Love it or hate it, the Steam Machine is an influential piece of hardware. While many have criticized the Steam Machine for its high price tag and mediocre performance, it comes as no surprise that people are already trying to copy Valve’s unique form factor. We have already covered the attempt by an AMD engineer, but now another rival has appeared on the scene, this time from France.
French hardware retailer LDLC has launched a direct competitor to Valve’s Steam Machine, and they’re not exactly being coy about it. The company briefly called it the “Stim Machine” before settling on the far blander name “PC Box,” though the original name has already stuck on the internet for obvious reasons. It looks like LDLC got some heat for using the “Stim Machine” name.
LDLC is offering the kit version for €999.95 unassembled, while a fully built and tested unit goes for €1,039, which matches the European price of Valve’s entry-level Steam Machine. So, the same price, but the hardware inside is significantly better, in my opinion.
LDLC’s main argument is the GPU. Valve’s Steam Machine runs a semi-custom RDNA 3 chip with 28 compute units, while the Stim Machine drops in a discrete RDNA 4 Radeon RX 9060 XT with 8GB of GDDR6 memory. That’s a full generation ahead of what Valve shipped, and RDNA 4 support means FSR 4 is on the table too. Valve is planning to bring FSR 4 to the Steam Machine too, but that is still some ways away.
The rest of the spec sheet is also a small upgrade over the Steam Machine. They have used an AMD Ryzen 5 8400F CPU with six cores, 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and a 500GB NVMe SSD. The CPU, in particular, is slightly better than what Valve has shipped, which was found to be equivalent to a Ryzen 5 7540U on Geekbench.
The case is a SilverStone SST-SG13B Sugo, which clocks in at 11.5 liters, compared to the Steam Machine’s 3.8 liters. That’s three times the volume, so if you were hoping to hide it behind your TV, you’ll need more real estate. Windows isn’t pre-installed either, though LDLC does include setup instructions for SteamOS. That might be fine for those who are a bit technical, but it’s a real barrier for anyone who just wants to plug in and play.
LDLC is also using Valve’s reservation lottery as a selling point, advertising the Stim Machine as available immediately without a waiting list or queue. The irony of the whole thing isn’t lost on anyone: despite taking shots at Valve’s hardware, LDLC is actively pointing customers toward SteamOS and Valve’s store, which is probably exactly what Valve wants. More hardware running SteamOS is a win for Valve, regardless of who made the box.
The Stim Machine is currently listed only on LDLC’s French website, with no international availability announced yet. It does have a 5 year warranty, which is being touted as a big selling point. I wouldn’t be surprised if more Steam Machine “competitors” pop up in the near future, and that’s a win for gamers.
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[PC Hardware Specialist]
Usman Saleem brings 8+ years of comprehensive PC hardware expertise to the table. His journey in the tech world has involved in-depth tech analysis and insightful PC hardware reviews, perfecting over 6+ years of dedicated work. Usman’s commitment to staying authentic and relevant in the field is underscored by many professional certifications, including a recent one in Google IT Support Specialization.
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