Single-channel and dual-channel units may both exist
Navigating through memory shortages.
Valve’s new Steam Machine may not have the same memory layout in every unit. Digital Foundry reported that the system uses a single 16GB DDR5-5600 SO-DIMM module. Valve explained that 8GB DDR5 SO-DIMM modules became difficult to source in the quantities required for production, forcing the company to move to a single 16GB stick.
According to Gamers Nexus interview with Valve engineers, S team Machine systems may ship with either one 16GB DDR5 module or two 8GB DDR5 modules . The final configuration depends on the supply Valve can secure. They did mention that the performance shouldn’t differ much, though.
This explains why some review units may not match the single-stick layout described by Digital Foundry. Gamers Nexus reportedly has a unit with two memory modules, meaning it would run in dual-channel mode. Other units may use a single 16GB module and run in single-channel mode.
Source: Digital Foundry
Still, Gamers Nexus said dual-channel memory is faster in objective terms, while Valve’s Yazan Aldehayyat reportedly said Valve did not see a measurable difference in game testing. Digital Foundry said it had not yet completed single-channel versus dual-channel testing on Steam Machine.
I asked Valve for clarification just now and here is the response. "All Steam Machines produced to date come with 2 SODIMM slots but only one is populated with a 16GB stick and we currently have no plans to change that configuration. However, given the challenges with supply it…
— Digital Foundry (@digitalfoundry) June 22, 2026
Digital Foundry notes that replacing the RAM requires more disassembly than upgrading the SSD. Valve is preparing opening guides and is working with iFixit on repair manuals and replacement parts.
Steam Machine uses a semi-custom AMD Zen 4 CPU with 6 cores and 12 threads, a semi-custom RDNA 3 GPU with 28 compute units and 8GB of GDDR6 memory. Our previous coverage listed the confirmed pricing, starting at $1,049 for the 512GB model and $1,349 for the 2TB model, with Steam Controller bundles priced at $1,128 and $1,428. If you want to order one, see our launch post for details.
Source: Digital Foundry , Gamers Nexus
