Steam Machine BIOS update will raise red LED warning thresholds
Current BIOS can trigger the red light bar while CPU and GPU temperatures remain below the configured warning points.
Valve is preparing a Steam Machine BIOS update that will change when the system displays its solid red temperature warning. Steam Support confirmed that the current BIOS can activate the red LED light bar earlier than intended.
The report comes from a Steam Machine owner who saw the light bar turn red during gameplay. The performance overlay showed the GPU at 75°C and the CPU at 81°C. GPU junction temperature reached 91°C, while the VRAM temperature was 80°C.
Red LED threshold moves to 100°C
Steam Support says the current warning is configured for 95°C on the CPU and 90°C on the GPU. The planned BIOS update will move both LED thresholds to 100°C. The change only affects when the warning light appears and does not change the system’s operating temperatures.
After discussing with our engineers, there is a known issue with the current BIOS that results in the red LED lights displaying much earlier than they should.
The issue is just with when the lights are set to come on. The Steam machine itself is within normal operating temperature for the CPU/GPU, which they confirmed from your screenshots. For your awareness, the Steam machine will start throttling performance at 100 C for CPU/GPU and will shut down to protect itself if temperatures rise past that.
A BIOS update is being worked on to be released soon that will fix the red LED light behavior to be at the 100/100 C for CPU/GPU instead of 95/90 for CPU/GPU that is currently happening.
Steam Support
© Valve According to Valve, the Steam Machine begins reducing performance when either the CPU or GPU reaches 100°C. The system will shut down to protect its hardware if temperatures continue to rise beyond that point. This means the updated red light will appear when thermal throttling begins rather than before it.
This report concerns the full red temperature warning while the Steam Machine remains operational. It is separate from the red LED pattern we previously covered , which appeared after a BIOS update and was later linked to memory training and a horizontally flipped front-panel code.
Valve has not provided an exact release date for the BIOS update. Steam Support only said the fix is being prepared and will be released soon.
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