Valve likes to warn people about the risks of Steam Deck maintenance, and this now extends to upgrading storage. as a response computer gamer article Valve hardware designer Lawrence Yang modding the Steam Deck warned versus upgrading the device’s NVMe SSD. While technically possible, the M.2 2242 drives (22mm wide and 42mm long) you often find in stores are hotter and consume more power than the 2230 model (22mm x 30mm) the handheld should support. Yang said you could “significantly shorten” the life of the system, adding that you shouldn’t be moving the thermal pads.
this computer gamer story-referenced modder Belly Jelly’s discovery (Firstly reported with Hot Hardware) said it is possible to install an M.2 2242 SSD in the Steam Deck, albeit with some design sacrifices. There were already concerns that this could cause overheating issues. Yang just explained why this is a bad idea and outlined the possible long-term consequences.
If you think you’re limited to Valve’s 512GB maximum storage and don’t think a microSD card (usually much slower than an SSD) is an alternative, the warning can be a disappointment. It’s not shocking, however – mobile devices like this often have size and thermal constraints that make it impractical to upgrade at least some components.
Hello, please don’t do this. The charger IC gets very hot and the thermal pads nearby should not be moved. Also, most 2242 m.2 drives draw more power and heat up more than the Deck was designed for. This mod may appear to work, but it will significantly shorten the life of your Deck. https://t.co/Kmup7Zov13
– Lawrence Yang (@lawrenceyang) 25 June 2022
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