Release of Steam Deck hardware information by Valve

During the new Livestream of the developers of the Steam Deck console, Valve has described the structure of its portable gaming PC hardware.

• RAM: 16 GB LPDDR5, which is the latest architecture in small-size RAMs and has much higher bandwidth.
• CPU: AMD Zen 2 architecture with four cores and eight threads (2.4-3.5 GHz).
• GPU: Shared with an RDNA 2 CPU with eight processing units (1-1.6 GHz).
• Memory: Three 64GB models with eMMC architecture and two 256 and 512GB models with NVMe
• architecture, the 512GB model is much faster than the 256 model.

Steam Deck Hardware

According to the developers of the Steam Deck console, AMD’s proprietary chip is named in this Aerith console, which includes four processing cores based on the Zen2 architecture and with a clock speed ranging from 2.4 to 3.5 GHz. Valve claims that the company’s goal in designing the console’s processor is to provide stable performance instead of focusing on its maximum clock speed, which can not last long. The same goes for the integrated graphics processor based on the RDNA2 architecture of this device. The eight processing units of this GPU are capable of producing a variable frequency of 1 to 1.6 GHz.

Power of Aerith concerning Steam Deck Hardware

The power consumption of the Aerith chip is generally 4 to 15 watts, and since the manufacturers of the Steam deck did not set any limits on the SoC power consumption of this device, it does emphasize that developers should consider some kind of frame rate limiter for this device. Instead, the device will provide the same performance regardless of whether it is used in dock-connected mode or is portable for a long time.

However, in certain situations, such as using the device outdoors in the summer, the Steam Deck may reduce power consumption to maintain GPU performance. In addition, Valve confirmed that if the developers themselves do not do so, Steam Deck will apply some kind of frame rate limit in general in the future.

Memory

The company has used LPDDR5 technology for the Steam Deck console memory, which provides the most energy efficiency for this form of devices. Although on such consoles, games with 8 or 12 GB of RAM can also run quite smoothly and satisfactorily, even though it has decided to use 16 GB of RAM on the Steam Deck to ensure acceptable performance of the device for longer. Be. Of course, Valve basically considers its new product a “portable gaming device”.

The cheapest Steam deck model comes with 64GB of eMMC memory, which is also slower in performance than the 256 or 512GB models of the console that use NVMe high-speed memory. Valve benchmark results show that loading games in this version requires 12.5% ​​more time and the device system loads 25% slower.

The Incredible Connector

Valve has confirmed that the Steam Deck will support 60KHz 4K displays via the built-in USB3 Gen2 connector and DisplayPort 1.4 DSC. This cable provides up to 45 watts of charging power, which will be enough to charge the console with maximum speed and use gaming at the same time. In fact, gamers can also connect a range of peripherals such as webcams to the console up to maximum power consumption of 7.5 watts, and continue to use and charge the device at the same time as normal.

Valve also mentioned the console’s user interface, game optimization, and overall gaming experience on the device. It was recently announced that the Steam Deck will be released two months late. Therefore, we should expect Valve’s portable gaming PC to be available around February 2022.