Valve has published its October 2026 Steam Hardware Survey. There is a very interesting change in the most common configuration for PC gaming. 16 GB of system memory is the most popular, taking over the 32 GB that has been the default over the last several years.
Intel CPU share rises while RTX 3060 regains GPU lead
The change in the most common memory shows that mid-range PCs still make up the bulk of the Steam users. 16GB RAM is now the most popular with the largest market share. This is the most common configuration for Steam users.
The Steam Hardware survey looks at the hardware of the participants on Valve's digital distribution platform. This gives us a sample of what is being used for active PC gaming. This isn't necessarily an all-encompassing overview of the market.
Intel took the lead in Windows CPU market again. They have 53.48% of the market share and AMD is down to 46.51%.
Intel has now taken the lead in Windows processors with 53.48%. AMD is down to 46.51% in the most recent survey.
The data is from voluntary and anonymous data submissions. This means that it is for a subset of users. It isn't necessarily an all-encompassing census for the industry.
There are quite a few changes at the top of the list for graphics processing units. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 narrowly took the top spot again. It has 3.62% of the share. That is narrowly beating out the new RTX 5070.
GeForce RTX 3060 is back on top with GPUs, holding 3.62% of the market share. It narrowly beat out the RTX 5070.
Most of the hardware is still 1080p resolution. There is a very high percentage of 1080p resolution. It's 50.23% of the systems in the survey.
1080p resolution is still the most common display. 50.23% of the participants are using that resolution. Microsoft's latest is still in very strong demand for the operating systems. 72.51% are Windows 11 64-bit.
Linux usage has gone up to 3.95% of the Steam users in the survey. When it comes to Virtual reality, Meta Quest 3 continues to be the front-runner with 27.27% of the share.
Valve's new Steam Frame headset is in the survey and has a higher market share of 4.13%. 16GB of RAM and 1080p resolution stand out. These are the most popular hardware configurations. The 16GB RAM and 1080p resolution are the most popular in the Steam Hardware survey.
This does verify that 32GB RAM and newer GPUs do have large market shares, but they aren't the norm yet. There is still a majority of mid-range hardware configurations in the survey of Steam participants.
Linux climbing to 3.95% is huge for the desktop gaming narrative.
Still stuck on 1080p half the time.
Does the survey filter out dual-booters who game on Windows?
Valve reports the OS currently running the Steam client at the time of submission. It captures the active session rather than the full installed base.
rtx 3060 beating 5070 means mid range is still king 🤔
Glad to see 16GB RAM back on top. My old rig still runs everything fine.