The latest Steam Hardware Survey points to a changing PC gaming landscape, with fresh movement in graphics cards, VRAM preferences, operating systems, and CPU core counts.
The GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU continues to dominate the charts, growing from 4.62% to 4.84% share and remaining the most-used graphics solution on Steam. Right behind it, the new GeForce RTX 50 series is picking up momentum fast. The RTX 5070 leads that family at 1.69% share, followed by the RTX 5060 at 1.13%, the RTX 5070 Ti at 0.91%, and the RTX 5060 Ti at 0.89%. While specific breakdowns for RTX 5060 Ti variants aren’t listed, the 16 GB model is likely helping lift the line. Higher-end cards are stirring too: RTX 5080 is gaining traction, and RTX 5090 nudged up by 0.05% month over month. The RTX 5060 Laptop GPU is also rising and could eventually overtake the RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, though it’s still some distance from the 4% mark.
VRAM preferences are shifting in a big way. GPUs with 8 GB remain the most common, but they fell by 1.37% to 33.66% share. Gamers appear to be gravitating toward higher-capacity cards as modern titles push textures and resolutions harder. Among the biggest winners are 16 GB GPUs, which saw the strongest monthly jump—nearly 0.72%—reaching 7.52%. While 12 GB cards are in the mix, there are fewer of them on the market compared to 16 GB options from both AMD and NVIDIA.
On the operating system front, the end-of-life clock for Windows 10 is accelerating migration to Windows 11. With official Windows 10 support ending on October 14, Windows 11 surged to 66.08% share in September, a robust 2.90% gain over August.
CPU trends show a clear pivot toward more cores. Eight-core processors are climbing steadily, now at 25.28% share after a 0.87% monthly increase. Six-core CPUs remain the most common but have dropped below 30% for the first time. Higher core counts are gaining ground as well, with 16-core models among the month’s biggest movers.
What this means for PC gamers is straightforward: higher VRAM capacities and more CPU cores are becoming the new baseline for smooth performance, especially in newer games. If you’re planning an upgrade, 16 GB VRAM cards and 8-core CPUs are looking like smart, forward-looking picks. Meanwhile, with Windows 10 support ending, the jump to Windows 11 is rapidly becoming the norm across the Steam player base.
