The Steam Deck is one of the most recent marvels of nanotechnology which is so revolutionary, that it’s now starting to have copycats and competition. If you want the Steam Deck to keep up with the competition, we suggest buying the best Steam Deck SSD modules for this aging handheld gaming PC.
This way, you can store more games, and tap into one of the Steam Deck’s best strengths.
Here’s our pick for the best Steam Deck SSD models and bear in mind that you can also use this for laptops, PCs, and even consoles. They just have a smaller form factor to fit in smaller devices.
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Sabrent Rocket 2230 NVMe 4.0 1TB
PROS
- High IOPS
- Reasonable price
- Compatible with a lot of devices
CONS
- Rare quality control issues
- It gets hot
Specs:
- 1 TB
- PCIE x 4
This is the most popular pick for the Steam Deck and it’s easy to see why. It offers a good balance between performance and price. The Sabrent Rocket 2230 can push to 800K IOPS, which translates to faster loading speeds during gaming.
The 5GBps transfer speed is also handy for when you’re installing or moving files. Right now, it’s discounted though that might end soon given how popular this particular chip is.
Sabrent Rocket 2230 NVMe 4.0 1TB
Corsair MP600 Mini 1TB
PROS
- More minimalist and stylish sticker, which doesn't matter much
- Reasonable price
- Compatible with a lot of devices
CONS
- It gets hot
Specs:
- 1 TB
- PCIE x 4
Corsair might be a more familiar brand for those who are looking for more accountability in case their SSDs fail prematurely and it should offer a more gamer-y appeal if that matters to you.
Otherwise, it has the same performance as the Sabrent Rocket. These SSDs both offer nearly 5GBps of data transfer (rounded up) and the sticker is a lot more aesthetically pleasing compared to the other brands though that doesn’t really matter much inside a Steam Deck.
Corsair MP600 Mini 1TB
Silicon Power 1TB UD90 2230
PROS
- More affordable
- Compatible with a lot of devices
CONS
- It gets hot
- Slower write performance
Specs:
- 1 TB
- PCIE x 4
If you want something more affordable compared to the other two options, then Silicon Power has quite the bargain. It’s a lesser-known brand so your data might not be as protected in the event of a premature device failure, depending on where you live. Thankfully, it comes with a 5-year warranty as well.
However, the performance it offers is more or less the same save for the slower write speed. That’s not really as important as the read speed which is also around 5 GBps.
Silicon Power 1TB UD90 2230
Timetec 1TB M.2 2230
PROS
- Cheap price
- Compatible with a lot of devices
CONS
- It gets hot
- PCIE 3.0 is last-gen
Specs:
- 1 TB
- PCIE x 3
Our ultra-budget option consists of this older brand and generation from Timetec. Being PCIE 3.0, that means its read and write speeds are slower which can affect your work adversely especially if it relies on consistent data transfer.
However, for gaming, it would be hard to notice the difference. Timetec is a lesser-known brand though it also comes with a 5-year warranty like the other brands here so you should be safe.
Timetec 1TB M.2 2230
Frequently Asked Questions
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Are 2230 SSDs slower?
Not really, they often have the same speed though they are rather limited in their capacity since they're smaller. -
Why are 2230 SSDs slower?
Because they can be more expensive to make and the market for them is smaller.