If you’re tired of deleting games to free up space on your Steam Deck, or want a storage solution that’s a little more efficient than grabbing a bunch of microSD cards, Corsair now offers an M.2 2230-sized 1 TB SSD for the Steam Deck (as well as several Microsoft Surface tablets) that costs $109.99.
Now, Corsiar’s SSD isn’t the only option you have for expanding the internal storage of your Steam Deck, but it’s definitely the most affordable. iFixit, a licensed retailer that deals in official replacement parts for the Steam Deck and many other products, has offered replacement SSDs for the Steam Deck for some time, but they’re far more expensive. For example, the 1 TB Micron SSD on iFixit will run you $179.99.
While microSD cards can offer similar storage per dollar spent and are easier to install, one of the biggest benefits of opting for an internal SSD expansion is speed. An internal SSD will allow you to download and install games faster, and in some cases, may even cut down on loading times.
I realize that cracking open your Steam Deck to replace your SSD may be intimidating for some people, and you may void your warranty if you mess something up egregiously in the process. But as someone who’s disassembled their Steam Deck more times than they can count, I can assure you that with the right tools and a little bit of patience, it isn’t too daunting. There are also ample tutorials available to guide you through the process, such as the video below, and iFixit sells many replacements parts directly from Valve.
If you’re not sure if you have the right tools to make this happen, I wholeheartedly recommend picking up one of iFixit’s tool kits, which include everything you’ll need to tear apart your Steam Deck, as well as many other devices.
