ASRock DeskMeet X300 build significantly outperforms the Steam Machine for the same price

Originally envisioned as a compact console-like gaming PC, Valve's Steam Machine went from one of the most highly anticipated hardware releases of 2026 to one of the most controversial. The reason is simple: the price. Basically, Valve fell victim to the current climate of ever-more-expensive memory and storage, turning what could have been an affordable entry-level PC gaming solution into a $1,049 USD box with limited value.

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With its semi-custom 28 Compute Unit AMD RDNA 3 GPU with 8GB of VRAM being the equivalent of a Radeon RX 7600 graphics card, the value proposition seemingly goes out the window the moment the Steam Machine price gets close to $1,000 USD. Since then, we've seen many custom Steam Machine builds pop up online, with one of the most notable being a new entry from Hardware Unboxed.

This custom build, which uses the 8-liter ASRock DeskMeet X300 barebones mini PC as its foundation, cost the team $1,050 USD to put together, matching the same price as the entry-level Steam Machine with 512GB of storage.

Priced at around $190 USD, the DeskMeet X300 is one of ASRock's more affordable barebones mini PCs. With cooling, power, and motherboard included, Hardware Unboxed added an AMD Ryzen 5 5600 CPU, Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB GPU, 16GB of DDR4 memory, and 1TB of NVMe SSD storage to create a compact gaming rig.

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Naturally, with the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB, this build is significantly faster than the Steam Machine, supporting 60+ FPS gaming at 1440p with FSR Upscaling enabled. Although Hardware Unboxed couldn't source a Steam Machine for a direct comparison, it used data from Gamers Nexus and found that its "Steam Machine killer" was at least 70% faster in games like Black Myth Wukong.

That said, when Hardware Unboxed began testing the build, they noticed that the CPU temperature was hitting close to 100 degrees, with the GPU hot spot temperature not far behind. Not ideal, so with some BIOS-level tweaks and GPU undervolting, they dropped those temperatures to a more acceptable level while also creating a relatively quiet, compact gaming PC.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Question #1

What specific components did Hardware Unboxed add to the DeskMeet X300 to reach the $1,050 build total?

Hardware Unboxed added an AMD Ryzen 5 5600 CPU, a Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB GPU, 16GB of DDR4 memory, and a 1TB NVMe SSD to the ASRock DeskMeet X300 barebones mini PC.

Answered

Question #2

What real-world performance advantage did the DeskMeet X300 build show over the Steam Machine in games like Black Myth Wukong?

Hardware Unboxed found the DeskMeet X300 build to be at least 70% faster than the Steam Machine in games like Black Myth Wukong, based on Gamers Nexus data. The DeskMeet X300 system with a Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB also supported 60+ FPS gaming at 1440p with FSR upscaling.

Answered

Question #3

What GPU and VRAM configuration is used in the DeskMeet X300 build and how does that affect 1440p gaming with FSR?

The DeskMeet X300 build uses a Radeon RX 9060 XT with 16GB of VRAM. With that GPU and VRAM configuration, Hardware Unboxed found the build supports 60+ FPS gaming at 1440p when using FSR upscaling.

Answered

Question #4

What thermal issues did Hardware Unboxed observe on the DeskMeet X300 build and where were the hotspots?

Hardware Unboxed observed the CPU temperature hitting close to 100 degrees Celsius, with the GPU hotspot temperature not far behind. The hotspots were on the CPU and the GPU hotspot sensor.

Answered

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The full breakdown covers both Windows and SteamOS gaming on the custom build, focusing on Cyberpunk 2077, Forza Horizon 6, Black Myth Wukong, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, and Lego Batman. Check it out in full below.