Steam Deck designer, no less than Valve's developer Lawrence Yang, issues a warning against a new SSD mod that adds a larger M.2 drive to the handheld gaming device.
The designer of Valve's Steam Deck himself could not help but warn owners against the new SSD mod. The father of the handheld device pointed out how bad it is for the handheld gaming device.
Steam Deck SSD Mod
As per a news story by Game Spot, a Steam Deck mod enables gamers to upgrade the gaming device with a larger M.2 drive, expanding its storage capacity.
The gaming-focused news site notes that while the Steam deck has various offerings, its SSD support is limited to the smallest versions of M.2 drives out there.
Despite that, a Twitter user that goes by the username "TheSmcelra" shared a mod that allows its owner to go beyond small M.2 drives.
But the mod requires a bit of rearranging in the internals of the gaming device to fit the larger SSD.
Belly Jelly on Twitter shared that the mod requires ditching the thermal pad from its original place to make way for the larger M.2 drive. Aside from that, it no longer needs to move other parts of the handheld PC.
Steam Deck Designer Disapproves Latest SSD Mod
While the whole SSD mod appears to be the missing solution for installing larger SSDs, the designer of the Steam Deck highly disapproves.
According to a recent report by PC Gamer, Yang warned Steam Deck owners against doing such a mod.
He issued his warning in response to the report by Game Spot, which details the whole SSD mod that requires moving the thermal pad.
The designer of Steam Deck was straightforward about it, asking owners of the gaming device to "please don't do this."
Yang further notes that the mod ends up excessively heating the charger IC. The Valve developer also says that the thermal pads should not have been moved in the first place.
On top of these issues, the Steam Deck designer is also wary of the larger M.2 drive itself. He warns that most 2242 M.2 drives are naturally more powerful, which also means it gets toasty than what the gaming device could handle.
Steam Deck SSD Mod: How Bad Is It?
Simply put, Yang wants Deck owners to realize that while the mod sure looks like it is working fine, it actually messes up the handheld device.
He says that it "will significantly shorten the life of your Deck." So, if you want it to last a few more years, installing a larger M.2 drive might not be the best thing to do.
Hi, please don’t do this. The charger IC gets very hot and nearby thermal pads should not be moved. In addition, most 2242 m.2 drives draw more power and get hotter than what Deck is designed for. This mod may appear to work but will significantly shorten the life of your Deck.
— Lawrence Yang (@lawrenceyang) June 26, 2022
