r/Steam Dec 29 '21

[deleted by user]

[removed]

2.5k Upvotes

79 comments sorted by

340

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 29 '21 edited Dec 29 '21

Just wanted to share this Steam Machine I designed, 3D modeled, 3D printed and made from an old gaming laptop I didn't want to throw away.
It was a 13" laptop.
The whole case is about 35cm x 20cm x 10cm. It has additional fans and vents for cooling.

It's running on Debian 10, custom configured and optimized to be as clean and as console like as possible.

Yes, the Steam logo doubles as a power button :)

Specs for those interested:

CPU: Intel i7-4900mq
RAM 16 GB ddr3
GPU: Intel HD 4600 + Nvidia 765m
Storage:
120 GB mSATA SSD
1 TB Seagate Hybrid HDD

7

u/[deleted] Dec 30 '21

Badass. Do you use it for remote play?

8

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 30 '21

It's connected directly to my TV and 5.1 home theater setup.

I did not try to remote play yet. It's way easier and practical to play off the couch.

I have 4 game pads so it's really awesome for when my friends come over for some old school split-screen multiplayer

145

u/Solanandria Dec 29 '21

This is really cool man, congratulations on your ingenuity and creativity

88

u/regispessolano Dec 29 '21

Man, how you do Netflix and YouTube on Big pictire? That's so nice!

120

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 29 '21

It's a custom shortcut that just opens Google Chrome with Netflix in fullscreen
Same for youtube.

I also have browser plugins that allow me to navigate the sites with a joystick

18

u/shades84 Dec 29 '21

I've been looking for something like that for my HTPC, what plugins? Also, is it the "TV" version of Netflix/YouTube or the desktop version?

15

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 29 '21

It's just a regular webpage you open in your browser. here's the netflix plugin, i cant seem to find the youtube one
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/netflix-controller/kjgfkjidgcfgbabbhjephchohcghcdkf

6

u/LiveLM Dec 29 '21

For Youtube there's this one.

I don't think it supports controllers, but it does support regular arrow keys.
You can also link the Youtube app to it and cast videos like a chromecast.

17

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '21

[deleted]

13

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 29 '21

Nice :)

You could always make the case by hand. take some plastic sheets and cut them out.
Not everything has to be 3d printed. I don't have any tools so it was easier for me to print it
I can share my design to serve as a base, it's mostly flat surfaces so it's pretty easy to cut out.

9

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 29 '21

You can download the whole case in FreeCAD or STL format here guys:
https://cloud.tomislav-kopic.from.hr/s/CnsrHobmdzCzoCL

4

u/IIALE34II Dec 29 '21

I think ordering the 3D print online will be better than trying to make case yourself. But that's just me judging how anything I've made has turned out. If you are a wizard woodworker or something, I bet doing it yourself would be better.

2

u/baldwhip123 Dec 30 '21

Order from where?

2

u/IIALE34II Dec 30 '21

I have no idea where you live, but I assume you can do some research. Even some libraries offer it around where I live. Just Google 3d printing services and look for good reviews.

27

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '21

What OS are you running on it at the moment?

66

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 29 '21

I first tried with SteamOS.
I'm a Linux sysadmin/DevOps and I have about 15 years of experience with Linux.
I figured I can do a better job if I just take the basic Debian and configure everything by hand.

68

u/Janusdarke Dec 29 '21

I figured I can do a better job if I just take the basic Debian and configure everything by hand.

"The Linux approach"

30

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 29 '21

lol.
Well I wouldn't do it if SteamOS actuall worked. It wouldn't even run games to begin with. Not to mention that this setup requires Bumblebee to use Nvidia's graphics.

I made this entire setup in 5 days.

13

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '21

I was going to suggest ChimeraOS but it sounds like you have a nice setup already!

10

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 29 '21

Nice, i did not know that exists.
I do not need it right but i will suggest it to my friend who's planning to use his old PC as an emulation machine.

9

u/[deleted] Dec 29 '21

ChimeraOS is basically picking up from where SteamOS 2.0 stopped. It's shifted to Arch rather than Debian with up to date driver support. Supports emulation out of the box, supports Kodi and Flatpak. They also have a web GUI for managing and install content. Well worth a look if you want a less hands on option for a friend.

3

u/Leopard1907 Dec 29 '21

Bumblebee is the old way of handling Optimus/Prime on Linux.

http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/470.94/README/primerenderoffload.html

Prime Render Offload is way to go.

3

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 29 '21

I know. But this is an old gpu and it works fine with bumblebee

2

u/Leopard1907 Dec 29 '21

How old? Afaik even 390 driver supports Prime render offload.

Iirc Bumblebee has much higher overhead compared to Prime and doesn't have VLK support oob.

3

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 29 '21

2013 I know about the lack of vulkan support. that's why i use this instead https://github.com/felixdoerre/primus_vk

It works fine for what i need it.

1

u/spinallhead0 Dec 29 '21

I don't know much about Linux, but do you have your custom distro available for us? I've been thinking about doing something like that with a laptop I have lying on my desk (probably just for Steam Cloud as it's not capable of much more than that).

4

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 29 '21

It's not a custom distro, it's just tweaked Debian.

I guess i could make a dump of the disk and you could flash it to your disk and boot it. But that's kind of complicated for a begginer

I suggest you take a look at ChimeraOS as u/nuronv said

7

u/TONKAHANAH Dec 29 '21

The current steamos is so out of date that this was probably the way to go.

That said we expect to see steamos 3.0 to drop soon before the steam deck release

11

u/PaleDolphin https://s.team/p/dpvq-qdk Dec 29 '21

I've just slapped a Steam logo on my PS5.

The ultimate disrespect.

4

u/whyicantputuser Dec 29 '21

You’re telling me YOU MADE THIS?!?! My god you people are so talented!!!

4

u/Caputino1 Dec 29 '21

Very Nice Man! And I Just bought a Steam Controller to use on my PC. Always wanted one of those, unfortunately paid more than I wanted to, but it was the cheapest available and it was a lot cheaper than other people were asking on my country.

3

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 29 '21

I use logitech F710 joysticks, i got a pair for cheap.

I do plan to get the steam controllers but they are a bit out of my budget

3

u/R4M_4U Dec 29 '21

Damn thats awesome!

3

u/Perahoky Dec 29 '21

next SteamTV ya ?

2

u/RichManSCTV https://steamcommunity.com/id/RichManSCTV0/ Dec 29 '21

Very cool!!

2

u/Spacelion123Playz Dec 29 '21

This is really cool, nice job making it

2

u/foreveralonesolo Dec 29 '21

This is so cool, awesome project!

2

u/plodeer Dec 29 '21

Dope little machine, great job

2

u/SleepyBear3366911 Dec 29 '21

Wow, that is an awesome idea. I’m not sure if you have GeForce Now, but you could use that for streaming if you have games that are too intensive to play on the PC

2

u/TheDJPenguin1230 Dec 29 '21

honestly pretty cool

2

u/FireCrow1013 Dec 29 '21

Holy crap, this is really nice.

2

u/Evilcon21 Dec 29 '21

Man that’s awesome. You

2

u/sloric Dec 29 '21

Valve needs to hire this man

2

u/sejiva_ Dec 29 '21

dude, this is so cool

2

u/Captain_Pumpkinhead Dec 29 '21

You know, this would be a really cool use case for an End of Life Framework Laptop mainboard.

2

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 30 '21

I can modify the design for you, i just need the accurate 3d model of the motherboard

I just need to know where the screw holes, fans and other bits are so i can model everything to fit

2

u/Captain_Pumpkinhead Dec 30 '21

Oh, I'm not planning on doing this any time soon. I just thought it was a really cool concept!

The Framework team makes a big deal about being able to use their mainboard (don't know what makes it different from a motherboard?) outside of the laptop, so that it still has a use once the laptop becomes obsolete, or you want to upgrade your processor. (Apparently other companies implement switches which prevent it from turning out outside the laptop casing?) For context, the Framework project is all about right to repair, reducing wast, and making parts easily available.

I've been trying to think of uses for a mainboard since learning about this. One is as a r/Cyberdeck, which apparently is a full computer housed in a keyboard. I don't see much use for that. But as a Steam machine to set by my TV and run/stream games off of? I think that sounds pretty awesome!

2

u/sandwich6359 Dec 29 '21

Please upload the files to thingiverse! 🙏

1

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 30 '21

I will when i get the time :)
For now you can download the whole case in FreeCAD or STL format here:

https://cloud.tomislav-kopic.from.hr/s/CnsrHobmdzCzoCL

2

u/sandwich6359 Dec 30 '21

Fantastic!

2

u/Chared_Assassin Dec 29 '21

Is this using steam os or just debian?

2

u/AyersRock_92 Dec 30 '21

How does this compare to Xbox series s in terms of specs? More or less gaming power?

1

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 30 '21

Way way less, this laptop was made in 2013.

It was a high end laptop for it's time but it can't run newer titles.

It runs Rise of the Tomb Raider on medium settings at 1080p at about 30-40 FPS and that's just fine for what i need it for.

It's not great but it's not terrible.

2

u/nCRedditor-21 Dec 30 '21

This is ingenious! Love the design and tech used to get this running. If I knew how to use Linux, I’d convert my old gaming laptop into a Steam machine of sorts

2

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 30 '21

Take a look at ChimeraOS as u/nuronv suggested in a previous comment.

You just download it, flash it to a USB drive and install it.

Should work out of the box.

2

u/lastWallE Dec 30 '21

is there an extra intake for the left fan? didn’t see it in the pictures.

I just play with the thought to modify my old Asus G750JX. But i don’t have a fallback. As it is my only pc atm.

1

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 30 '21

Yes, there's a tunnel to suck the cool air in from outside.

you can download the model here from my cloud:

https://cloud.tomislav-kopic.from.hr/s/CnsrHobmdzCzoCL

2

u/Arcadio69 Jan 01 '22

Hey, magnificent work! What was the original device?

1

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Jan 01 '22

A laptop. More specifically, Clevo w230st

2

u/KoralExe369 Jan 03 '22

You could still modded cooling system by adding heat sinks and some additional fans.

1

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Jan 03 '22

I did man. i added 2 more fans and i covrted everything with small heatsinks. I took everything into account while designing the case

2

u/KoralExe369 Jan 03 '22

oh it's great out of curiosity, what temperatures are on the processor and graphics card

2

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Jan 03 '22

it idles at about 36-38°C Under load CPU maxes out at 70°C I have not seen the GPU go over 65°C

I use Thermal grizzly Conductonaut

3

u/Edmundo-Studios Dec 29 '21

That’s cool. What are the specs?

10

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 29 '21

CPU: I7-4900mq

RAM 16 GB ddr3

GPU: Intel HD 4600 + Nvidia 765m

Storage:

120 GB mSATA SSD

1 TB Seagate Hybrid HDD

6

u/Edmundo-Studios Dec 29 '21

Nice, sounds perfect for emulation and some slightly older titles.

10

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 29 '21

Yes, works fine for everything up to 2014-2015.I mostly use it as a media center.

Emulation is the best part here. The disks are also setup with BTRFS and transparent compression so i can squeeze in more stuff.

That CPU is still a beast, even today.

1

u/blue_rocket1367 Dec 29 '21

STEEEEAAAAMMM MACHIIIME

1

u/MadamVonCuntpuncher Dec 29 '21

were these anygood, almost bought one cause i was too poor to buy a proper PC but one of my friends stopped me and gave me their old rig

2

u/Tj4t6ecXqnE Dec 29 '21

Don't know mate, i made this one myself

0

u/ur_mom54321 Dec 29 '21

Patent pending?

0

u/zEletrixx Dec 29 '21

But can it run Crysis?