Ironically, the greatest drawback of SteamOS is the limited game library.

what

Because the OS is based on Linux, you will only have access to the Linux game library.

what? no, proton exists. i'm a linux noob and if there's a problem with the linux native verstion, i just run the windows version
most games run without doing anything, some require some tweaking. there are some that are beyond my capabilities to get going, and there are some online games that don't allow using proton/wine

on the other hand i don't have to use an os that scans all my files for marketing, which i prefer

It’s also possible to use SteamOS as a normal desktop, but it’s a bit feature-barren, and really only suitable for playing games through Steam.

again, what? it's a linux (kde more specifically) desktop. you can install whatever, even windows programs. or, say, some emulators

Those are reasonable objections. The 'last updated' date at the top of this article refers primarily to the example builds featured in the first main section. The descriptive text in other sections, like the material you've quoted there, is mostly intact from the earliest version of this guide, written half a decade ago. That was several years before the release of the Steam Deck, when SteamOS was a nascent project targeting small PCs called 'Steam machines.' Proton was a brand new, experimental piece of software then.

I agree that it is time for this guide to receive a more thorough round of updates, so that (among other changes) it can reflect the far more friendly environment Linux systems now offer for gaming. The next round of updates for this guide is scheduled for early 2024, and we will aim to properly address these concerns at that time.

Are these builds good for dedicated server hosting? like minecraft or valheim?

They should be, yes.

The minimum specs to run a dedicated vanilla server in each of those games are pretty lenient, actually:

- https://valheim.fandom.com/...
- https://minecraft.fandom.co...

Will Steam OS also use Proton like the Steam Deck?

I believe it can, yes, but doesn't have to. Valve have been clear from the beginning that they want their improvements to Proton gaming to be applicable to any Linux-based OS. But the exact version of Steam OS running on Steam Deck is a customized, newer version than the version that is available for desktop/self-built PCs.

Why would a 5700G and a X570 motherboard be used in a budget build?

It's a budget gaming PC, not just budget above all else. The 5700G is the best APU on the market currently, meaning it's the best choice for those that want to skip the considerable expense of a discrete GPU while still getting solid gaming performance. For budget above all else, we'd recommend something like the current 'Destitute' tier of our general build recommendation chart.

As for the X570 motherboard, though: that was originally linked there because few natively-5700G-compatible Mini ITX mobos were available at the time that chip was added to this guide. Conveniently, the linked option is out-of-stock at the moment. So I've gone ahead and swapped that over to a more modest board. Thanks for highlighting that!

The B660-I Gaming Wifi is a DDR5 board. Yet the Compact build suggests DDR4 RAM.

Thank you very much for pointing that out! That motherboard recommendation has now been replaced.

Isn't the ryzen 5 3600x stock cooler (wraith Spire) too tall for the node 202? Isnt wraith spire 71 mm meanwhile the maximum height for Node 202 is 56 mm? I would recommend using the 3600 instead.

Thank you very much for pointing this out! I'm certain that this mistake was made for exactly the reason you indicate---that the 3600 was the intended choice for that build. As such, I have now made that substitution in the article. Thanks again!

No problem :)

MSI B450I Gaming Plus AC is no longer available for the Compact Build.

Any B450, X470, B550, or X570 motherboard in the Mini-ITX form factor would be a suitable replacement there. Many such boards are temporarily out-of-stock or overpriced (as are many PC components, for predictable reasons). But if you just want some additional options to keep an eye on, in case one of them becomes available at a reasonable price in the near future, some more choices include: the Gigabyte B450 I Aorus Pro, the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming-ITX, and the Asus RoG Strix X570-I Gaming.

There is also a lot unavailable on the main chart … This would be an alternative.

Since I heavily mod my games using patches and utilities build only for Windows, I build a Windows gaming rig running Windows 10.I'm looking for a guide on configuring Windows to behave like a console - no login, navigate and launch games with controllers, strip out the crud / bloatware that comes installed on Windows 10. Except for modding, the PC should completely usable with just a controller. Are there any guides that fit that description ?

Actually, there is a guide for doing exactly that in the second section of the article above! It's under the heading, "How Does a Computer Become a Steam Machine?"

Otherwise, as far as our own resources go: this article on living room gaming, our article on building a home theater PC, and our article on building an emulation PC are likely to be the best that we've got. Check out the contoller, FAQ, and software sections of those three as a starting place.

In particular, apart from obvious possibilities like Steam Big Picture mode and/or Kodi, I would also recommend you to look into emulation frontends like EmulationStation, LaunchBox's Big Box mode, Attract-Mode, and Retroarch. Such programs may be finnicky to set up, but they are specifically designed to provide console-like environments for launching all of your games from one menu---and it may indeed be possible to get them to launch on startup.