With Ryzen 9 7940HX and Radeon RX 7600 XT, the Aoostar GODY wants to be the PC alternative to the Steam Machine

Aoostar has decided go head to head with Valve’s Steam Machineand he has done it the only way he knows how: by harnessing hardware muscle. The Chinese company, specialized in mini PCs aimed at gaming and home use, has just presented two new models of its GOD series, the GODZ and the GODYboth designed as a direct alternative to the PC-console that Valve plans to launch.

The comparison is not accidental. Aoostar has published a table of its own in which it pits its two machines against what it calls a “Steam-style PC” (without citing Valve’s trademark, although the message is obvious to anyone who follows the sector). The objective is clear: to demonstrate that their mini PCs offer more raw power for a similar or even lower price, although at the cost of giving up the closed and optimized experience of SteamOS.

GODZ, Aoostar’s economical option

The entry model of the new range is the Aoostar GODZwhich part of a price of 599 dollars in its barebone configuration (without RAM or storage). This team sets up a Ryzen 7 7435HS processoran 8-core, 16-thread chip that Aoostar combines with a graphic card Radeon RX 6600M with 8 GB of dedicated memory.

In terms of memory and storage, the GODZ Supports up to two DDR5-4800 memory modules and two M.2 2280 SSDs with PCIe 4.0 interfaceallowing the end user to configure the equipment to their liking rather than relying on a closed factory configuration. Connectivity includes WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and a 2.5 GbE Ethernet port, more than decent figures for a device in this price segment.

GODY bets on the Ryzen 9 7940HX and the Radeon RX 7600 XT

The star model of the range, and the one that really seeks to compete in performance with any similar proposal on the market, is the Aoostar GODY. This mini PC uses the Ryzen 9 7940HXa Zen 4 processor with 16 cores and 32 threads that until recently was only seen in high-end gaming laptops. He is accompanied by a Radeon RX 7600 XT graphics cardalthough Aoostar does not specify at any time the power limit (TDP) at which the GPU works within the chassis.

What the company does confirm is that this variant has 16 GB of graphics memorya generous figure that should allow current titles to be moved with ease even at demanding resolutions. The GODY too make the jump to DDR5-5200 memory (again, two modules) already two M.2 2280 SSDs with PCIe 5.0 interfacefar above what the GODZ model offers.

In the connectivity section, the GODY is updated to WiFi 7 and adds two 2.5 GbE Ethernet ports, compared to the only port on the economic model. The starting price for this barebone configuration is $849that is, about 800 euros at the current exchange rate.

No SteamOS, no memory or storage included

One of the most striking details of the comparison that Aoostar has published is what it does not say. In its table, the company pits the GODZ and the GODY against a “Steam-style” system with a starting price of $1,049, a Zen 4 processor with 6 cores and 12 threads, an RDNA 3 graphics card with 28 computing units with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, 16 GB of RAM and up to 2 TB of SSD storage already included at the factory.

The price difference works in favor of Aoostar on paper, but several things should be clarified. Neither the GODZ nor the GODY include RAM or storage units in their barebone configuration, so the user will have to add that separate cost to have a functional device. In addition, Aoostar itself clarifies that its mini PCs are compatible with Steam, with Big Picture mode, with Windows and with Linux operating systems aimed at gaming, but at no time does it mention SteamOS.

That absence is not a minor detail. SteamOS is precisely one of the great claims of Valve’s proposal, designed to offer a closed, optimized and quick-start experience similar to that of a traditional console. Aoostar also does not hide that its GODY is not an official Steam Machine nor is it affiliated in any way with Valve, something that the company leaves in writing to avoid confusion among buyers.

The truth is that, at the level of pure specifications, the GODY presents numbers that are on par with a current mid-high-end gaming desktop PC, with a 16-core processor and a dedicated graphics capable of running AAA games without excessive trouble. The question that remains is whether the software suitewithout the support of SteamOS, will be able to offer the same fluidity and comfort of use that the Valve console promises.

For now, both the GODZ and GODY are available for purchase directly through Aoostar although, as is often the case with these types of manufacturers, availability and shipping times to Europe can vary considerably depending on the region. Aoostar has also not detailed whether it plans to launch variants with memory and storage already integrated from the factory for those who prefer not to have to assemble the equipment on their own.