The latest Steam Hardware Survey shows a substantial AMD CPU market share. It also suggests that consumers are beginning to favor PC systems with 64GB of RAM. This configuration is a solid third behind 32GB and 16GB RAM systems, both of which saw declines.
Another remarkable trend in the new December data deluge was a significant jump in Windows 11 adoption, almost wholly at the expense of Windows 10. Graphics card VRAM trends were also interesting, with a notable migration away from 6GB GPUs.
AMD CPU gains
AMD is finally gaining momentum, winning Steam gamers’ hearts and minds in this latest survey. After steady but small gains since the middle of 2024, December saw a chunky 4.96% increase in AMD CPU user share.
We’ve seen signs of this movement in retail charts and the buzz for AMD’s latest Zen 5 processors, especially those with 3D V-Cache. The CPUs are also backed by a good selection of AM5 motherboards, widely expected to enjoy enviable longevity.
So, perhaps it isn’t surprising to see AMD gain nearly 5%, but the Intel/AMD ratio is still so strong in the former’s favor at 63.43/38.73. The figure is likely skewed by Intel’s strength in pre-built and laptop systems.
PC RAM – 64GB in strong gains
The PC system RAM chart shows that 64GB configurations were up 0.59% last month. This is the biggest gain in the RAM table, meaning that 3.94% of Steam gamers—or those surveyed—now use 64 GB RAM systems.
Perhaps surprisingly, 32GB RAM systems were down, but only by 0.09%, to 32.08%. The most popular RAM quota, 16GB, was equipped by 45.07% of users, down 0.86% from last month.
Windows 11 will win you over, eventually
According to this survey, December 2024 saw a significant increase in Windows 11’s market share. With a massive 6.16% uplift in December, Windows 11 jumped above the halfway mark to grab 54.96% of Steam users. Meanwhile, Windows 10 dropped 5.07% to 42.39% of Steam gamers.
Somehow, Windows 7 users are still charting despite Steam support for this aged OS dropping in January last year. However, the number almost halved, with Windows 7 users now at 0.15—down 0.13%.
VRAM – users migrate from 6GB GPUs
Lastly, 70% of Steam gamers still use a GPU with 8GB or less VRAM. Though the biggest gainer in December was 16GB GPUs, up 0.88%, and the most significant drop was seen with 6GB GPUs, down 2.42%, more than two-thirds of people are edging into VRAM poverty as far as modern AAA gaming is concerned.
There’s been an upswell in voices complaining about mid-range GPUs packing 8GB of VRAM. Intel decided that 8GB wasn’t enough, even with its first Battlemage graphics card with 12GB VRAM at a $250 MSRP. Nevertheless, enthusiasts are worried AMD and Nvidia won’t raise the VRAM stakes for their most popular 060 cards in 2025.