While I have my issues with the Steam Machine (mostly surrounding its price tag), I really do love the way it looks. It's a classy device, particularly as you can swap out the magnetic faceplates to your taste. I've seen some fairly tasteful designs so far, but none more OTT than this marble version from redditor GinoWT.
The marble used is supposedly from the Carrara quarry basin, which is the one Michelangelo worked from. I know absolutely nothing about marble, but some searching suggests that the old master did indeed use marble from this region.
I cut a Steam Machine faceplate from the same marble Michelangelo usedfrom r/steammachine
As for this stuff specifically? Yeah, I'll take a hard pinch of salt with that one. It all looks the same to me—but I am, of course, a classless heathen of the lowest regard. Anyway, GinoWT says they usually cut marble for superyacht materials, so they've got the workshop setup to make square plates of the stuff .
It seems to be more involved than you might think, though, as each needs to be individually finished by hand. "Nobody is scaling this," says GinoWT. I'll take your word for it.
The stone itself is five to six millimetres thick, and bonded onto a 3D-printed structure with magnets to hold it to the front of the Steam Machine. This is apparently the same principle used on superyachts, to keep the weight "sensible" and to prevent the stone from cracking. We really are learning things today, aren't we?
It's not just marble that GinoWT specialises in, either. They've also made a "Sahara Noir" version in black with a gold vein going across it, and another out of Roman travertine. Yes, I had to look that one up as well.
If you're of a classier (and presumably wealthier) disposition than I, GinoWT has a website where you can sign up for one of the first small batches. No mention is made of actual prices beyond the "wait and see" form, so I'm willing to bet they'll be fairly expensive. Still, at what price Michelangelo's supposed leftovers, ey?
