SteamOS Now Supports AMD, Intel Graphics

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Good news for AMD and Intel customers!

The Steam Universe group was updated on Wednesday with news that SteamOS now has support for AMD and Intel GPUs. Unfortunately, Optimus solutions – those with Nvidia discrete GPUs plus Intel integrated graphics with dynamic switching – are still unsupported at this time.

"This update upgrades the Catalyst driver in our repositories with a preview release. This build should fix the poor in-game performance and malfunctioning return to desktop functionality," writes Valve's Pierre-Loup A. Griffais. "Known problems include tearing and poor overlay performance in-game; please install them and post your feedback!"

According to the Valve team, SteamOS installs should update themselves automatically. However, refreshed installation images are also available to download. Keep in mind that SteamOS has minimum requirements: a 64-bit processor, 4 GB of RAM, 500 GB of hard-drive space, and support for UEFI booting.

The Tech Report points out that this "alchemist" release includes AMD's Catalyst 13.11 Beta 9.9 graphics drivers for Linux, which can also be downloaded from AMD. The driver notes list two open issues with SteamOS: some OpenGL applications exhibit screen tearing with V-sync enabled, and loading the SteamOS overlay while playing games can result in a slower user Interface response time.

News of the update should be good news for Gamers with AMD and Intel GPUs, as the previous two releases of SteamOS only supported Nvidia graphics. Now the only gamers left out of the beta are the Optimus customers.

Kevin Parrish
22 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Nuck Chorris
    Minimum requirement for a hard drive is 500GB? They should list the actual size of the OS, people still use 320GB hard drives and even 250GB.
    Reply
  • Sicundercover
    Its Debian it will run on much lower specs. However they are just giving you a heads it because its meant to be used for gaming. But yes I agree, the people who would be concerned with this prefer specifics. On a side note, the good news is, the big boys are finally pushing Linux.
    Reply
  • razor512
    Minimum requirement for a hard drive is 500GB? They should list the actual size of the OS, people still use 320GB hard drives and even 250GB.
    It needs space for the bloatware :) jkAnyway, who will run that with only onboard intel graphics? No one will want to dedicate a system that meats the required specs, but has crappy GPU.
    Reply
  • penn919
    Minimum requirement for a hard drive is 500GB? They should list the actual size of the OS, people still use 320GB hard drives and even 250GB.
    It needs space for the bloatware :) jkAnyway, who will run that with only onboard intel graphics? No one will want to dedicate a system that meats the required specs, but has crappy GPU.
    Some people might just play small indie games and emulators, so they'll use it like a glorified Ouya.
    Reply
  • tonyzet
    12421305 said:
    Minimum requirement for a hard drive is 500GB? They should list the actual size of the OS, people still use 320GB hard drives and even 250GB.
    It needs space for the bloatware :) jkAnyway, who will run that with only onboard intel graphics? No one will want to dedicate a system that meats the required specs, but has crappy GPU.
    Some people might just play small indie games and emulators, so they'll use it like a glorified Ouya.
    They may also need to create just a st(r)eam machine. I am so mean:D
    Reply
  • Nuck Chorris
    Minimum requirement for a hard drive is 500GB? They should list the actual size of the OS, people still use 320GB hard drives and even 250GB.
    It needs space for the bloatware :) jkAnyway, who will run that with only onboard intel graphics? No one will want to dedicate a system that meats the required specs, but has crappy GPU.
    I myself have a 320GB HDD and a 250GB HDD with my AMD 7850. What does having a larger hard-drive have to do with the GPU you're using anyways? I have a 1TB laptop that has integrated graphics.
    Reply
  • damric
    Just waiting for steam OS to be able to play the games that I already own.
    Reply
  • Praise_Gaben
    I hope old Gabe is doing everything right.. because i didn't like the steam machines that were announced at all. Maybe it would have been better to stick with a 3-tier system (apu, 7870, gtx 780 something like that).
    Reply
  • firefoxx04
    I wonder if you can install bumblebee. Its an app that switches between your nvidia dedicated card and your on board intel gpu (for people with Optimus laptops)I have bumblebee installed in ubuntu gnome 3 and its fantastic. Awesome battery life with the intel and the dedicated card when I need it.
    Reply
  • ashonit
    "previous two releases of SteamOS only supported Nvidia graphics"

    I tried out the SteamOS beta last month. While it might not have officially supported AMD GPUs, I tried it with a HD7770 and it picked up the drivers (fglrx) straight away and worked without issue.

    Good to hear support is now official though.

    Cheers,Ash.
    Reply