Specs For the Steambox!

I'm excited to announce that the specs of the Steam Machine has been released! And I must say, it's one powerful little guy.

Let's start off with the main component, the CPU.  At the very least, you're getting an i3, although it doesn't specify which model. But you have more options as well. These machines can also be packed with an i5-4570 or an i7-4770. That is simply amazing that they're providing Haswell chips in their systems.

Next is the other important thing to gamers and that is the graphics card. All the GPUs that can be selected are very respectable and will run most modern games on high settings. Again, starting from the minimum, is the GTX 660. The equivalent AMD card would be the HD Radeon 7870, which is what I currently have in my system. This means that even the lowest graphics card that Valve offers can still run Battlefield 3 on ultra settings, as long as its not bottle-necked by the CPU.  Next in line will be the GTX 760, which is equivalent to the HD Radeon 7950. This card will run most games at 60fps at the highest settings. For me, I would settle for this, but Valve even offers better options than this. The next great GPU is the GTX 780. If you really want to not upgrade for a while, this is a good option. But, I personally think the card is too expensive and I would settle for something less. Now for a real overkill on your system, Valve offers the NVidia Titan! Now this, is a BEAST of a card. If you need 6GB of video RAM, then by all means go right for it. You'll usually know if you need it or not though, so if you're not sure, then you don't need it. I would have liked to see some AMD options, but it's not the end of the world, considering NVidia is just as good if not better.

So that's all you can choose from for this Steam Machine. Other then that, every system comes with 16GB DDR3-1600 RAM, a 1TB/8GB Hybrid SSHD, an Internal 450W 80Plus Gold certified power supply, and a case that measures 12 x 12 x 2.9 inches.

So that's all there is to this machine. There will be 300 lucky people at the end of the year who get to experience the Steam Machine for free. Hopefully this will be a step forward in the console market, showing that it's possible to actually have a mini-PC in your living room instead of a console.