61.44TB SSD mod! – Enthusiasts showcase the versatility of Valve’s Steam Deck

Need more storage on your Steam Deck? How about a 61.44TB upgrade?

One of the limitations of Valve’s Steam Deck handheld is its limited storage. While it is relatively easy to upgrade the device with a larger SSD (here’s our Steam Deck SSD upgrade guide), there are always enthusiasts who will try to push the limits of any device. We have already seen modders upgrade Valve’s Steam Deck with 32GB of memory, and now we are seeing enthusiasts push the limits of Steam Deck’s SSD storage.

The SSD experts over at Storage Review have taken Valve’s Steam Deck and have connected it to a huge 61.44TB SSD. This SSD is the Solidigm P5336, an enterprise-grade U.2 SSD. This SSD can connect to the Steam Deck’s internal M.2 slot using an M.2 to U.2 adaptor. That said, the process of installing this huge SSD isn’t as simple as that.

(Image from Storage Review)

This Steam Deck probably has more SSD storage then your desktop

Let’s face it. Most of us do not have over 60TB of SSD storage in our home systems. Simply put, this much SSD storage is too expensive for most of us to afford. That said, the prospect of having an SSD that can contain your entire Steam library is an attractive one.

Storage Review have managed instal Steam Deck OS onto their huge Solidigm drive and get it running through the handheld’s M.2 SSD slot. Now they have plenty of space for their games, shaders, and other files.

(Image from Storage Review)

Much faster than the Steam Deck’s stock SSD

With their Solidigm 61.44TB SSD, Storage Review managed to blitz past the performance levels of Valve’s stock Steam Deck SSD. With their Solidigm SSD, sequential read speeds of 3,600 MB/s were achievable, maxing out the potential of the Steam Deck’s four PCIe 3.0 lanes. The Solidigm P5336 is capable of much higher performance levels, but it is being held back by the Steam Deck’s lack of PCIe 4.0 support.

(Image from Storage Review)

This Steam Deck isn’t very portable anymore

While strapping a 60+ TB SSD to a Steam Deck sounds like a fun idea, the reality is not as simple as that. Storage Review needed to use an Icy Dock enclosure to hold their colossal SSD, and their SSD required external power. An ATX power supply was required to power this configuration’s beefy SSD. The Steam Deck’s M.2 slot simply does not provide enough power to fuel this huge SSD. This means that Storage Review’s 61.44TB Steam Deck is no longer a portable device.

(Image from Storage Review)

Valve’s open hardware approach with Steam Deck has allowed modders to do incredible things with the device. Users of Valve’s Steam Deck can easily upgrade it with more storage. They can easily replace their joysticks and device casing with something better. Steam Deck users can also utilise a variety of docking solutions to turn their Decks into Linux desktops, or use them as Nintendo Switch-like portable/console gaming hybrids.

You can join the discussion on Storage Review’s 61.44TB Steam Deck on the OC3D Forums.