Valve’s Steam Deck offers decent gaming graphics with its cutting-edge hardware that competes with many high-end PCs and is able to run pretty intensive PC games.
Steam Deck is one of the pioneers of new-age handheld gaming consoles, and hardcore games like myself have no beef with it since they can run our favorite PC games with portability support. It is like carrying a gaming PC/desktop without a bulky unit and cable wires.
When it comes to PC vs. handheld gaming, comparing Steam Deck CPU or finding the right GPU equivalent is pretty challenging. The Steam Deck’s APU technology combines a gaming desktop’s dedicated GPU and CPU that makes it efficient in temperature balancing, battery and performance.
Nevertheless, if you are looking to build a PC that offers nearly the same performance in terms of graphics, It’s worth noting that the steam deck has a smaller screen with low resolution, a CPU and GPU combination and a custom OS running all optimizations making intensive games playable.
What are the GPU Specifications of the Steam Deck Console?
Steam Deck has an AMD APU with the 8 RDNA 2 CUs GPU offering a clock speed ranging from 1.0-1.6GHz (up to 1.6 TFlops FP32). This hardware can get you 3D graphics quality at 1200×800 screen resolution at 30-60 Hz in the handheld mode.
If you connect Steam Deck to a TV or monitor, the output capability can amp up to 60 Hz in 4K resolution. Such hardware output is impressive, especially when the console only consumes 4-15 Watts. Packed with 16 gigs of DDR5 RAM, the console can do something that sounds more than what its size gives.
What is Steam Deck GPU Equivalent? Comparison & Specs
| GPU | Clock Speed (Base) | Compute Units (CUs) | Peak Performance | Architecture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam Deck | 1.0 GHz | 8 | Up to 1.6 TFlops (FP32) | RDNA 2 |
| Radeon RX 550 2GB GDDR5 | 1.1 GHz | 8 | Up to 1.1 TFlops | GCN 4th Generation (Polaris) |
| GTX 1050 Ti 4GB | 1.3 GHz | 768 CUDA cores | Up to 2.1 TFlops | Pascal |
If we compare Steam Deck with Nintendo Switch or ROG Ally, the hardware job seems custom, and there is no such thing as a ‘standard GPU’ for handheld consoles. Therefore, we have found a couple of Steam Deck GPU equivalents from AMD and Nvidia to help you make the right choice.
ROG Ally outperforms Steam Deck in comparison to its GPU Equivalency.
1. Steam Deck Nvidia GPU Equivalent
Steam Deck’s GPU equivalent by Nvidia is the GTX 1050ti 4GB, which has nearly the same throughput offered by the Steam Deck’s GPU is 1.6 teraflops. If you can’t find the titanium version (Ti), go for the simple Nvidia GTX 1050 4GB that offers a decent gaming performance similar to Steam Deck.
2. Steam Deck AMD GPU Equivalent
The Steam Deck GPU equivalent by AMD is the Radeon RX 550 2GB GDDR5 graphics card that offers way more graphics capability than the handheld gaming console. This GPU is inexpensive and gives pretty decent gaming performance if you have the right processor combined.
Final Words
Steam Deck has a competitive edge regarding GPU since the graphics output has to be displayed on a 720p screen. Unlike the PC gaming’s most common resolutions, such as 1080p or 1440p, Steam Deck can maintain better frame rates and graphics quality. Hence the comparison seems unfair. But if you’re only looking to find the right equivalent, you can always go for GTX 1050 or RX 550.
