You can grab a 2TB Steam Deck SSD from the makers of the most modular laptop
Framework has jumped at the chance to offer an upgrade for Valve’s PC handheld.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Framework, the makers of the modular Framework Laptop, is selling 2TB SSDs for theSteam Deck. The company is all about offering upgradeability for its own products, so when the opportunity came to pick up a batch of small footprint SSDs suitable for the portable PC to sell on its own store, it took it.
Framework is selling the Western Digital 2TB SN740 2230 for$299in its US store, and$399 CADin Canada. The company says it’s looking into availability in Europe and Australia, too.
It’s pretty handy to have a legitimate place to buy this specific drive, as generally drives of this compact form factor and capacity are not altogether easy to come by from elsewhere.
This 2TB drive would make for a tasty upgrade for even the highest capacity 512GB Steam Deck. In my case, it’d offer alotmore space for the heaps of indies I load onto the device, but if you’re looking to play some triple-A games, thosereal mighty storage hogs, this is the sort of upgrade you’ll want to make.
“Since we order a huge number of Western Digital drives already, it’s relatively easy for us to add one more line item and stock 2TB SN740 2230 ones,“Framework says.
That last bit of code, 2230, is crucial for the Steam Deck. Valve’s company handheld doesn’t accept the longer 2280 format SSDs that we’re used to seeing inside full-size gaming PCs.
It’s a fairly simple system for NVMe SSDs: 22 is the width of the M.2 SSD in millimetres and 30 is the length. That means a 2230 NVMe SSD is a stubby little drive that’ll fit the same socket as a 2280 (80mm long) SSD, albeit without taking up so much space.
The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
There aren’t many high capacity drives in the 2230 format, as they’re just less common than 2280 drives and they still require lots of NAND chips. There are a few though, namely this WD drive and a miniature version ofSabrent’s Rocket drive. It’s so cute!
Steam Deck review: Our verdict on Valve’s handheld PC.Accessories for the Steam Deck: Get decked outSteam Deck availability: How to get one.Steam Deck battery life: What’s the real battery life of the new device?Steam Deck - The emulation dream machine: Using Valve’s handheld hardware as the ultimate emulator.
If you do end up picking up a compact drive, from Framework or otherwise, you can find details on how to correctly install it over atiFixit. The whole process should only take 20 minutes to an hour, providing you have the right tools (Phillips head screwdrivers and pry tools), but you want to do it right to ensure your OS is operating properly at the end of it. The thing to note is there’s a little foil cover on the existing SSD that you’ll want to swap to your new one. Also know that Valve has been a bit so-so with usersmodding their Deck’s SSD, but that was more so regarding a mod to fit a larger SSD not built to the Steam Deck’s spec inside the handheld.
As for Framework’s main deal, that’s theFramework Laptop. We had a chance to check out this modular product last year, and our Dave was mightily impressive with it. It’s a laptop that offers easy-to-switch parts, and that includes key components like the CPU. Dave switched out the 11th Gen CPU in the Framework for a 12th Gen chip armed with only a single screwdriver.
Jacob earned his first byline writing for his own tech blog. From there, he graduated to professionally breaking things as hardware writer at PCGamesN, and would go on to run the team as hardware editor. He joined PC Gamer’s top staff as senior hardware editor before becoming managing editor of the hardware team, and you’ll now find him reporting on the latest developments in the technology and gaming industries and testing the newest PC components.
Horizon Zero Dawn’s fresh remaster is the best way to enjoy the game, even on handheld gaming PCs
AMD’s top Ryzen AI mobile chip featuring Zen 5 and a juiced GPU is headed to a handheld gaming PC next month
The first PUBG spinoff with real promise is a top-down take on Rainbow Six Siege
