- There's a hidden twist with the configuration of the Steam Machine's RAM
- Most devices have a single 16GB stick, but some have a pair of 8GB modules
- A single or dual configuration may not make much difference in many cases, but it can in some scenarios — and some gamers really aren't happy about this
You may be aware that the Steam Machine has 16GB of RAM, but what you may not know is that it's likely present as a single stick of 16GB DDR5 memory, rather than the preferable configuration of twin 8GB sticks — although you may get the latter.
Confused? I'll come back to that wrinkle in a moment, but in the main, it seems most Steam Machines have the single 16GB loadout, which as Digital Foundry explains is due to Valve having difficultly securing 8GB sticks of memory.
As Steam Machine engineers Pierre-Loup Griffais and Yazan Aldehayyat said in an interview: "It was quite literally impossible to buy 8GB [sticks], at least at the quantities we're looking to buy mostly because everybody wants higher storage, and that's more profitable, so all the capacity shifted to that."
In short, it was either go with 16GB sticks for the most part — which were in more plentiful supply — or shelve the Steam Machine project.
Why is a pair of 8GB RAM modules better? Because it makes use of dual-channel memory — essentially both sticks working in parallel — for a performance boost, which you obviously can't get with just one stick. So, your next question is likely to be: how much of a difference is there?
A dual-channel setup is nothing like twice as performant for gaming, of course, but there is a (situational) boost, although Valve's engineers argue that, by and large, it's not a noticeable one with DDR5 memory.
Aldehayyat says that these two configurations (single or dual) are "pretty comparable" in actual games, as opposed to certain benchmarks where weaknesses may show up in a more pronounced way for the single stick.
In fairness to Valve, it's true that in a lot of gaming scenarios with the Steam Machine, having all your DDR5 RAM in one block won't make any real difference, at least not one that's noticeable in terms of the smoothness of your gaming experience. That's especially true at higher resolutions where the likes of 4K puts much of the workload on the shoulders of the GPU.
However, in games which are more demanding on the CPU, that's less true, and you may find that the single stick configuration is a drag on performance, possibly hitting you with more stutter (dropping to much lower frame rates more often).
As Digital Foundry points out, an increasing number of games tax the CPU, notably heavyweight open-world titles such as Crimson Desert, or the likes of Baldur's Gate 3 or Cities: Skylines.
Analysis: single or dual lottery — although there's actually a benefit to the latter, too
Let's return to the RAM lottery twist I mentioned at the outset, which is that as explained by Griffais in a separate Gamers Nexus video (which was flagged by Wccftech), some Steam Machines have a pair of 8GB sticks (if this memory was available in certain regions at the time of production — and it doesn't sound like it was in many cases).
There could be an upside to the single 16GB loadout, mind you, and that's if you intend to upgrade the RAM in the future. With a spare memory slot, you can buy another 16GB stick to easily double up to 32GB down the line — but if you have two 8GB sticks, that can't be done (you'll need to buy two 16GB modules, and entirely replace the existing ones, at a greater cost).
So, if you're worried about all this, should you be opening your Steam Machine to check your RAM configuration, with a view to switching to a pair of 8GB sticks if you have a single 16GB module (while selling the latter)? I don't think that's a great idea, because for starters, Digital Foundry makes it clear that getting to the RAM and replacing it "requires significant disassembly of the machine", and possible risks therein. It's certainly not something a relative tech novice will want to attempt, and honestly, the performance upside of switching to a dual-channel setup (if you have a single RAM stick) is not really worth all the hassle.
Overall, this is a less-than-ideal situation, between the single stick performance catch, and the RAM lottery aspect where you can't tell what hand you'll be dealt with your Steam Machine.
Unfortunately, Valve hasn't had much choice in the matter thanks to the memory crisis. Ruling out using dual sticks in some cases would, of course, have limited supply further, when the situation is already bad enough to have forced the price of the entry-level Steam Machine over a grand.
So, once again, thanks to the giant memory hoover that is AI, PC buyers are getting the short end of the RAM stick (to put it politely).
Predictably, many gamers aren't happy to learn about this. One Redditor complains: "This is absolutely awful. They've done the thing that sh***y prebuilds do, which is have a single stick in single channel memory which affects CPU performance."
Another deflated Redditor simply states: "This whole Steam Machine is the most depressing thing for me in the last 7 months. It's officially DOA."
If this puts you off the Steam Machine even more coming on top of the steep MSRP pinned on the device, you may want to consider buying an alternative PC in the sales or indeed building your own, which to be fair to Valve, is something it's encouraging.
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