Valve likes to warn people about the risks of DIY Steam Deck maintenance, and now that includes upgrading the storage. In a response to a PC gamer article on modding the Steam Deck, Valve hardware designer Lawrence Yang warned against upgrading the device’s NVMe SSD. While it’s technically possible, the M.2 2242 drives (22mm wide and 42mm long) commonly found in stores are hotter and more power-hungry than the 2230 models (22mm x 30mm) the handheld was supposed to be. support. You could “significantly shorten the life of the system,” Yang said, adding that you shouldn’t move thermal pads.
The PC gamer story referenced by modder Belly Jelly’s discovery (initial reported by means of hot hardware) that it was possible to fit an M.2 2242 SSD into the Steam Deck, albeit with some design sacrifices. There were already concerns that this could lead to overheating issues. Yang just explained why it’s a bad idea, outlining the likely long-term consequences.
The warning could be a turn-off if you’re feeling limited by Valve’s maximum storage of 512GB and don’t think a microSD card (usually much slower than an SSD) is an adequate replacement. That said, it’s not shocking – mobile devices like this often have dimensions and thermal limitations that make it impractical to upgrade at least some components.
Hi, please don’t do this. The charging IC gets very hot and nearby thermal pads should not be moved. In addition, most 2242 m.2 drives draw more current and run hotter than Deck was designed for. This mod may seem to work, but will significantly shorten the life of your deck. https://t.co/Kmup7Zov13
— Lawrence Yang (@lawrenceyang) June 25, 2022
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