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@@stevenjohnson8736 yeah, but you can install a 512 disk, plus you can install a theme for your keyboard thats the same as the exclusive one, for free.
I ordered the 64gb model a few days ago. 10% off sale, and got a 1tb SSD off Amazon for $154. I calculated that I saved $220 over paying full price for the 512gb model and have twice the storage. I got a 512gb SD card for older games that won't benefit from faster storage. 1.5 TBs should keep me happy for quite a while. Thanks for sharing your upgrade process!
@@Moe_Lester_fromUptwn I guess I didn't do a lot of searching for the best deal, but I do feel good about getting a product that shows up fast and has lots of positive reviews from other steam deck owners. I think the 1tb plus 512gb SD will be enough to hold me over until the steam deck 2 arrives🙌
@@FWDSUXARSE I got the "INLAND TN436 1TB M.2 2230 SSD" I already installed it and have been using it for a day with great results. It looks like you found a great deal on the sabrent!
hey man! just wanted to let you know i watched countless videos about the steam deck, including upgrade/modding vids, and yours was hands down the most helpful. yours doesnt have all that youtube "gamer fluff" that plagues so many tech vids nowadays. you just put forth real honest words, that are straight and to the point. i am going to do the exact 2tb mod you describe in your vid, so thank you for your great research and advice!
I’d love to do it too But I am terrified of breaking my Deck The moment you have to start messing with batteries and removing plates I am just incompetent
Thank you for this! At Christmas I bought my husband a new gaming PC but I know he really wants a steam deck too. I bought the 64gb model and a separate 1tb ssd and can't wait to give it to him for his birthday in 2 weeks! I usually just buy the most expensive, lol but seeing this video and others, helped me to realize that you don't get more for all that extra money. I hope he's happy!!
@@allenreynolds8619 I bought the 64gb along with a 1tb SSD for steam and a 512gb SD card for emulation. Recently.I picked up another 512gb SD card for a batocera build.
I sold my rust skins when facepunch had a promotion on Twitch. Bought a Valve VR headset, steam deck for a friend and late sold more to pay half of my steam deck. Thanks Rust for the good times and skins
Smart move. I would have done the same thing, the knives and skins look cool, but they really would not benefit me anything other than just for an appeal. Steam Deck on the other hand, man, lots of games to play on the go.
I also bought a 64Gb one and added a 1Tb drive in mine. Not only for cost savings - but also, the screen of the 512Gb version has noticeable blur but the display on the lower cost models are pin-sharp. It's due to the anti-glare they put on it. Yes it diffuses the room light, but it also diffuses the screen's light making it blurry. Honestly, when playing and the screen is lit, you won't notice any glare on the cheaper machines. It's only when they're not on.
Exactly people act like there gonna be playing right under the sun and even if they are the anti glare screen still isn’t gonna stop the power of the sun so its literally a useless feature since most people will be indoors or in a car when using it
I have a 512, and my wife has the 64. There is a slight difference due to the etched glass however I have noticed no "blur". What are you talking about?
@@heartpaid6767 i heard so many people say negative things about the 512 screen till i got my screen broken and due to reasons got replaced with the 512 screen i was actually concerned it would look worse but its just beautiful idk why people are lying its better experance than the 64 model by far
Just bought the 64gb steamdeck and the 2tb wd ssd through your link. Thankful to have found your channel as I would of regrettably purchased the 512gb version while paying more, receiving slower speeds, and 1500gb less of space. Appreciate it!
I ordered a 64 GB ver. and upgraded the SSD to Corsair MP600 Mini 1 TB + SanDisk Extreme 512 GB MicroSD. I also got myself the DBrand KillSwitch package. I love it all.
I’ve broken down PCs and handhelds for years and this has been the easiest tear down I’ve ever done. The scariest part of the drive replacement is losing the three little screws on the shield. They are a major pain to seat in while building it back up.
Got the 64gb model for $359 during the summer sale and a 1tb Corsair drive for $99 that’s insanely hard to beat for a fully fledged gaming pc and portable in one. I don’t know why anyone would buy any of the cloud gaming portables at the price they are.
I bought a new 64gb model in Sep 2023 and just upgraded the SSD. It had a new black cover over the SSD (similar to the one on the new OLED models) that only had two screws holding it down. One on the top left and one one the bottom left. Be carful because there is a little adhesive holding it down also.
what should i do with the adhesive? i ordered mine in january this year and spent 2 months getting it to australia. had to buy about 20 gift cards to buy it as the billing address was in australia for the credit card
I'm getting around 300MB/s read and 190MB/s write on the 64GB eMMc steam deck version if that helps to compare with the values from the video. Other people should probably test theirs and see what performance they are getting. Great video and I might look at upgrading my deck in the future but for now I'm happy with 64GB + 512GB micro SD card.
The eMMC is more than fast enough :) I've had games on both the SSD and a 256GB Nintendo-switch branded SD card, and both run fine with little/no performance difference. Linux is pretty good with how it caches extra data into memory, which I bet helps in most cases.
I ended up upgrading from a 64GB to 512GB SSD not too long ago, with an SK Hynix for $40 from Amazon so I've been pretty happy with the setup so far. I'm treating the Deck as a device for completing a few games at a time from my backlog rather than trying to store every game I own on it, so I realized I didn't need as much space but still wanted some wiggle room, just in case. Love this machine.
One thing you probably should have added in the teardown was to put the battery in battery storage mode from the BIOS, that way you don't accidentally power on the device during the teardown which would probably not be good
You should also keep the original drive just in case you have to rma the device. If not you will risk losing your drive. It has to be returned to stock when sending it in. Pretty much standard for any warranty policy but people seem to forget this. Then get mad when they lose their none stock part if it has to be sent in.
LOL it's no biggy most of the time i built and repair over 500 work station. Sometime we don't have the time to shut down system discarge the power supply and replace parts. We just turn off and replace it. No biggie. Problem is small console like this is small and easy to short out. I wouldn't trip out though. Imagin replacing ram off a desktop while motherboard led is on lol. Sure i don't have this habit. Most likely wont be much a problem. But yes fully shut down the device and make sure no feed of power comes out from battery powering the mobo while replacing that nvme.
You don’t need to do that because In the video he disconnected the battery, and neither before or after, would it matter that the thing is powered on because it’s meant to be on. Just don’t touch the board with your dirty fingers and whatnot and you’re good.
Mat screen protector comes with a price. It will make small letters harder to read and also screen angles and colors are affected. I used it for few weaks and decided to go back to normal, glare sceen protector. And remember that deck has only 63-68% RGB colors LCD screen so you don't want to make it worse than it already is :)
thanks, i was really considering buying the matte screen protector, i guess its just the fear of missing out on what the 512gb model has with the etched screen. I feel like im not getting something cool, even if i dont know whether I would even like it
Having seen both in person, I'm glad I went with a glossy screen protector on my glossy steam deck. The matte screen on the 512GB version is pointless if you're going to put a screen protector on it anyways.
@@baremetaltechtv same man! I do love how sleek and smooth the anti glare screen and there are times when i wish i would have something to stop reflecting my face bk at me 😂
Just bought mine yesterday on Taobao, delivery time is 3 days and the nice part is the shop already added the 1TB SSD and Win11 OS + Steam OS. Can switch between the two. They also included the screen protector and anti glare for 3700 rmb then I got the dock for 130 rmb. Not bad prices at all.
I also got the 64GB one, and the 1GB micro sd + antiglare screen + white skin + cute thumb protectors + dock altogether was still cheaper than the top tier version
I just pulled the trigger for the 64GB one...I have a good gaming PC, but I've been wanting one for visual novels on the go and emulation in the living room. $215 for a 2TB nvme at the time of typing this. I probably won't upgrade until later on, but I like that Valve has made the machine self serviceable.
Thanks for showing in detail updating hardware. JPN is still reserve to order but this was great, I feel like 1tb would be enough for me. Very excited to get my hands on one
This video has been so helpful after I purchased my 64gb model. Thank you so much!!!!! I'm with you on the fluff when I picked and I appreciate the anti glare screen protector tip too. Definitely grab the Killswitch cases it's amazing I think grabbed a case will update if it fits in the case with Killswitch
Just picked up a Certified Refurb. 64gb model from Steam, can't wait to get it! WIll be replacing the back shell, putting a matte screen protector on it and putting a 1tb ssd in and will still come in under the price of the 256gb model :D
One way to go about the 64GB model as well is leaving it as it is with 64GB eMMC together with a larger SD-card, and then either buy the jsaux SSD dock or an external USB-C NVMe SSD for any other docking solution. That way you can use the eMMC + SD for games suited for "portable play" meanwhile performance intensive games, or Windows-only games (multiplayer games) on the SSD. You can boot into the SSD quite easily by holding Vol- + Power when the device is turned off. I personally use the SSD as my professional work environment (Manjaro Linux) without any games, and the eMMC + SD Card for SteamOS/gaming. I have 60 games total on a 512GB SD card + tons of emulation. Sure I have quite a bunch of indie titles and smaller games, but I also have large AAA games installed like Cyberpunk, Mass Effect, Generation Zero, Hunt: Showdown, Kingdom Come Deliverance and Witcher 3. 512GB is good enough for that :)
@@CandysChannel not really. However there are a lot of crap enclosures out there (especially m2 SATA which is not compatible with typical NVMe drives) . I went with the Asus ROG USB-C enclosure, which is likely 3x the price of cheap m.2 enclosures. But I am also guaranteed some pretty decent speeds (900MB/s) with it and appropriate cooling. You can put any m.2 NVMe SSD into that. :) otherwise you have the Jsaux NVMe dock as well.
Thank you so much for this video!! I couldn't decided what size to go with, went with 64gb and bought a 1tb micro sd card. Will likely upgrade ssd in the future
I was pretty happy to pay the full price for the 512gb. The Steam Deck was such a consumer friendly move that I was more than happy to part with some extra cash to give PaPa Gabe the message that I like what's going on over there at that "Valve" thing he is doing. It's still cool to see other people using the hardware in a way that most other OEMs in the space would guffaw at. "You gave them the *option* to spend *less* money and the product is still just as functional? That's just not the corporate America way!"
idk if you have done it yet but be ready to buy the new drive. Unless youre a big indie gamer you're not gonna have space for even 1 game. Luckily I love indies so I had plenty of fun to have until I got more space.
On newer steam decks the touchpads and buttons won't work until you finish going threw the steps and update the steam deck. You could do this by just using the touchscreen. Also when you are about to update it could get stuck in a loop. You can fix that by going back and reselecting your wifi again.
Thanks for the video. I am quitting MMOs and thinking about going back & playing a lot of retro & single player games. I feel retro games would feel better on a handheld rather than on my desktop PC. I already own a very decent desktop, and a entry level gaming laptop from 2 years ago. I can not justify having 2 machines AND the Steam Deck. I am going to try and sell my laptop and use that money to buy a Steam Deck.
Update as of today: right now the 2 TB is off 42% at Ali Express, so I got my 2 TB for $140 including the shipping. That's insane. :) - Thanks so much for this great video!
Just installed a 1TB Solidigm 2230 into my 64GB over the weekend. Cost me ~$80 CAD (~$61 USD). I have a USB-NVMe enclosure though so I was able to clone right to the 1TB from the steam deck's desktop mode and not have to re-installed or reconfigure anything. It expanded to partition automatically on first boot.
Just picked up a steam deck for myself. Got it for just under $300 for a used 256gb model. Works well but I was surprised at how long the setup took lol. Played some games and it ran well. Though one game I tested (Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart) kept crashing so I gotta check into that. I plan on chucking in my 256gb sd for now until I decide when to blow money on a ssd upgrade. Even if it was harder I would still go at it. I’m pretty competent when it comes to computers and not breaking them. (At least hardware, software I break all the time lmao). I do like the deck so far and plan on gaming more with steam. I have a fair bit of games there but just never was too into pc gaming overall. But I still think my switch will be my go to mainly cause it has many games I love that I already bought plus it’s smaller and fits into my purse lol. Size is a big deal for me as I enjoy bringing the switch along. My oled only just barely fits into my purse. The deck doesn’t even have a chance lol.
I bought a 2TB micron SSD from Amazon and I should be getting it today. I also bought a ssd foil cover as a back up from Ifixit just in case I mess up. When I have some free time, gonna swap out the 256gb and put the 2TB drive since a lot of games are huge in memory
This video answers an old question I had on these things. I didn't know if the eMMC was soldered in at all. Now I know it is just installed at the same place as to where they put the SSD at.
@@majorgear1021Or just watch your storage its not really that hard. Lots of programs that can move all ya stuff over to an sd card, so theres nothing to worry. But the choice is always there to upgrade which is cool
im definitely getting a steam deck then. i wanted a lot of storage but couldnt justify paying more than a ps5 for a handheld console. thanks so much for this video
@@valg.3152 2TB can be found online in many shops. Just search "2230 M2 2TB" and you'll get a number of them. Just make sure you're getting the little dinky 2230 ones and not a full size M2 card like a desktop or laptop would use.
If you have a NVME enclosure you can plug the new one directly into the steam deck and run a quick script to clone your old drive onto the new one before you install it so you don't have to redownload everything.
I've done ssd change for 5 steamdecks this week (reselling), you don't need to disconnect the battery. Honestly, there's a higher chance to screw up the connector than screwing up something else... My 2 cents
This video makes me happy with my recent choice to get a 64Gb Steam Deck and 2TB SN740 WD SSD, both of which I got at a great price on sale. Can finally chip away at my Steam pile of shame.
I think I’m gonna get mid tier to store switch games, because I’ve heard problems of having to redo the entire process if you store it on sd card from a bug or smthn. And a I have sd card with somewhere around 120 gigs.
The 64gb emmc version with a v60 micro sd card runs cooler and longer than the SSD version. The SSD runs so hot that it comes with a heat shield.. think about that..
So I followed the steps and right around 10:02 is where I’m stuck, I’m on the boot screen and have been waiting a little bit over 30 minutes and hasn’t booted yet, I’m using an old flash drive and not sure if that’s the problem
I'm thinking about upgrading my gaming PC since years. I run a water cooled GTX1070, with an water cooled i9 9900k and 32GB RAM. But never had any reason to since I 99% of the time run easy 120fps and thats not a reason to spend so much money and time. I'll be better of to invest it in the Steam Deck 64GB and upgrade it with your tutorial, Sir Thanksalot.
ok some questions as this is my first time doing anything like this!! 1. are the screws interchangeable with one another?w 2. if somehow the foil gets damaged can it be replaced? 3. how can you install windows to the ssd drive for dual booting?
I just got a 1tb Sabrient SSD (currently $109 on Amazon) and while I am very confident I can swap the drive, I am way less confident about reinstalling the Steam OS (hence the watching of your (and many others) videos. BTW - I also agree with getting the anti-glare screen protector. I read complaints about the loss of color, but I have no complaints.
@@TheForbidden_1ne it’s not bad at all just make sure you have a screwdriver tiny enough to get the screws out from the backplate and the actual board itself. Just be careful to not strip the screws in the process
great review, I was about to purchase the 512gb but it seems you convinced me that the 64gb can do the same performance. Thanks for the tutorial and the review
I just got a new gaming desktop (which was to upgrade from an older gaming laptop), so it'll be a while before I'm able to get a Steam Deck, but I do want to get one because while the desktop is better in every way, I still want something to travel with. I'm going to do exactly what you've done; get the cheap version, get the screen protector, a dock, and swap out the hard drive. I'll probably end up using Windows instead of Steam OS just because I want to install some stuff that isn't available on Steam.
I too have installed this exact WD 2tb SN740 in my deck and it is amazing to have so much space however I have noticed higher wattage and higher temps on gaming meaning slightly higher fan curve, I realised something wasn’t right when I was playing Prey with the exact same settings as a UA-camr (40hz) and they were at about 15w power draw whereas I could see on my system reported about 17w, something to be weary of
Yeah, thats because the ssd you used is 3.3V and 2.5A, the stock steam deck uses same voltage but with 1.1A, so less consumption (and worst read/write speeds which doesnt matter), so you could look out for the 1.1A ssd, the xa1 from the xbox series X is perfect, altutght it is 1 terabyte storage, not 2, you could look up if there is any 2tb 1.1A ssd
@@sergioadame5528 well noted, I have checked the spec sheet and the average watt is about 1.3w higher than a 1tb SN740, so there definitely is more power draw just interesting as I haven’t seen anyone speak about this. I’ll keep this 2tb for now as i believe this is WD version is the only in the market atm and the 1.3w higher power is tradeoof is worth the extra 1.5tb in space for me 😊
@@telsan4291 yeah, few People talk about it in forums, and havent seen any video that states it, but its not a Major problem, it doesnt affect too much the battery so you are good with it, its mostly an advice for New buyers looking for under 1tb storage
@@sergioadame5528 ok so the reason why I was somewhat disappointed was as the fan curve was higher but I’ve now installed the fan plugin via deckyloader and it’s awesome… problem solved ha
I feel like the 512GB version is worth it if you got the cash and are someone who is playing your steam deck in non ideal situations. I bought the 512GB version myself, and i got a friend who bought the 64gb version and a matte screen protector and its a night and day difference side by side quality wise. The stock 512GB screen is alot less blurry, and is equal or better reflection wise. You can also tell a difference if you use vibrant deck. Im a truck driver myself and even the 512GB screen isnt perfect outdoors so any extra anti-glare goes along way. I also upgraded mine to a 2TB SSD, if you dont care about the screen and just play at home or are on a budget the 64gb+ a 2TB SSD is a no brainer. But if you are going to bring this thing outside your home and got the cash buy the 512GB version. Edit: just adding this because a bunch of replies don't seem to realize im comparing the stock antiglare 512gb screen vs the 64gb screen WITH a antiglare screen protector. In my opinion valves matte screen looks better than a aftermarket matte screen protector side by side.
It's not worth it at all. Paying $250 more for a 512gb ssd is silly. The anti glare screen isnt worth the price and it also makes the screen look more blurry vs the $400 one.
The 512gb version is absolutely MORE blurry, not less. You seriously trying to claim a screen that is matte is going to be sharper than a clear shiny glass screen? You're just wrong.
Yall, it is NOT super easy to do this. There's loctite on the screws, and the small size means it's hard to get traction. I ended up stripping one so bad I had to give up. Good luck if you do try it!
You can clon the SSD with a program like Macrium Reflect, Mini Tool, EaseUS Partition , AOMEI Backupper Technician, NIUBI Partition Editor or any other like those programs. Is easy an safe.
I heard there was an issue with the internal memory of the 64gb, something about how it's cache will have issues if you replace the SSD with anything higher than 500gb? Anyone else heard about that? How do you work around that?
Free shipping over US$10 on AliExpress Choice day. Quantities are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Check link here:s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_mLN26AO
BROKEN LINK KN:UCKLEH{EAD TRY CLICKING IT
@@CommanderBeefDev Working for me
u mean the 512GB steam deck is absolutely perfect it comes with the virtual keyboard the 64GB doesn’t…..i just love my 512GB 😃
@@stevenjohnson8736 yeah, but you can install a 512 disk, plus you can install a theme for your keyboard thats the same as the exclusive one, for free.
why are you selling out to the CCP
Bought the 64 GB version because of this review and do not regret it. Thanks!
I ordered the 64gb model a few days ago. 10% off sale, and got a 1tb SSD off Amazon for $154. I calculated that I saved $220 over paying full price for the 512gb model and have twice the storage. I got a 512gb SD card for older games that won't benefit from faster storage. 1.5 TBs should keep me happy for quite a while.
Thanks for sharing your upgrade process!
Good show chief. Though 2Tb going for 180 too.
@@Moe_Lester_fromUptwn I guess I didn't do a lot of searching for the best deal, but I do feel good about getting a product that shows up fast and has lots of positive reviews from other steam deck owners. I think the 1tb plus 512gb SD will be enough to hold me over until the steam deck 2 arrives🙌
That's what im planning on doing also😅
Which 1tb ssd did you wind up buying? I picked up the sabrent one for 129 USD on sale.
@@FWDSUXARSE I got the "INLAND TN436 1TB M.2 2230 SSD"
I already installed it and have been using it for a day with great results. It looks like you found a great deal on the sabrent!
hey man! just wanted to let you know i watched countless videos about the steam deck, including upgrade/modding vids, and yours was hands down the most helpful. yours doesnt have all that youtube "gamer fluff" that plagues so many tech vids nowadays. you just put forth real honest words, that are straight and to the point. i am going to do the exact 2tb mod you describe in your vid, so thank you for your great research and advice!
I’d love to do it too
But I am terrified of breaking my Deck
The moment you have to start messing with batteries and removing plates I am just incompetent
Wouldn't you lose the warranty?
Thank you for this! At Christmas I bought my husband a new gaming PC but I know he really wants a steam deck too. I bought the 64gb model and a separate 1tb ssd and can't wait to give it to him for his birthday in 2 weeks! I usually just buy the most expensive, lol but seeing this video and others, helped me to realize that you don't get more for all that extra money. I hope he's happy!!
W wife
you are a great wife
Do you have a sister?
@@C-Ra lol
Wow, there's hope yet!! What a great wife to love her husband like that!!
I think its time for me to finally get one. 10% off during the spring sale too.
I'm also pondering about it!
I saw that too, that's why I'm here. Think I've decided on the 256gb. I don't trust myself to open it up.
@@allenreynolds8619 I bought the 64gb along with a 1tb SSD for steam and a 512gb SD card for emulation. Recently.I picked up another 512gb SD card for a batocera build.
Me too!
I got one for the summer sale and it’s absolutely worth it
I sold my CSGO knife and bought a Steam deck. Best choice ever
Huge W
I sold my rust skins when facepunch had a promotion on Twitch. Bought a Valve VR headset, steam deck for a friend and late sold more to pay half of my steam deck.
Thanks Rust for the good times and skins
W if true
Smart move. I would have done the same thing, the knives and skins look cool, but they really would not benefit me anything other than just for an appeal. Steam Deck on the other hand, man, lots of games to play on the go.
How is it going now. Im trying to refund all the games that i bought and never played them and i sold cs gloves and knife i will buy the steam deck.
I also bought a 64Gb one and added a 1Tb drive in mine. Not only for cost savings - but also, the screen of the 512Gb version has noticeable blur but the display on the lower cost models are pin-sharp. It's due to the anti-glare they put on it. Yes it diffuses the room light, but it also diffuses the screen's light making it blurry. Honestly, when playing and the screen is lit, you won't notice any glare on the cheaper machines. It's only when they're not on.
Exactly people act like there gonna be playing right under the sun and even if they are the anti glare screen still isn’t gonna stop the power of the sun so its literally a useless feature since most people will be indoors or in a car when using it
I have a 512, and my wife has the 64. There is a slight difference due to the etched glass however I have noticed no "blur".
What are you talking about?
@@InitialFailurehe is trying to cope basically
@@heartpaid6767 i heard so many people say negative things about the 512 screen till i got my screen broken and due to reasons got replaced with the 512 screen i was actually concerned it would look worse
but its just beautiful idk why people are lying its better experance than the 64 model by far
Just bought the 64gb steamdeck and the 2tb wd ssd through your link. Thankful to have found your channel as I would of regrettably purchased the 512gb version while paying more, receiving slower speeds, and 1500gb less of space. Appreciate it!
was the link legit? did you get your drive from Aliexpress?
@@EST.1999Ohio Yes. its been 2 months since ive had the 2tb ssd and its been excellent. No issues. Takes several weeks for it to arrive
I was so afraid to open my steam deck because I've never done anything like this before but thanks to u I did it! thanks to much for this video!
It's always good to know how to upgrade or repair your stuff
I ordered a 64 GB ver. and upgraded the SSD to Corsair MP600 Mini 1 TB + SanDisk Extreme 512 GB MicroSD. I also got myself the DBrand KillSwitch package. I love it all.
How much total brother
@@nolifezay4636
1) 64 GB Steam Deck Full Price: CAD $499
Steam Summer Sale Discount on 64 GB ver: 10% (-49.90)
Import Fee: CAD $22.46
Total: CAD $471.56
2) Corsair MP600 Mini NVMe 1 TB SSD from Amazon CA
Total: CAD $141.74
3) SanDisk Extreme 512 GB MicroSD from Amazon CA
Total: CAD $69.73
Overall DIY Cost: $471.56 + $141.74 + $69.73 = CAD $683.03
Compared to Stock 512 GB NVMe SSD Steam Deck Full Price: CAD $819
Steam Summer Sale Discount on 512 GB ver: 20% (-163.8)
Import Fee: CAD $22.46
Total: CAD $677.66
I’ve broken down PCs and handhelds for years and this has been the easiest tear down I’ve ever done.
The scariest part of the drive replacement is losing the three little screws on the shield. They are a major pain to seat in while building it back up.
Got the 64gb model for $359 during the summer sale and a 1tb Corsair drive for $99 that’s insanely hard to beat for a fully fledged gaming pc and portable in one. I don’t know why anyone would buy any of the cloud gaming portables at the price they are.
I just got the 64gb steam deck while it’s on sale, a 2tb ssd and an anti glare screen protector!! Waiting for it all to arrive now and I’m so excited!
I bought a new 64gb model in Sep 2023 and just upgraded the SSD. It had a new black cover over the SSD (similar to the one on the new OLED models) that only had two screws holding it down. One on the top left and one one the bottom left. Be carful because there is a little adhesive holding it down also.
what should i do with the adhesive? i ordered mine in january this year and spent 2 months getting it to australia. had to buy about 20 gift cards to buy it as the billing address was in australia for the credit card
I'm getting around 300MB/s read and 190MB/s write on the 64GB eMMc steam deck version if that helps to compare with the values from the video. Other people should probably test theirs and see what performance they are getting. Great video and I might look at upgrading my deck in the future but for now I'm happy with 64GB + 512GB micro SD card.
I saw lot of people say that you can brick your steam deck when you have the 64gb model
@@rixas20 Never heard about this issue, I'll look into it. Thanks for the info.
@@dgverrette4798 its about games storing shader caches and then you dont have enough space which crashes game and bricks decks on updates
@Buzás András You can delete the shader cache pretty easily. There's "Deck Cleaner" that can delete the shader cache with a couple of clicks.
The eMMC is more than fast enough :) I've had games on both the SSD and a 256GB Nintendo-switch branded SD card, and both run fine with little/no performance difference.
Linux is pretty good with how it caches extra data into memory, which I bet helps in most cases.
I ended up upgrading from a 64GB to 512GB SSD not too long ago, with an SK Hynix for $40 from Amazon so I've been pretty happy with the setup so far. I'm treating the Deck as a device for completing a few games at a time from my backlog rather than trying to store every game I own on it, so I realized I didn't need as much space but still wanted some wiggle room, just in case. Love this machine.
Yup I have the 512gb deck for almost a year now and not once have I been close to filling the storage
do you have the link or seller? id. love to do the same on my SD
Great deal on that SK Hynix you bought.
@@manuelgarcia739 Unfortunately that listing has since risen to $60, youtube blocks links but it's through the Dell store seller
Are those 512 gb - 1 tb ssd's easy to install? I'm thinking of upgrading my 64 gb Steamdeck.
One thing you probably should have added in the teardown was to put the battery in battery storage mode from the BIOS, that way you don't accidentally power on the device during the teardown which would probably not be good
You should also keep the original drive just in case you have to rma the device. If not you will risk losing your drive. It has to be returned to stock when sending it in. Pretty much standard for any warranty policy but people seem to forget this. Then get mad when they lose their none stock part if it has to be sent in.
LOL it's no biggy most of the time i built and repair over 500 work station. Sometime we don't have the time to shut down system discarge the power supply and replace parts. We just turn off and replace it. No biggie. Problem is small console like this is small and easy to short out. I wouldn't trip out though. Imagin replacing ram off a desktop while motherboard led is on lol. Sure i don't have this habit. Most likely wont be much a problem. But yes fully shut down the device and make sure no feed of power comes out from battery powering the mobo while replacing that nvme.
Thanks for the heads up, getting a steam deck, and gonna do an upgrade after a while ofc.
You don’t need to do that because In the video he disconnected the battery, and neither before or after, would it matter that the thing is powered on because it’s meant to be on. Just don’t touch the board with your dirty fingers and whatnot and you’re good.
man, you got me out here spending money I didn't know I would be spending today LOL. Nice video
Did this and its worked great, easy to do, I also installed a screen protector which was antiglare so its all good, saved myself quite a penny
Mat screen protector comes with a price. It will make small letters harder to read and also screen angles and colors are affected. I used it for few weaks and decided to go back to normal, glare sceen protector. And remember that deck has only 63-68% RGB colors LCD screen so you don't want to make it worse than it already is :)
thanks, i was really considering buying the matte screen protector, i guess its just the fear of missing out on what the 512gb model has with the etched screen. I feel like im not getting something cool, even if i dont know whether I would even like it
Having seen both in person, I'm glad I went with a glossy screen protector on my glossy steam deck.
The matte screen on the 512GB version is pointless if you're going to put a screen protector on it anyways.
@@baremetaltechtv same man! I do love how sleek and smooth the anti glare screen and there are times when i wish i would have something to stop reflecting my face bk at me 😂
I Wouldnt said better myself!! The Best analisys on steam deck on the whole youtube, realistic and simple
Just bought mine yesterday on Taobao, delivery time is 3 days and the nice part is the shop already added the 1TB SSD and Win11 OS + Steam OS. Can switch between the two. They also included the screen protector and anti glare for 3700 rmb then I got the dock for 130 rmb. Not bad prices at all.
what kind did you get?
I also got the 64GB one, and the 1GB micro sd + antiglare screen + white skin + cute thumb protectors + dock altogether was still cheaper than the top tier version
Yeah, but you haven't got the Blue logo on the case you loser!
/jk
I just pulled the trigger for the 64GB one...I have a good gaming PC, but I've been wanting one for visual novels on the go and emulation in the living room. $215 for a 2TB nvme at the time of typing this. I probably won't upgrade until later on, but I like that Valve has made the machine self serviceable.
I just stumbled on your channel and I must say I’m really impressed with the video. You made it really easy to choose. You’ve gained a subscriber
You removed any doubt I had about which model to choose. Great video, thanks a lot!
This is what I did. Friend bought a Deck, didn't like it, sold it to me for 340, purchased 1tb SSD and a 256sd for comfyness.
Great purchase
Thanks for showing in detail updating hardware. JPN is still reserve to order but this was great, I feel like 1tb would be enough for me. Very excited to get my hands on one
Thank you for this in-depth video!! You save me hundreds of dollars, I was just in the process of planning to get a steam deck. Thank you my friend.
This video has been so helpful after I purchased my 64gb model. Thank you so much!!!!! I'm with you on the fluff when I picked and I appreciate the anti glare screen protector tip too. Definitely grab the Killswitch cases it's amazing I think grabbed a case will update if it fits in the case with Killswitch
Just picked up a Certified Refurb. 64gb model from Steam, can't wait to get it! WIll be replacing the back shell, putting a matte screen protector on it and putting a 1tb ssd in and will still come in under the price of the 256gb model :D
One way to go about the 64GB model as well is leaving it as it is with 64GB eMMC together with a larger SD-card, and then either buy the jsaux SSD dock or an external USB-C NVMe SSD for any other docking solution. That way you can use the eMMC + SD for games suited for "portable play" meanwhile performance intensive games, or Windows-only games (multiplayer games) on the SSD. You can boot into the SSD quite easily by holding Vol- + Power when the device is turned off.
I personally use the SSD as my professional work environment (Manjaro Linux) without any games, and the eMMC + SD Card for SteamOS/gaming. I have 60 games total on a 512GB SD card + tons of emulation. Sure I have quite a bunch of indie titles and smaller games, but I also have large AAA games installed like Cyberpunk, Mass Effect, Generation Zero, Hunt: Showdown, Kingdom Come Deliverance and Witcher 3. 512GB is good enough for that :)
Any particular brand on Amazon for the external SSD?
@@CandysChannel not really. However there are a lot of crap enclosures out there (especially m2 SATA which is not compatible with typical NVMe drives) . I went with the Asus ROG USB-C enclosure, which is likely 3x the price of cheap m.2 enclosures. But I am also guaranteed some pretty decent speeds (900MB/s) with it and appropriate cooling. You can put any m.2 NVMe SSD into that. :) otherwise you have the Jsaux NVMe dock as well.
Lomptpmmm
M.m.
N ..
best solution in my opinion
Can you help me set up mine ?
Thank you sir for making this video. This convinced me to go with the 64 gb model. The steam deck just went on sale too👍
Thank you so much for this video!! I couldn't decided what size to go with, went with 64gb and bought a 1tb micro sd card. Will likely upgrade ssd in the future
I was pretty happy to pay the full price for the 512gb.
The Steam Deck was such a consumer friendly move that I was more than happy to part with some extra cash to give PaPa Gabe the message that I like what's going on over there at that "Valve" thing he is doing.
It's still cool to see other people using the hardware in a way that most other OEMs in the space would guffaw at.
"You gave them the *option* to spend *less* money and the product is still just as functional? That's just not the corporate America way!"
This is the first time in all my 22 years of living that I've actually clicked someone's link on yt to buy something. You're the absolute best
Thank you for this. This is exactly what I needed to know; I can get the base model now and drop a new drive into it later.
idk if you have done it yet but be ready to buy the new drive.
Unless youre a big indie gamer you're not gonna have space for even 1 game. Luckily I love indies so I had plenty of fun to have until I got more space.
On newer steam decks the touchpads and buttons won't work until you finish going threw the steps and update the steam deck. You could do this by just using the touchscreen. Also when you are about to update it could get stuck in a loop. You can fix that by going back and reselecting your wifi again.
Glad I wasn't the only one who experienced this
Danke!
really good advice, wouldn't have known that the storage is replaceable had I not seen this video
Thanks for the video. I am quitting MMOs and thinking about going back & playing a lot of retro & single player games. I feel retro games would feel better on a handheld rather than on my desktop PC. I already own a very decent desktop, and a entry level gaming laptop from 2 years ago. I can not justify having 2 machines AND the Steam Deck. I am going to try and sell my laptop and use that money to buy a Steam Deck.
Agree. 2TB + 64GB variant is one of the bang for the buck since it run faster for every games and a lot of storage dor shaders
Where do you find the 2 TB?
@@valg.3152 yeah where what and how
ua-cam.com/video/xmqwHqpIThY/v-deo.html
@@valg.3152 you can't buy a 2TB micro SD card yet, i've looked all they are is fake ones lol
@@HUYI1 yeah, I figured that out. That’s what I assumed.
The 1TB OLED limited version came out, can't wait to see the differences
Update as of today: right now the 2 TB is off 42% at Ali Express, so I got my 2 TB for $140 including the shipping. That's insane. :) - Thanks so much for this great video!
What a great video. Straight to the point and easy to understand.
I am definitely planning to get the base model and upgrading it. Hopefully, I'll be buying one very soon.
They are 10% off until the 23rd, go go go
@@jonathan.sullivan I know! Now's the time!!!
@matthewf86 I did get one and, I love it! Also did a 256gb upgrade to it.
@matthewf86 Actually, they just announced a new oled model that is more efficient so, you may want to save a few bucks and buy that one.
I got refurbished one directly from Steam, 64GB version for 339€ and upraded to 1 TB SSD for another 75€
Just installed a 1TB Solidigm 2230 into my 64GB over the weekend. Cost me ~$80 CAD (~$61 USD). I have a USB-NVMe enclosure though so I was able to clone right to the 1TB from the steam deck's desktop mode and not have to re-installed or reconfigure anything. It expanded to partition automatically on first boot.
Just picked up a steam deck for myself. Got it for just under $300 for a used 256gb model. Works well but I was surprised at how long the setup took lol. Played some games and it ran well. Though one game I tested (Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart) kept crashing so I gotta check into that. I plan on chucking in my 256gb sd for now until I decide when to blow money on a ssd upgrade. Even if it was harder I would still go at it. I’m pretty competent when it comes to computers and not breaking them. (At least hardware, software I break all the time lmao).
I do like the deck so far and plan on gaming more with steam. I have a fair bit of games there but just never was too into pc gaming overall. But I still think my switch will be my go to mainly cause it has many games I love that I already bought plus it’s smaller and fits into my purse lol. Size is a big deal for me as I enjoy bringing the switch along. My oled only just barely fits into my purse. The deck doesn’t even have a chance lol.
I bought a 2TB micron SSD from Amazon and I should be getting it today. I also bought a ssd foil cover as a back up from Ifixit just in case I mess up. When I have some free time, gonna swap out the 256gb and put the 2TB drive since a lot of games are huge in memory
I really appreciate you going through all the differences and how you bridged the gap
This video answers an old question I had on these things. I didn't know if the eMMC was soldered in at all. Now I know it is just installed at the same place as to where they put the SSD at.
That was such a useful video. I always thought the emmc was soldered, but actually it isn't. It's such a nice piece of Hardware 😱
Remember if you don't update you drive the shader cache will fill up fast on the 64GB version. Always update the internal storage
I’m worried about destroying my steam deck so I don’t really wanna do that
@@Doodoooa no offense...it's a damn screwdriver?
update or upgrade?
@@majorgear1021 Upgrade
@@majorgear1021Or just watch your storage its not really that hard. Lots of programs that can move all ya stuff over to an sd card, so theres nothing to worry. But the choice is always there to upgrade which is cool
Thanks for this! I had my suspicions... But this confirms it for me. I'm getting the 64 gig 👍
im definitely getting a steam deck then. i wanted a lot of storage but couldnt justify paying more than a ps5 for a handheld console. thanks so much for this video
My 64GB deck is being delivered today. I am quite excited.
Got a 1tb sdcard for it too.
Mine reach yesterday and playing far cry 4 today, playing really great at high settings.
I’m about to order it , first kinda gaming pc .
Can't hurt to upgrade the internal SSD too.
@@Goobicon4507 I got it bro the games take forever to download
I used a disk imager to go from my 64->512 to 2TB and it worked like a charm.
Where did you find the 2 TB?
@@valg.3152
2TB can be found online in many shops. Just search "2230 M2 2TB" and you'll get a number of them. Just make sure you're getting the little dinky 2230 ones and not a full size M2 card like a desktop or laptop would use.
Thanks for the guide. I was looking for such detailed steps
If you have a NVME enclosure you can plug the new one directly into the steam deck and run a quick script to clone your old drive onto the new one before you install it so you don't have to redownload everything.
I've done ssd change for 5 steamdecks this week (reselling), you don't need to disconnect the battery. Honestly, there's a higher chance to screw up the connector than screwing up something else... My 2 cents
this is the info that I was looking for. Thank you. :)
This video makes me happy with my recent choice to get a 64Gb Steam Deck and 2TB SN740 WD SSD, both of which I got at a great price on sale. Can finally chip away at my Steam pile of shame.
I think I’m gonna get mid tier to store switch games, because I’ve heard problems of having to redo the entire process if you store it on sd card from a bug or smthn. And a I have sd card with somewhere around 120 gigs.
Thanks for the video. Great video and all your help. I’m definitely by myself the 64 right now.
Useful video. Worth the subscription. Keep up the good work.
Just got one for 300$ and so excited🔥
What happens to my saved game files? Would that mean starting over again with all the games already I've beaten?
amazing video! your video made me decide to buy a steam deck. and now I got it and I love it! amazing device! Thank you!/
ive got the 64gb, with a 512 gb and a external 1tb ssd ...all works great for me
External? I can use the 64gb just with an external SSD? Which one?
I'm one of those who ssd-upgraded their 512gb model(2tb + 1tb micosd). Learned a lesson, though no regrets.
The 64gb emmc version with a v60 micro sd card runs cooler and longer than the SSD version. The SSD runs so hot that it comes with a heat shield.. think about that..
Just a tip you don’t have to peel the shield off the SSD drive. It’ll just slide off.
thx cuz im getting one
So I followed the steps and right around 10:02 is where I’m stuck, I’m on the boot screen and have been waiting a little bit over 30 minutes and hasn’t booted yet, I’m using an old flash drive and not sure if that’s the problem
I’m not sure how long I’m supposed to wait
Gotta call out the EWU as a UW guy myself lol great vid though, steam deck is on sale currently so this was a good watch!
i’m a little confused here. Do i need to upgrade my SD card AND THE SSD to install more games? I can’t just get a 1tb micro sd card and be good?
I'm thinking about upgrading my gaming PC since years. I run a water cooled GTX1070, with an water cooled i9 9900k and 32GB RAM. But never had any reason to since I 99% of the time run easy 120fps and thats not a reason to spend so much money and time. I'll be better of to invest it in the Steam Deck 64GB and upgrade it with your tutorial, Sir Thanksalot.
One of the last things I wanna do with something I paid that kind of money for is open it up. That's while I'd opt for the 512 gb model.
ok some questions as this is my first time doing anything like this!!
1. are the screws interchangeable with one another?w
2. if somehow the foil gets damaged can it be replaced?
3. how can you install windows to the ssd drive for dual booting?
I just got a 1tb Sabrient SSD (currently $109 on Amazon) and while I am very confident I can swap the drive, I am way less confident about reinstalling the Steam OS (hence the watching of your (and many others) videos. BTW - I also agree with getting the anti-glare screen protector. I read complaints about the loss of color, but I have no complaints.
How did it go for you?
@@MW2TF141I'd like to know too. I'm not tech savvy at all so I'm scared I'll botch the process in some way shape or form
@@TheForbidden_1ne it’s not bad at all just make sure you have a screwdriver tiny enough to get the screws out from the backplate and the actual board itself. Just be careful to not strip the screws in the process
great review, I was about to purchase the 512gb but it seems you convinced me that the 64gb can do the same performance. Thanks for the tutorial and the review
I just got a new gaming desktop (which was to upgrade from an older gaming laptop), so it'll be a while before I'm able to get a Steam Deck, but I do want to get one because while the desktop is better in every way, I still want something to travel with. I'm going to do exactly what you've done; get the cheap version, get the screen protector, a dock, and swap out the hard drive. I'll probably end up using Windows instead of Steam OS just because I want to install some stuff that isn't available on Steam.
dual boot it
Thats what I do.
I too have installed this exact WD 2tb SN740 in my deck and it is amazing to have so much space however I have noticed higher wattage and higher temps on gaming meaning slightly higher fan curve, I realised something wasn’t right when I was playing Prey with the exact same settings as a UA-camr (40hz) and they were at about 15w power draw whereas I could see on my system reported about 17w, something to be weary of
Yeah, thats because the ssd you used is 3.3V and 2.5A, the stock steam deck uses same voltage but with 1.1A, so less consumption (and worst read/write speeds which doesnt matter), so you could look out for the 1.1A ssd, the xa1 from the xbox series X is perfect, altutght it is 1 terabyte storage, not 2, you could look up if there is any 2tb 1.1A ssd
@@sergioadame5528 well noted, I have checked the spec sheet and the average watt is about 1.3w higher than a 1tb SN740, so there definitely is more power draw just interesting as I haven’t seen anyone speak about this. I’ll keep this 2tb for now as i believe this is WD version is the only in the market atm and the 1.3w higher power is tradeoof is worth the extra 1.5tb in space for me 😊
@@telsan4291 yeah, few People talk about it in forums, and havent seen any video that states it, but its not a Major problem, it doesnt affect too much the battery so you are good with it, its mostly an advice for New buyers looking for under 1tb storage
@@sergioadame5528 ok so the reason why I was somewhat disappointed was as the fan curve was higher but I’ve now installed the fan plugin via deckyloader and it’s awesome… problem solved ha
Awesome information! Just what I need to know!
Thanx
1TB Corsair SSD only costs $89, in late 2023. This is so worth the upgrade
good lad, just got a 1tb for £67 bargain :) will be here when my deck is delivered :)
I feel like the 512GB version is worth it if you got the cash and are someone who is playing your steam deck in non ideal situations. I bought the 512GB version myself, and i got a friend who bought the 64gb version and a matte screen protector and its a night and day difference side by side quality wise. The stock 512GB screen is alot less blurry, and is equal or better reflection wise. You can also tell a difference if you use vibrant deck. Im a truck driver myself and even the 512GB screen isnt perfect outdoors so any extra anti-glare goes along way. I also upgraded mine to a 2TB SSD, if you dont care about the screen and just play at home or are on a budget the 64gb+ a 2TB SSD is a no brainer. But if you are going to bring this thing outside your home and got the cash buy the 512GB version.
Edit: just adding this because a bunch of replies don't seem to realize im comparing the stock antiglare 512gb screen vs the 64gb screen WITH a antiglare screen protector. In my opinion valves matte screen looks better than a aftermarket matte screen protector side by side.
Wrong, the 64 are more crisp image, 512 are more colour pop, this is happen cus 512 got the anti glare screen
@xMJR I'm not talking about the stock screen. I'm talking the 64gb with the anti glare protector.
It's not worth it at all. Paying $250 more for a 512gb ssd is silly. The anti glare screen isnt worth the price and it also makes the screen look more blurry vs the $400 one.
The 512gb version is absolutely MORE blurry, not less. You seriously trying to claim a screen that is matte is going to be sharper than a clear shiny glass screen? You're just wrong.
@@JRModsthe 64gb one doesn't have a anti glare protector.
Yall, it is NOT super easy to do this. There's loctite on the screws, and the small size means it's hard to get traction. I ended up stripping one so bad I had to give up. Good luck if you do try it!
1:49 - SSD? you mean SD card?
omg the EWU logo gave me such nostalgia! i used to live near there.
I almost got my BA few more months!
thanks for the video, now i know which Deck to get
btw you kinda look like US Agent actor on Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Very helpful/useful video, thank you!
Its soo expensive in my country and its been like that for over 6 months lmao its 600$ for 64gb varient and it has no customer service here goddamn it
One thing to consider is that the emmc ssd use less power than the nvme ssd.
You can clon the SSD with a program like Macrium Reflect, Mini Tool, EaseUS Partition , AOMEI Backupper Technician, NIUBI Partition Editor or any other like those programs. Is easy an safe.
I still went to the higher hand just to support the project, As a Linux user I hope projects like this have success
How is Ali express drive? Thinking of returning my 1tb ssd and grabbing this 2tb for about the same price 😅
Thanks for sharing this with us!💗
Great video, you make it look very Simple
I heard there was an issue with the internal memory of the 64gb, something about how it's cache will have issues if you replace the SSD with anything higher than 500gb? Anyone else heard about that? How do you work around that?