You Could BREAK Your Steam Deck If You Do A Certain SSD Mod, Says Valve

Valve's Steam Deck came in different tiers based on how much storage it has - just like modern smartphones. However, the storage space can still get pretty tight even on the topmost 512GB model due to just how big games these days can get.

(Photo : Dabe Alan/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
A Steam Deck handheld gaming console, taken on August 26, 2021.

As such, some Deck owners have resorted to modding their handhelds in order to further extend its capacity beyond officially supported options. But according to the Deck's designer Lawrence Yang (via PCGamer), you shouldn't do so as it could theoretically "shorten the lifespan" of your device. The aforementioned storage mod here is the one where one Deck owner replaced the original SSD with a physically bigger, easier-to-find drive.

The Steam Deck SSD mod was posted by Twitter user Belly Jelly, where they mentioned how they custom-adapted a longer 2242-size M.2 drive onto the Steam Deck. The original disk was a smaller 2230 form factor:

According to Belly Jelly, the Steam Deck SSD mod seemed to work fine, with SteamOS reinstalling with no apparent issues. But Yang responded to the thread, saying that a few parts of the process like removing the thermal pad on the charge IC could fry it over time. Aside from that, the Steam Deck's designer also said that larger 2242 SSDs draw more power, and therefore get hotter - something the Deck's stock cooling solution wasn't designed for. Here is Yang's reply:

His response is quite warranted, if you think about it. A gaming device like the Steam Deck has all of its parts custom-made to fit its form factor. Anything in there that gets drastically changed would be out of the rigorously tested parameters the designers set, which could affect the console's performance over time, writes Tom's Hardware.

In other words, Valve's engineers designed the Deck to only support a specific type of SSD. To ensure optimal operation, maybe you shouldn't go performing this Steam Deck SSD mod unless you got a very particular set of skills, tools, and experience.

Read Also: Steam Deck 2 Is Already In The Works, Says Gabe Newell

What's The Best SSD For Steam Deck, Then?

When it comes to finding the best SSD for Steam Deck, it's not even clear. While Valve boss Gabe Newell (via VideoCardz) did say that the M.2 2230 SSD is technically upgradeable, they advise against it due to how expensive and hard to find the form factor can be. It is highly likely that Belly Jelly's mod was inspired by this, as 2240 form factor SSDs are easier to find and cheaper.

(Photo : Dabe Alan/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
A Steam Deck handheld gaming console, taken on August 26, 2021.

But if you're really not into the mod don't look for the best SSD for Steam Deck: go for a microSD card. According to IGN, modern microSDs have big-enough capacities and are fast enough for gaming - some of them even rivalling a full fat SSD in terms of speed. Here are a few options to get you started:

• SanDisk Extreme 1TB: Many reviewers claim that the Extreme 1TB from SanDisk is the best microSD upgrade for Valve's handheld. It might not be cheap at $165.62 on Amazon at the time of this writing, but its specs and plug-and-play nature are more than enough to compensate.

• Lexar Play microSDXC 1TB: This microSD sports read speeds of up to 150MB/s and comes cheaper than the SanDisk Extreme ($135.99 on Amazon at the time of this writing, LIMITED TIME ONLY so hurry). It has the same specs for cheaper - that's a great deal anywhere you look at it.

• Samsung EVO Select microSDXC 512GB: You might notice that Deck-compatible microSDs can be pricey at 1TB, when in fact you could get away with 512GB just fine. $156 on Amazon as of this writing.

Related Article: Steam Deck Dock Delayed 'Indefinitely' According To Valve

This article is posted on GameNGuide

Written by RJ Pierce