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description: The Geekom IT13 Max mini PC (~$799) is presented as a viable and cheaper alternative to Valve's upcoming Steam Machine for living room gaming. Powered by an...
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# This mini PC proves you don't need a Steam Machine to game on your TV

**[XDA Developers](https://daily.dev/sources/xda-developers)** · 6 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments

## Summary

The Geekom IT13 Max mini PC (~$799) is presented as a viable and cheaper alternative to Valve's upcoming Steam Machine for living room gaming. Powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9185H and integrated Intel Arc Xe LPG graphics with XeSS upscaling, it delivers 100+ FPS in esports titles and 45–68 FPS in AAA games at 1080p. Thermals are managed well via a dual heat pipe and vapor chamber design. For a console-like UI, users can run Steam Big Picture mode or install Bazzite OS. The device also supports eGPU expansion via dual USB4 40Gbps ports and handles high-level emulation up to 4K. The main drawback is the base 500GB SSD storage.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://www.xda-developers.com/mini-pc-proves-dont-need-steam-machine-game-on-tv>

## Questions this post answers

### How does the Geekom IT13 Max mini PC perform for gaming compared to the Steam Machine?

The Geekom IT13 Max, priced around $799, delivers fluid 1080p gaming with 100-150 FPS in esports titles like Valorant and CS2, and 45-68 FPS in AAA titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Forza Horizon 5 using XeSS upscaling. It costs hundreds less than the over-$1,000 Steam Machine while offering comparable living room gaming capability.

_Comparing mini PCs against dedicated gaming consoles gets easier with hands-on benchmarks curated on daily.dev._

### What CPU and GPU does the Geekom IT13 Max mini PC use?

It uses an Intel Core Ultra 9185H with 6 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores, and 2 low-power efficiency cores at up to 65W TDP, paired with integrated Intel Arc Xe LPG graphics featuring 8 Xe Cores, DirectX 12 Ultimate, hardware ray tracing, and dedicated AV1 encoding/decoding, plus XeSS AI upscaling support.

_Readers evaluating integrated graphics for compact gaming builds can track specs like these on daily.dev._

### Can I upgrade a mini PC like the Geekom IT13 Max with an external GPU later?

Yes, the Geekom IT13 Max includes dual 40 Gbps USB4 ports that support connecting an external desktop graphics card or eGPU, which can transform it into a native 4K AAA gaming setup down the line without replacing the whole system.

_Planning a future-proof small form factor build is simpler when upgrade paths like eGPU support are tracked on daily.dev._

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---

Tags: [#gaming](https://daily.dev/tags/gaming), [#hardware](https://daily.dev/tags/hardware), [#steam](https://daily.dev/tags/steam)

[View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/this-mini-pc-proves-you-don-t-need-a-steam-machine-to-game-on-your-tv-stthi3onr)

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