• 2 min read
Windows 11 vs SteamOS on Steam Machine shows mixed results
ETA PRIME tested Valve’s Steam Machine with Windows 11 and SteamOS. CPU benchmarks favored Windows, while 3D and gaming results were much closer.
Image: iXBT
Valve’s Steam Machine can run either SteamOS or Windows 11, and a new comparison from ETA PRIME suggests the choice comes down to workload and resolution rather than a clear overall winner.
The YouTube creator, who recently tested a Ryzen AI Halo mini PC with SteamOS as a kind of Steam Machine alternative, has now tried Valve’s own device with Windows 11. According to the report, Valve not only allows users to change the operating system, but also provides drivers and has promised to add a Dual Boot feature later.
In CPU-focused benchmarks, Windows 11 came out ahead. The source says Geekbench showed noticeably higher multi-core performance under Windows, and Cinebench R24 showed a similar pattern, though with a smaller gap.
Graphics tests were tighter. In 3DMark, the difference ranged from 1.7% to 4.3%, with the advantage shifting between the two operating systems depending on the resolution. Games showed much the same trend: performance was usually separated by only a few percentage points either way.
The biggest gaming gap appeared at 4K, where Windows had the edge. Overall, the results suggest users can install Windows 11 on a Steam Machine without major drawbacks, though doing so makes it behave more like a standard mini PC than the console-style system Valve ships out of the box.
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Culture Editor
Maya explores gaming, streaming, and the internet as a place where people actually live. From deep-dives into creator economies to the anthropology of digital communities, she tracks platform drama and cultural shifts so you don't have to. She believes the best tech stories are fundamentally about human behavior.
via iXBT
