Steam-Deck-Hardware

Storage Modifications

A guide to speed classes for SD and microSD Cards by Kingston
Recommended specifications:
- UHS Speed Class 3 - U3
- Application Performance Class 2 - A2
- Size - 256GB+ (Usually you get better value with higher sizes)
- Slower cards might struggle with newer games but should be perfectly fine for smaller / indie ones
Some recommended brands:
- Samsung
- SanDisk
Example for a good SD Card (Samsung EVO Plus 256GB)
With the above recommended specifications most games should work fine:
- Some recent AAA games started requiring SSDs, please read the system requirements (or just experiment, it might be fine?)
- Using the internal drive instead (NVMe, not 64GB EMMC) will most likely only reduce loading times by a few seconds in big games
Once you have the microSD card in the Deck, format it in Game Mode (Settings > System > Format SD Card)
You can transfer games between the internal drive and connected storage devices (Settings > Storage > Browse between devices > Select Content > Select Device To Move To > Move Content)
Take out the card if you’re taking the Deck apart or else it will break

Upgrading from 64GB EMMC drive should be a noticeable speed bump in loading times
Backup / Clone And Restore SSD With Clonezilla

Guides from iFixit:
- Steam Deck LCD (64GB, 256GB, 512GB)
- Steam Deck OLED (512GB, 1TB, Limited Edition Models)
The SSD should be single sided, NVMe M.2 2230
Lower power consumption is better
- More battery life
- Less heat
- Less likely to cause issues with other components