$425 Steam Machine Clone

[Tupac]

One of my friends is making the switch to pc gaming and wants something he can play from his bed, so I want to set him up with a Steamos and Ubuntu machine. I've never gamed on Ubuntu so I want so feed back on which parts i should get. I'm buying from a reliable source for used parts, so take 20-40% off retail when considering cost. I was planning on doing a xeon 1231v3 + R9 280x build with bargin bin RAM and storage along with a 600w Supernova G2 Gold PSU and a cheap mobo since his ass won't be oc'ing.

[ShadowCaptain]

One of my friends is making the switch to pc gaming and wants something he can play from his bed, so I want to set him up with a Steamos and Ubuntu machine. I've never gamed on Ubuntu so I want so feed back on which parts i should get. I'm buying from a reliable source for used parts, so take 20-40% off retail when considering cost. I was planning on doing a xeon 1231v3 + R9 280x build with bargin bin RAM and storage along with a 600w Supernova G2 Gold PSU and a cheap mobo since his ass won't be oc'ing.

 

Without knowing the prices its almost impossible to recommend anything to fit into the budget, but what you said seems a deceint idea

 

id go for like a cheap locked i5, h81 board etc

 

 

could always get the alienware alpha, its $450 with steam os instealled though the build you said would be more powerful

 

 

r

[PlayStation 2]

860K+R9 285 is bae

[Tupac]

Why Xeon?

Doesn't carry a premium, I think I can get one for $140.

[Tupac]

Without knowing the prices its almost impossible to recommend anything to fit into the budget, but what you said seems a deceint idea

 

id go for like a cheap locked i5, h81 board etc

 

 

could always get the alienware alpha, its $450 with steam os instealled though the build you said would be more powerful

My issue is more compatibility, i don't want to give him an R9 290 if it runs horribly on linux.

[ShadowCaptain]

My issue is more compatibility, i don't want to give him an R9 290 if it runs horribly on linux.

 

I would probably go Nvidia if dealing with Linux and steam OS etc

 

real quick example with nvidia

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($172.89 @ OutletPC) 

Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($42.89 @ OutletPC) 

Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($34.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($44.89 @ OutletPC) 

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB Superclocked Video Card  ($170.99 @ NCIX US) 

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($47.99 @ Micro Center) 

Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  ($44.99 @ Amazon) 

Total: $559.63

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-05 12:21 EST-0500

[The_Stig]

I would advise against AMD of steam OS becasue AMD's linux drivers are horrendous. 

[Tupac]

I would probably go Nvidia if dealing with Linux and steam OS etc

Didn't Linus Torvalds publicly state "fuck nvidia" in one of his conferences?

[The_Stig]

Didn't Linus Torvalds publicly state "fuck nvidia" in one of his conferences?

yes, but the current steam OS benchmarks show 290x's getting beat by 750s and 950 crushing R9 Furys

[ShadowCaptain]

Didn't Linus Torvalds publicly state "fuck nvidia" in one of his conferences?

 

He did, but AMD is fucked up on steam os right now 

[Tupac]

yes, but the current steam OS benchmarks show 290x's getting beat by 750s

That's disappointing, so I guess the real question is Kepler or Maxwell? I can get a 770 for $135, and a 780 for $200, or a 960 for $165 and a 970 for $245.