Steam OS now supports AMD and Intel graphics

Valve recently announced its first wave of pre-built Steam Machines all coming from different manufacturers in different configurations but here at KitGuru we know that most of you prefer to build your own system so if you were interested in building your own ITX PC running Steam OS then you'll be happy to know that your hardware options have just opened up significantly as Valve's gaming oriented OS now supports Intel and AMD graphics.

Steam OS launched last month with limited hardware support, an Nvidia GPU was a requirement as well as an Intel CPU. This was due to the hardware configuration of Valve's prototype systems which were shipped to beta testers last month. Now AMD and Intel graphics solutions are supported but as the drivers are still in beta as well as the OS itself, there are some issues such as screen tearing, there's also a performance bug when the Steam OS overlay is running while playing a game. however, Valve is currently working with both companies to get the drivers up to scratch so that more people can help beta test the new operating system in different configurations.

Minimum requirements on the AMD side include anything from the HD5000 series and up, this includes mobile GPU's and APU's. There is no minimum requirement for Intel's integrated graphics so it's not certain what CPU's will be able to drive the graphics side of things, but it's likely that Intel's newer chips will be fine.

KitGuru Says: Once Steam OS comes out of beta I'll probably try it out on a spare PC. Are any of you guys planning on trying it out at some point?

Source: Valve

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