Does Windows 11 Beat SteamOS on Steam Machine in Gaming? The Truth in Numbers

The release of the necessary drivers by Valve to install Windows 11 on the Steam Machine has paved the way for direct comparisons between Microsoft's operating system and the original SteamOS.

The first tests were conducted by the ETA PRIME channel, which used a unit with upgraded memory from 16 GB to 64 GB of DDR5-5600. Under Windows, the custom six-core processor based on Zen 4 architecture is identified as "AMD 1772", while the 8 GB dedicated memory GPU is recognized as a solution from the Radeon RX 7600 series.

In synthetic tests, Windows 11 showed higher scores compared to SteamOS. In Geekbench 6, the advantage was 3.3% in the single-core test and 22.1% in the multi-core test. However, it is important to note that SteamOS was evaluated in desktop mode, a configuration that does not replicate the CPU's performance behavior in gaming mode, making the comparison not entirely homogeneous.

On Cinebench 2024, the processor achieved 99 points in single-core and 554 in multi-core, proving to be 5.3% faster than a Ryzen 5 5600X in the former case, but 14.1% slower in the latter. On the graphics front, 3DMark Time Spy returned a score of 9,245 points for the Steam Machine, compared to 10,310 obtained from a desktop configuration equipped with Ryzen 5 5600X and Radeon RX 7600.

In gaming, the two operating systems alternated victories depending on the title and resolution. In Cyberpunk 2077, the most marked difference was recorded at 1080p, with SteamOS at 74 FPS against 68 FPS for Windows 11; SteamOS maintained the advantage even at 1440p (45 vs. 43 FPS), while Windows prevailed at 4K with 20 FPS against 18.

In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the values remained very close across all tested resolutions: Windows led at 1080p with 120 FPS vs 118, and at 4K with 46 vs 44 FPS, while SteamOS scored 86 FPS at 1440p against 84 from Windows.

For Horizon Zero Dawn, the Windows version reached 59 FPS at 1080p and 28 FPS at 4K, compared to 58 and 26 FPS for SteamOS; at 1440p, however, SteamOS was ahead, albeit by just one frame per second. Overall, Windows prevailed in all three comparisons conducted at 4K, a resolution at which, it should be noted, none of the tested titles provided truly smooth performance without resorting to upscaling techniques.

Additional tests conducted only on Windows showed about 74 FPS in Forza Horizon 6 at 1440p with "High" settings and FSR disabled, over 70 FPS in Red Dead Redemption 2 under the same resolution and quality conditions, and a stable frame rate of 60 FPS in Mortal Kombat 1, again at 1440p High.

The comparison between SteamOS and Windows 11 on Steam Machine does not provide a clear verdict but rather confirms the complementary nature of the two solutions. The choice between the two platforms thus appears less as a question of absolute performance and more as an evaluation linked to user priorities: ease of use and optimized integration on one hand, flexibility and broader software compatibility on the other. Unfortunately, currently, dual booting is not possible.