Why is my Steam Machine stuck at 60 Hz on a 4K TV?

Almost always one of two things: you're plugged into an HDMI 2.0 port instead of a true HDMI 2.1 port, or the TV's per-input Enhanced / UHD Color / 4K mode is off. Move to a 4K120-labeled port, enable Enhanced mode for that input, use a 48 Gbps Ultra High Speed cable, then reboot so SteamOS re-detects 120 Hz .

Should I run the Steam Machine at 4K or 1440p on my TV?

For most games, 1440p (often with FSR ) and let the TV upscale to 4K. This is a 1080p -high / 1440p -class machine with an 8 GB VRAM ceiling, so native 4K usually means low, stuttery frame rates. Outputting 1440p keeps you in 120 Hz + VRR territory and looks better in motion. See best Steam Machine games for per-title targets.

Do I need a special HDMI cable for 120 Hz and VRR?

Yes — use the cable in the box or any Ultra High Speed HDMI (48 Gbps) cable. Older "High Speed" cables physically can't carry 4K 120 Hz , and they fail quietly: you'll just never see the 120 Hz or VRR options, or you'll get a flickering, dropping picture. The cable is the cheapest thing to rule out first.

How do I get surround sound instead of stereo?

Run the Steam Machine into an HDMI 2.1 input, connect the TV's eARC port to your soundbar or receiver, and set the TV's digital audio out to Bitstream / Passthrough (not PCM). Then in SteamOS → Settings → Audio , select the HDMI output. PCM mode is the usual reason you're stuck in stereo.

How to Set Up the Steam Machine on Your TV (HDR, 120 Hz, VRR)

The Steam Machine is a living-room console, so most of the "is it set up right?" pain happens at the TV, not in SteamOS. Get three things correct — the right HDMI port, the TV's gaming features turned on, and a realistic output resolution — and the rest is mostly toggles. The single most common mistake is plugging into a random HDMI input and never enabling the TV's HDMI 2.1 / game features, which silently caps you at 60 Hz with no VRR.

Here's the fast version: use an HDMI 2.1 input, turn on that input's "Enhanced/4K" mode and Game Mode on the TV, then enable 120 Hz, VRR, and HDR in SteamOS. Below is the full walkthrough.

Step 1: Plug into the correct HDMI port

Not every HDMI port on a TV is equal. Many TVs have only one or two true HDMI 2.1 ports (the ones that do 4K 120 Hz and VRR); the rest are HDMI 2.0 and will cap you at 4K 60 Hz.

Check your TV's manual or on-port labels — the 2.1 ports are often marked 4K120, Game, or 48 Gbps.
On many sets, the eARC port doubles as a full HDMI 2.1 input — handy if you also want lossless audio to a soundbar (more below).
Use the cable that shipped with the Steam Machine, or any cable rated Ultra High Speed HDMI (48 Gbps). A cheap "high speed" cable is the silent killer of 120 Hz and VRR.

Step 2: Turn on the TV's gaming features

This is the step people skip. On most TVs the advanced signal modes are off by default per input to stay compatible with old devices.

Find the setting usually called HDMI Enhanced, HDMI UHD Color, Input Signal Plus, or 4K Enhanced, and enable it for the port the Steam Machine is on. Without this, the TV won't accept 4K 120 Hz, VRR, or full HDR on that input.
Turn on Game Mode (sometimes auto-triggered as ALLM — Auto Low Latency Mode) to cut input lag. With ALLM, SteamOS can flip the TV into game mode automatically.
If your TV lists VRR or FreeSync as a separate toggle, enable it now.

After this, reboot the Steam Machine so SteamOS re-reads the display's capabilities.

Step 3: Set resolution and refresh rate in SteamOS

In SteamOS, open Settings → Display (gamepad-first — you can do all of this from the couch).

Set your resolution. A 4K TV will offer 3840×2160. Read Step 6 before defaulting to native 4K.
Set the refresh rate to 120 Hz if the option appears. If it's missing, you're almost certainly on an HDMI 2.0 port or the Enhanced mode from Step 2 is off.
Confirm the picture survives — if the screen goes black, SteamOS reverts after a few seconds.

Step 4: Enable VRR (FreeSync)

VRR matches the TV's refresh to the Steam Machine's frame rate, killing screen tearing and smoothing out the dips that are unavoidable on an RX 7600-class GPU at 8 GB VRAM.

In Settings → Display, look for Variable Refresh Rate / Adaptive Sync / FreeSync and turn it on.
VRR matters most exactly where this machine lives: 45–90 fps. Instead of stutter at an uneven 75 fps against a fixed 60 Hz panel, VRR makes that 75 fps look clean.
If you see flicker in dark scenes (a known VRR quirk on some OLEDs), it's the panel, not your config — many TVs have a "VRR flicker reduction" setting.

Step 5: Set up HDR

HDR gives you the brighter highlights and deeper contrast that make this feel like a console, not a PC on a monitor.

Confirm Step 2 is done — full HDR needs the Enhanced/UHD-Color mode enabled on that input.
In Settings → Display, toggle HDR on. Use Auto / HDR when supported so SDR games stay SDR rather than getting a washed-out fake-HDR pass.
Run the in-OS HDR calibration if offered — it sets peak brightness to your panel so highlights don't clip.
Per-game, HDR behavior varies under Proton. If a game looks wrong, toggle its in-game HDR off and let SteamOS's auto-HDR handle it, or vice versa. Check /games for title-specific notes.

Step 6: Why 1080p/1440p output to a 4K TV is often smarter

This is the part the spec sheet won't tell you. The Steam Machine is honestly a 1080p-high / 1440p-with-FSR machine, not a native-4K one. Pushing native 4K on a GPU in this class with an 8 GB VRAM ceiling means low frame rates and stutter in modern titles.

Output 1440p and let the TV upscale. Modern 4K TVs have strong upscalers; 1440p → 4K looks far better than a juddery native 4K. You also free up VRAM headroom.
Use FSR / in-game upscaling rather than brute-forcing native pixels. Render at 1440p (or lower) and upscale — you keep 120 Hz and VRR in play.
For fast shooters, favor frame rate over resolution. 1080p/1440p at a locked, VRR-smoothed 90–120 fps beats a stuttering 4K every time on a TV this size.
Estimated rule of thumb: dropping from native 4K to 1440p often roughly doubles your frame rate on this hardware. Treat that as an estimate, not a measured guarantee — it varies by engine. See our methodology.

Step 7: Sort out audio (eARC)

If you run sound through a soundbar or AV receiver, use eARC so you're not stuck with stereo.

Connect the Steam Machine to a TV HDMI 2.1 input, then run the TV's eARC port to your soundbar/receiver. The TV passes full audio (including Dolby Atmos / DTS) back down eARC.
In the TV menu, enable eARC (sometimes under "Digital Audio Out" or "HDMI eARC"). Set audio out to Auto / Passthrough / Bitstream for surround formats.
In SteamOS → Settings → Audio, pick the HDMI output and confirm the channel layout. If you only get stereo, the TV's audio-out is likely set to PCM instead of bitstream.