Steam Deck Engineer Says SSD Mods Will Significantly Reduce Lifetime of the Device

[Raevenlord]

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.

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[konga]

Yeah, if you have to fully remove some thermal pads in order to do this mod, then it's absolutely not worth it. Those pads are there for a reason.

 

[SpittinFax]

Design engineers have countless meetings to plan out exactly this type of stuff. If there's extra bang-for-buck performance on the table and they didn't opt for it, there's inevitably some very good reasons why they didn't. What Lawrence is saying makes a lot of sense. Cost is usually the driving factor HOWEVER if an upgrade part is cheap then cost isn't the limiting factor.

 

[Arkz]

I'd say it's pretty obvious they embedded it so deep to put people off changing it, and go for the higher priced models for more storage instead. They even gimped the SD slot to 100MBps max too.

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.

 

[Ferrum Master]

Design deficiency? And charger IC? Hot?

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.

 

[GeorgeMan]

Why not just buy a 2230 SSD? I agree there are less options, but they do exist and they are cheap enough.

 

[Hyderz]

what is the expected lifespan of the steam deck?

 

[Haile Selassie]

I'd say it's pretty obvious they embedded it so deep to put people off changing it, and go for the higher priced models for more storage instead. They even gimped the SD slot to 100MBps max too.

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.

If you can't understand why SD would be capped at a certain bandwidth then god help you all. This is not a desktop with unrestricted power budget.

So many online expert engineers. Drop your CV at the nearest hardware manufacturer's HR desk.

 

[TheUn4seen]

Modifying a device you bought by increasing it's usability and avoiding manufacturer's markup on higher capacity options is very destructive to the shareholder's ability to obtain basic necessities. Come on, do you really want to live with the guilt of depriving multimillionaires of buying solid gold toilet seats for their yachts?! Those guys work so hard on making sure a device breaks no sooner than a month after warranty period ends and you, with your dirty peasant fingers, risk affecting the sacred Bottom Line. Shame on you.

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.

 

[Titanium_Carbide]

If the power draw is an issue we should use a 2242 that draw equal or less power than the original 2230 ?

 

[Harakhti]

If the power draw is an issue we should use a 2242 that draw equal or less power than the original 2230 ?

From what I know by watching the GN thermal analysis, it's more so a case of "the power delivery WILL die without the supplied cooling, it barely stays alive as is". The charging circuit runs at nearly Δ72°C at the full rated 44W load.

 

[TechLurker]

I'm waiting for a modding group to offer a kit that upgrades both the cooling system and the ability to use larger 2242 SSDs. Probably would come in the form of an altered backplate with an extra fan and updated cooling pads/plates/heatsinks. Kind of like a less-jank version of LTT's M2 cooler mod example, which shows it can clearly be done with some engineering work.

 

[bonehead123]

ANY mfgr who tries to stifle upgrading/modding ANY device should be strung up by their toenails, tarred, feathered, hung upside down in the hot desert sun, and then shot multiple times with a small caliber weapon with hollow-point ammo in their sensitive areas and left to rot while the vultures pick their bones clean, hahahahaha

 

[Octavean]

Yeah, if you have to fully remove some thermal pads in order to do this mod, then it's absolutely not worth it. Those pads are there for a reason.

I believe they are referring to the metallic shielding that goes around the SSD in the Steam Deck. One would remove this and replace it on the new SSD. However, since there is a physical size difference with the SSD in this “Mod” the shielding wouldn’t cover the SSD in the same way. If that’s the case it’s not ideal but I’d be more concerned with difference in voltage requirements.

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

ANY mfgr who tries to stifle upgrading/modding ANY device should be strung up by their toenails, tarred, feathered, hung upside down in the hot desert sun, and then shot multiple times with a small caliber weapon with hollow-point ammo in their sensitive areas and left to rot while the vultures pick their bones clean, hahahahaha

Remind me not to really piss you off...


The answer to additional heat? Drill a few holes and glue a bigger fan to it.

 

[R0H1T]

Design engineers have countless meetings to plan out exactly this type of stuff. If there's extra bang-for-buck performance on the table and they didn't opt for it, there's inevitably some very good reasons why they didn't. What Lawrence is saying makes a lot of sense. Cost is usually the driving factor HOWEVER if an upgrade part is cheap then cost isn't the limiting factor.

Apple says ~ hold that thought

 

[MxPhenom 216]

If you can't understand why SD would be capped at a certain bandwidth then god help you all. This is not a desktop with unrestricted power budget.

So many online expert engineers. Drop your CV at the nearest hardware manufacturer's HR desk.

Most people on this forum could only get a job in IT lol

 

[Arkz]

If you can't understand why SD would be capped at a certain bandwidth then god help you all. This is not a desktop with unrestricted power budget.

So many online expert engineers. Drop your CV at the nearest hardware manufacturer's HR desk.

Really? You think having a UHS3 slot instead of UHS2 would be too much and need an unrestricted power budget of a mains connection? Cause it sounds like you think SD cards are high powered devices with a significant power budget to be worried about.

Keep dropping that CV off at all the fast food chains, I'm sure one will finally reply.

 

[trsttte]

I'd say it's pretty obvious they embedded it so deep to put people off changing it, and go for the higher priced models for more storage instead. They even gimped the SD slot to 100MBps max too.

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.

That's pretty unfair, besides the simple point it was built and squeezed to a cost, the back shell is not the same as a laptop who also rarely include dedicated bays nowadays - not that it's a bad thing if it's just as easy to take the hole bottom plate off. And talking about taking the shell off, you might as well take the steamdeck shell off instead of having it be a lot more flimsy and expensive with an upgrade bay - which they even show you how to do!

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.

Really? You think having a UHS3 slot instead of UHS2 would be too much and need an unrestricted power budget of a mains connection

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.

 

[Haile Selassie]

Really? You think having a UHS3 slot instead of UHS2 would be too much and need an unrestricted power budget of a mains connection? Cause it sounds like you think SD cards are high powered devices with a significant power budget to be worried about.

Keep dropping that CV off at all the fast food chains, I'm sure one will finally reply.

Half duplex signaling saves half the power. UHS3 is only full duplex comm.
I'd kindly advise you to perhaps take that advice yourself.

 

[Arkz]

Half duplex signaling saves half the power. UHS3 is only full duplex comm.
I'd kindly advise you to perhaps take that advice yourself.

Both SDR104 UHS2 and HD312 UHS3 buses top out at 2.88W And in reality draw much less than that. So still no reason other that cutting corners.

 

[Haile Selassie]

Both SDR104 UHS2 and HD312 UHS3 buses top out at 2.88W And in reality draw much less than that. So still no reason other that cutting corners.

UHS2 can work in half duplex mode while UHS3 is limited to full duplex only. Hence UHS2 half duplex is half the power.

 

[Arkz]

UHS2 can work in half duplex mode while UHS3 is limited to full duplex only. Hence UHS2 half duplex is half the power.

Which again on most cards is gonna be a few hundred milliamps at best. It's not the reason they did it. Hell if they wanted to give us good expansion options a second M.2 slot under a cover would be great. But everyone would buy the cheapest model then. They need you to buy the overpriced higher tiers for it to be worth it for them.