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Valve presently person 3 Steam Deck models connected offer: you've got the modular 256GB LCD variant (basically nary longer successful production), the 512GB Steam Deck OLED, and a beasty 1TB variation of the latter. All of them are beauteous handheld PCs, but whether you've got 1 of these oregon you invested earlier successful a smaller model, you mightiness inactive beryllium itching for a small much capableness to marque that 32-hour formation to New Zealand a batch much bearable. At this constituent you person 2 options: a microSD card, oregon for retention with much clout, 1 of the champion Steam Deck SSDs.
Even with the ongoing representation shortages, there's a slew of drives to take from. So, beloved readers, to prevention you the hassle of going retired and buying many, many, galore SSDs and perchance ruining your ain Steam Deck by repeatedly reinstalling the damn things, I've done precisely that for you, and benchmarked a full big of 'em to find retired which ones you should walk your hard-earned currency on. Here's however they're tested, and here's the database of winners.
The champion SSDs for the Steam Deck
- Corsair MP600 Mini - the champion SSD for the Steam Deck overall
- Crucial P310 - the champion worth SSD for the Steam Deck
- Seagate FireCuda 520N - the champion Steam Deck SSD for reliability
- WD Black SN770M - the champion Steam Deck SSD for availability
- Corsair MP600 Core Mini - the champion fund Steam Deck SSD, erstwhile available
- Steam Deck OLED SSD - the champion Steam Deck SSD retired of the box
I tin recognize wherefore this is Corsair's newest M.2 2230 portable handheld flagship SSD. It's earnestly good. The Corsair MP600 Mini scores immoderate of the champion random 4K figures I've seen from this people of drive, which is important erstwhile crippled load times are babelike connected those random 4K reads. Files aren't loaded sequentially erstwhile it comes to gaming, truthful the faster the 4K work clip (a processor randomly picking information from antithetic cells connected the SSD), theoretically, the faster the load time. Basically, sequential speeds are selling hype successful this arena, possibly extracurricular of downloads.
Still, that speedy work clip translated nicely to its wide show in-game, with the MP600 Mini putting successful a respectable displacement of conscionable 92.41s mean load clip crossed each 3 of my benchmark games. If you ever extremity up shuffle this implicit to thing much desktop-like, similar the caller Steam Machine, it'll grip record transfers rather nicely arsenic well.
As for pricing, close present you're looking astatine astir £0.18 and $0.18 per GB, and wide show per 2nd is astir £1.89 and $1.89, respectively, arsenic well, making it 1 of the astir affordable SSDs connected the list, and a large triumph fixed existent marketplace conditions.
One connection of caution: it was the hottest thrust connected test, that whitethorn pb to immoderate throttling aboriginal down the line. If it's highest British summertime and your bureau is 45°c, bash instrumentality that into information erstwhile you bash spell connected a download rampage.
Pros:
- Solid worth some successful the US and UK
- Outstanding random 4K work performance
- Good crippled load times
Cons:
- Runs hot
It's a existent shame that Crucial's user SSD concern is being killed disconnected truthful that owners Micron tin absorption connected (you guessed it) AI information centres. Especially due to the fact that the Crucial P310 is, relatively, highly bully worth for wealth close now. Micron, for each their artificial dollar-chasing, are the ones that fundamentally plan and make NAND flash, moving intimately with Phison connected its controller tech arsenic it does so. That means cutting-edge hardware was fundamentally a fixed successful each thrust they launched. Whereas the Corsair MP600 Mini supra is utilizing Micron 176-layer QLC flash, this happening is connected 232-layer QLC, which is faster, denser and much powerfulness businesslike - and it truly shows.
Temperatures were nary little than 9 degrees cooler successful testing, show was lone a fewer MB/s disconnected connected the random 4K performance, and sequentials too, were not acold behind. Overall crippled times were respectable arsenic well, unsurprisingly, pipping astir each different thrust to the station connected this list.
The large win, nevertheless (and weirdly, fixed the authorities of things) was pricing. With a ace spacious 2TB capacity, the terms per GB was conscionable $0.12 and £0.11. That's astir respectable. Of course, due to the fact that it is simply a 2TB drive, and it does outgo much than smaller models, show per 2nd was a just spot higher astatine $2.67 and £2.42 per second. But this is inactive an implicit corker of an SSD, and good worthy your clip if you're connected the hunt for a 2TB model. We'll beryllium bittersweet to spot it go. Sniff.
Pros:
- Exceptional worth for a 2TB model
- Outstanding show connected each level
- Excellent thermals
Cons:
- Not agelong for this world
The Seagate FireCuda 520N is simply a spot of an oddity successful presumption of wherever it sits successful the market. It's a good drive, but not for the reasons you mightiness suspect. One surprise, for illustration is that the hardware wrong is mostly identical to the banal SSD recovered successful the Steam Deck OLED.
It has the aforesaid Phison E21T controller, the aforesaid 176-layer TLC NAND, and, adjacent enough, the aforesaid show arsenic the OLED drives. That's by nary means bad, but if you're looking astatine this and already person the 1TB mentation of Valve's handheld, you'll beryllium gaining precisely zero show for your troubles.
It is, however, remarkably affordable (particularly successful the UK) if you privation to splurge for that 1TB oregon adjacent the 2TB edition, and the large triumph is conscionable however chill this happening is. I tested the 1TB exemplary and contempt having doubly the capableness of the OLED-stock 512GB SSD, it manages to tally colder. In my testing, the 520N capped retired astatine 54°c, conscionable beating the Steam Deck SSD's 56°c. This is nary uncertainty down to its sequential show being rather a spot slower than the OG drive; you'll beryllium gladsome to cognize random 4K work show was lone 0.11 MB/s disconnected the mark, and load times were arsenic choky arsenic a effect of that.
On a sidenote, Seagate offers a beauteous nifty Rescue Data Service crossed each its SSDs. So if your location burns down, oregon gets flooded, remainder assured, immoderate kind/obligated psyche successful the Seagate offices should beryllium capable to retrieve your Steam room for you.
Pros:
- Best-in-class temps
- Strong load times
- Exceptional reliability and recovery
Cons:
- Near-identical tech to OLED banal SSDs
- Fast, but not the fastest
SSD availability is simply a stinker astatine the minute. There's conscionable little and little drives landing connected retailer shelves arsenic manufacturers pivot to much "profitable" arenas. As a result, prices are not lone being driven higher by grandma's ChatGPT data-harvesting caricature AI infrastructure investments (that's a mouthful), but availability is becoming an issue, too. Fortunately for america SanDisk are 1 of the fewer brands near inactive committing to the PC gaming arena, and the WD Black SN770M remains disposable successful droves for the clip being.
It's a spot of a jack of each trades, though load times are decent arsenic you'd expect, and random 4K show is up determination (albeit not anyplace adjacent the levels of WD's apical desktop drives, similar the WD SN8100). However, the SN770M's pricing, sequential speeds, and temperatures are connected the underwhelming side. SanDisk is utilizing 112-layer TLC NAND, alongside a beauteous aged controller, which means it's not rather arsenic businesslike arsenic different SSDs connected this list. We are expecting caller SanDisk M.2 2230 units aboriginal this year, but they haven't rather deed the shelves conscionable yet.
If you're stuck for choice, and everything other is retired of banal successful a fewer months' clip (a genuine possibility), this is the thrust to pick.
Pros:
- Easy to find successful stock
- Rapid load times
- Good random 4K performance
Cons:
- On the costly side
- Runs warm
Very overmuch dissimilar the SN770M, Corsair MP600 Core Mini is everlastingly successful and retired of stock. Corsair's fund M.2 2230 SSD is inexpensive and cheerful, mostly successful portion arsenic it's utilizing a somewhat older Phison E21T controller (the aforesaid 1 recovered successful that FireCuda 520N), on with Micron's 176-layer QLC NAND flash. That is the aforesaid controller arsenic recovered successful some the FireCuda and Valve's ain Steam Deck OLED SSDs, not to notation the aforesaid NAND density - but the displacement to QLC brings the terms down further, arsenic it's easier to manufacture.
QLC does person immoderate disadvantages compared to TLC (namely, it's slower and has little endurance agelong term), but arsenic we're moving with the Deck's PCIe 3.0 slot and you're astir apt not it to propulsion files backmost and forth, that's little of a worry. It doesn't peculiarly impact crippled load times, that's for sure. What you mightiness announcement is that erstwhile downloading games oregon transferring files crossed it, it does person a wont of chugging a spot erstwhile the cache is filled connected the thrust itself, but that's astir it. Still, astatine $0.11 and £0.10 per GB, and the lowest terms per 2nd figures ($1.14 and £1.08), it's hard not to see it connected this list.
Pros:
- Top worth proposition erstwhile it's successful stock
- Low operating temps
- Decent load times contempt ageing tech
Cons:
- Performance drops successful definite conditions
- Mercurial availability
Steam Deck OLED SSDThe champion Steam Deck SSD retired of the box |
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Hang on, wherefore americium I recommending a banal thrust erstwhile the full constituent of this database is to measure replacements? Here's the thing: the banal Phison OEM SSD successful the Steam Deck OLED (I tested the 512GB model) is really remarkably good. Load times nether investigating were second-fastest retired of the six SSDs I benchmarked, temperatures were debased astatine 56°c, and random 4K show was beauteous accordant overall.
It isn't the implicit fastest SSD retired there, surely not if you're going to swap it into a PC aboriginal down the line, but it has 1 large vantage implicit the others, and that's that it comes pre-installed into the Steam Deck, with SteamOS, and Valve person bought these things ace inexpensive connected mass, meaning they tin walk those savings connected to you.
What I mean by that is that if you haven't yet bought your Steam Deck, and were reasoning to upgrade its SSD aft the fact, it makes much consciousness - economically and practically - to conscionable walk other upfront and unafraid yourself a 1TB OLED model, thereby retaining each of that show without having to disassemble your marque caller handheld. No substance what, you person to bargain a Steam Deck with an SSD pre-installed, and to regenerate a 512GB SSD with a 1TB after-market model, you're looking astatine spending an further £151 oregon $175 - versus an other £90/$100 by conscionable getting the chunkiest banal SSD. See? Having it present makes some sense.
Pros:
- No disassembly required
- Pre-installed with SteamOS
- Surprisingly cost-effective
Cons:
- Limited to 1TB
- Lacks the escapade of getting the screwdriver kit retired for immoderate DIY
How we trial Steam Deck SSDs
I've utilized a clump of benchmarks to truly get into the weeds connected however these drives work. Most important, games-wise, are real-world load times from the Steam Deck itself: I took a stopwatch to Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption II, and Dragon Ball Sparking Zero to spot however switching SSDs helped oregon hindered their loading speeds.
I besides installed each these drives successful a Windows PC to trial them with synthetic benchmark tools, including CrystalDiskMark 9.0.1 (one of the aforesaid tests that hardware exertion James uses to justice desktop SSDs) for transportation speeds and HWMonitor for thermal load tests.
I'm besides going to beryllium ranking these drives not lone connected their synthetic performance, load times, and temperatures (and truthful efficiency), but besides weighting them rather heavy against immoderate pricing indexes I've divvied up astatine the clip of writing. Because, y'know representation pricing is atrocious acknowledgment to AI slop generators being a thing. Price per gigabyte and terms per 2nd of load clip are the metrics successful question. You mightiness not spot these figures mentioned successful each enactment above, partially due to the fact that there's already capable number-juggling going connected already but conscionable cognize they're moving their magic successful the back-end, informing these decisions.
The champion SSDs for the Steam Deck: FAQ
Which SSDs are compatible with the Steam Deck?
The M.2 slot wrong the Steam Deck (it doesn't substance if it's the LCD oregon the OLED version) is really a PCIe 3.0 slot. What that means is that its max sequential speeds and show are capped astatine astir 3.5GB/s, assuming nary different bottlenecks. Although yes, that is an ageing modular that archetypal debuted mode backmost successful precocious 2015, it is inactive remarkably nippy and compact, and perfectly capable for what the Steam Deck needs to do.
The bully quality is that immoderate PCIe 4.0 oregon PCIe 5.0 thrust is backwards compatible by default; they'll conscionable beryllium capped astatine those PCIe 3.0 speeds. Valve are really taking vantage of this arsenic well. Their basal OLED models are equipped with the beautifully named Phison ESMP512GHV7C3-E21TS SSD, which, though it is an OEM drive, is simply a PCIe 4.0 model. This is apt a regulation successful spot due to the fact that of the Steam Deck's constricted cooling capacity; keeping modern drives connected PCIe 3.0 ensures you inactive get snappy load times, without the drives getting excessively blistery during dense crippled installs and the like. Very clever, Valve, precise clever.
The lone different happening to carnivore successful caput is the signifier factor. The Steam Deck requires an M.2 2230 drive. These are 22mm wide and 30mm long. If you person an M.2 2280 thrust (as often recovered successful astir modern-day gaming PCs), it won't acceptable arsenic it's 80mm long. 2230, 2280, you get the idea.
Is it casual to regenerate a Steam Deck's SSD?
Yep. Super easy, arsenic agelong arsenic you're cautious and you wage attraction to what you're doing. RPS isn't liable if you messiness up (sorry, friend). Either way, I highly urge you cheque retired James' Steam Deck SSD installation guide. But effectively, what you'll request to bash is powerfulness down your Steam Deck. Hold the Volume + button, and property the powerfulness power once. Keep holding that until you participate the BIOS. Then take setup, past powerfulness options, and alteration artillery retention mode. This disconnects the artillery from the motherboard (you'll request to plug successful your Steam Deck to a charging cablegram to powerfulness connected again aft you're finished).
At that point, flip the Steam Deck over, and region each the screws connected the back; these are elemental crosshead screws connected the LCD originals, and Torx screws connected the Steam Deck OLED, truthful marque definite you've prepped the close screwdriver. Carefully spot them connected your workbench oregon desk. Then usage a integrative guitar prime oregon thing similar, and descent it astir the borderline of the Steam Deck lawsuit from the controller to mildly loosen the integrative clips.
Once the clips are unfastened and the rear sheet is freed, you tin past disconnect the close controller's ribbon cablegram and, connected the OLED edition, cautiously region the adhesive holding it to the backmost of the motherboard shield. Remove the motherboard shield, and you'll spot the tiny M.2 SSD successful its protective heatshield sleeve below. Then it's simply a lawsuit of removing that past screw securing it down, sliding it retired of its shield, popping the caller SSD in, and reversing the full process. Simple. Side note: You tin and astir apt should region the artillery cablegram arsenic well. If it's excessively pugnacious oregon brittle, I'd urge leaving it unsocial and conscionable being extra-extra-careful with the SSD replacement.
How bash I reinstall SteamOS onto my Steam Deck's SSD?
There's a fewer ways you tin bash this, depending connected what hardware oregon PCs you person entree to. By acold the easiest mode is if you're moving Linux and person a motherboard with a spare M.2 slot.
With that, simply instal your aged Steam Deck SSD into your motherboard, caput to Disks, prime the drive, click the 3 dots connected the apical right, and prime "Create Disk Image". Save that to your desktop and past unopen down the PC. Remove the aged SSD from your rig, spot the caller 1 in, past powerfulness on, spell backmost into Disks, prime the drive, the aforesaid 3 dots, and deed "Restore Disk Image", making definite to prime the representation you saved to the desktop earlier. This volition transcript your full SteamOS install, login details, settings and your games onto your caller thrust successful a fewer minutes. A fewer things to note: it volition lone enactment if you're going from a smaller SSD to a larger 1 (or 1 that's the aforesaid size), and you tin lone bash this connected Linux, arsenic Windows can't work the SteamOS record system. Then it's simply a lawsuit of installing that caller SSD successful your Steam Deck. Powering on, and you're bully to go.
Alternatively, if you privation a caller instal of SteamOS (or instrumentality with Windows/Mac), Valve has an extended instal usher you tin find here. That volition necessitate you to person either an 8GB USB-C instrumentality oregon a modular USB-A instrumentality with a USB-C (male) to USB-A (female) adapter. You'll besides request to usage thing similar the Rufus inferior (for Windows) oregon Balena Etcher (for Mac oregon Linux) to constitute the ISO oregon instal record to the drive.
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