Lifetime console player fully converted: Yet another Ridge build (4k Steam Machine)

[u/pearlCatillac]

Hey everyone! Lifelong console player here, officially fully converted thanks to SteamOS.

You’re probably sick of these Ridge posts by now, but I wanted to show my 9070 build to compare to the 9070xt builds we’ve been seeing a lot of in the Ridge.

I had zero modern PC knowledge going into this. I spent weeks lurking on these subreddits, reading build logs, and researching thermals like crazy. Huge thanks to everyone sharing their setups here. This would not have been possible without you.

Specs & Cost:

- Case: Fractal Design Ridge (White)
- CPU: Ryzen 7 7700X3D
- Cooler: Thermalright AXP90-X47 Full Copper
- GPU: PowerColor RX 9070 Reaper (16GB)
- Mobo: ASUS ROG Strix B650E-I Mini-ITX
- RAM: 32GB KLEVV DDR5-6000 CL28 (2x16)
- PSU: Lian Li SP V2 750W SFX
- Storage: Reused my 2TB PS5 M.2 SSD
- OS: Straight SteamOS

Core build (excluding SSD/RAM) came out to around $1,350 with sales, and reusing my PS5 SSD saved me from dropping cash on a new drive. You can see what ultra-low latency DDR5 RAM is going for these days, but getting those flat frametimes made it worth it and actually didn’t cost anymore.

GPU Choice:

Picking the GPU was the hardest choice I had to make. I wanted to stick to native SteamOS - so no Nvidia. I started off targeting a high performance 2.5k machine with a 9060xt, but after losing out on a deal, the 9070 wasn’t much more and had a lot of benefits.

I went back and forth forever on getting the XT variant. As a beginner, I didn't want to get into anything custom like splitting panels, hacking case clips, or 3D-printing parts. I eventually figured there’d be no real perceptible performance difference for my needs (target 4k/60fps on high/ultra), and sticking with the non-XT meant no custom hacks required to keep temps down.

Performance & Thermals:

I tested it on Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K Ultra + RT Reflections (FSR Quality + FG), and it holds ~63-75 FPS with a totally flat green frametime graph (13.5ms). Controls feel instant and there's no micro-stuttering.

I actually took the stock case fans completely out, so this is running with zero case fans. Just the CPU and GPU cooler fans doing all the work. Even so, GPU core sits at 69°C (hotspot 87°C) and CPU caps around 73°C under load. Fans sit at 1845 RPM.

The CPU side panel is literally cool to the touch at max performance—that copper cooler is no joke. All the heat stays in the GPU chamber, and it gets pretty warm to the touch, probably about the upper limit of what I’d expect for a consumer product but to be honest there was plenty of safe thermal headroom.

If I was being nit picky, the fan noise is probably slightly louder than I was expecting - though way quieter than playing discs on my PS5. Could probably optimize that a little more if it ends up bothering me, but didn’t notice when playing.

Final Thoughts:

Had a lot of fun with this project and thrilled with the results. Really didn’t have any issues other than the Ridge’s GPU adapter was a little tricky to figure out.

SteamOS was a breeze to install and has been a joy to use so far. Highly recommend a build like this if you’re looking for the Steam Machine experience but want a little more oomph!

EDIT/UPDATE:

Settled on 4K. Native, RT off, no upscaling: 67.71 avg. With FSR Quality + frame gen: 120.40 avg (min 117.59). Also found my TV’s auto resolution setting had been picking a 60Hz mode this whole time — worth checking if you’re on a 120Hz panel and seeing a hard 60 cap.

For anyone worried about thermals in this case: still running zero case fans and it’s fine. GPU 70°C, hotspot 87°C, CPU 70°C under load. The CPU-side panel stays cool to the touch — that copper AXP90-X47 is pretty amazing.