![\"Cyberpunk](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1785930731_401_0x0.jpg\")
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Cyberpunk runs smoothly at ultrawide resolution<\/p>\n
NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Valve\u2019s Steam Machine has been criticized in some quarters for its lack of graphical grunt. But if you\u2019re thinking of pairing one with an ultrawide display, you likely won\u2019t be disappointed. <\/p>\n
Valve recommends that the Steam Machine is run at Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080) for the best graphical performance, although the machine is capable of 4K output. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s that 4K performance that seems to have irritated many of the Steam Machine reviewers, with benchmarks showing slipping frame rates in the more challenging titles.<\/p>\n
For example, The Verge\u2019s benchmarks<\/a> show that running Cyberpunk 2077 at high graphics settings at a 4K resolution delivers an average of only 24 frames per second, which is the kind of frame rate that makes action games impossible. Dropping to medium settings returned an average of 52 frames per second, which is moving into the realms of playable. At Full HD with ultra graphics settings, the performance is a much more acceptable 69 frames per second.<\/p>\n Steam Machine Ultrawide Performance <\/p>\n So what about a halfway house between Full HD and 4K: an ultrawide monitor with a resolution of 3,440 x 1440? To put that in perspective, that\u2019s roughly 2.4 times the number of pixels of a Full HD screen and roughly half as many pixels as a 4K display (3,840 x 2,160). <\/p>\n When I ran the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmarks at high graphics settings at that ultrawide resolution, it recorded a very respectable average of 91 frames per second, which is more than fast enough for cruising around Night City without any noticeable stuttering.<\/p>\n One of the great strengths of the Steam Machine compared to an Xbox or PlayStation is that it plays full PC titles with a keyboard and mouse, rather than console-optimized versions of games that don\u2019t always have the same depth or mod support as the PC originals. Games such as Civilization VII, for example.<\/p>\n Play Puzzles & Games on Forbes<\/p>\n In the Civilization VII<\/a> benchmarks on the ultrawide display, the game was averaging around 50 frames per second on high graphics settings. That\u2019s not flawlessly smooth, but it\u2019s more than playable for a game where you\u2019re not constantly panning around scenery, as you would be in Cyberpunk. And there\u2019s potential to improve those frame rates by dropping graphics quality slightly.<\/p>\n