The use of 8-core processors has increased in Steam, while the popularity of Full HD is declining
- 8-core processors lead in Steam for the first time (27.85%).
- Full HD monitors lost 0.8 percentage points, their share is about 51%.
- 16 GB of RAM remains the most popular size (≈41%).
- QHD and 4K screens are gaining market share at the expense of Full HD.
In July 2026, the Valve platform published the results of the latest Steam Hardware Survey. For the month, 8-core processors took first place in the processor category, surpassing the previously dominant 6-core models.
The rise in popularity of eight-core solutions
The share of processors with eight cores reached 27.85%, surpassing 6-core processors, which had 27.5%. This shift was the result of a long-term strengthening of the position of eight-core chips, noted in Digital Foundry's analytical reviews. Additionally, there was a slight increase in interest in Intel's 10- and 18-core processors, although their shares remained significantly lower than the leaders.
RAM: a shift towards 16 GB
At the same time, the RAM market showed slight fluctuations. Configurations with 8 GB of RAM increased by 0.2 percentage points, while the share of systems with 16 GB decreased by the same amount. Despite this, 16 GB remains the most common size – nearly 41% of all respondents, while 32 GB holds second place with a share approaching 37%.
Monitors: from Full HD to QHD and 4K
The resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels (Full HD) lost about 0.8 percentage points over the month, which is one of the most noticeable declines in the history of observations. Nevertheless, Full HD is still used in more than half of gaming systems – about 51%.
The biggest beneficiaries of the declining interest in Full HD are displays with a resolution of 2560 × 1440 pixels (QHD), whose share has increased by 0.26 percentage points, as well as 4K monitors, whose popularity continues to grow due to the decreasing cost of technologies.
Other trends
The report also recorded the ongoing transition of users from Windows 10 to Windows 11, while the distribution between AMD and Intel processors has stabilized. The share of Nvidia graphics cards among survey participants has slightly increased.
Thus, the data for July 2026 reflects a gradual shift towards more powerful processors and higher screen resolutions, indicating a rise in gaming hardware demands from the Steam community.
Source: 3DNews
