Steam Deck Partial Tear Down (SSD)

[djpannda]

OHH
Valve just released a partial tear down, showing a tumbstick and SSD replacement.
Looks extremely simple (for people that know how to teardown Handhelds already. They do mention about possible Thermal paste under the Shield protector but after working on some Switches does not look that bad. But the SSD replacement does looks simple and For those who ordered 64gb might be able to upgrade the SSD easier in the Future.

 

[tech3475]

Hmmm, now I need to decide where to stick with the 512GB model or get the 64GB model and a 1TB SSD.

 

[OkazakiTheOtaku]

My only concern with this is how much brunt of the thermal diffusion the battery will take. The heatsink looks okay for a system with the TDP of the Steam Deck, but the location of the battery makes me think that there will be slightly increased capacity degradation. If it's an easy part to find and replace every couple years, that's not a huge deal though.

 

[djpannda]

My only concern with this is how much brunt of the thermal diffusion the battery will take. The heatsink looks okay for a system with the TDP of the Steam Deck, but the location of the battery makes me think that there will be slightly increased capacity degradation. If it's an easy part to find and replace every couple years, that's not a huge deal though.

battery does not look like it’s in a bad place.. I don’t think we have to worry bout the battery replacement for some time but I bet there be hundreds of video showing how to replace them or stores offering that service when the time comes

 

[OkazakiTheOtaku]

battery does not look like it’s in a bad place.. I don’t think we have to worry bout the battery replacement for some time but I bet there be hundreds of video showing how to replace them or stores offering that service when the time comes

It's not a "bad" place, per-se; if the engineering found this to be a good spot, then I trust that. It was just something that stuck out to me. I'm sure replacement batteries will be easy to find anyway.

 

[subcon959]

I think I'm still happy with my choice to get the 256GB model and a large SD card.

Even though it doesn't look too bad at all to replace the SSD, I'm still not keen on risking stripping those screws.. and the ESD danger is real.

 

[OkazakiTheOtaku]

I think I'm still happy with my choice to get the 256GB model and a large SD card.

Even though it doesn't look too bad at all to replace the SSD, I'm still not keen on risking stripping those screws.. and the ESD danger is real.

I'm the same as you. I got a 256GB model so that I got a NAND SSD instead of eMMC, and I'm gonna just gonna pick up a 512GB SD card or something for things that don't require the fast I/O of the PCIe storage (e.g., ROMs, small games, etc.)

 

[Xzi]

I think I'm still happy with my choice to get the 256GB model and a large SD card.

Even though it doesn't look too bad at all to replace the SSD, I'm still not keen on risking stripping those screws.. and the ESD danger is real.

I'm more worried about the possibility of a third-party SSD interfering with the wi-fi module, and also the fact that disassembly makes the whole thing less drop resistant. Lots of good reasons to just not fuck with it. Worst case scenario is having to swap mSD cards occasionally.

 

[subcon959]

I'm more worried about the possibility of a third-party SSD interfering with the wi-fi module, and also the fact that disassembly makes the whole thing less drop resistant. Lots of good reasons to just not fuck with it. Worst case scenario is having to swap mSD cards occasionally.

I found the comment about drop resistance a little confusing. The screws really shouldn't be an integral part of that.

 

[tech3475]

I'm more worried about the possibility of a third-party SSD interfering with the wi-fi module, and also the fact that disassembly makes the whole thing less drop resistant. Lots of good reasons to just not fuck with it. Worst case scenario is having to swap mSD cards occasionally.

Worst case, I've seen 1TB mSD cards on sale for around the price of a suitable 1TB M.2 SSD.

Although Steam OS uses ext4 for the mSD, so dual booters will have to take that into account if they want to use the card on both OSs i.e. partition it.

 

[tech3475]

I found the comment about drop resistance a little confusing. The screws really shouldn't be an integral part of that.

I suspect Valve is playing allot of CYA here, balancing being open about the innards but trying to dissuade people from modifying it.

I suspect there will be at least some returns due to users breaking it.

 

[subcon959]

I suspect Valve is playing allot of CYA here, balancing being open about the innards but trying to dissuade people from modifying it.

I suspect there will be at least some returns due to users breaking it.

It's definitely an interesting approach they're taking. I hope the risk pays off otherwise they might regret being so open about it. I doubt the constant reminders that they don't recommend people opening it will be adequate defense. At some point it will become misleading if the actual warranty doesn't cover any of it.

 

[Xzi]

I suspect there will be at least some returns due to users breaking it.

It's definitely an interesting approach they're taking. I hope the risk pays off otherwise they might regret being so open about it. I doubt the constant reminders that they don't recommend people opening it will be adequate defense. At some point it will become misleading if the actual warranty doesn't cover any of it.

They state outright that the warranty doesn't cover any of the damage that the end user does to the internals, I'd say that's pretty cut and dry. They might repair or replace certain components for a price, though.

 

[subcon959]

They state outright that the warranty doesn't cover any of the damage that the end user does to the internals, I'd say that's pretty cut and dry. They might repair or replace certain components for a price, though.

I don't mean legally, I mean in the court of public opinion. It's too much of a niche product to be able to withstand any significant negativity. I just really want it to succeed.

 

[Xzi]

I don't mean legally, I mean in the court of public opinion. It's too much of a niche product to be able to withstand any significant negativity. I just really want it to succeed.

Meh, it's a small percentage of people who are going to be willing to risk opening it up in the first place, and those that do surely won't be strangers to working with tiny, highly-sensitive electronic components. Nothing's completely fool-proof, of course, but the internet is also quick to call out and shame fools as it spots them.

 

[tech3475]

They state outright that the warranty doesn't cover any of the damage that the end user does to the internals, I'd say that's pretty cut and dry. They might repair or replace certain components for a price, though.

I know, but that’s still additional work for Valve and/or you may get people who try their luck on a free repair/replacement.

We get people at work who try their luck on what is obviously user damage E.g. a broken LCD with all the tell tale signs of impact damage.

It's definitely an interesting approach they're taking. I hope the risk pays off otherwise they might regret being so open about it. I doubt the constant reminders that they don't recommend people opening it will be adequate defense. At some point it will become misleading if the actual warranty doesn't cover any of it.

Some of it might depend on jurisdiction and local laws, the warranty should cover a general malfunction which isn’t down to exceeding expectations e.g. joystick drift from regular use. But then I’ve heard in some places, even if the user opens it, it would be up to the manufacturer to prove the user was at fault….but don’t quote me on that.

Besides the SSD, I look at their approach as useful for those concerned about post-warranty repairs i.e. joystick drift 3 years from now.

 

[subcon959]

joystick drift 3 years from now.

Let's hope that is a conservative estimate. The fact that they showed how to replace the stick in the first ever video got me thinking maybe they already experienced it with dev units?

 

[onibaku]

As easy as it seems, I'm going to wait until I find a suitable and safe m.2 ssd. I'm going to start off with a 1TB microSD and probably upgrade the SSD later once more user reports come in, or perhaps once Valve will offer extended storage options