3DCatt, Jacob Terkelsen Build 3D-Printed Steam Machine Case for RTX 5060

Q: Valve’s new Steam Machine is here, but can a 3D-printed rival with a budget GPU actually outperform it?

Yes. A 3D-printed Mini-ITX build like the Terk Box can beat Valve’s new Steam Machine if it uses a budget discrete GPU such as an RTX 5060. The key reason is hardware class. Valve’s machine uses a semi-custom AMD Zen 4/RDNA 3 design whose graphics performance is widely placed around RTX 3060 or RX 7600 territory, with reviewers describing it as strong on design and acoustics but underpowered for newer AAA games at its $1,049 starting price. By contrast, benchmark examples tied to the Terk Box concept show an RTX 5060-based PC delivering much higher frame rates: around 82 fps versus 36 fps in Black Myth: Wukong, and 30 fps versus 19 fps in Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing. The DIY route also brings standard parts and upgradeability. The 3D-printed case is designed for a Mini-ITX board, SFF PSU and a full discrete GPU, so owners are not locked into Valve’s custom board and cooling layout. That makes repairs, future GPU swaps and broader PC use easier. The tradeoff is thermals and practicality. Valve’s official system is engineered around a large integrated heatsink and very low noise, reportedly around 20–21 dBA under gaming load. The Terk Box has to manage the heat of a conventional GPU dumping air into a tiny enclosure, so airflow is the main challenge and noise may be higher. So the 3D-printed rival can outperform Valve’s machine in raw gaming performance, but Valve still holds the edge in polish, acoustics and turnkey simplicity.

3 articles · Updated · Hackaday · Jun 27

3DCatt and AMD's Jacob Terkelsen unveiled a 3D-printed Mini-ITX case that matches the Steam Machine's footprint while fitting a full GeForce RTX 5060, an SFF power supply and a standard Mini-ITX board.
The project was driven by frustration with Valve's newly released Steam Machine, which uses a custom PCB and non-standard power supply that limit conventional upgrades and part swaps.
Cooling is the main engineering challenge because Valve's original design uses a shared heatsink for CPU and GPU, while this replica relies on separate components that dump more heat into the enclosure.
Terkelsen said extra ventilation was added to offset that thermal issue, though performance versus established compact Mini-ITX cases remains unproven.