[GAMING PC] Draco1962's HP Pavilion Bazzite Conversion Build - MK. 2

[Draco1962]

Given that there are some major changes afoot with this build, I decided it deserved a new thread. Link to original build thread here.

As noted in the original build, I acquired an HP Pavilion 590-p0024 with the following specs:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
• Memory (RAM): 12GB DDR4  (Shared with integrated graphics, expandable to 32GB)
• Storage: 1TB SSD
• Operating System: Windows 10 Home (64-bit)
• Graphics: Integrated AMD Radeon Vega Graphics (from the CPU)
• Connectivity: Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, USB A 3.1, USB A 2.0, USB C ports, Realtek RTL8188EE single‑band (2.4 GHz) Wi‑Fi adapter
• SATA ports: 3
• Optical Drive: DVD RW
• Power Supply: 180w

Originally, I intended to sell the upgraded build. Upon receiving many lowball offers that barely covered the costs for my original upgrades, and following the successful conversion of my Atari VCS build to Bazzite, I decided to keep it as a living room "console" replacement, with a few more tweaks to the PC making it a considerably more powerful and stable build than the VCS.

I also decided to ditch Windows 11 entirely. There are some benefits in sticking with Windows 11 over Linux due to:

• anti-cheat considerations
• minor FPS gains in some genres due to overhead created in Bazzite due to Windows-Proton conversion

As I will not be playing the games with Windows anti-cheat on this build, nor are the FPS differences all that noticeable, time to move on and play some games!

NOTE: * indicates upgrade/addition from stock hardware in the build list below.

HP PAVILION BAZZITE CONVERSION BUILD – MK. 2

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CORE HARDWARE

• Motherboard: HP Sunflower Proprietary (M.2 NVMe SSD, 3 SATA, Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, USB-C) 
• *CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 2700 3.2GHz Socket AM4 eBay
• *RAM: 32GB KIT (2x16GB) Timetec Premium DDR4 2666MHz PC4-21300 Non-ECC Unbuffered 1.2V CL19 UDIMM
• *Primary Storage: 1TB WD Blue SN5100 NVMe M.2 2280 PCIe Gen 4.0 SSD (Up to 7,100MB/s) 
• *Secondary Storage: 4TB TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z SLC Cache 3D NAND QLC 2.5" SATA III SSD 
• Optical Drive: HP Pavilion 590/595 Super Multi DVD Writer DVD±RW (8x)
• *GPU: MSI AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT MECH 2X 8GB GDDR6 PCIe 4.0 x8 (HDMI 2.1 VRR / DP 1.4) eBay
• *PSU: HP L04618-800 400W Proprietary PSU eBay

 

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WIRELESS

• *WiFi/Bluetooth Adapter: OKN AX210NGW DTK WiFi Card WiFi 6E Supports 6GHz, 2230, 2x2 AX+BT 5.3+Tri-Band, Includes RF Cable (11 inch), 5dBi High Gain Antennas

 

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CASE

• Chassis: HP Pavilion 590-p0024 Mini Tower (Modified Horizontal Console Form Factor)
• *New Feet Mod: Subble 1.2 '' Isolation Feet Suitable for 3'' - 5'' inch Speakers, Hemisphere Bumpers

 

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COOLING

• *CPU Cooler Fan: Noctua NF-A8 PWM, Premium Quiet Fan, 4-Pin (80mm, Brown) mounted to AMD AM4 Heatsink Block
• *Chassis Exhaust Fan: Noctua NF-A9 PWM Premium Quiet 92mm Fan (Brown)
• *Side Intake Fan: Noctua NF-A6x25 PWM Premium Quiet 60mm Fan (Brown)

 

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OS

• *OS: Bazzite Deck

NOTE: Updated pics of the build and mods with detailed posts regarding coming soon!

[Draco1962]

WIRELESS

• *WiFi/Bluetooth Adapter: OKN AX210NGW DTK WiFi Card WiFi 6E Supports 6GHz, 2230, 2x2 AX+BT 5.3+Tri-Band, Includes RF Cable (11 inch), 5dBi High Gain Antennas

This HP model ships with a Realtek RTL8188EE single‑band (2.4 GHz) Wi‑Fi adapter. 

The factory installs a dual antenna harness, soldered to the exterior cage behind the front bezel.

Given the age of the card and relative weakness of both the WiFi (only 2.4GHz) and Bluetooth 4.2, I decided to replace the card with the OKN AX210NGW DTK WiFi Card WiFi 6E Supports 6GHz, 2230, 2x2 AX+BT 5.3+Tri-Band, Includes RF Cable (11 inch), 5dBi High Gain Antennas. It came with antennas, but I decided to chance using the existing antenna harness, which actually works very well! 

Connectivity is excellent to my 6GHz network several rooms/walls away from the closest source. Initial Bluetooth testing appears to like the much-updated version. In addition to being Windows-compatible, this OKN WiFi/Bluetooth card is Linux ready right out of the box.

 

[Draco1962]

For those curious about how this build compares on paper to the 2026 Valve Steam Machine, the following is from a query that I generated with Gemini:

Side-by-Side Comparison: HP Pavilion Bazzite Build vs. Valve Steam Machine (2026)

Hardware & Specification Comparison

Component / Feature	HP Pavilion 590 Bazzite Build	Valve Steam Machine (June 2026)
Operating System	Bazzite Linux (SteamOS gaming frontend)	SteamOS 3 (Arch-based Linux + Proton)
CPU	AMD Ryzen 7 2700 (Zen+, 8C / 16T, 3.2 – 4.1 GHz)	Semi-Custom AMD Zen 4 (6C / 12T, up to 4.8 GHz, 30W TDP)
GPU	MSI AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT MECH 2X 8GB GDDR6 (132W TDP)	Semi-Custom AMD RDNA 3 (28 CUs, up to 2.45 GHz, 8GB GDDR6 VRAM, 110W TDP)
System Memory (RAM)	32GB Timetec DDR4-2666 MHz Dual-Channel	16GB DDR5-5600
Storage (Primary OS/Games)	1TB WD Blue SN5100 PCIe 4.0 NVMe (7,100 MB/s)	512GB or 2TB NVMe SSD
Storage (Secondary / Media)	4TB TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z SATA SSD	MicroSD Card expansion slot
Power Supply	HP 400W Proprietary PSU (L04618-800)	300W Internal PSU
Networking & Wireless	Gigabit LAN, OKN AX210 Wi-Fi 6E + Bluetooth 5.3 w/ 5dBi High-Gain Antennas	Gigabit LAN, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
Thermal & Cooling Setup	AM4 Stock CPU Cooler + 1x Noctua NF-A8 (80mm) + Noctua NF-A9 (92mm) + 1x Noctua NF-A6x25 (60mm)	Custom vapor chamber / blower cooling (~156 x 162 x 152 mm chassis)
Controllers & Peripherals	Xbox Wireless Controller (Robot White) + OIVO Dual Charging Dock; HP Wireless KB/Mouse	Optional New Steam Controller bundle
Media / Extra IO	HP 8x DVD±RW Optical Drive	N/A (Digital only)
Price / Value	Custom Build / Repurposed (~$400–$500 effective hardware value)	$1,049 (512GB) to $1,428 (2TB + Controller)

Performance Expectations & Bottleneck Analysis

• CPU Performance: The Steam Machine’s Zen 4 architecture significantly outpaces the Ryzen 7 2700 (Zen+) in single-threaded IPC and instructions per clock. High-framerate physics or CPU-bound titles will run smoother on the Steam Machine.

• GPU Performance: The RX 6600 XT in the HP build runs with a higher power envelope (132W) and delivers rasterization performance that slightly edges out or equals the power-constrained RDNA 3 GPU (110W) in the Steam Machine.

• RAM & Storage Headroom: The HP build heavily leads in storage capacity (5TB total SSD space) and system RAM (32GB DDR4 vs. 16GB DDR5), making it far better suited for massive ROM/game libraries and heavy multitasking.

Genre-Based FPS Estimates (1080p & 1440p Target Resolutions)

Game Genre / Typical Titles	Target Settings	HP Pavilion Bazzite Build (RX 6600 XT / Ryzen 2700)	Steam Machine 2026 (RDNA3 28CU / Zen 4)	Notes & Dynamics
Competitive Esports / Shooters (Apex Legends, CS2, Overwatch 2)	1080p High	100 – 140 FPS	150 – 200+ FPS	Zen 4 CPU pushes higher max FPS in fast-paced competitive titles.
Modern AAA Action/RPG (Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth: Wukong, Elden Ring)	1080p Medium / FSR Quality	55 – 70 FPS	60 – 75 FPS	Similar GPU performance; Zen 4 handles dense crowd/asset streaming slightly better.
Indie & 2D / Retro Action (Hades II, Dead Cells, Hollow Knight)	1440p / 4K Native	120+ FPS (4K)	120+ FPS (4K)	Both easily max out 60Hz/120Hz displays on lighter titles.
Heavy Emulation (PS3 / Switch / Xbox 360) (RPCS3, Ryujinx, Xenia)	1080p / 1440p Upscaled	45 – 60 FPS	60 FPS Solid	Zen 4’s AVX-512 support and high single-thread speeds give the Steam Machine the advantage.
Arcade / Classic Emulation (MAME, PS2, GameCube)	1080p / 1440p	60 FPS Solid	60 FPS Solid	Both handle these retro platforms effortlessly.

Final Ratings

HP Pavilion Bazzite Build

• Rating: 8.8 / 10

• Verdict: A brilliantly executed console transformation. With 5TB of fast SSD storage, 32GB of RAM, dedicated Noctua thermal management, and an RX 6600 XT, it delivers incredible living-room value that matches or exceeds the 2026 Steam Machine in raw storage/RAM capacity and GPU raster horsepower at a fraction of the cost.

Valve Steam Machine (2026)

• Rating: 7.8 / 10

• forced Highly capable, compact, and optimized with modern Zen 4 CPU efficiency, but held back by its steep $1,049+ launch price, 16GB RAM limit, and modest 512GB base storage during the 2026 DRAM market shortage.

Factors not included are FPS limitations foreced by the display to which the devices are connected. My living room TV is a 4K Samsung. Given the GPU limitations, I will probably use 1440p with upscaling.