Transforming a PC into a living room console similar to the Steam Deck now takes about 15 minutes. The process resembles a typical Linux installation, with a few key adjustments that make the difference between a system that boots smoothly and one that results in a frustrating black screen. Every step is carefully planned and executed to avoid common pitfalls. If you haven’t yet built your own machine, we explain how to assemble an 8-component Steam Machine, followed by installing its operating system. If you're still deciding whether to build your own or buy Valve's version, our comparison between a Steam Machine and a $1,000 PC sets the stage. The critical factor in building a SteamOS-compatible gaming PC is the graphics card. SteamOS relies on open-source drivers from AMD and Mesa. A Radeon RX 6000 (RDNA 2) or RX 7000 (RDNA 3) offers the best support, as these are the same architectures used in the Steam Deck and Steam Machine. Intel Arc desktop cards, such as the B580, are now supported through community-driven workarounds, though official support is not yet available. Users must first install an AMD card, then switch to the Arc card. NVIDIA GeForce cards, however, are not supported at the moment, and we'll return to that point shortly. For the rest of the system, aim for an SSD NVMe dedicated to SteamOS, at least 16 GB of RAM, and ensure the graphics card is recent enough to support the latest Mesa drivers. For a cost-effective setup that closely matches the Steam Machine, our component selection guide provides a ready-to-go starting point. A note on terminology: the official support for Intel, introduced with SteamOS 3.8, initially targets portable consoles like the MSI Claw and not desktop Arc cards. Running SteamOS on a desktop with an Arc card is still the domain of tinkerers, and Valve has not announced a timeline for native support of these cards. Step 1: Create the Installation USB Drive Download the SteamOS image from the official installation and repair page, the only official source. The file is several gigabytes in size, so a stable internet connection is helpful. Insert the USB drive and use a tool like Rufus or Balena Etcher to write the image to the drive. Make sure you select the correct drive to avoid accidentally overwriting data on another disk. This process is similar to creating a standard Linux installation USB, so if you've done it before, it should be familiar. Once the writing is complete, safely eject the USB drive. Step 2: Prepare the BIOS This is a crucial step that should not be rushed. Restart the computer and enter the BIOS, usually by pressing the Delete or F2 key. Disable Secure Boot, as SteamOS is not signed with Microsoft keys and would otherwise refuse to boot. Stay in UEFI mode and disable CSM if available. If possible, disconnect other drives temporarily to ensure you don't overwrite the wrong disk. Save your changes and exit. Step 3: Start the Installation At boot, open the boot menu (usually F12, F11, Escape, or Delete, depending on the motherboard) and select the USB drive. The installer loads some Linux lines, then displays a KDE desktop. Launch the option to erase the disk and install SteamOS. Confirm the disk erasure, double-checking it is the correct one. The installation takes about 15 minutes. Once done, remove the USB drive before rebooting to prevent the installer from restarting. SteamOS boots with its initial setup: language, region, keyboard, network, and Steam account connection. If the installer fails to start, recheck that Secure Boot is disabled and try a different USB port. If you get a black screen after installation, check the boot order and ensure the correct SSD is selected. If a recent card doesn’t display anything, try using a SteamOS 3.8 image or newer. Step 4: Configure the System The first thing to do after installation is update the system. Go to Settings, then System, and install the latest version of SteamOS. The machine then boots directly into the Steam Deck controller interface, with precompiled shaders smoothing out any stuttering. For more advanced users, switch to Desktop mode via the power menu to access a full KDE Plasma environment for installing applications, emulators, or a browser. Some settings improve the gaming experience. In compatibility settings, enable Steam Play for all titles so Proton can run most Windows games. Add Decky Loader for game mode extensions and a launcher like Heroic or Lutris to connect your Epic, GOG, or other libraries. Before buying or launching a game, check ProtonDB for compatibility and Are We Anti-Cheat Yet to see if the anti-cheat system works under Linux. What You Should Know Before Getting Started There is no official dual-boot option: the installation takes over the entire disk. Valve is working on an installer that can coexist with Windows, but it's not available yet. For both systems, the cleanest solution is to use a separate disk for each. Anti-cheat systems at the kernel level block some games: Valorant, Call of Duty, Battlefield, and EA Sports games refuse to launch under Linux. An entire category of competitive games remains inaccessible. There is no HDMI-CEC support: you can't turn on or control your TV with the controller like on a real console. Secure Boot remains disabled: keep this in mind if you plan to repurpose the machine later. And what if you have an NVIDIA card? That's the main limitation right now. SteamOS doesn't support NVIDIA GPUs yet, as their drivers remain proprietary, unlike AMD and Intel drivers, which are open and integrated into the Linux kernel. Valve can't simply add these closed drivers to an immutable system like SteamOS and must work closely with NVIDIA. The company has confirmed close collaboration with NVIDIA, with a dedicated team growing in size. The timeline is still distant: this partnership with NVIDIA is expected to be completed by late 2026, more likely 2027. In the meantime, owners of GeForce cards have solutions. The simplest one is Bazzite, a community-based distribution based on Fedora that includes a Steam Deck-style gaming mode and directly incorporates NVIDIA drivers. It supports recent RTX and GTX 16 cards, with a caveat: NVIDIA support in game mode is still in beta, with known bugs, and the team recommends using a desktop image instead. Tinkerers might prefer Nobara, which is more open but more demanding, while Pop!_OS is a reliable choice for running older NVIDIA GPUs. If you want to understand how these distributions are installed, our guide on installing Linux on a PC covers the step-by-step process. The wisest option for users with recent NVIDIA cards is to wait a few months. Once the right system is chosen, the result meets expectations: a PC that boots directly to its game library, is controlled with a controller, and avoids the bloat of Windows. On an AMD Radeon, this is playable today. On an NVIDIA GeForce, it will likely have to wait until 2027. If you're eager to build your ideal machine, we've already sorted out the components to choose, including the trap to avoid.