When comparing ZOTAC Steam Machine SN970 vs Falcon Northwest Tiki, the Slant community recommends ZOTAC Steam Machine SN970 for most people. In the question“What are the best Steam Machines?” ZOTAC Steam Machine SN970 is ranked 2nd while Falcon Northwest Tiki is ranked 9th. The most important reason people chose ZOTAC Steam Machine SN970 is:
Steam has developed their own gaming controller which comes packed with this machine and is part of the price. This is convenient for those looking for an all in one solution.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Comes with new Steam controller
Steam has developed their own gaming controller which comes packed with this machine and is part of the price. This is convenient for those looking for an all in one solution.
Pro Quiet operation
For a machine that will most likely be used in the living room, fan noise is a concern. Luckily the machine is made to be silent while being used so this is not an issue here.
Pro Very nice design
The design looks like it can actually throw some people off thinking that this small form factor PC is a next gen system. It looks great underneath your TV and is about the size of a Sega Dreamcast. In other words, it just fits in perfectly.
Pro Sleek design
Just slightly taller than an Xbox 360, this Steam Machine is an extremely attractive piece of tech in your choices of colors and designs. Heck, you can even throw in a custom design that you made or want on your Tiki. It's a beautiful looking system that you just have to take a double glance at for its elegance seems like it is out of reach for mortal hands (and it is).
Pro It can demolish your benchmarks
It's no wonder why this thing has such a hefty price tag; it destroys most modern games with it's more than capable hardware that can last you what would feel like an eternity with options like the Titan X or the NVIDIA Quadro P6000.
Cons
Con Steam OS
The machine comes pre-installed with Steam OS as the main OS, this is based off of Debian Linux and as such Linux has less games than on Windows. This means that many AAA games will not be available on the system as they tend to be Windows only.
Con GPU cannot be upgraded
Like an Alienware Steam Machine, the Zotac's GPU cannot be upgraded. It may have a decent card inside now but a few more years down the road will make that card unattractive if you wish to buy something better to keep up with future titles.
Con No GPU amplifier at this time
Unlike Alienware, Zotac has not created a GPU amplifier for their Steam Machine so that if someone were to want to upgrade externally with a desktop GPU like an RX 580, they cannot do so.
Con Most expensive choice on the market
If you thought the Maingear DRIFT or the Digital Storm Eclipse were the most expensive Steam Machines, then you haven't opened up the configuration tab that gives you your choice of Tiki. This machine easily can demolish your wallet with it's base configuration of $2,191. And with the more capable hardware added, you end up wondering how the heck you spent over $9,000 for a mini desktop.
Con No SteamOS
Some people actually enjoy using Linux for their gaming and other casual usage. But, this option is no longer available for the Tiki and thus you are stuck using Windows as your main choice of operating system.