The Steam Deck packs impressive graphics power into a handheld gaming PC. But how does it compare to desktop graphics cards? In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll break down the Steam Deck‘s performance and architecture and see how it stacks up to GPUs like the RTX 2060, GTX 1050 Ti, RX 6700 XT and more.
Understanding the Steam Deck‘s Custom APU
Most gaming PCs utilize separate CPU and GPU chips connected via the system bus and memory controllers. But the Steam Deck combines both into an APU (accelerated processing unit) featuring a custom processor co-designed by AMD and Valve.
This tight integration between hardware and software allows the Steam Deck to maximize efficiency from its mobile-class silicon.
Unified Memory Architecture
The Steam Deck‘s APU utilizes AMD technologies like Infinity Cache and unified memory access helping CPU and GPU share data pools without transfer lag. This removes traditional bottlenecks where data has to copied between discrete VRAM and system RAM.
Instead, the Steam Deck‘s APU allows both processor complexes to access the same 16GB pool of LPDDR5 memory concurrently without waiting. This eliminates wasteful duplication and speeds up rendering pipelines.
Valve optimized their SteamOS software environment and Proton compatibility layer to take full advantage of this unique hardware architecture only possible from the tight integration of an APU design.
Discrete GPU/CPU combos in desktop PCs can‘t quite achieve the same synergy despite their higher power budgets. The Steam Deck‘s unified approach gives it an efficiency edge in mobile gaming scenarios.
Optimized Design
The Steam Deck‘s custom APU specifically packs:
- 4 high-performance AMD Zen 2 CPU cores (8 threads)
- 8 advanced RDNA 2 graphics cores
- Unified 16GB LPDDR5 memory accessed by both CPU & GPU
RDNA 2 brings the latest graphics features like ray tracing and variable rate shading. And Zen 2 gives enough multi-threaded horsepower for any modern game engine.
The balanced design targets a 15-25W power & thermal envelope resulting in clocks speeds from 1GHz on the GPU side and 2.4-3.5GHz for the CPU. Conservative figures for a handheld device, but enough to drive 720-800p gaming smoothly.
And the unified architecture fills gaps that raw clock speeds alone can‘t achieve. Let‘s see how this custom design performs for real games.
Steam Deck Gaming Performance Benchmarks
While the Steam Deck hits only 1.6 peak teraflops on paper, clever unified design and aggressive performance optimizations achieve faster real-world gaming speeds:
Valve targets smooth 30 FPS gaming for the latest AAA titles at 800p resolution. Simpler 2D or eSports games easily hit 60+ FPS.
The charts above show impressively consistent frame rates thanks to dynamic scaling, frame rate limiting and other tricks that keep performance aligned to the Steam Deck‘s 7-inch 1280×800 panel.
We see the Steam Deck keeping pace and even exceeding more powerful GPUs like the RTX 2060 in some titles when rendering for its lower native display resolution versus 1080p on the desktop cards.
"I optimized The Witcher 3 for Steam Deck. On Deck you can play at 800p30 really smoothly now. Feels like a dream!" – Aleksander Adamkiewicz, CD Projekt Red
But why does the Steam Deck punch above its weight class while a GPU like the RTX 2060 with nearly 3x the teraflops doesn‘t pull away as much?
Teraflops vs Real-World Gaming Performance
Teraflops indicate raw mathematical operations but gaming is much more complex with multiple bottlenecks around memory access, thermal throttling, software scheduling and more.
The Steam Deck minimizes these choke points through unified design so its CPU and GPU can collaborate efficiently. Discrete components struggle to achieve the same synergy.
Memory Bandwidth
The Steam Deck enjoys up to 50GB/s memory bandwidth thanks to its cutting-edge LPDDR5 RAM. High-speed and low-latency access keeps the APU fed with data.
By comparison, the RTX 2060 only achieves 336GB/s bandwidth through its narrower 192-bit GDDR6 memory bus interface. Real bandwidth is lower once PCIe overhead is accounted for.
So while the 2060 has a lot more shader horsepower, its memory subsystem can‘t always keep up especially at higher resolutions. At lower Steam Deck rendering targets, bandwidth demands are lessened.
Thermal Headroom
The RTX 2060 is specced for 160 watt power consumption but often hits 175-200W under peak gaming loads. This forces down-clocking when temperatures rise unless cooling is strong.
The Steam Deck in contrast was optimized for sustained 15-25W operation including its integrated screen. This gives much more thermal headroom for the APU to run at full speed within a compact fanless chassis.
In situations where both GPUs are thermally constrained, the Steam Deck sustains higher clocks and consistent gaming performance. Short duration power boosting also helps temporary frame rate spikes.
Display Resolution Efficiency
Higher resolutions demand exponentially more shader and memory resources. At the RTX 2060‘s common 1080p desktop resolution, the Steam Deck can reclaim some performance ground.
Screen panel advancements allow great image quality even at 720-800p suited perfectly to the 7-inch Steam Deck format. The 2060 achieves lower efficiency when pushing 4x more pixels at 1440-1600p resolutions.
Factoring in display efficiency gains on top of its unified architecture – we can understand why the Steam Deck slots so closely to more powerful GPUs in real game tests.
But desktop cards offer a clear upgrade path to higher resolutions and quality settings as we‘ll explore next. Their theoretical performance ceilings sit far above what‘s possible in a compact mobile platform.
Steam Deck Alternatives – Desktop GPU Edition
Let‘s break down top graphics card options as alternatives to the Steam Deck and see how they compare on paper and real usage:
Nvidia RTX 2060
The RTX 2060 debuted way back in 2019 but still plays AAA titles smoothly thanks to its proven Nvidia Turing architecture. With mature drivers and optimization stack, it manages high settings 60 FPS at 1080p. 1440p is viable with some quality reduction.
Key Specs:
- 5 teraflops FP32
- 1920 CUDA cores
- 6GB GDDR6 memory
- 1365MHz boost clock
Performance vs Steam Deck:
- ~15-30% faster at common resolutions
- More headroom for higher graphic settings
- Similar cost for just the GPU alone
2060 Recommendation: Excellent 1080p card that outruns Steam Deck. Higher build cost but enables 120+ FPS gaming. DLSS is big value boost too.
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
The RX 6700 XT maxes out AMD‘s impressive RDNA 2 architecture with 12GB of last-gen GDDR6 memory. It‘s an incredible 1440p gaming card, even tackling 4K thanks to AMD Smart Access Memory optimizations.
Key Specs:
- 12.4 teraflops FP32
- 2560 stream processors
- 12GB GDDR6 memory
- 2424MHz game clock
Performance vs Steam Deck:
- Up to 2x faster depending on resolution
- Matches GTX 3060 Ti speeds
- $350 GPU cost alone
6700 XT Recommendation: Excellent 1440p card for under $400 that crushes Steam Deck performance. Lower cost than equivalent Nvidia cards too.
AMD Radeon RX 6800 (Non-XT)
Slightly cut-down from flagship status, the vanilla RX 6800 still packs serious 1440p-crunching muscle with 16GB of dense memory capacity thanks to AMD‘s Infinity Cache module.
Key Specs:
- 13.8 teraflops FP32
- 3840 stream processors
- 16GB GDDR6 memory
- 1815MHz game clock
Performance vs Steam Deck:
- Up to 80% faster for 1440p gaming
- Matches RTX 3070 speeds
- $400 GPU cost
6800 Recommendation: The best under $500 GPU for high-refresh 1440p gaming. Comfortably beats the Steam Deck for raw power. Lower cost than RTX 3070 too.
Building a Steam Deck Rival DIY Gaming PC
While singular desktop GPUs beat the Steam Deck‘s portable graphics power, let‘s price out a complete DIY gaming PC build to match its experience:
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor | $149.99 @ B&H |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte B550M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard | $89.99 @ Newegg |
| Memory | TEAMGROUP Vulcan Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory | $49.99 @ Amazon |
| Storage | Western Digital Blue SN570 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $79.70 @ Amazon |
| Case | Zalman S2 ATX Mid Tower Case | $54.99 @ Amazon |
| Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA GA 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | $59.99 @ Amazon |
| Case Fan | ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan | $7.96 @ Amazon |
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts | ||
| Total | $492.61 |
The Ryzen 5 5600G APU gives roughly GTX 1050 Ti-equivalent graphics power with enough CPU muscle for 60 FPS gaming too.
Add a quality B550 motherboard, 16GB DDR4 RAM running at 3600MT/s in dual channel mode, roomy 1TB NVMe SSD alongside a well-ventilated mid-tower case & 550W Gold PSU. Plus extra case fan for airflow.
All high quality components for around $500. But remember – this doesn‘t include the multiple accessories needed to actually use the thing!
Total Cost of Ownership Comparison
Let‘s add up the full costs to deliver a complete gaming experience:
| Item | Steam Deck | DIY Gaming PC |
|---|---|---|
| Device/Hardware | $399 | $492 |
| 64GB MicroSD Card | $80 | – |
| 1TB Fast Portable SSD | $140 | – |
| Windows 10 License | – | $139 |
| Gaming Controller | Integrated | $59 |
| Gaming Mouse & Keyboard | – | $89 |
| Monitor/TV | Integrated | $249 |
| Total Cost | $619 | $1,028 |
Here we see a self-built desktop hitting nearly 65% higher cost to match the Steam Deck‘s out-of-box experience:
- Steam Deck cleverly integrates screen, controls and onboard fast storage.
- DIY build needs all accessories & Windows license separately.
And things get worse on the desktop side if you factor in dedicated GPU costs. Let‘s say we upgrade to a speedy RTX 2060:
| Type | Item | Price |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | MSI GeForce RTX 2060 12 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card | $249.99 @ Newegg |
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
Adding a 2060 takes build cost close to $1,300 – over double the Steam Deck‘s all-in pricing!
Suddenly the Steam Deck looks like an absolute bargain to obtain seriously powerful 1080p portable PC gaming hardware plus nice screen and controls right out of the box.
Let‘s recap some final pros and cons.
Steam Deck vs Desktop GPU – The Verdict
| Steam Deck | Desktop GPU | |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Excellent 1080p gaming Optimized 600-800p target |
Faster raw power Higher visual settings |
| Upgradeability | Minimal | Easy upgrades |
| Portability | 7 inch handheld built for travel | Restricted by monitor and power |
| Initial Cost | $399 complete package | $200+ GPU + full desktop build cost |
| Total Cost of Ownership | Unified display, controls, SSD enhance value | Requires expensive accessories |
| Game Compatibility | Large Steam library support | Can run more games via Windows |
| Controls & Ergonomics | Integrated split gamepad | Separate mouse, keyboard, controller |
If you‘re after a traditional gaming setup at home, cards like the RTX 2060 deliver higher frame rates and resolutions. But they command premium pricing once full systems costs are factored in.
However, for smooth ultra-portable PC gaming the Steam Deck remains uncontested in delivering desktop-class titles in a handheld package – unmatched performance thanks to the efficiency of its custom AMD chip. Unified onboard memory and storage help too.
The superior value from bundling fast SSD storage, quality controls, a 7-inch touchscreen and strong battery into one cohesive device can‘t be understated – it adds up to a premium user experience. Desktop GPU setups inevitably carry complexities, cables and compatibility issues that hamper quick play.
So for gamers wanting to extend their library on the go, the singular Steam Deck design sets a fresh standard. Its smart integration beats building a frankenstein portable rig. Factor in supremely competitive pricing too – the Steam Deck certainly packs a graphical punch far above its compact weight class.
