Here's a fun way to rethink what a console is. In a new video on the Minisforum T5 Max, ETA Prime installs official SteamOS on a compact mini PC, pairs it with a Steam Controller and sets out to use it as a 1440p gaming console. The creator's conclusion is that it performs really well under SteamOS.
That result comes with one interesting question attached, and it's the part worth your attention. The video isn't only a spec sheet walk-through. It's a test of whether a slower memory setting on a very capable chip actually costs you anything in real games.
Everything below comes from ETA Prime's video and its description. Xarmo hasn't tested this machine, so treat the hardware details as the creator's report.
What the machine is
The T5 Max is a 6.3-litre mini PC built around the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388, an eight-core, 16-thread chip with Radeon 8060S integrated graphics, on a custom Mini-ITX motherboard. ETA Prime takes it apart early on to show the board and cooling, and runs the chip at a 120W TDP.
The creator also likes how it looks, and compares the design favourably to older Dell OptiPlex mini PCs. A couple of commenters had the same thought, saying it reminded them of a compact Dell.
The memory catch
This is the system worth understanding. Chips like this one have no separate graphics memory. The processor and integrated graphics share one pool, so memory bandwidth matters more than it does on a PC with a dedicated graphics card.
According to ETA Prime, Minisforum has locked the T5 Max's 48GB of unified LPDDR5X memory to 6400 MT/s, down from the 8000-plus MT/s seen on some Ryzen AI Max+ 395 systems. AMD's own product page lists LPDDR5x-8000 support for the 388, so the question is a fair one. The video explains that catch at 1:49, then spends the rest of its run time testing it.
The upside shows up in SteamOS, where the creator says the machine allocates 21GB of VRAM automatically. The setup section at 2:15 covers that, along with version 3.9.5 of SteamOS and Desktop Mode.
Eight games at 1440p
ETA Prime then runs eight demanding games at 1440p. If you only care about one or two, the chapters make it easy to jump straight there:
- Crimson Desert, Ultra settings with FSR Frame Gen
- Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Very High with FSR Quality
- Doom: The Dark Ages, High with FSR Quality
- Cyberpunk 2077 Patch 2.5, Ultra with FSR Quality
- Mortal Kombat 1, Very High at native resolution
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Very High with FSR Quality
- Forza Horizon 6, Ultra at native resolution
- Red Dead Redemption 2, a High and Ultra mix at native resolution
We're leaving the exact frame rates to the video, since the on-screen readouts are the evidence and they're best seen in motion. The settings list tells its own story, though: these are high presets on a machine with no dedicated graphics card.
The final thoughts at 8:55 return to whether 6400 MT/s holds the machine back, and that's the chapter to watch if you're weighing up a purchase.
How viewers took it
The comments, up to the six-hour mark, were mostly about money. Plenty of viewers said they like the machine but found the price hard to swallow, and that's opinion rather than a confirmed figure, so check current pricing yourself. One asked for more cheaper alternatives to Valve's Steam Machine that can sit next to a TV.
Our take: this is a neat demonstration of how far integrated graphics have come, and the memory question is the smart thing to focus on. If you're tempted, start with the games you actually play and compare the settings before you get excited about the box.
From the creators
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