Valve's Steam Machine promises to bring PC gaming to the masses with a small form-factor box that slots in right underneath the TV, just like a console. However, there are a couple of problems with the Steam Machine - it isn't out yet, and it's likely to cost vastly more than we first expected.

For gamers that don't mind putting in a bit of leg work, there is a way that gamers can get their hands on a sort of Steam Machine early, and for potentially less than it would cost to buy one of Valve's own consoles - and that's by building one yourself.

I've broken down all of the components you'd need to purchase to make your very own Steam Machine, although it does come with a few trade-offs to be aware of.

• AMD Ryzen 5 5600 processor - £124.99


• MSI B550M PRO-VDH WIFI Motherboard M-ATX - £89.99


• CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX DDR4 RAM 16GB - £129


• MSI GeForce RTX 5060 8G - £254.99


• MSI MAG A650BN PCIE5 II Power Supply Unit, 650W - £44.99


• fanxiang M.2 SSD 512GB - £66.49


• Lian Li A3 mATX PC Case - £69.95

Above are all the components needed to put together a PC build that's roughly akin to the Steam Machine. There are a few major differences to note, like the CPU being a generation behind Valve's custom Zen 4 architecture, as well as the RAM also falling into the slightly older DDR4 category.

I've taken these measures to save costs where possible, but the overall spec sheet should provide similar performance when compared to Valve's own Steam Machine. This comes to a total of £780.40 at the time of writing, which is far less than the roughly $1,300 to $1,500 that Valve is expected to price the Steam Machine at.

Of course, while building your PC means you can mix and match parts, and also has the added benefit of being upgradeable later down the line, there are a few things you're missing out on by not waiting for the Steam Machine.

For one, you'll have to go to the trouble of putting this thing together yourself. Valve's Steam Machine comes pre-built with SteamOS preinstalled, ready to download all your favourite games.

By going with this method, you'll save a ton of money, but will have to put it together yourself and wrestle with installing the linux-based SteamOS yourself.

What's more, you miss out on other features like the LED lightbar, built-in Steam Controller receiver, and the ability to hotswap microSD cards with games installed from a Steam Deck to the Steam Machine.

However, if these aren't features you're overly bothered about, building your own custom Steam Machine might be the best way to save on having PC gaming from the comfort of your living room.

Would you build a custom Steam Machine or wait for Valve's own hardware?