SD Card Problems – ASUS comments on ROG Ally MicroSD reader faults

ASUS ROG Ally users are experiencing MicroSD card issues, and the problem is heat related 

ASUS’ ROG Ally PC gaming handheld is an incredibly capable device, combining a Zen 4 CPU with RDNA 3 graphics to deliver compelling performance levels within its compact form factor. That said, the device has had its problems, with the latest being faults with the device’s MicroSD card reader. 

The good news is that these MicroSD card issues are only affecting some users of the device, and even then the issue is only presenting itself during specific circumstances. Even so, ASUS needs to address this issue quickly in order to secure the Ally’s success as a portable PC gaming product. 

ASUS have confirmed that “thermal stress conditions” are the cause of the ROG Ally’s MicroSD card issues. Simply put, the ROG Ally’s MicroSD card slot is very close to the Ally’s VRMs, and its cooling solution goes over the top of the Ally’s MicroSD card reader. These factors can make the ROG Ally’s MicroSD card reader run hot, resulting in malfunctions.

A new update for the ROG Ally is in the works that will address this issue by altering the fan speed profiles of the ROG Ally. These new tuned profiles will change the minimum and default fan speeds of the ROG Ally to make the ROG Ally more reliable. ASUS plans to do this while “keeping fan noise in check” so don’t expect the ROG Ally to suddenly become a lot louder. ASUS also plans to RMA ROG Ally units that are currently affected by these issues.

Below is what ASUS’ Whiston Gordon had to say about the ROG Ally’s MicroSD card reader over on Discord. 

    Good evening everyone. HQ has released a new statement regarding their work on the Ally’s SD card reader:

We want to thank the community for the passionate response we’ve received for the ROG Ally. Your support has been both immense and invaluable, so we’ve been hard at work to improve a number of things. After confirmation from internal testing, under certain thermal stress conditions the SD card reader may malfunction.

To alleviate the issue, we will be releasing an update that further fine-tunes the default and minimum fan speeds on the device to improve reliability while keeping fan noise in check, as we know this is a concern for many of you.

If you are currently experiencing issues with your SD card reader, please contact [email protected] (US) or contact customer service for your region to RMA your unit, which we will inspect for any issues and repair.

(Image from ifixit)

If you own an ROG Ally and do not want to wait for an update, you can alter the fan profiles of your device to ensure that your system’s MicroSD card slot is adequately cooled. Hopefully ASUS will update their ROG Ally soon to address this issue. 

ASUS placing their MicroSD card slot so close to the ROG Ally’s VRMs and heatsink is a design oversight, and we expect all creators of portable gaming PCs like the ROG Ally or Steam Deck to keep this flaw in mind when designing future products. Thankfully this issue can be addressed with a simple fan profile update, though ASUS could release a revised ROG Ally model in the future that moves the device’s MicroSD card slot to a new location.  

You can join the discussion on ASUS’ MicroSD card issues on their ROG Ally gaming handheld on the OC3D Forums.