PC gaming in the living room has been an ongoing challenge, and many gamers thought Valve would solve this issue with its upcoming Steam Machine. However, the price point over $1,000 just didn’t feel like the way forward. Alongside this, building or buying a dedicated compact living room PC usually requires spending around this amount on custom small-form-factor builds or specialized console-style computers.
This is where I started to look at mini PCs as an alternative, and in came the Geekom IT13 Max, which is typically priced around $800 but can go even lower on sale. It’s the proof in the pudding that you don’t need a bulky, expensive dedicated gaming machine for your living room. Thanks to its specifications, this $799 mini PC delivers fluid 1080p gaming performance, 4K or even 8K media playback, and desktop utility for a fraction of the cost of a full living room gaming rig or even a Steam Machine.
Related
4 reasons I’d rather buy a Mini-ITX PC over a mini PC
A bigger PC is almost always better
The hardware on offer works amazingly
This mini PC packs great specifications
The Geekom IT13 Max provides you with a sub-$100 desktop node that sits right next to your TV for hundreds of dollars less than a custom SFM FF build, without sacrificing any of your 1080p gaming capabilities. While it’s not advertised for gaming, the silicon architecture that powers the box means it is very much up to the task. You get an Intel Core Ultra 9185H, providing 6 performance cores, 8 efficiency cores, and 2 low-power efficiency cores, with a TDP up to 65W.
Pair this with the integrated Intel Arc Xe LPG graphics, and you’ve got yourself some pretty good gaming performance. This isn’t the same sluggish Iris Xe graphics of older Intel generations. The 8 Xe Core Intel Arc iGPU sports DirectX 12 Ultimate, hardware ray tracing, and dedicated AV1 encoding/decoding engines.
Alongside this hardware itself, you also get access to XeSS AI upscaling. Intel’s XeSS, otherwise known as Xe Super Sampling, bridges the gap for AAA gaming on a 0.9-liter mini PC, rendering internally at 720p or dynamically at 1080p, and upscaling via XeSS delivers a smooth 60 frames-plus on big-screen TVs without any heavy visual degradation.
The performance I got was impeccable for a mini PC
From esports titles down to AAA games
At first, I was slightly hesitant about the gaming performance of a mini PC in general. Typically, these devices are designed for compact desktops and are meant to be worked on rather than gamed on. However, the performance metrics I was getting proved that the Geekom IT13 Max mini PC was up for the challenge.
With competitive esports titles like Valorant, Counter-Strike 2, and League of Legends, I was able to comfortably reach 100 frames, sometimes even 150, at native 1080p on high settings. While these aren’t typically the games I would play in my living room anyway, I just wanted to see how the mini PC would stack up in games where frame rates are absolutely fundamental to gameplay.
The next test was the games I would actually play while sitting on my living room sofa, like modern AAA titles. Games like Forza Horizon 5 easily pulled over 60FPS at 1080p, often stabilizing around 65–68FPS. If I wanted to drop the quality to 720p, I was getting closer to 90 frames per second.
For more demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 or The Witcher 3, I was able to run at a stable 45–60FPS using low/medium presets, but I needed XeSS enabled in order to do this.
Alongside the actual performance, I was quite keen to see how the mini PC would fare in terms of thermals, too. Running at 65 W, it was interesting to see how something with such a small footprint would remain cool. However, thanks to the Ice Blast 3.0 cooling engine, the dual heat pipe design, and vapor chamber thermal management, acoustics remained quite low even under heavy gaming load. I didn’t encounter any allowed fan winds that would disrupt my movie nights or couch gaming sessions.
The only major downside of the Geekom IT13 Max Mini PC’s specifications was its storage capacity. It comes with a 500GB M.2 SSD built in at its lowest tier, and with game sizes ever-increasing, this could be used up relatively quickly, especially for larger modern AAA titles. You may want to opt for a larger storage capacity if you know you’re playing those larger titles.
An eGPU can improve performance too
You’re able to upgrade in the future
Something many gamers will be investing in with the Steam machine is actually the operating system rather than the specifications. SteamOS provides you with a clean, easy-to-use interface for your entire Steam library, and unfortunately, using Windows on your TV just doesn’t offer the same simple experience.
However, luckily, this issue does come with its own resolutions too. The simplest way to use a much more comfortable UI is, of course, to boot into Steam Big Picture mode. If you want a more permanent solution, installing the Linux-based Bazzite OS gives the IT13 Max a console-like UI with instant controller navigation and suspend/resume functions.
You also get the benefit of emulation with the 16-core CPU being able to handle high-level emulation like PS2, PS3, Gamecube, and Switch at up to 4K upscaled resolutions without breaking a sweat. And if you want better performance out of your mini PC in the future, then you also have the option of long-term upgradeability thanks to dual 40 Gbps USB 4 ports. This means you can easily hook up an external desktop graphics card or eGPU down the line, instantly transforming this mini PC into a native 4K AAA gaming monster for your entire library.
A Steam Machine isn’t the only option
You may have overlooked a mini PC
Spending over $1,000 to put a dedicated gaming PC under your living room TV is no longer necessary. While we all thought the Steam Machine was going to solve this problem, its extortionate price tag has made that far from the truth. The Geekom IT13 Max proves that modern integrated graphics have matured to the point where a 0.9 L micro PC can handle your Steam library effortlessly.
If you’re looking for the ultimate living room entertainment system, then turn your attention away from bulky desktop towers or specialized living room setups. Instead, focus on mini PCs. You can grab yourself one, load up Steam Big Picture mode, plug in your favorite wireless controller, and enjoy high-performance gaming right from your couch for hundreds of dollars less than a dedicated system would cost.
8.5/10
CPU
Up to Intel Core i9-13900H
Graphics
Intel Iris Xe graphics
Memory
Up to 64GB DDR4-3200
Using a mini PC in place of a Steam Machine or living room set up can be a much cheaper alternative.