New JSAUX Dock with internal SSD slot!

[Dad Dad Daddyo]

Howdy, all --

Yesterday I received my latest order from JSAUX - it's their new Steam Deck Dock that, uniquely, incorporates an m.2 SSD slot internally. Into that slot I've installed a 2tb Western Digital Black SSD.

I'm now gleefully moving a bunch of rarely used and backlog content off of the Deck's Primary and Micro SD card storage and onto the SSD in the Dock.

Installation was straightforward. I first formatted the new SSD by temporarily installing it into an external USB SSD case - I've got a handy one from BestBuy that opens without tools. I partitioned the new drive from my Alienware laptop using Windows' Computer Management Tools, and formatted it in NTFS format. Then it was a simple matter to install it in the SSD slot accessible through a hatch on the top of the new JSAUX Dock. On the Deck's Storage Settings tab I added the new storage as a new library, which created the /steamapps directory on the new drive. That's all there was to it.

So now I'm going through my collection finding stuff to move. On a game's Properties tab you just go to Installed Files, then hit Move Installation Folder. The new drive shows up in the drop list, along with the Primary and Micro SD storage. You select it and Steam moves the files, freeing the previously occupied storage space. Formatted, the new SSD gave me an additional 1.8 tb of storage capacity.

My strategy will be to use the 2tb Western Digital Black SSD in the Dock as the Default installation directory, and then shuttle current and frequently-used content onto the Deck and the Micro SD as needed. For example, I moved The Caligula Effect onto the Dock's SSD and recovered 6.34 GB of storage on the Deck. Very nice.

Rinse and Repeat. I'm going through my libraries now, merrily moving content off the Deck and onto the Dock.

The big plus, of course, is that I can still use that content that's on the Dock's SSD. It doesn't need to be uninstalled or reinstalled, It's already installed and available on the Dock when I'm docked - which is most of the time.

It's a real step forward, at least for my common use cases.

I reckon you could do the same thing with an external USB HD enclosure attached to the standard Dock. I already use one to transfer stuff from laptop to Deck. But it's mighty handy to have this third library set up and accessible right in the Dock.

So far, so good. I'll update if I run into any snags along the way...