Steam-ish machine

Steam Machines' future is reported to be in peril as a result of delayed releases and Windows 10/Valve announcements (http://www.pcworld.com/article/2877281/why-the-steam-machine-revolution-may-fizzle-out-before-it-even-starts.html). However, my Steam(-ish) machine is here right now, and here's a report.

A quick recap: my linux (Ubuntu-based distro) HTPC sits in my lounge in ye-olde case (13 year old, Evesham X case), next to the television. I chose components to get a good balance between performance, low noise and low-power usage. The CPU is an AMD FX-8300 and GPU is an Nvidia GTX-650. This means the system can run games such as The Witcher 2, and Metro Last Light at medium/high settings, yet can be left running 24/7 without high power usage and too much noise (HDD soon to be replaced by SDD, and GPU fan to be replaced, which should reduce noise to practically inaudible).

Steam for Linux is installed on this PC, and runs absolutely fine in Desktop mode. However, Big Picture Mode frequently crashes, usually when viewing video, so I rarely go into Big Picture Mode, which is a problem, as Desktop mode is so hard to read on my television from about 8ft away. This is a real shame as Big Picture mode's layout is very good as part of a living room PC. Big Picture Mode also seems to be very resource-hungry, even after lauching a game; so much so, that when launching Metro or The Witcher 2 from BPM, the frame rate is so low the game is unplayable. Switching to Desktop mode and launching those same games resolves the issue.

I use an Xbox 360 wired gamepad to play most games now. Any games that require mouse and keyboard, particularly FPS, range from virtually impossible to slightly clunky with a Logitech K400 keyboard, as it has a trackpad, and a small one at that. Fortunately, most WASD games I've seen being released on Steam these days, support gamepads.

So what is the experience like compared to dedicated gaming consoles? Well, I'm sorry to say, that whilst I get on well enough with Steam Desktop version (as long as I sit close enough to read text!), Big Picture Mode just doesn't feel as sound as I'd like it to be. Admittedly, my machine is configured to do a lot more than just run Steam, but when I trim down running processes to test Steam I still come across the same issues; the main ones being Big Picture Mode crashing, and its resource-hogging. Once these are resolved, I would be quite happy to boot into Steam BPM by default.

The range of games is on Steam for Linux is growing larger and larger all the time - Steam is now listing 939. With recent major titles such as Metro, Dying Light, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, Football Manager, Sid Meier's Civilization series, and The Talos Principle, to name a few, the quality is getting better too. Hopefully this year will see more and more AAA titles being released on Steam for Linux, as this will surely prompt Valve to iron out those bugs on Big Picture Mode sooner rather than later.

Silverstone Grandia GD09 - HTPC case

I really like the look of this Silverstone Grandia GD09 HTPC case. I was concerned that the GD07 and GD08, which were previously prime candidates to sit underneath my telly, would be too deep for cables, USB dongles etc to comfortably stick out the back of the case.

This case, the GD09, is shallower. The dimensions are 440mm (W) x 170mm (H) x 358mm (D). This makes it a similar size to other HTPC cases, but this has the advantage of being able to fit an ATX motherboard, whereas others of similar dimensions restrict you to mATX boards.

The price is very reasonable too, especially for a Silverstone case. Prices are around £50 currently, but it is hard to find in stock, so I suspect prices will rise soon.

The only issue is that, as with other HTPC cases, the height of the case restricts you to a CPU cooler height of 138mm. So, my Scythe Mugen IV will have to be chopped in for something a little smaller, but equally as quiet and efficient, like the Noctua NH-C12P SE14 or Noctua NH-L12.

Silence is Golden

In an effort to keep noise down I've replace the stock AMD CPU cooler with a Scythe Mugen IV which seems barely audible. The only other fan in the case is in the PSU (Corsair CX600M) and on the graphics card (MSI GeForce GTX 650 N650-1GD5/OCV1), both of which were chosen as they were described as low noise. However, there is still a noticeable "hum" coming from the case which can be heard when nothing is playing. This is not a problem when media is outputting sound but it can be heard during silent parts of films which is distracting, and is certainly distracting when TV is off (PC is left running 24/7).

I'll be investigating what the culprits and attempting to decrease noise either by looking at replacement fans, or by replacing the component itself.

According to Kitguru's review of the Corsair CX600M it is barely audible until being pushed hard, which mine shouldn't be as I have the motherboard (MSI 990FXA-GD65) set to run in ECO mode, and I estimate the total power draw should be less than 50% of the PSU's capacity.



To be continued...