Save $100! Steam Deck SSD Upgrade

This was worth it and fun! Steam Deck SSD install upgrade.
iFixit Tool Kit - shop-links.co/...
Grab an SSD here - geni.us/SteamD...
Recovery File:
store.steampow...
Rufus:
rufus.ie/en/
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iFixit Tool Kit - shop-links.co/...
Grab an SSD here - amzn.to/3iCXz5m
SanDisk 1TB MicroSD Card - shop-links.co/...
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Anker 45w Charging Brick - shop-links.co/...
Anker PowerCore Battery Bank - shop-links.co/...
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Recovery Instructions:
Steam Deck Recovery Instructions
These are instructions to recover, repair, or re-image your Steam Deck. You might need to do this if you are unable to boot, have installed another OS and would like to get back to standard Deck SteamOS, or are experiencing other breaking issues.
For all the tinkerers out there, please note that this system image is not quite SteamOS 3 yet. Depending on what you try to install it on (desktop, another handheld, refrigerator, toaster), it may not work properly. SteamOS 3 proper will come out sometime after launch (and even then it may not work on your toaster).
Steam Deck Recovery Instructions
Download the recovery image here (click).
Prepare a USB key (8GB minimum) with the recovery image:
On Windows we recommend using the Rufus utility. Select the recovery file and write it to your USB drive (this will format the contents of your USB drive). When it's done, select 'Close' and eject the drive.
On Linux you can use Balena Etcher to write the recovery file to your USB drive - or if you prefer you can do this directly from the command line:
bzcat steamdeck-recovery-1.img.bz2 | dd if=/dev/stdin of=/dev/sdX oflag=sync status=progress bs=128M
(set /dev/sdX to the USB device you inserted)
Use a USB-C adapter or hub to plug the boot disk in.
Shut down your Steam Deck if it isn't already off. Hold 'Volume Down' and click the Power Button - when you hear the chime, let go of the Volume Down button, and you'll be booted into the Boot Manager.
In the Boot Manager, boot from the 'EFI USB Device' (your USB key)
The screen will go dark while it's booting - give it a minute.
Once booted you will be in a desktop environment, you can navigate using the trackpad and trigger.
Recovery options
In the recovery environment, there are four different options to choose from.
Re-image Steam Deck - This performs a full factory reset - all user info, installed games, applications, or operating systems will be wiped and replaced with stock SteamOS.
Clear local user data - This reformats the home partitions on your Steam Deck, which will remove downloaded games and all personal content stored on this Deck, including system configuration.
Reinstall Steam OS - This will reinstall SteamOS on the Steam Deck, while attempting to preserve your games and personal content.
Recovery tools - This opens a prompt with the ability to make changes to the Steam Deck boot partition.

[@JesterGP3]

Just a heads-up: at 10:00 when he starts to boot from the thumbdrive the video makes it look like it takes seconds. It doesn't. It will sit there with the Steamdeck logo for a good few minutes, then when that goes away it will take awhile to finally get to the desktop. You will see a black screen and then your mouse cursor but nothing else. Hope this helps! Awesome video either way. 😍

[@hbk12fan]

Yes! Just happened to me. I was worried lol

[@RandySloan]

Thank you!! **PIN THIS**

[@JJAvers]

You are a saint for posting this. I thought I was doomed LOL

[@angelG14]

I'm like 30 minutes in at this point with the cursor just ... being there.

[@JesterGP3]

@@JJAvers ha! Yeah it scared the ish outta me! I'm used to the old days of bricking PSPs if you screwed something up... thankfully this turned out ok.

[@PlanetEleethal]

Kudos +1 for instructing to press the power button after removing battery. Awesome instructional video, well done.

[@DeckReady]

Thanks for watching!

[@Kazyek]

Yep, current still flowing is a real thing. I realized first when was gonna work on my desktop and noticed after powering down, turning off the power supply and removing the cable, my plugged-in keyboard stayed lit for a long time

[@MirceaPrunaru]

@@DeckReady First time in 8 years to see someone do that. Grate job man Grate job!. Wow.

[@youhdumbasf5862]

@@MirceaPrunaru seen people turn the power off on bids plenty of times

[@royyalavinay]

This applies on PC also, if you are installing new hardware, you should press power button 2-4 times to discharge excess charge after pc is unplugged.

[@HiPlayerProdigy]

Recommended Tip for all players who are taking their Decks apart and opening them. Put your Deck face down in the Case it comes with before opening allowing no unbalanced and bad pressure to be placed on it and it lays more flat than it would leaning on the Analog Sticks on a table or dusty bed or something.

[@theaveragemegaguy]

thanks for the tip! worked for me :)

[@MotorcitycrownsPod]

As many times as I've seen this done on KZbin, you, Linus, valve and many others, I think plenty of people will mess this up because of nerves but this is so simple I can't wait to upgrade mine when I get it

[@josep4771]

@DeckReady01

[@woutermakkinje4777]

Exactly my thoughts, this seems like the most simple upgrade ever. It's a shame people shy away from doing this and buy the overpriced versions, but if you have the money you might as well I guess.

[@jacobp249]

A few things I ran into: -When removing the metal shield over the drive, it touched a wire and there was a little spark. It seems to not have affected anything, but be warned about that -If the touchpads and buttons don't work upon launching from the usb, just use the touchpad, it'll be fine after the Deck finishes updating -If you get stuck on a screen or get an error at some point trying to update, try resetting the wifi or restart the deck and try again. I had to restart twice

[@JustinsTV]

Thank god for you man. Had the same issue and the update fixed it over a few attempts.

[@Edaurd]

That spark is very not normal just saying

[@markevinlagsac3252]

that's why you need to discharge the device while doing this just like in the video.

[@Moe_Lester_fromUptwn]

@@markevinlagsac3252 no spark here but I didn't discharge. My sd was off for almost a week though as I wouldn't touch it until I upgraded SSDs(Massive Game Installs). No pc here yet for setting up the thumb drive, but everything seems to have gone well. I hope.

[@markevinlagsac3252]

@@Moe_Lester_fromUptwn even if your steam deck was off, the capacitors may still hold some charge. Best way is to discharge first before touching electric circuit boards.

[@DiamondPugs]

This is surprisingly easy. Props to Valve for that.

[@RJ_chaos]

Thanks, Deck Ready! Just got my Deck in the mail and this upgrade guide worked! Note: if anyone is experiencing an "update loop" (it seems like its stuck updating over and over as it sets up), just hold the power button for 10 seconds and restart. Then it should update a few more times and be good.

[@neage7171]

Tip: the screws are self tapping. Don't screw them back in willy nilly you could miss the original hole they where in and creat new holes and compromise your steam deck. Set the screw in the hole. Turn the screw driver counter clockwise a bit to settle the screw perfectly in the hole. Slowly screw it in normally. Make sure your arm/hand isn't canted to the side. I'd stand over the deck to make sure you are going straight down

[@phionfire]

i wanna add to this comment that you should really use a drop of blue threadlocker on the screws, the Steam Deck isn't designed to be taken apart and you will weaken the structural integrity by doing so due to cost-cutting

[@n.u1232]

@@phionfire Hi, Hello! Quick question because I wanna make sure I do everything properly. Should I use the blue threadlocker on only the 8 outside screws, or for everything including the inside ones? If this question is stupid then I'm sorry, but I honestly wanna make sure I do it right 🤣

[@phionfire]

@@n.u1232 you only need to use threadlocker on the 8 outside screws, the ones that will hold the device together

[@chickenpasta7359]

@@phionfire this isn't a good idea since the screws themselves don't seem that strong. you're going to strip the heads of them if you ever need to go back in.

[@Thrillowatt]

@@phionfire locktite 425 will be the best for the deck.

[@hennesseyviper]

Just got my steam deck an hour ago and I'm installing SteamOS as I type. That means your video gave me success! Thanks for putting the time in and helping us out! 64GB to 1TB with a 1TB MicroSD!

[@kito1san]

Yup. I seen it's done. Now sure why people stop at 512gb, when you can put in a 1tb. If it's not because of price, you can put a bigger SSD.

[@hennesseyviper]

@@kito1san Yeah I got a 1TB for $109 I think from Microcenter. Too good of a price to skimp. The TB is so nice. I have 30 games installed and have room for more. Also 253 emulated games on my 1tb microsd.

[@bramadeusbrozart]

Thank you. I have a 64GB coming Q2 and I was hoping it would be this easy. You reassured me that I made the right choice of deck.

[@Airbag888]

it is if you already have the parts + tools on hand :p

[@DxLegend117]

Wrong choice

[@totallynotaliar9912]

@@DxLegend117 ...why? If they already upgraded the storage for less than it would normally be, how is that the wrong choice?

[@ClawsTheKing47]

@@Airbag888 a screwdriver is not hard to find

[@mystical-tech]

Hey man I was lucky enough to redeem that steam code! Thank you very much

[@strohhuttv8848]

Congratulations 😊

[@DeckReady]

Great game. Enjoy!

[@typeterson9544]

Hows the game?

[@mystical-tech]

@@typeterson9544 it’s great!

[@mystical-tech]

@@DeckReady Thanks man!

[@KrissKingdom]

Never considered doing this as I thought it would be quite complicated, but with how step by step you made this vid I may give it a go, thanks!

[@ryanm4074]

Thank you so so much for this video, one year later and this tutorial is still very helpful. This made me comfortable enough to replace my ssd as a noob with tech so thank you for this!

[@justicegf]

Brilliant tutorial which made this a lot easier and much less stressful! A couple of minor points to note. Make sure you charge the deck first for obvious reasons! The buttons and controls didn't work during the setup, so I had to use the touchscreen. Finally, the tape covering the SSD can be a little tight to pull back on depending on the thickness of the drive, but be patient and it should fit.

[@HotGritz910]

I have the 512 model coming. Plan to use internal storage for AAA games..and a 1tb sd card for emulation. Should be plenty for 10k- 12k games.👍

[@johnmclain250]

Same plan. You only need a ssd for the AAA games anyway, emulated stuff and indie games boots up instantly regardless of drive speed.

[@danielcobia7818]

Nice, that's super exciting! Are you like me and you could fill more than 2 TB of storage with just your steam library? That's part of what I'm jonzing for is the emulation. Looks like a solid chunk of the handheld consoles can be emulated on this. A bit of hitching on 3Ds but I imagine that'll improve over time with more optimizations.

[@Martz285]

What sd card do you plan on using

[@HotGritz910]

@@Martz285 probably SanDisk ultra... don't think I need the fastest card available, just a reliable one.

[@HalfBakedAnimations]

Can you emulate on steam OS because if you plan on using windows it basically bricks the consoles gaming performance. 😉

[@myaul8157]

OMG, TY! You must be like the first one to have posted a video of the emmc to SSD replacement for the 64gb Steam Deck. Everyone else has only been upgrading the 256gb and 512gb versions. Really wanted to see if it was an emmc through M.2 or if it was hard wired through the main PCB. BTW can you toss that emmc into an enclosure and test it's read/write speed. After that compare it to those of 2.0 , 3.0 , flash drive and Micro SD ?

[@MarceldeJong]

To make it a fair comparison, do the read write speed test on Windows and on Linux. As I have a feeling that those speeds are affected by what way that drive is formatted. The SSD in the Deck is formatted as an "EXT4" partition (I suspect there are even 2 partitions, 1 with your home folder and 1 with the OS.) NTFS or FAT32 are, in my estimation, less efficient than EXT4. That's probably also the reason why read speeds from the SD cards are so quick on the Deck. (as those too are formatted in the EXT4 format).

[@mamaharumi]

Yeah, I'd like to know the read/write of both the emmc and the valve SSD's. Also valve had already said it was M.2 before release, my main concern was the shielding being different on the 64gb but it looks to be the same.

[@MobileDecay]

I'm getting the 64gb model and I bought a 1tb sd card to pop in which as a whole package costs as much as the 256gb model but gives me over 1tb of storage for less than the 500gb variant without having to open up the system and if I want to later on I can still upgrade the internal storage still for less than the 500gb model. Don't think it will be needed though.

[@kurokammi_Akio]

If the 64GB SSD wasn't slower... I believe the 256GB one + sd card is best. But the anti-glare on the 512GB model is also a good reason for many to buy it. All in all I think they're all fair deals IMHO. Well done from Valve, I guess.

[@1zayn4]

@@kurokammi_Akio you can buy a anti glare screen protector off eBay, for literally 10 pounds.

[@Buffypoodle]

@@1zayn4 Can you really just slap an anti-glare on it and it’ll have the same effect?

[@CPUjunkie]

@@Buffypoodle it'll be better than nothing

[@wendywatch3386]

Just have a 1tb sd card and a 512gb ssd for my 64gd deck. Can’t wait

[@MarceldeJong]

Yeahhhh I'm not canceling my pre-order for the 256GB model. When I first heard of the device, the rumour was that the 64gb drive would be soldered in. Good to know that's not the case. But I'll enjoy my SteamDeck without having to open it up 😁 once 2023 comes around...

[@povilasstaniulis9484]

Nice tutorial. I've recently purchased a Samsung PM991 1TB 2230 SSD to upgrade the stock Kingston 512 GB SSD in my Deck. Don't have that iFix kit (not sure if they even sell them outside the US) but I have serviced many laptops before and I do not believe the Deck will be any harder to take apart than one of those. Additionally, I would recommend putting you Deck into "shipping" mode through the BIOS before taking it apart so you don't accidentally turn it on while servicing it. About the software side, if you are good at Linux and do not want to lose your existing software setup, it is possible to clone the exising SSD/eMMC to a new one without reinstalling the OS. You will need a Linux live USB with gParted installed and a way to hook up both SSDs to your computer (eg. two NVME slots or an external enclosure). The Deck itself with USB-C dock and an NVME enclosure will work as well. A backup-and-restore way using disk imaging software will work too if you have no way of connecting two NVME drives but it will take longer than just cloning. But only do this if you really want to preserve your existing setup or have valuable data on the Deck. Most users should just go with the recovery drive method.

[@seifenspender]

This was so freaking easy. No idea why Valve or people say that this is hard. Installing an M.2 SSD into my PC was harder, honestly. Thanks for the great tutorial

[@GothicWiccan61]

Just bought my steam deck today and ım already hunting for a 2tb ssd to do this upgrade. This video is the most detailed especially when it comes to the software protion ,alot skipped over it not keeping in mind of the people that dont know wtf theyre doing when making upgrades like this. Thank you so much and I'm excited to be apart of the steam deck community 🎉

[@GLDragon93]

A decent brand SSD still cost too much in my country and are harder to come by (I would save like 40€ at best), that's why I ordered the 256gb version (still not in Q3). Then again I'm paying my Deck by selling the CSGO skins I farmed during operations and kept around as an investment (generally when they grow x8-10 in price).

[@cunt5413]

Haha, same. I invested in CSGO stuff that grew by around the same amount. Got my 64 GB Deck for free this way. I'll just pay for the SSD upgrade.

[@Yami_Industries]

@@cunt5413 stonks ftw

[@CSFRazielCSF]

Sold a pair of gloves to get mine 🤣

[@cunt5413]

@@CSFRazielCSF Best way to cash out.

[@phoenix0828]

@@cunt5413 so it's possible to buy it with steam credits?

[@2Quick2See]

I've only ever seen 1 of the other... 50 videos I've watched actually speak about the SSD being a 2230. Very important detail that is missed in most videos. Hopefully everyone catches that at the beginning of the video. I managed to catch that in the other video I spoke of 15 min after accidentally ordering a 2242 2TB SSD, and was able to quickly/easily cancel my amazon order and order the right one. Well done on the video.

[@stealthysaucepan2016]

Literally cancelled my 256gb order for 64gb one when valve confirmed the drive was upgradable. Really wish they mentioned that before release otherwise I would have likely got a q1...

[@brandon_nope]

Yikes I would've kept the reservation but you do you

[@stealthysaucepan2016]

@@brandon_nope meh. Where I live the regional prices kinda sucks compared to to the US so it makes even more sense to upgrade the 64gb one

[@DaveAdams222]

For my Mac peeps, you don’t NEED a Windows PC, you can use Balena Etcher or (if you’re ALSO a Linux guy like me) you can use your dd utility (installed by default) or mkusb. Windows, again, isn’t needed :)

[@DeckReady]

Yeah for sure!

[@MentalEdge]

Ventoy supremacy! You install it onto a USB drive (installer available for win/mac/linux), then you can completely forget about creating live boot drives ever again. You can use the stick like normal, only if you want to boot from an iso, all you do is put the iso on it as-is. You can even put more than one on it. All of my usbs have ventoy installed, whenever I want to boot something, I just grab one and put an iso on it. I've even done it from my phone...

[@DaveAdams222]

@@MentalEdge Damn, I forgot all about that. I need to try to get back into that. I’ve got a few Persistent Live USBs that I’ve made for various “tasks” but I haven’t played with Ventoy in a minute. The last time I did anything with it, it was super buggy. Sounds like it’s gotten a lot more stable from what you’re saying.

[@MentalEdge]

@@DaveAdams222 It's become completely set it forget it. My keychain USB has a ton of iso's on it, I never remove them anymore since I don't need to overwrite whatever was there before. I just keep them around, unless I need to clear space, in case they'd come in handy, and they have.

[@TheK20eg]

I just got my Deck like an hour ago and just did the upgrade also pretty smooth process but yes removing the back cover is a pain in the ass now im installing steam thanks for the help

[@bobsaget8791]

also, if you've got a pc with a spare m.2 port, or an pci card, and want to keep whatever is installed on your included drive, you can always use something like Reflect to image the drive that came with your deck, and put that image on your new drive, worked perfectly for me

[@Aereto]

Caveat being that Macrium Reflect only works on Windows before it can clone any partition or drive, no questions asked. Because its job is either making a 1-1 copy of the partition or drive, though partition level cloning is preferred to save space on the backup drive the clone is stored inside More importantly, most motherboards can't handle 2 m.2s and fully populated SATA ports at the same time. Don't be surprised if the PC can't boot to Windows if the OS is connected to a SATA port that gets shut down if the second M.2 port is filled.

[@theaveragemegaguy]

Best part of this video (great video) was the tips in the comments! Saved me a lot of headache. A tip from me: If you boot into recovery mode and your track-pad and trigger don't work... don't worry! Mine weren't working and once my steamdeck did it's update, I restarted it again and everything worked!! Especially the "Put your Deck face down in the Case it comes with before opening allowing no unbalanced and bad pressure to be placed on it and it lays more flat than it would leaning on the Analog Sticks on a table or dusty bed or something." by UnkownAscension" and "Note: if anyone is experiencing an "update loop" (it seems like its stuck updating over and over as it sets up), just hold the power button for 10 seconds and restart. Then it should update a few more times and be good." by ChaosVania

[@B727X]

Thx. Any more tips? Subbed

[@bonssc]

2 little warnings before you do this Try to get a fast USB pen as it will just hang there for ages and feel like it's not installing 2 Don't panic like me if your control buttons don't work. Once the Steam os installs they will start working again

[@zachmachina]

I’m out here wondering why none of my buttons work… this is the first mention of that I’ve seen. Thank you

[@okami220]

i followed my prior logic so i clicked here just for the steamOS install, but went back and watched the whole video and my dude you are a legend at explaining this. great job and i hope new modders are drawn to this vid.

[@BigJ1033]

By the time I get my Steam Deck after Q3, I will get Micron’s newly announced 2400 series M.2 2230 ssd with Nvme 2Tb for replacing the 512Gb ssd in the one I am getting. The new 2400 series Micron was announced in January 2022; however, I am not sure when it will be for sale to the public.

[@MrMaxitaple]

It will be expensive foh sho

[@BigJ1033]

You are most likely correct; however, my Deck is reserved for after Q3 which could be Q4 of this year or sometime next year, which means I have lots of time to save up for it. You are right though.

[@Sir_Pants_Alot]

Nice. You didn’t even die doing it. Silly Valve.

[@Batteryhalf]

Just did it to my 64gb steam deck I got the Samsung 1tb Drive everything went without a hitch following this video! Thanks alot

[@Phanbot01]

Seeing you with a Razer laptop definitely prompted me to give this video a thumbs up. I have a 1tb ssd sitting here waiting for my email to arrive from Steam so I can order my Steam Deck. Once I get it, I will be upgrading the device so I can have more games at my disposal.

[@DeckReady]

Hang onto that ssd for dear life. Razer is expensive but they make good stuff.

[@Phanbot01]

@@DeckReady I have one of their 14" laptops, don't need to tell me how expensive they are but they're worth the cost. Ran circles around the pre-M1 MacBooks.

[@CarbonatedTurtle]

I'll probably do this somewhere down the road when prices come down, but right now you can get a 512GB micro SD card for the same price as a 256GB SSD, and the load times are going to be almost identical.

[@cerealhacker]

Thanks a lot my guy! Followed your instructions and got a 1TB SSD which I bought on ebay installed in my steam deck

[@JohnDoe-xh5wp]

Valve: Don't do it! Also Valve: lol have fun!

[@seifenspender]

Thank you :) This gave me the information I was missing from the iFixit guide: On the 64GB model the Flash storage is also in M.2 form factor in the slot. Didn't know if I had to buy my own ESD-shielding / M.2 screw. Awesome stuff!

[@adamwilson4223]

This is exactly what I did with my Deck! Bought the 64 GB model and upgraded the SSD to 256 GB. I bought a Kingston drive (same as OEM) for about 25 bucks on eBay. Saved me $100. Great video, man. Keep that good Deck content coming!

[@DeckReady]

Thanks!! Good work

[@Enderdragon91]

I'm waiting for my Q2 deck but I did basically the same thing! PM991 512gb for 45 dollarinos, save 150ish!

[@spermcountdracula]

I did this a couple of months ago, and I've been meaning to leave a comment and say how much this video helped me. There are some really affordable SSDs that fit the Steam Deck on Amazon, so I actually did save a full $100. If I can open the Steam Deck and make the swap, I feel like most people can. Thanks for the great tutorial! The only thing I'd like to add to the video is that the backplate screws are egregiously soft. I swear that one of my screws came from the factory a little stripped. I gently tried my screwdriver on all of them, but on one of the eight, it never gripped the phillps head at all. Instead of trying again and making it worse, I just took it to an electronics repair shop and they took it out for free. I would suggest that to anyone who has the same issue before sending the steam deck back or giving up on the upgrade. Also, iFixIt sells replacement backplate screws. Hope that helps someone!

[@robb3200]

Thanks man, made it a breeze upgrading mine; being able to see someone else do it.

[@MeizanoAM]

I like how you show cautious confidence. Seems easy but still careful.

[@SynysterProjects]

That's not a guitar pick lol you use it with the pry tool. Get the pry tool into an opening, and then run your "guitar pick" along the crease to easily snap open the rest of the device.

[@Monumentum616]

Attempting this next week and this video shall be my bible! Seems super clear and informative, wish me luck!

[@TheBlackSkimmer]

Just to note, you do not need a windows PC. A Linux PC works just as well. It's basically the same steps.

[@cristhian15320]

the funny thing is you can make that recovery image using just the steam deck in desktop mode LOL

[@Joreel]

Yeah he said at the very beginning that you can do it with a Linux system, but he had already done it with a Win 10 system.

[@MarceldeJong]

That's what he says at 1:00 "you can do this on a Linux machine"

[@someryebread]

Thanks for the upload, I've got a 64gb on its way to me soon (hopefully, Q1 waiting for that coveted email) I'll probably just slap an SD card in at first to get up and running but will absolutely be bookmarking this for later.

[@bluemidnight5926]

Wish I would have got the 64gb Deck and did this. I bought the most expensive version, and not only did it cost more to still have a low amount of storage space, but the anti glare screen isn't even worth it being that I use a screen protector.

[@briteboy4749]

I keep getting an Error for the update process and am unable to update after installing the img file. What do I do?

[@JohnOverholt]

This tutorial is great, but I also recommend cross-checking with the ifixit ssd replacement tutorial. I don't think this caused it, but I just had to RMA my last deck because my battery stopped working and I couldn't power it on. The ifixit tutorial gives some extra steps to power down and be safe with the battery. Kudos for such a great tutorial, best of luck to all and if you have issues, know that it takes about a week and a half to get through the RMA process.

[@MrFearlesskiller]

you're wrong, he gives advice to press power button and ifixit doesnt

[@DeckTested]

Imagine if they did the MSI laptop thing and installed the motherboard backwards so you had to rip the whole thing out haha, props Valve +1

[@seouljah760]

I laughed when your camera blurred out while you undressed the ssd like there was some oppai hiding under there.

[@TheAlmighty]

Kudos for this video with commentary! Have my 64gb one coming but ordered a 512gb nvme

[@TheAlmighty]

Also, did your games boot off the sd card again?

[@AaronMorrisTheSteamFox]

Small correction: As stated on the Valve Steam Deck Recovery Image Instructions page you linked to, nobody "needs a Windows PC" as you stated in the video. That's misleading.

[@majorgnu]

You don't even need a second computer, you could do it all on the Steam Deck.

[@MGRayd]

1TB upgrade done in 15mins total time opening, closing and imaging deck. Not including creating the boot drive. So easy and now the lengthy part redoing all my 3rd party launchers, deck plugins etc.

[@brueske]

FYI, If you do not remove the SD card, removing the back of the steam deck with an SD card in will SNAP THE SD CARD IN HALF. Just learned this the hard way...

[@CephDigital]

With the Steam deck and the Asus Z13 (or is it the X13? The tablet one) hopefully more companies will make more 2230 drives that are cheaper and with higher capacities since the most common size is the 2280. Maybe one day we'll see 8TB 2230 drives :P

[@John-hz4wi]

we'll see 100tb 2230 SSDs eventually. When 100tb is the standard people are still going to need 2230 drives!

[@brandonsplace07]

Ran into a small issue, but I figured it out if anybody has an issue after putting the SSD in and plugging the battery back in and your steam deck won’t come on even if it is charged all the way before you start the replacement of the time you have or at least me, you will have to put your steam back on the charger and then it will boot into the menu 😅😁

[@davidaalves]

perfect. worked 100%! Thank you

[@mrpetebojangles21]

Taking the back off made me SOOOO nervous, finally did it though. Also, the 4 outer screws on the shell DID not wanna come out with a Philips, despite the 4 inner coming out very easily... ending up using a flathead for the outer ones... hopefully didnt strip any screws. Also, I tried reimaging the deck from a microSD but simply could not get that to work.

[@Preston_Rowe]

I have the same problem… the four outer screws are IMPOSSIBLE! I was able to get 1 of them but any tips besides using a flat head that helped? Haven’t heard many people besides us having problems with the outer 4 screws

[@unstopology]

Excellent video! You didn't skip any important steps. Thank so much!

[@Mensy2011]

Thanx man followed your guide and worked like charm 👍

[@bilbobagins1653]

So im ordering the cheap one. Thanks Man!

[@moog38yearsagoupdated1mont9]

Just ordered mine. Can't wait to get it . Hopefully next Monday!

[@robsimpson7619]

Best upgrade instructions out there 👍Well done and many thanks 👍

[@gpsmithut]

I received my Steam Deck about an hour ago. I have already upgraded the SSD. Thanks!

[@ClickKen]

so for a brand new deck, out of the box do i have to fully charge it before doing the replacement of ssd?

[@tyanddie5050]

Hi, I just wanted to ask if you had to re- download the games saved on your SD card Good work with the video too, it was super clear and informative

[@DeckReady]

Nope! Just had to let the shaders download

[@13guns87]

I know it's 2 months old but a new 1-2tb is coming out. I've ordered a second deck but base model. My first was top model and while I don't regret it. If all the info was available before ordering, I would 100% of gone base model. I'm not fussed about the anti glare glass. My deck arrived a few days ago and I love it enough to buy a second one for my kids for Xmas.

[@OnBrandRP]

Save that $100 and grab the dock!

[@JerryTNF]

Great video, and production value. Fun watch, subscribed.

[@victor-ling]

Excellent video with really clear instructions! Though you left an open ended question. Did the deck accept you old SD card without issue?

[@vitvickyvid]

only micro SD card

[@victor-ling]

@@vitvickyvid ... Not really answering the correct question. I know the deck takes an SD card. The question was does the SD card formatted and setup with games from the old OS still work on the new OS.

[@vitvickyvid]

@@victor-ling i think it works perfectly

[@mancado22]

Thanks for the video, it helped me a lot. The only part I really had a hard time was taking the ribbon cable from the battery, mine is a recent model from November and it was reeealy hard to take it out, took me almost 20 minutes pressing from one side to another, but eventually it came off, but Jesus I had almost a heart attack doing this process, definitely not for everyone.

[@ShadowSneak.]

I don't have a Steam Deck yet I still watched this lol. Awesome video!

[@juanzarate9211]

This is amazing bro I was gonna order the 512 model just to make sure I got the maxed out model but now ima order this and get the ssd whenever i can

[@NGEvangeliman]

if you don't have a pry tool, but have something thin like that guitar pick looking thing just lightly insert into the crease near the triggers and slowly move it along the seam it should easily come apart, if you get some resistance, just start again at the other trigger until it opens.

[@TheBCEK2000]

Might be a stupid question but here it goes, why bother upgrading the SSD when you can buy a 1TB SD card and not having to remove the whole back panel and reformatting? Just wanna hear thoughts. Thanks :)

[@TheMadricks]

Thx for this guide. It helped me a lot.👍 If you have a USB-Case for NVME's, you can clone the old NVME and play it back to your new one.

[@coalcloak4712]

I bought an oem ssd to upgrade and it had windows 11 pre-installed on it. I booted it from bios and i was experiencing windows 11 on my deck until rufus finishes it's job with steam os. That was a fun experience lol.

[@hammerfistrevolution5232]

Okay... this is amazing! and I just received my email to get my 64GB steamdeck thanks a bunch!

[@demofighter]

Just did this with a 15 dollar kioxia drive from 64gb emmc to 128gb SSD woo! Thanks for the tutorial!

[@rezanurrohman5979]

how ab Steam Deck w keyboard and daily work like office, video conf?

[@2014dotcom]

Sup! So I followed this guide perfectly until I got to the wifi and language configuration part. Everytime I try and “update” my deck it gets stuck update looping. I am using ethernet so I dont know if it makes a difference, but I dont know what to do. I cannot find any other solutions, and this ISNT the same thing as the 3.1/3.2 update looping bug. Help?

[@2014dotcom]

Please help, I just got my deck and I wanna play portal

[@haruthekiwi3235]

Thank you so much! I just finished upgrading from 64 to 512GB and I'm sure it wouldn't have gone so smoothly without your video

[@Vell-aah]

do you have a SD card aswell? if so... did you need to reformat your SD card againw hen you upgraded your harddrive?

[@joshbryant7363]

You DO NOT need a windows PC…there’s a link right on the steam deck recovery image download page if you’re on a Mac…as well as the link to balena etcher that you’ll use to flash it.

[@jonathansallows836]

It's usually an issue for larger batteries;, but I recommend powering down your steam deck to less than 50% battery level. Accidentally puncturing a fully charged battery could cause it to explode and set neighboring components on fire.

[@sinistrality7883]

I'm surprised it's that simple, I really thought Valve would've hard solder the thing onto it lmao.

[@DeckReady]

Apple style haha

[@carl_thunder]

Great video! Thank you my friend.

[@redcrimson1028]

Love the background music

[@krease7540]

Just upgraded my 64gb. Thanks for the video. Subed

[@focus9259]

success!!!! upgrade from 64 to 512, thank you for making this walk threw video you da man 💪

[@ClickKen]

so for a brand new deck, out of the box do i have to fully charge it before doing the replacement of ssd?

[@crazierthorn10]

Haha nice, bought this same SSD like 10 months ago, planning upgrades early.

[@ToastedSynapseGaming]

Make sure you get one of those double headed USB Flas Drives that have both USB A and C on the other end. Great for what you do in this video, so no need for adapter, but also great to have around the house. Even useful for phones. A good accessory to get

[@chaikagaz]

just get a usb c dock as you are gonna wanna plug in hdmi cables and usb a wired controllers too at some point.

[@ToastedSynapseGaming]

@@chaikagaz True. A dock is a must and pretty cheap too, but in any case, getting a dual head USB too isn't bad. Now you have both, use them however you want :)

[@strungarsshack5678]

Thanks for this! All my games are on my micro SD card, And I still managed to fill up the 64GB SSD just from programs. I have upgraded it to 256GB

[@Agralas]

Did it saw your installed games on SD-card after upgrade?

[@squadswin]

We love this deck channel and was super excited to see your affiliation with our favorite Xbox channel!

[@jackthebeenstalker2492]

What do you mean you recommend using Windows for this? This is way easier on Linux. Either way. Great video.

[@mrb3991]

HI I was Excited for the Steam Deck ordered July 2021, now my order says my should be available q3 , I'm so sad

[@AlexPrime86]

Did it read the games off your micro SD card, Or did it format it?

[@DeckReady]

Read the fine!

[@AlexPrime86]

@@DeckReady awesome

[@kdsm6424]

did not expect dusk to be here but nice

[@brandon_nope]

If I didn't care about the anti glare glass, I would've done this

[@LeJimster]

I can't see any for sale right now. But micron released a 2tb drive that should fit the steam deck. Kinda crazy the amount of storage you can get on such a small area.

[@Monztuh]

i havent found that to buy at all. just read about it

[@jstnrgrs]

Great video. My notes: The current steam os download file name doesn't match this video. I assume because it's been updated since this was made. No problem though. I had one of the back screws strip despite my best efforts. It ended up taking some effort to get it out (look up ifixit's instructions for a stripped screw. it was helpful, but it still took a while.) When I was done, I just didn't put that screw back in. The shield around the nvme was a tight fit for my 1tb drive. but with some tweezers, I was gradually able to get it on. After logging in to steam os for the first time, I connected to my wifi, and then got an error message. I pushed the b button and was then able to select "setup" and continued from there. Installing then took over an hour and required that I do a hard reset a twice times. It seems to be working great now.