Steam Deck Owners Clubhouse

[Nordic]

I think there is a mode on Ally that will run it at 720p 60 fps, so it can prob bring the battery life back up some.

Certainly, but the the draw of the Ally for most people who weren't interested in the Deck is running it at 1080p higher graphic settings. Handhelds have trade offs between performance and battery life. The Deck has a nice balance. The Ally appears to not.

 

[erocker]

I love my deck. Got a backplate for it because it was see-through but discovered it also has an aluminum plate for a "heatsink". I thermal taped a copper heatsink to it and it keeps the temps a few degrees cooler, pretty nice!
Picture of the back:

Ran the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark with mostly the steam deck settings. Turned off things like motion blur and recorded it. Temps used to be in the high 70's at times.

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

I love my deck. Got a backplate for it because it was see-through but discovered it also has an aluminum plate for a "heatsink". I thermal taped a copper heatsink to it and it keeps the temps a few degrees cooler, pretty nice!
Picture of the back:
View attachment 295518

Ran the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark with mostly the steam deck settings. Turned off things like motion blur and recorded it. Temps used to be in the high 70's at times.

Nice, do you have a link for the back?

 

[erocker]

Nice, do you have a link for the back?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/JSAUX-Tran...&sprefix=steam+deck+back+plate,aps,160&sr=8-4 for the UK.
For the US:

Amazon.com

This thermal tape I got is great! Very sticky and seems to have no problems transferring heat: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZY1JNJV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I kinda splurged on a nice actual copper heatsink, but it's machined very nicely and quite heavy! : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PLV969Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/JSAUX-Transparent-Compatible-Replacement-Different-Purple/dp/B0BWHHTDCH/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2F68K1BFE7AE0&keywords=steam+deck+back+plate&qid=1683884371&sprefix=steam+deck+back+plate,aps,160&sr=8-4 for the UK.
For the US:

Amazon.com

This thermal tape I got is great! Very sticky and seems to have no problems transferring heat: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZY1JNJV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I kinda splurged on a nice actual copper heatsink, but it's machined very nicely and quite heavy! : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PLV969Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Love your work, very neat for a mod Ty.

 

[Space Lynx]

@erocker thanks for the links, I love the look of it. I may do this myself. temps are fine on my end, so i may just get the backplate.

THERE ARE DIFFERENT COLORS OF CLEAR!!! oh man... i think i am going to do this... the purple clear for me I think. neat

 

[Nordic]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/JSAUX-Transparent-Compatible-Replacement-Different-Purple/dp/B0BWHHTDCH/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2F68K1BFE7AE0&keywords=steam+deck+back+plate&qid=1683884371&sprefix=steam+deck+back+plate,aps,160&sr=8-4 for the UK.
For the US:

Amazon.com

This thermal tape I got is great! Very sticky and seems to have no problems transferring heat: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZY1JNJV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I kinda splurged on a nice actual copper heatsink, but it's machined very nicely and quite heavy! : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PLV969Z/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have seen others do this mod and see no improvement in temps. Some complained about burning their hands. I have been considering the same thing. Just make sure you don't block the airflow with the thermal tape.

 

[Space Lynx]

I have seen others do this mod and see no improvement in temps. Some complained about burning their hands. I have been considering the same thing. Just make sure you don't block the airflow with the thermal tape.

it looks like he gained 10-12 celsius based on his video and previous temps. so it must have worked for him.

i don't think i will do anything like that, my fan has the dampener on it, so i run the fan at a bit higher speed and its still not loud to me. I turned off the "update of fan" in settings or w.e its called to increase my fan speeds. it doesn't sound loud to me at all

I kind of want this... might hold off on buying the one erock linked... and ask for this for my christmas this year... 75 bucks

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I like the Sea Breeze thematic.

 

[erocker]

Just make sure you don't block the airflow with the thermal tape.

There's really nothing to block. It's just a flat aluminum pad molded into the plastic.

 

[Nordic]

There's really nothing to block. It's just a flat aluminum pad molded into the plastic.

I have seen pictures and video's of people putting entire squares over the entire heatsink surface covering the airflow for the fan.

 

[r9]

I was just thinking about installing KotOR on my Deck today. Surprised that it's still "unsupported".

But hey, KotOR II is rated as "playable". Think I'll go install that one instead.

First game I installed on the deck was Rage and it was a texture mess.
Installed Windows instead of the SteamOS and never looked back.

 

[Space Lynx]

First game I installed on the deck was Rage and it was a texture mess.
Installed Windows instead of the SteamOS and never looked back.

windows is coming out with a handheld OS to help steam deck out I think in a year or so probably. we will see how long we have to wait.

I know it sounds weird, but 60 fps on my Steam Deck doesn't look like 60 fps on my PC. I wonder if Arch Linux has some kind of "frame smoother" built into it.
Some games don't work well on Steam Deck, and you just have to forget those. Dishonored was a 10/10 experience on Deck for me, ironically on PC Dishonored had screen tearing issues for me even with FPS cap on.

So some games I enjoy more on SteamOS than I do on Windows... wild times.

 

[r9]

windows is coming out with a handheld OS to help steam deck out I think in a year or so probably. we will see how long we have to wait.

I know it sounds weird, but 60 fps on my Steam Deck doesn't look like 60 fps on my PC. I wonder if Arch Linux has some kind of "frame smoother" built into it.
Some games don't work well on Steam Deck, and you just have to forget those. Dishonored was a 10/10 experience on Deck for me, ironically on PC Dishonored had screen tearing issues for me even with FPS cap on.

So some games I enjoy more on SteamOS than I do on Windows... wild times.

Was looking at Ghost Spectre and Tiny Windows to install but just don't have the time for it.
I would rather use my limited free time to play on it instead of experimenting so for now using Razer Cortex to free up some ram before starting a game.
Great job to Valve on the SteamOS really giving Windows run for it's money in the Gaming department.

 

[Space Lynx]

Was looking at Ghost Spectre and Tiny Windows to install but just don't have the time for it.
I would rather use my limited free time to play on it instead of experimenting so for now using Razer Cortex to free up some ram before starting a game.
Great job to Valve on the SteamOS really giving Windows run for it's money in the Gaming department.

so many of my games really do work so well on SteamOS. i see no need to tinker, also there are literally hundreds of indie games I am interested in that only run at 60 fps, i want to replay FFX HD Remaster for ages, and its much nicer on steam deck than PC, its capped at 30 fps too, so meh its all working out for me. there are still several games I want to play on PC and not Deck too, so they compliment each other really nicely.

 

[erocker]

I have seen pictures and video's of people putting entire squares over the entire heatsink surface covering the airflow for the fan.

lol Yikes!

 

[Nordic]

The list given out by Valve on Twitter includes these games sorted by hours played top to bottom, with each being a link to go buy a copy on either Humble Store or Steam depending on availability:

• ELDEN RING
• Stardew Valley
• Vampire Survivors
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Grand Theft Auto V
• Red Dead Redemption 2
• Hades
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition
• The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
• Cyberpunk 2077
• NBA 2K23
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
• Cult of the Lamb
• MONSTER HUNTER RISE
• Persona 5 Royal
• Fallout 4
• Brotato
• No Man's Sky
• Slay the Spire
• Dead Cells

A lot of these are simply the most popular games right now. Some are only popular with Deck players. I am not sure if I would be playing many of these games on the Deck. Some are performance intensive and will only get 90 minutes of battery life.

 

[Space Lynx]

what games use the gyroscope in steam deck? i have never used it once and can't seem to figure out how to enable it. is it on by default? i just need to hold down the right stick and move the deck around to use it?

what games go well with gyroscope? i want a good first experience

 

[Nordic]

This is not the ROG Ally Club but the the Steam Deck no longer has such a performance deficit against the ROG Ally at 15w. The latest BIOS have dramatically reduced performance to improve battery life. Or as ASUS's patch notes say, "Performance Optimization".

what games use the gyroscope in steam deck? i have never used it once and can't seem to figure out how to enable it. is it on by default? i just need to hold down the right stick and move the deck around to use it?

what games go well with gyroscope? i want a good first experience

Any game can use the gryoscope if you configure it. I didn't believe it until I tried it but the gyroscope makes FPS games so much better on the Deck. You do 90% of your aiming with the sticks or trackpad and then use the gryo scope to move the last 10% on target. I would recommend looking up some you tube tutorial on setting it up.

 

[Kyan]

what games use the gyroscope in steam deck? i have never used it once and can't seem to figure out how to enable it. is it on by default? i just need to hold down the right stick and move the deck around to use it?

what games go well with gyroscope? i want a good first experience

I've use it on breath of wild WiiU version. I've first set it up manually but it wasn't great since the game use it for a lot of thing and not just aiming. But there is a plugin for the emulator to take the gyro input and use it as a native gyro wiiu pad. Now it's the same as playing on switch with the ability to go to 40-50 fps and change some graphics settings, but with less battery life than switch, not a problem for my use case.

 

[Nordic]

I am having this frustrating issue with my Deck full restarting in the middle of gaming sessions. I thought it might be overheating but that is not the case. It doesn't seem to matter which game I play. Stardew Valley for example is not intensive and I run it at 5w. I might do a factory reset as a shot in the dark. Have any of you had this issue?

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

I am having this frustrating issue with my Deck full restarting in the middle of gaming sessions. I thought it might be overheating but that is not the case. It doesn't seem to matter which game I play. Stardew Valley for example is not intensive and I run it at 5w. I might do a factory reset as a shot in the dark. Have any of you had this issue?

That's terrible, good luck fixing it, I haven't seen that behaviour personally.

Perhaps move up or down OS versions via beta opt in out??

 

[Space Lynx]

I am having this frustrating issue with my Deck full restarting in the middle of gaming sessions. I thought it might be overheating but that is not the case. It doesn't seem to matter which game I play. Stardew Valley for example is not intensive and I run it at 5w. I might do a factory reset as a shot in the dark. Have any of you had this issue?

Maybe try running the game at 8w instead of 5w? Sounds like you are running at too low a watt imo.

I run all my games at 15w default, cause I usually only play plugged in. I am considering removing my battery actually and just running in wired mode, not sure if that is possible though. I just want it to be lighter. I have not had any issues at all running everything default.

 

[Space Lynx]

don't judge me for wanting this. lmao @R-T-B if you ever get a steam deck, you can get the one with a frog hand and then the other joystick one of these,

 

[R-T-B]

don't judge me for wanting this. lmao @R-T-B if you ever get a steam deck, you can get the one with a frog hand and then the other joystick one of these,

View attachment 307086

I want to call it cultural appropriation, but it's actually kinda cool so I'll let this one slide.

 

[Nordic]

Maybe try running the game at 8w instead of 5w? Sounds like you are running at too low a watt imo.

I run all my games at 15w default, cause I usually only play plugged in. I am considering removing my battery actually and just running in wired mode, not sure if that is possible though. I just want it to be lighter. I have not had any issues at all running everything default.

It happens in other games that I play at a higher wattage. I mentioned Stardew at 5w because it rules out overheating. Even at 5w it is overkill on Stardew Valley performance. The Deck is fully capable and specifically tuned to play at these lower wattage levels.