Monday, June 27th 2022
Steam Deck Engineer Says SSD Mods Will Significantly Reduce Lifetime of the Device
A few days ago, reports started flooding the web on a Steam Deck mod that successfully vied to replace the handheld console's integrated 2230 SSD towards the more ubiquitous 2242 format. The general idea was that the 2242 SSDs could generally provide higher performance and more bang for the buck on the available storage space, which is at a premium on the Steam Deck already, mostly due to its increased footprint compared to the stock 2230 SSD. However, according to a tweet by Steam Deck engineer Lawrence Yang, this SSD replacement carries with it enough caveats that it might actually severely decrease the longevity of the device itself.
According to him, the Steam Deck's SSD slot is particularly sensitive to fluctuations on power requirements - of which those of 2242 SSDs are usually higher. At the same time, the device's thermal pads (of which the removal and/or compromise is required to fit in the larger form-factor SSD) are a very necessary part of temperature management for the complex engineering of the Deck - specifically for the power delivery subsystem, which should see worsened temperatures due to the thermal pad removal. It might be better to simply invest in a fast SD card solution - some relatively affordable models offer read speeds of 160 MB/s already, show no performance degradation, and are hot-swappable.
We have to remember that the Deck has likely been precision-engineered to death. In such an ultraportable device as this one - and especially with the sort of processing firepower on hand - every bit of the device, from the number of nuts and bolts down to the length of its cables, the capacity of its cooling hardware and the battery's maximum discharge rate has been engineered with precision, not only for manufacturing cost reduction, but also for it to be able to offer the balance of battery longevity, graphics oomph, and storage space it does. Your mileage may, of course, vary.
Sources:
SSD mod by Belly Jelly on Twitter, Tweet by Lawrence Yang, via Tom's Hardware
According to him, the Steam Deck's SSD slot is particularly sensitive to fluctuations on power requirements - of which those of 2242 SSDs are usually higher. At the same time, the device's thermal pads (of which the removal and/or compromise is required to fit in the larger form-factor SSD) are a very necessary part of temperature management for the complex engineering of the Deck - specifically for the power delivery subsystem, which should see worsened temperatures due to the thermal pad removal. It might be better to simply invest in a fast SD card solution - some relatively affordable models offer read speeds of 160 MB/s already, show no performance degradation, and are hot-swappable.
22 Comments on Steam Deck Engineer Says SSD Mods Will Significantly Reduce Lifetime of the Device
Really there should have just been a cover/heatsink you could remove from the back like a lot of laptops have, to access it/upgrade it. They acted like it was all about user choice and they're not like the proprietary crap out there, but really, they knew what they were doing with this, and it wasn't to the benefit of the customers.
Hopefully SD2 will just have an empty bay you can access through a single screw, but I'm not holding my breath.
While it looks like it's nearby... I cannot understand the points. While the battery is is full, that thing does nothing, then the poster haven't said correctly what it really is. If it is a universal PMIC for overall power management, then it shouldn't be resided there and the PCB layout is done in a pretty weird way that additional 2-5W is a life ending situation and your device may suffer from it. The device is actively cooled versus mobiles and ultrathins that are fully passive. Back to the drawing board dudes and don't try to tell us you did a mistake or gimped on the design. The m.2 slot power targets are hard set, you don't design a device not meeting the standart, be it mobile or not, now suffer and blame yourselves.
I would use only PM991 drives either way for now.
So many online expert engineers. Drop your CV at the nearest hardware manufacturer's HR desk.
What he says actually sounds like "we built it down to a price, please don't try to use it in a reasonable way, it will break". Like when I was selling custom light fittings one of the manufacturers told me straight to my face that using their LEDs in accordance with the spec sheet will result in much higher failure rates than stated, "but if you give them 80% of the current they should be okay". That was the end of that deal.
The answer to additional heat? Drill a few holes and glue a bigger fan to it. :roll::kookoo:
Keep dropping that CV off at all the fast food chains, I'm sure one will finally reply.
And it's not like there aren't 2230 ssd around on sale, i'd say they are just as common as 2242 so I don't even get the need for this mod. And in a couple months the remaining parts like the SSD and mainboard will also be for sale at iFix it and other potential partners.It's not just power to the slot and again, built to a cost. Does it help move higher capacity models? Sure, but that's a normal practice and given the agressive price it's the way they're able to turn a profit like with any other product ever: upcharge the high model to subsidize the lower model.
I'd kindly advise you to perhaps take that advice yourself.