The deal
HotHardware reports the Slate is $899.99 at Best Buy for a limited time, a $500 saving. Best Buy is running early Black Friday doorbusters. Digital Citizen notes that discounts and inventory may change as Black Friday approaches. DealNews says the offer is available online and in store, with limited quantities and no rainchecks. Treat the price as time-sensitive and confirm it at checkout.
The reported configuration:
- CPU: Ryzen 5 8400F, 6 cores and 12 threads.
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 with 8GB.
- Memory: 16GB of DDR5-4800.
- Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD.
- Software: Windows 11 Home is preinstalled, and a gaming keyboard and mouse are included.
Slate versus Steam Machine
Tom's Hardware's framing is that the Slate is cheaper yet more powerful than the Steam Machine, which currently goes for $1,049 for the base 512GB model. The price gap is simple arithmetic: $149.01 in the Slate's favor before tax. The Slate also has 1TB of storage against the Steam Machine's 512GB base.
"More powerful" is plausible but not proven. No benchmark in the material I reviewed compares the two machines directly. IGN's deals team, as republished on 7mmo, argues the Steam Machine's custom GPU is comparable to a Radeon RX 7600 or GeForce RTX 4060. That is an outside characterization, not a measured result. Without head-to-head testing, the safer reading is that a desktop RTX 5060 is a reasonable bet to be faster, not a guaranteed win.
The Steam Machine launch pricing was reported by Ars Technica in June. The 512GB model is $1,049. Ars also reported a $1,349 2TB model and that Valve used a randomized reservation system because of component shortages. The Steam Machine ships with the Linux-based SteamOS.
The RAM caveat
The Slate's weak spot is memory. Best Buy's Q&A, as relayed in the submitted material, describes a single 16GB stick. One module means single-channel memory on this platform, and a second matching stick would normally be the cheapest upgrade. Check the motherboard and system documentation before buying RAM. AMD's page lists DDR5-5200 as the maximum for certain two-module setups, so DDR5-4800 is not the ceiling in every configuration.
Tom's Hardware says a 16GB DDR5 stick alone costs around $300. I could not independently verify that figure, so don't rely on it when judging the value of this deal.
Feature correction: DLSS 5
Tom's Hardware credits the RTX 5060 with "newly released DLSS 5." NVIDIA's RTX 5060 family page lists DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation. NVIDIA treats DLSS 5 separately, as 3D-Guided Neural Rendering. I would not tell buyers the 5060 gets DLSS 5. What is documented is Blackwell architecture, 8GB of GDDR7 and DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation. Frame generation also only works in supported games, and generated frames do not equal native performance.
Trade-offs
- CPU age: HotHardware notes the CPU is a generation old, a Zen 4 Ryzen 5 8400F. It still runs on AM5, which keeps CPU upgrades possible.
- VRAM: 8GB is workable for 1080p. Newer, heavier games and higher resolutions may push it. IGN positions the card as a budget option for 1080p gaming. 9to5Toys is more generous and says it suits 1080p and 1440p gaming.
- Form factor: the Slate is a full mid-tower. Moving it to a TV stand takes more space and planning than a small cube. Tom's Hardware suggests it could become a living-room PC with some tinkering.
- What's unverified: exact motherboard model, noise, thermals, warranty experience and measured frame rates. None of that was in the reporting I reviewed.
The bottom line
At $899.99, the Slate looks like a strong value for a Windows 11 gaming PC while memory prices are inflated. Windows Central's Ben Wilson calls it a great starting point for PC gaming newcomers with room to upgrade later. Windows Central's hands-on testing covered iBUYPOWER systems generally, not this exact discounted configuration.
Buy it if you want a standard upgradeable Windows tower. Plan on a second RAM stick. If you want a small, SteamOS-first living-room box, the Steam Machine is a different product, not just a pricier version of the same thing. Tom's Hardware's report includes an affiliate disclosure, and deal sites often earn commissions. Weigh the enthusiasm accordingly and verify the specs on the listing.