac GeForce RTX 5050 Twin Edge (£219)
- RAM: Crucial DDR5 1×16 GB (£103Oh)
- SSD: WD Blue SN500 500 GB (£60)
- Motherboard: ASRock B650I Lightning WiFi ITX (£140)
- Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black (£30)
- BP: Corsair RM850e (£95)
- Total: £869
Hope this was helpful. It won't. But I hope.
