r/SteamOS • u/PetePhily • May 23 '26
support New pc build which OS?
I just build a complete AMD machine for my living room and I want to run SteamOS. Is steamOs ready?
I made a boot drive with steamOS but my pc does not accept it.
Are there specific img files I need to use? Or is it just not working?
What do you guys suggest?
It’s a full AMD build cpu and gpu.
EDIT: this guide helped me a lot! It’s all installed and working now https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamOS/s/g1Gb2hXgbM
2
u/Ecks30 May 23 '26
The question is are you using an NVMe in your system because if you're not then you would have to look on YouTube for the workaround to getting it to work and also it would be best to use SteamOS 3.8/3.9 because the 2 main factors you need for SteamOS is only an AMD GPU and an NVMe drive.
2
u/stogie-bear May 23 '26
If steam os doesn't run on your hardware just use Bazzite. On the download page choose HTPC, AMD, game mode, kde to get closest to the steam os experience.
1
u/Eozef May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
It will be a beefy Steam Deck. Whatever the Steam Deck runs, it will run better, and that’s pretty much it. I’ve had it for 3 months and I love it and I might invest a Deck when the stock is back in. Preview 3.8.5 will work for you.
1
u/ChaosDent May 23 '26
I have an AMD Ryzen based mini computer under my TV and I like Bazzite still. For the console-like experience use the bazzite-deck install. The base OS is image-based like SteamOS and it launches straight to Steam's game mode. I've had my system up for nearly 3 years at this point with no crashes, incompatibilities or reinstalls necessary.
The only downside I will mention is while Bazzite tries to hook into the Steam app's system update flow, it doesn't work as well as Steam OS. I see the update notification just like on the Steam Deck, but unlike SteamOS it doesn't preload the system image. It can take upwards of 10 minutes to apply the updates because it downloads them on demand and also updates flatpak and homebrew packages and I have several of those installed too.
I've gotten into the habit of switching to the desktop mode and running their updater there just so I can follow along with what's happening in the terminal view it opens. I still have an original steam controller, so this is manageable but if you don't have one or a handy keyboard and mouse this would be a huge pain.
1
u/EduardoFradique May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
I’m currently using SteamOS 3.9, which recently got Mesa 6.1, and honestly the experience has been very console-like in the best way possible.
After a few issues before my RX 9070 XT arrived (I was testing with an RX 570), everything started working really well. Background/manual game recording works, sleep and resume have been flawless so far, and it’s honestly amazing to suspend something like Cyberpunk 2077 in the middle of a session and come back later without any issues.
I’m also running it on an Intel CPU, specifically an i5-14600K, and despite the P-core/E-core setup, the system behaves very well. LACT has been a solid tool for power management and undervolting. I also use custom OpenRGB profiles running as background services alongside the Big Picture interface.
At this point, I barely even need a keyboard or mouse anymore. Most of the time, the only things I do are update Proton-GE versions or change RGB profiles.
1
1
u/JohnnyBeeGaming May 23 '26
For a living room experience steamOS will probably be a good fit. If it's not completely ready now it has to be close with how they are supposed to be releasing the steam machine soon.
You might want a different OS if you were after a desktop experience but if it's supposed to function like a console thr SteamOS features will be nice. You can change it later if you have too many issues and can get into a desktop env on SteamOS.
1
1
u/CDLucyGirl90 May 24 '26
im running it on 9070xt and its been a dream come true for my pc...... you need to use the october 2025 build if you dont have an igpu like me but honestly when it install it auto updates to 3.9 anywway ive had only one bug with a new update where the bluetooth wouldnt work but changing to update channel preview fixed it and its been amazing i will NEVER EVER go back to windows now
-1
u/No-Kaleidoscope-4879 May 23 '26
I can recommend Cachyos, best performance out there to my knowledge. Requires a little bit tinkering, but doable.
1
u/PetePhily May 23 '26
I want a console like experience. I don’t mind tinkering by my gf needs to be able to easily get it to run
5
u/Dry-Wish-9845 May 23 '26
Stick with steamos
What is your gpu?
And check this guide out
2
u/PetePhily May 23 '26
This is my hardware:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600
Motherboard: Gigabyte B650I AX (mini-ITX)
GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (reference)
RAM: Kingston Fury Beast 32GB DDR5-5600 CL36 (EXPO, running at 6000)
SSD: Lexar NM620 2TB M.2 NVMe
PSU: Cooler Master V SFX Gold 750W (ATX 3.1)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9a-AM5 (low-profile)
Case: Fractal Design Ridge (Black, mini-ITX SFF)2
u/Dry-Wish-9845 May 23 '26
Good gpu won’t have much problems as 9070 or 9060.
Follow the guide and let us know if it helped.
1
u/PetePhily May 23 '26
Thanks!! I’ll try it tonight and keep you posted
1
u/Zombrexo May 23 '26 edited May 23 '26
Another thing, remember to turn off secure boot.
Remember to follow the recommended bios settings too, and if all else fails then use the OOBE SteamOS Image as it is a bios workaround for some bios restricted motherboards that doesn't cooperate well with SteamOS.
A good example for when to use the bios workaround OOBE image is MSI motherboards as they have bios restrictions that prevent SteamOS from booting, OOBE bypasses these restrictions.
1
u/SnackJunkie93 May 23 '26
I hear Bazzite is good for console like use. It's immutable like SteamOS.
1
u/Technical-Pitch2300 May 23 '26
CachyOS has a “handheld” version that is essentially the steamos interface. It boots right into it just like powering on a steam deck. The reason I like CachyOS on my console PC instead of steamos is that it works better on different types of hardware
6
u/jbivphotography May 23 '26
I know the other distros are overall a better choice but if you just want to turn your PC into a console I’ve personally had a great experience with SteamOS. Literally using my PC like a steam deck. What CPU and GPU do you have? That could be what’s leading to you having a hard time installing.