tech
Testing shows why the Steam Machine’s 8GB of graphics RAM could be a problem
Valve has work to do on the software side—but some fixes are coming.
TL;DR
- The Steam Machine's 8GB of dedicated graphics RAM may limit performance in modern games.
- Testing shows 8GB GPUs perform worse on SteamOS compared to Windows 11, particularly at 1440p and with ray-tracing.
- Games like Cyberpunk 2077, Returnal, Forza Horizon 5, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla show performance degradation on SteamOS due to VRAM limits.
- Valve is actively working on improving VRAM management in SteamOS and Proton to address these issues.
- Unlike supported handhelds, the Steam Machine's fixed VRAM allotment makes memory management a critical factor.
- The goal is for 8GB GPUs to perform as well on SteamOS as they do on Windows.