How to expand or replace Steam Deck storage
In the PC gaming world, AAA titles often exceed 100 GB. The best way to ensure that even large games can be portable is to expand or replace the storage on the Steam Deck.
Posted at: 2022.12.26
Steam Deck storage is expandable and replaceable
Steam Deck storage is available in 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB per model, but all models allow for internal storage replacement or storage expansion with micro SD.
| Item | Connection Method | Specs | Extended Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| internal storage | NVMe M.2 2230 | PCIe Gen 3（x 4）or PCIe Gen 3（x 2） | - |
| micro SD | micro SD UHS-I | SDXC | 2TB |
The easiest way to expand storage is to use micro SD
Steam Deck's micro SD slot is a UHS-I standard slot that supports up to SDXC, allowing expansion up to 2TB.
While micro SDs have some difficulties with transfer speeds, UHS-I slots can transfer data at speeds of up to 104 MB/sec, which is about the speed of a notebook HDD.
The price of a 1TB micro SD has dropped to about $100, so if you are not concerned about game read speed, it is more cost-effective than paying 20,000 yen for a higher-end Steam Deck model with a capacity of 200GB or so.
According to Valve, "internal SSD and micro SD do not have a significant impact on game speed.
The SSD can be replaced if speed is desired.
As for the internal storage of the Steam Deck, unlike smartphones and some slim laptops, there is no chipset mounted on the main board, but only an NVMe M.2 2230 standard storage chip connected to it, which can be replaced by the user himself.
NVMe M.2 2230 standard SSDs are used in Microsoft Surface Pro and other products, but unlike the major 2280, they are not widely distributed and are expensive, costing about $150 for 512GB.
Also, keep in mind the disadvantage of not being covered by the manufacturer's warranty if you replace the storage yourself.
What is the cosmetic way to expand Steam Deck storage?
We will examine the most cost-effective way to expand Steam Deck storage.
The base model is the Steam Deck 64GB model, and the cost per GB is calculated by increasing the storage from there.
| Item | Additional Capacity | Additional Cost | Unit Price per GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam Deck 256GB | 192GB | $130 | $0.67 |
| Steam Deck 512GB | 448GB | $250 | $0.55 |
| micro SD 512GB | 512GB | $50 | $0.1 |
| micro SD 1TB | 1TB | $100 | $0.1 |
| NVMe M.2 2230 512GB | 448GB | $150 | $0.33 |
As can be seen from the comparison chart above, the most cost-effective option is to expand storage with micro SD, which costs roughly $0.1 per GB.
Without considering ease of use and speed, choosing a higher-end model of Steam Deck to increase internal storage is not a cosmetic option. In particular, 256GB is the least cost-effective option when considering storage cosmetics, and if you choose 256GB, you may as well upgrade to 512GB.