Trends from the April 2026 Steam Hardware Survey

[David_Schroth]

Valve has published the April 2026 Steam Hardware Survey, and the big story this month is normalization. Last month’s data was a statistical mess, with Linux at an improbable 5.33%, the 16 GB RAM tier jumping wildly, and the RTX 5070 temporarily sitting at an anomalous position. April looks a lot more like what you’d […]

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[GodisanAtheist]

I know it's a bit of a conspiracy at this point, but I don't think AMD cards get surveyed as often as Nvidia cards.

When I was running my 980ti in one PC and 6800xt in the other, I kept getting the survey popping up on my 980ti machine.

Now that I have a 9070xt and 6800xt in the two machines, I don't get surveyed on anything.

Maybe just my own perception, but when I hear people talking about it I do wonder.

 

[Grimlakin]

I know it's a bit of a conspiracy at this point, but I don't think AMD cards get surveyed as often as Nvidia cards.

When I was running my 980ti in one PC and 6800xt in the other, I kept getting the survey popping up on my 980ti machine.

Now that I have a 9070xt and 6800xt in the two machines, I don't get surveyed on anything.

Maybe just my own perception, but when I hear people talking about it I do wonder.

That is a fair point ive been AMD a long while and think ive had.. 1 survey?

 

[DrezKill]

This time I got asked to participate in the survey two days in a row. Yesterday when I was in Linux, and today in Win10. Usually I only get asked once maybe a couple/few times a year, if that.

 

[Ranulfo]

I have definately gotten asked to fill out the survey more while on an intel/nvidia setup than AMD/AMD or AMD/nvidia combos over the last 10-12 years. When I last swapped from an AMD/AMD system to the intel/nvidia one, I got a survey within a month I think yet I hadn't had a survey in close to two years on the all amd system. I'm soon going back to all AMD but will have three systems with steam on it, it will be interesting to see what system gets a survey first.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I don't understand the survey approach. Why not just collect system info during idle periods, keep a unique system fingerprint in their database against each Steam username (store multiple fingerprints if the user has multiple machines) and publish the survey using that data without sharing any personally identifiable information. It seems dumb that they ask permission from the users and then post those skewed results.

 

[DrezKill]

I don't understand the survey approach. ...It seems dumb that they ask permission from the users...

I'd rather they ask than just do sh1t without my permission or knowledge.

Why not just collect system info during idle periods...

This is fine if it is opt-out by default, and the user has to manually opt-in.

...keep a unique system fingerprint in their database against each Steam username (store multiple fingerprints if the user has multiple machines)...

I dunno if I want them doing all that.

I like the current system cuz they ask first, and then the hardware scan happens.

 

[Uvilla]

So are we ncluding the survey is crap?

 

[igor_kavinski]

So are we ncluding the survey is crap?

For me it is. At least they should include a menu option in Steam so the user can participate instead of being invited randomly to take the survey. Radeon users reporting that they aren't presented with the survey is suspicious as hell.

 

[Uvilla]

For me it is. At least they should include a menu option in Steam so the user can participate instead of being invited randomly to take the survey. Radeon users reporting that they aren't presented with the survey is suspicious as hell.

It certainly sounds iffy, question is motive though? Also, it woulnt even be a survey if they cant remove duplicates and such matters.
Whatever valve does, they do, it may be the worse 'survey' of all time for all we know... But thats them, and whatever... however perhaps for people doing tech news and commentary perhaps should consider that if this 'survey' lacks reasonable published methodology, they shouldnt even discuss it, communicate with each other and ban this crap of even talking about it, valve can do whatever, but whats the point of discussing what may be complete garbage (i dont know of course, but yeah)