eRacks Systems Tech Blog
Open Source Experts Since 1999
eRacks/GAMER: A Linux Gaming PC That Boots Straight Into Steam
We have built Linux machines since 1999, and for most of that time gaming was the one thing people told us Linux couldn’t do. That changed. Valve’s Proton (a compatibility layer built into Steam that runs Windows games on Linux) and the Steam Deck turned Linux into a real gaming platform. So we built a proper desktop gaming model, with all the bells and whistles: eRacks/GAMER.
What it is
eRacks/GAMER is a tower built to order, starting at $4,395 with an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X, an AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT with 16GB, 32GB of DDR5-6000 RGB memory and a 2TB WD Black NVMe drive (fast solid-state storage). It sits in a panoramic tempered-glass case, black or white, with three ARGB (addressable RGB) fans and a 360mm ARGB liquid cooler, on an AM5 X870 motherboard with Wi-Fi 7 and 2.5Gb Ethernet, powered by an 850W ATX 3.1 supply.
From there the configurator goes where you want it: Ryzen X3D processors up to the 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D2 (X3D chips carry AMD 3D V-Cache, extra on-chip cache that AMD aims at games), GeForce RTX 5070, 5070 Ti and 5080 cards, 64GB of memory, 4TB of storage, and the lighting set the way you like it: a synced rainbow, one color, or off.
It boots into Steam
GAMER ships with Bazzite, a Fedora-based gaming system that boots into Steam Gaming Mode, the full-screen, controller-friendly interface from the Steam Deck. Steam comes installed with Proton, along with Heroic for Epic and GOG libraries, Lutris, GameMode and MangoHud (an on-screen frame-rate and temperature overlay). Sign in with your own Steam account and your library is there.
Prefer something else? Ubuntu with Steam is in the menu, and so are Fedora, Nobara, CachyOS, Pop!_OS and Mint. Every one gets the same gaming stack, installed and tested before it ships.
Why not SteamOS?
We asked ourselves the same thing. SteamOS is Valve’s own, and Valve supports it on its own hardware plus one Lenovo handheld: its FAQ lists the Steam Deck, Steam Machine, Steam Frame and Lenovo Legion Go S as the only devices “Powered by SteamOS”. On desktop PCs, AMD graphics are in beta and NVIDIA isn’t supported, and Valve’s own SteamOS page says not to treat it as a replacement for a desktop operating system. Bazzite gives you a Steam Gaming Mode like SteamOS’s, plus NVIDIA drivers and a full desktop. If you want SteamOS anyway, it is an option on Radeon builds.
The games that lock Linux out
Proton runs Windows games on Linux. The exception is a handful of online games whose publishers have decided Linux players aren’t welcome: their anti-cheat software refuses to run on Linux, and you’re shut out for no reason except your choice of operating system. The community list at areweanticheatyet.com tracks them. As of today it shows Valorant and Fortnite as denied, and recent Call of Duty titles as broken.
We think that’s the wrong call. We’d rather send our customers to the studios that support Linux players, and there are plenty of great games that welcome you. We also understand that some games are compelling enough that people play them anyway, whatever their publisher’s appetite for control. If that’s you, it’s your machine: tell us what you want, Windows dual boot included, and we’ll build it that way.
On the couch, on the TV
Plug GAMER into the living-room TV and Steam’s Big Picture mode turns it into a console. Or leave it at your desk and stream to the TV with Steam Remote Play: Valve’s Steam Link app runs on Apple TV, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV. Add up to four Xbox, DualSense or 8BitDo controllers in the configurator, or Valve’s new Steam Controller by quote (Valve sells it through a reservation queue).
Streaming your games instead? Add a 4K capture card, a USB microphone, and Discord and OBS Studio preinstalled.
A word on prices
Graphics cards cost more than they did a year ago. On October 5, 2025 we priced the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti at $799 at Newegg; this morning the lowest new, in-stock 5070 Ti there was $1,169.99. The Radeon RX 9070 XT went from $799 in April to $879.99 today. That is one reason the RX 9070 XT is our default: it is the better match for Linux and SteamOS, and today it costs about $290 less than the 5070 Ti. The 5070 Ti is one click away if you want it.
For the longer version, with sources, see our Linux gaming PC guide. Ready to build one? Configure eRacks/GAMER, or write to us at info@eracks.com.
joe October 16th, 2026
Posted In: News, Technology
Tags: Bazzite, eRacks/GAMER, gaming PC, Linux gaming, Proton, Steam, SteamOS