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Valve emphasised from the outset that the Steam Machine is a fully-fledged PC on which users can install any operating system. Once official drivers for Windows 11 were released, the first detailed tests comparing Microsoft's system with SteamOS appeared. Benchmarks carried out by ETA Prime show that both systems offer very similar performance. In some applications Windows has the edge, while in others SteamOS performs better. The differences are usually small and often fall within a few percentage points. The results suggest that the choice of system can be based primarily on personal preference rather than purely on performance.
Windows 11 performs very well on the new Steam Machine
Testing shows that installing Windows 11 on the Steam Machine proceeds without major complications. After installing the official drivers all components work correctly and the system recognises the hardware without problems. Interestingly, the integrated graphics is detected as an AMD Radeon RX 7600 both in Windows Task Manager and in the AMD Adrenalin software. The tested unit was fitted with 64 GB of RAM, which may have had a small impact on the results. In the Geekbench 6 benchmark Windows scored about 22% higher in the multicore test than SteamOS. In the single-thread test both systems achieved almost identical results. Differences also appeared in Cinebench 2024, where the machine scored 99 points in the single-core test and 554 points in the multicore test. Although the results do not match those of higher-performance desktop CPUs or Apple M1 Max chips, they show the device easily handles typical tasks. Official support for Windows means users can run apps and games unavailable on SteamOS. This significantly expands the new Steam Machine’s capabilities.
In games, Windows and SteamOS trade the lead
The test results in games are even more interesting. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider Windows proved marginally faster at 1080p and pulled ahead of SteamOS more clearly at 4K, while at 1440p Valve's system had a slight advantage. Cyberpunk 2077 showed the opposite, with SteamOS delivering better performance at both 1080p and 1440p. At 4K neither system, however, provided smooth gameplay, reaching around 18 to 20 frames per second. Very close results were also recorded in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, where one system's lead was usually only a few per cent. This means that the choice of operating system does not significantly affect performance in most games. SteamOS still offers the benefits of a lightweight environment and integration with the Steam platform. By contrast, Windows provides greater compatibility with apps, launchers and software outside Valve's ecosystem. As a result, users can choose the solution that best meets their needs without fear of a clear performance loss. The tests show that the Steam Machine remains a versatile PC regardless of the operating system selected.
The latest benchmarks confirm that Windows 11 runs on a Steam Machine almost as well as SteamOS. Both systems achieve very similar results in games, with the lead sometimes going to Windows and sometimes to SteamOS. Thanks to Valve's official drivers, users can run either system without significant problems and choose the one that best meets their expectations.
source: techpowerup
