SteamBox – Building Your Own HTPC Gaming System

Introduction

There has been a lot of talk in the last year about SteamBox, but at the end of 2014, very little, if anything was shown that really brought this into the hands of consumers. There’s a few systems from system integrators such as iBuyPower and CyberPower that are designed “like” a SteamBox, but Valve have yet to put their official units to market.

Now let’s not get carried away, because chances are that you’re reading this article from a PC, or that you at least own a PC. If you own a PC, congratulations! You own a SteamBox. All SteamBox is, is some clever marketing for a gaming PC, the main difference being the operating system. Valve have been working on their own version of Linux that essentially boots to Steam instead of a normal desktop, much in the same way an Xbox One boots to a dashboard rather than Windows; this is something you can achieve yourself.

I want to game on the big screen!

If you’re eager to break away from your desk and start gaming in the living room, or any other room of the house for that matter, then you’ve likely been enticed by the SteamBox concept. The HTPC gaming system market is booming right now and while there are great systems out there, it can be great fun building your own.

You’ll need to pick the right hardware for your budget, while also trying to balance things such as system heat and acoustics; this rig is going to be in your living room after all. Fortunately, we’ve already tested a bunch of chassis’ for this very task, which you can check out here in our Best Chassis For Steambox feature. Today, let’s see if we can get plenty of bang for our buck with a budget of around £800.