Framework now sells 2TB Steam Deck upgrade drive

See, even though it’s pretty easy to replace the Steam Deck’s SSD, it’s not rather as easy to buy the right parts. The Steam Deck uses the smallest modular SSD — the M.2 2230, just 30mm long — and it’s only designed to fit on one side with a flash memory chip on one side.

More importantly, M.2 2230 drives are generally considered OEM products that are not sold to customers at all because they are not generally designed to be replaced by anyone but a warehouse technician. When I asked Samsung for more information about one of their recent drives, a PR rep told me they wouldn’t be available for purchase.

And while I totally bought one from Amazon and another from eBay, I can’t say I bought them from reputable sellers. They have probably been dropped from existing tablets like the Microsoft Surface line.

Here, however, the Framework not only sells a number of direct-to-consumer products — it also sells one of the highest-capacity products to match your Deck: WD SN740 2TB.

I don’t know if the 2TB SN740 is a good drive for a Deck – Valve warns that some drives drain the battery a bit faster, for example – but I’ve mostly heard positive stories on the Steam Deck subreddit. Also: while $300 isn’t a bad price for that space, know that I bought my presumably stolen 256GB drive for $40. And while it’s a relatively fast PCIe Gen 4 drive, know that’s irrelevant here: the Steam Deck’s I/O capabilities aren’t fast enough to see much of a difference between compatible SSDs.

If you’re curious how hard it is to swap out a Steam Deck’s SSD, check out my fan swap video below: the only difference is removing an extra screw, plus sliding the EMI shield off the drive. your current disk and insert it into the new drive. Make sure to remove your microSD card before opening the Deck, lest it be hacked.