- Valve has said that every Steam Machine has one stick of 16GB RAM
- This is a correction to a previous statement in which Valve engineers indicated that some models had two 8GB sticks
- There's no 'RAM configuration lottery' then, but Valve may switch to dual sticks in the future — and that could be another reason to hold fire on a purchase for some
We've heard more about the Steam Machine's RAM configuration, and I've got to wonder if the latest details spilled might convince more gamers to hold off purchasing the living room gaming PC for now.
The Verge reports that Valve has come forward to clarify to Gamers Nexus that every Steam Machine has a single stick of 16GB of system memory.
Valve said: "We misspoke here – all units will actually have one 16GB stick of RAM."
In an interview with the YouTube channel previously, Valve engineers had indicated that there were two possible configurations with its gaming PC: either two 8GB RAM sticks, or one 16GB module (with the latter being more prevalent).
This requires a little explanation if you missed it, as there's a subtle difference between these configurations. In both cases, you are still getting 16GB of memory, but when split into two 8GB sticks you're receiving the benefit of dual-channel memory (the RAM sticks working in parallel).
Therefore gamers were miffed that they didn't know what they'd get in their Steam Machine, and if they'd get the boost from the dual-channel configuration or not (although there's more to this argument, and also a benefit of having a single stick, which I'll come back to momentarily).
At any rate, this is now all a moot point, although things could be different down the line, as in its most recent statement, Valve added: "It's possible that this might change in future builds, but the units that customers are currently signing up for will all come with one 16GB stick of RAM."
Valve actually wanted to use the configuration of two sticks of 8GB for the Steam Machine, and the reason it didn't is because the company simply couldn't source the supply levels needed – hence the switch to more plentiful 16GB modules. So, when procuring 8GB memory sticks is less of a problem, Valve will be going this route.
Analysis: a better upgrade path vs dual-channel boosts
As mentioned, there are pros and cons to both RAM configurations. If you have a pair of 8GB sticks, you get a performance boost from the dual-channel setup as noted. However, the catch is that the frame rate increase in many scenarios is not that much, and Valve argues it isn't noticeable in the main with DDR5 RAM – and I get that argument, it's fair enough.
However, as I discussed earlier this week, there are scenarios where there may be a sizeable enough performance difference, particularly away from 4K resolution, or with games which are taxing on the CPU (and concerns around additional stutter are a thorny extra issue here, too).
For me, this means that a one stick configuration is suboptimal, and I know if I was buying a Steam Machine, this setup would bug me somewhat.
That said, as some gamers are pointing out, the advantage of a single 16GB stick is that it offers room for an upgrade. This is because there are two RAM slots in the Steam Machine, and if you have a pair of 8GB modules, both are filled. Want to upgrade? You need to buy a pair of 16GB sticks and get rid of the 8GB modules (you could sell them second-hand).
On the other hand, with a single 16GB stick, all you need to do is buy a (matching) 16GB module to slot in next to it (as you have an empty slot). Therefore you're only paying for one 16GB stick rather than two (minus what you get back for selling the 8GB modules in the latter case). That's a pretty handy benefit for those who envisage topping up their Steam Machine to be a 32GB PC in the future, when games demanding that loadout become increasingly common.
However, I see a couple of issues here. Firstly, it's a fairly common scenario that people buy a PC with the intention of upgrading the RAM, and never actually bother. It's a nice idea, but then procrastination sets in, and before you know it, the device is on the way out anyway, and you're looking for a new one.
Secondly, compounding this – and reinforcing any procrastination – is the fact that it's not easy to make the RAM upgrade with the Steam Machine. Well-intentioned upgraders may be put off when they discover that you must yank out a bunch of stuff to get to the memory slots, which really isn't ideal.
I'm not sure how many gamers really will benefit from the better upgrade path to 32GB realistically, then, with the single 16GB setup – while it's clear enough what the (no effort) gains are with a pair of 8GB sticks.
So, knowing that two 8GB modules may well be the default configuration in the future – as it was always supposed to be – my thought is that this is another reason to wait on a Steam Machine. Further consider that, as Tom's Hardware flagged, we just learned that the Steam Machine was originally shaping up to be priced at or just under the $750 mark in the US, before the RAM crisis fully kicked in and threw the bill-of-materials (cost of the components) out of whack.
Now I'm wondering how many gamers, seeing that original target price of sub-$750, and these fresh details about the RAM configuration, are feeling that they'd rather wait it out and buy a Steam Machine when the PC comes back down towards its target price, running with a pair of 8GB sticks.
All this certainly seems to have introduced an increased level of reluctance for would-be buyers. As one Redditor puts it: "The more I hear, the more I want to keep my money." Although granted, in that thread, others are saying they're pleased to get a single stick of 16GB for the mentioned future upgrade reasons – I'm just not convinced this will apply to many buyers out there, versus the benefits of dual-channel.
Whatever the case, there's definitely an argument that exercising some patience, and holding off purchasing for the time being, could pay off with the Steam Machine eventually. Of course, there's always the option of building your own version of Valve's gaming PC, which is another route that some folks may well be considering as an alternative.
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