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I can't lie, I'm starting to worry about Valve's Steam Machine due to increase RAM costs and general tariff tom foolery, but savvy PC players are already out in The Badlands making DIY solutions. In fact, it turns out that you can turn AMD's crypto mining board that wields a cut down PS5 chip into a surprisingly capable system that's way cheaper than anything else out there.
Highlighted by TikTok creator TechMakesArt, the AMD BC-250 was originally designed to mine bitcoin within a server rack. However, since it is indeed using a version of the PS5's APU, which in turn is like a souped-up gaming handheld chip , it can actually serve as an all-in-one PC. Amusingly, it's about the same size as a top-end graphics card like the RTX 4090, but has 16GB shared RAM on board, an M.2 SSD slot, and is powered by single 8-pin connector.
Yes, the BC-250 is more like a slimmed down PS5 than a conventional PC, but that's what might make it an ideal Steam Machine alternative. You are going to have to fully engage in scrappy modding to turn AMD's board into a functioning gaming system, especially since the cooling heatsink is designed exist within a rack. That said, all you really need is access to a 3D printer to make a fan bracket, whip up a case, and you've got something you can actually game on.
Naturally, there are two things you'll want to do before spraying your mouth with chrome and diving into this project. The first is check whether you can get one for the right price, as you should only be paying around $150 max for one of these boards. That said, I am seeing prices jump up as awareness increases, and while there are some listings floating around at eBay, I'm seeing fewer options online than before.
You'll secondly want to consider whether an ex-crypto mining system is the right rig for you. TechMakesArt does provide some performance insights using Arc Raiders, Hollow Knight, and Megabonk, and the results honestly feel like a would-be PS5 slim. By that, I mean it performs admirably at 1440p, managing to maintain 60fps for the most part with a little FSR upscaling help, but the creator notes that CPU utilisation was only actually at around 60-70%, so not quite pushing limits.
Keep in mind the AMD APU within the BC-250 is an RDNA 2 chipset, so it is missing out on newer Radeon bells and whistles like Fluid Motion Frames and Frame Generation. These are two tools Valve's Steam Machine will absolutely be leveraging to hit 4K 60fps in new releases, so you could view this makeshift option as the predecessor that never was to the storefront giant's upcoming box.
CPU | AMD Zen 2 APU (6 cores, 12 threads) |
GPU | RDNA 2 (24 compute units) |
RAM | 16GB GDDR6 (shared) |
Power | 220W TDP (typical) |
Storage | M.2 SSD |
Ports | 4 x USB A, DisplayPort, Ethernet, 8-pin PCIe |
Again, you will have to put some work in to get the AMD BC-250 working as an ideal Steam Machine, but it does feel ridiculously promising. At their cheapest, you'll be able to snag one of these boards for around $100, and I'll be trying to do just that over the Holidays. If I am successful, I will document my experience flashing custom firmware, sorting out the cooling, and making a living room appropriate case, as I love the idea of redeeming hardware that was once put to a questionable use.
Even if I can't get hold of an AMD BC-250, I am fully ready to embrace scrapheap challenges in 2026 to combat the increased costs of PC gaming. That means trying to turn every mini rig I can find into a DIY Steam Machine and seeing whether you can get away with shoving shiny new GPUs into old systems with DDR3 RAM, as since even console prices are no longer set in stone, players will need to get creative to keep playing.
- More mini PCs at Amazon
- Gaming handhelds at Best Buy
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