Bought a 64gb and looking for good SSD

[Suli]

Hi everyone!

I just bought the $399 steam deck and I have been looking for good options for an internal storage ssd. However, I think there is a shortage of the type of NVMe that is required for the steam deck. I have found SYONCON AP425 M.2 2230 SSD 512 GB on amazon in a good price range for me. But, I am wondering if it is good for the deck or not. Could anyone help me out if they tried it or have any idea about it?

This is the link for the product I am asking about for the steam deck: https://www.amazon.com/SYONCON-AP425-Internal-Compatible-Microsoft/dp/B0BJ7BT7CT/ref=sr_1_4?crid=11YTSJR2D303V&keywords=2230%2BNVMe&qid=1678505415&sprefix=2230%2Bnvme%2Caps%2C102&sr=8-4&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc&th=1

[snipemaster.007]

I got my steam deck 64gb model and installed a sabrent rocket 1tb drive which was actually made specifically for the steam deck on the day I got it and it’s been faultless . The drive has to have the correct specs or could cause hardware issues according to valve so best to go for a recommended drive just to be safe .

[Mahjik]

+1 on Sabrent Rocket drives..

[PopinFRESH]

The Sabrent Rocket 4 2230 1TB is a great choice. I just replaced my 512GB SSD with the Micron 2400 2TB and it works great as well.

[cheater]

If you're handy look up steam deck ssd cut mod. Not for the faint hearted :)

[Haruspex]

I got one from Microcenter. The Inland in-house brand.

https://www.microcenter.com/product/649991/inland-tn436-1tb-3d-tlc-nand-pcie-gen-4-x4-nvme-m2-2230-internal-ssd-compatible-with-steam-deck

Works wonderfully.

[Ben Bernanke]

I favor using 1st party/officially supported hardware too.
Have the official dock.

But i broke my rules and got a cheap ebay NVME ($20 for 256 gb) and it works good so far.
Put it in 12/2/2022.
Hoping it blows itself up and not the Deck if it should go wrong.

Kioxia (Toshiba) BG4 256GB/512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 2230 30mm SSD

I don't think I can link the store bc of advertising rules on the forum.
I would just look on ebay for NVME 2230 M2 drives and if it says "deck" or even "surface" i'd probably think it could work. If the seller/product has good reviews.

The drive the deck came with had some additional slots in its pins.
Although the drive I bought lacks these slots, it seems to be working fine.
I didn't do any performance metrics on it.
I just wanted a bigger drive. Maybe it is slow or interfered with the wifi idk.

512 seems to be around $55 and 1TB's about $150.

[PopinFRESH]

Originally posted by Ben Bernanke:

I favor using 1st party/officially supported hardware too.
Have the official dock.

But i broke my rules and got a cheap ebay NVME ($20 for 256 gb) and it works good so far.
Put it in 12/2/2022.
Hoping it blows itself up and not the Deck if it should go wrong.

Kioxia (Toshiba) BG4 256GB/512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 2230 30mm SSD

I don't think I can link the store bc of advertising rules on the forum.
I would just look on ebay for NVME 2230 M2 drives and if it says "deck" or even "surface" i'd probably think it could work. If the seller/product has good reviews....

...512 seems to be around $55 and 1TB's about $150.

I got my 2TB Micron 2400 2230 for $147 shipped.

Now can you stop messing around with your Steam Deck and go back to the Fed and fix the economy?

Originally posted by Ben Bernanke:

...
The drive the deck came with had some additional slots in its pins.
Although the drive I bought lacks these slots, it seems to be working fine.
I didn't do any performance metrics on it.
I just wanted a bigger drive. Maybe it is slow or interfered with the wifi idk...

If you got a 64GB model that is because it isn't an NVMe drive and has both M and B keying (the slots on the connector). The 64GB model uses an eMMC drive via a PCIe Gen2 x1 controller. Your Kioxia is a PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe drive which uses M.2 M-key.

[intlgunmonkey]

Is there any issue with putting a new SSD in on day-one? I ordered the base model during the sale, and have a Sabrent 1TB SSD on the way to put in it when it gets here. I’m assuming the metalized sticker you have to peel back to get to the SSD is some sort of a tamper indicator. Has Steam been voiding warranties for swapping out the SSD? Should I run it for a few days on the stock parts to make sure it’s OK first?

[Mahjik]

No reason to run it first....

As long as you are replacing the SSD with something with equivalent size and specs, Valve doesn't care. However, if you break anything while doing it, that's on you.

[PopinFRESH]

Originally posted by Mahjik:

No reason to run it first....

*No technical reason to run it first.

I’d personally boot it and run through setup and do the controls/hardware tests first just to verify everything is in working order before ripping it open

EDIT: actually now that I thought about it some more there is a technical reason. The system ships in battery storage mode. You’ll want to fully discharge the battery as part of the process. As such you will want to follow the fist time use instructions to kick it out of battery storage mode. Install a taxing game and play it until you drain it to about 5%, then boot it into BIOS/UEFI and let it sit until it fully discharges and shuts off. Then go about replacing the SSD

[intlgunmonkey]

Originally posted by PopinFRESH:

Originally posted by Mahjik:

No reason to run it first....

*No technical reason to run it first.

I’d personally boot it and run through setup and do the controls/hardware tests first just to verify everything is in working order before ripping it open

That was kind of my thought. It’s cool if Valve is reasonable with the warranty, but it seems smart to at least run it first to save any hassle or doubt.

My question was whether or not swapping the SSD voids the warranty. They obviously put that cover sticker there for a reason. I wonder if anyone has had a warranty issue, and got it covered, after swapping the SSD.

[PopinFRESH]

Originally posted by intlgunmonkey:

Originally posted by PopinFRESH:

*No technical reason to run it first.

I’d personally boot it and run through setup and do the controls/hardware tests first just to verify everything is in working order before ripping it open

That was kind of my thought. It’s cool if Valve is reasonable with the warranty, but it seems smart to at least run it first to save any hassle or doubt.

My question was whether or not swapping the SSD voids the warranty. They obviously put that cover sticker there for a reason. I wonder if anyone has had a warranty issue, and got it covered, after swapping the SSD.

The silver tape you are referring to is for airflow. It is not an anti-tamper sticker. You'll want to carefully peel it back to access the screw and then stick it back down flat covering the screw hole during reassembly.

Yes, people have had warranty service after replacing their SSD, however, you do need to re-install the OEM part before sending it in for service under warranty. So you will want to keep that original 64GB eMMC drive in a safe place until your warranty is up.

Also, see my edit on my previous post. Here is a quick link to the iFixit Guide for replacing the SSD for reference.

[Mahjik]

Originally posted by intlgunmonkey:

Originally posted by PopinFRESH:

*No technical reason to run it first.

I’d personally boot it and run through setup and do the controls/hardware tests first just to verify everything is in working order before ripping it open

That was kind of my thought. It’s cool if Valve is reasonable with the warranty, but it seems smart to at least run it first to save any hassle or doubt.

My question was whether or not swapping the SSD voids the warranty. They obviously put that cover sticker there for a reason. I wonder if anyone has had a warranty issue, and got it covered, after swapping the SSD.

Replacing the SSD with a similar spec one does not void the warranty. Replacing the SSD with one that will cause other issues due to not be the proper size "will" void the warranty. Anything you break while replacing the SSD won't be covered under warranty.

[Mahjik]

Originally posted by PopinFRESH:

EDIT: actually now that I thought about it some more there is a technical reason. The system ships in battery storage mode. You’ll want to fully discharge the battery as part of the process. As such you will want to follow the fist time use instructions to kick it out of battery storage mode. Install a taxing game and play it until you drain it to about 5%, then boot it into BIOS/UEFI and let it sit until it fully discharges and shuts off. Then go about replacing the SSD

The iFixIt site actually says it's recommended to put the battery into storage mode:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Steam+Deck+SSD+Replacement/148989

"As an extra precaution, Valve recommends putting your Steam Deck into battery storage mode within the BIOS before starting any internal repairs."

[PopinFRESH]

Originally posted by Mahjik:

Originally posted by PopinFRESH:

EDIT: actually now that I thought about it some more there is a technical reason. The system ships in battery storage mode. You’ll want to fully discharge the battery as part of the process. As such you will want to follow the fist time use instructions to kick it out of battery storage mode. Install a taxing game and play it until you drain it to about 5%, then boot it into BIOS/UEFI and let it sit until it fully discharges and shuts off. Then go about replacing the SSD

The iFixIt site actually says it's recommended to put the battery into storage mode:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Steam+Deck+SSD+Replacement/148989

"As an extra precaution, Valve recommends putting your Steam Deck into battery storage mode within the BIOS before starting any internal repairs."

Yeah, sorry if I wasn't clear. It ships in battery storage mode with more than a 25% charge. You'd want to kick it out of battery storage mode to drain the battery, then either fully discharge it by rebooting it into BIOS/UEFI and letting it sit until it powers off; or put it back into battery storage mode.

I personally did the former and fully discharged the battery as it is then reasonably safe to just swap the SSD without needing to unplug the battery as noted on Step 8. If you do go the route of putting it back into battery storage mode you would want to disconnect the battery.

Also, as a note on the guide; in Step 11 you should just be able to slide the EMI shielding off without unwrapping it and then slide it over your new SSD. iFixit really likes to use zipties I mean tweezers...