Steam Machine benchmarks show SteamOS and Windows 11 within a few frames of each other in most games

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In a nutshell: Since Valve allowed Steam Machine owners to replace the mini PC's standard Linux-based operating system with Windows 11, it was only a matter of time before benchmarks comparing the two operating systems emerged. One of the first indicates that switching to Windows 11 does not sacrifice performance.

A brief benchmark from ETA Prime shows that games running on Valve's Steam Machine via Windows 11 mostly achieve framerates similar to SteamOS. However, one synthetic benchmark gives Windows a significant advantage.

SteamOS, which allows users to launch and play PC games from a console-style interface without a mouse or keyboard, is one of the Steam Machine's primary selling points. However, Valve released Windows drivers for the mini PC earlier this month in case owners wanted to install software and games that SteamOS does not yet support, such as multiplayer titles with strict anti-cheat systems.