Valve warns Steam Deck users to not undertake certain storage mod

Cramming a different-size drive doesn’t seem like a good idea

The Steam Deck continues to roll out to new users who can finally tinker with the handheld PC. But Valve is warning against one Steam Deck mod that recently made the rounds, due to its potential problems.

The mod in particular saw user Belly Jelly putting a 2242 M.2 NVMe solid state drive into the Steam Deck, rather than the 2230. The key difference is form factor. The 2242 is differently sized than the 2230, and as the modder noted, it did make the “heat spreader bow a tiny bit.”

The mod made the rounds online, but Valve developer Lawrence Yang responded to it, asking users to please not do it.

“The charger IC gets very hot and nearby thermal pads should not be moved,” Yang writes in a tweet response. “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.”

Not Deck Verified

Valve has warned before about the dangers of modding the Steam Deck without care, like in the video above. So yes, putting a differently sized drive than intended into the Deck seems like a bad idea.

Considering that Steam Deck orders are still gradually getting out there, it’s good to have this heads up. You don’t want to be the person that gets their Deck pre-order and turns it into scrap with a mod the next day.

The official dock for the Steam Deck was recently delayed, but Valve assured that has not affected the rollout of its handheld. The Verified program has also been greenlighting a bunch of games, too. Just not this particular mod.