How Much Will It Cost To Upgrade Steam Deck SSD?
Valve recently announced the their new handheld hybrid PC dubbed the Steam Deck. The device slated for release on during December 2021 in three variants. These bring a 64GB eMMC model, a 256GB NVMe SSD model and a 512GB NVMe SSD model. At the time of writing, we’re not aware of how easy the Steam Deck SSD will be will be to change but thanks to it’s spec sheet, we’re assuming it shouldn’t be too difficult.
According to what Valve have released so far about the Steam Deck SSD, they’ll be using a socketed 2230 m.2 modules. This M.2 module being on the smaller side helps maintain the units conservative size but will it be easy to upgrade? Well if Valve are using a standard 2230 m.2s then from a technical perspective it will be. With a quick google search you’ll be able to find yourself a 1TB NVMe 2230 M.2 drive on Amazon. In the UK that means a KIOXIA 1TB drive for ₤226. Western Digital also have a 512GB unit for ₤104 however what I think you should already have noticed is that upgrading won’t be cheap.
Should I even upgrade my Steam Deck SSD if I can?
Should you choose to go the SD card route, you’ll save a few pounds but not obviously that will mean reduced performance. The whole thing is a balancing act between budget and performance. All the while the market for these drives doesn’t seem to be sizable enough yet. Currently it seems that they’re only used in Surface 3 Laptops. The Steam Deck SSD could be the second largest application for this size of M.2 module. So should sales go well we could be looking at lower 2230 m.2 prices along with larger storage capacities.
When can you get one?
The Steam Deck should start shipping during December 2021 in the US, UK, EU and Canada. If you’re outside those regions then you’ll need to wait will 2022.
