Steam machine / gaming PC

[runam0k]

Has anyone seen this form factor before?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jetpack/g-pack-the-high-performance-stealth-gaming-machine

Not the cheapest - and Kickstarter doesn't take bitcoins - but I'm thinking of getting one to attach to the back of my main TV.

Any other interesting form factors out there?  Are Steam machines a thing yet?  (I'll be moving over from Xbox, so it's all new to me.)

[cooldgamer]

$1700 for the lowest version?!  You could custom build a system for half of that with much better specs.  Being small is worth nowhere near that much

[VistaSharpie]

$1700 for the lowest version?!  You could custom build a system for half of that with much better specs.  Being small is worth nowhere near that much

Yeah I agree.  The only people who can really get away with selling prebuilt machines are Apple and laptop manufacturers

[llanillo]

$1700 for the lowest version?!  You could custom build a system for half of that with much better specs.  Being small is worth nowhere near that much

+1 They just want money this is like alienware machines... with that money you can build a better machine

[runam0k]

Agree there's a heavy premium but it's for the VESA mountable form factor and thermal design/low volume, no?  Anyone can build a massive tower that sounds like a jet engine and sits menacingly next to the TV.

[vm1990]

easy way around it. ask yourself why are pc cases so big?

PSU and GPUs

buy a nice powerful slim PSU and a PCI-e raiser that way you can mount everything sideways. build or buy a slim case (empty cheap 1u case is fine) cheap because there normally lighter. mount everything in it flat and any 32" or bigger tv can hide it, added bonus drill a couple holes in the server case and you can mount it to the tv using the wall mount holes. takes about a day to do it right.

simple rules make sure everything is mounted securely and well cooled use an ITX board and youll have plenty of room.

[dropt]

$495 for what is essentially a modified 1U rackmount case?

What a joke.

[malaimult]

it's a great idea but heavily overpriced.

i rather just spend a fraction and use a standard matx or mitx chassis put under my tv. this is very fancy though

[bathrobehero]

If any PC gamer contemplating Steam machines, this is kind of a must watch.

Regarding prebuilts, custom builds are virtually always cheaper - if you know what you're doing or willing to spend the time doing your research.