Once a month, Steam users get an opt-in popup asking if they'd be willing to take part in the software's hardware survey. If they agree, the system records a large amount of information about their gaming PCs and sends it to Valve.
That information is often useful to gamers and developers alike. It gives a good picture of the hardware people use to play games on Steam. It can also reveal some surprising information.
In a recent update, the Steam Hardware Survey revealed that the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 continues to dominate gaming GPUs. It's followed by the older GTX 750 Ti and then the RTX 2060 and its mobile counterpart, the RTX 4060M. AMD's RTX series, on the other hand, seems to be less popular with gaming GPUs.
It's worth noting that the Steam Hardware Survey only provides a look at a portion of Steam's user base, and that it can be skewed by those who don't participate. But it's still one of the most valuable resources when it comes to understanding gaming hardware trends.
Another interesting point that popped out in the latest update is that Linux has maintained its hold above 1% of all Steam users' systems. This is even in the midst of the chip and GPU shortages that are affecting the wider industry. It's a remarkable showing given the fact that many gamers have been reluctant to buy new equipment during these difficult times.