This Steam Machine Lookalike Packs A Raptor Lake CPU And GeForce RTX 4060 GPU
Do you remember Valve's Steam Machine initiative? A Chinese mini-PC and laptop maker appears to have rekindled the Steam Machine aesthetic and teleported it to 2023. Inside the new Thunderobot MIX is a thoroughly modern partnership between an Intel 13th Gen Core 'Raptor Lake' HX mobile processor and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060. Another feather in the cap of this new desktop PC is that it is appealingly compact, at just 1.7 liters.
As far as we know, Thunderobot will be the first of the growing throng of mini-PC makers to roll out a device packing a powerful Raptor Lake and Ada Lovelace combination punch. Before readers get too excited, though, Thunderobot devices appear to be marketed exclusively in China, so we don't usually see them in western tech media or reviews.
Valve lead the Steam Machine charge at CES 2014 with its Steam Machine desktop, which was co-designed with Alienware. Now we are nearly a decade later, it is interesting to compare this iconic design with the new Thunderobot MIX.
The flagship Steam Machine eventually shipped in June 2014 as the Alienware Alpha due to delays in SteamOS. Let's recap the base specs of this $550 Windows 8.1 gaming desktop with console styling. The processor was an Intel Core i3-4130T (2.9GHz, 2C/4T), and graphics card an NVIDIA GTX860M 2GB. Supporting these processors were 4GB of DDR3L (SODIMM) and a 500GB 5400rpm hard disk. The key specs of the new Thunderobot MIX are mentioned in the intro, but let's make a comparison chart for utmost clarity.
Our table reveals that the new Thunderobot MIX is likely very much more powerful than its decade old ancestor. However, it isn't a lot smaller, if you consider the relative volumes. We don't have RAM or storage info for the Thunderobot at this time. As for the price comparison, according to some online inflation calculators, $550 in 2014 would be equivalent to $710 today. For an idea about the potential performance of the Thunderobot MIX check out our RTX 4060 review. However, we must note that this mini PC might be using the mobile variant of the GPU as it uses a mobile CPU.
2023 might be a good year for Valve to rekindle its Steam Machines desktop project, fired by the success and progress of the Steam Deck and handheld Steam OS. We shall have to wait and see about that.
Thunderobot teases a full reveal of its shiny new Steam Machine-alike MIX this Friday, July 21. Hopefully, we will then get the full specs and other information at that time.
