MeinMMO editor Sophia Weiß is the happy owner of an older Steam Deck. However, it is slowly showing its age. Instead of spending a lot of money on a new one, she prefers to mod her existing one and is happily saving money.
I own an LCD Steam Deck from 2023. Since I didn’t want to deal with insufficient storage, I directly invested in the large version with 512 gigabytes.
At the time, I found 679 euros reasonable. Now Valve has raised the prices of the currently available models by a whole 40%: The cheaper model with 512 gigabytes of storage now costs 779 euros, and the more expensive one with one terabyte costs a whopping 919 euros.
That’s way too expensive for me, even though my device is slowly showing signs of age. But before I reach deep into my pocket, I prefer to invest much less money and get the most out of my Steam Deck: with simple repairs and modding.
Affordable upgrades make me laugh at the high prices
In 2023, I treated myself to the model with the largest storage. Relatively quickly, however, it no longer sufficed for me. Above all, AAA games require an incredible amount of storage space. And no, I don’t want to have to choose between games like on a PC.
So my first step after the warranty ended was to get a new 1-terabyte SSD. Based on the purchase advice from my colleagues at GameStar Tech on storage expansion for Steam Decks, I bought the Sabrent Rocket. At that time, I had to shell out 92.64 euros. By now, it is priced at at least 274.20 euros on Amazon – still less than the 919 euros for the new Steam Deck with the same storage size.
What makes the SSDs for the handheld so expensive (aside from the currently exorbitant hardware prices) is the format: You need a single-sided M.2 SSD in the 2230 form factor. Regular SSDs are twice as large. While there are guides online for adventurous Steam Deck pioneers that supposedly allow regular SSDs to be installed in the Steam Deck, I would only recommend that to someone who already has a lot of experience with hardware modding.
I do not belong to the adventurous handheld owners. Hence, I simply acquired the SSD with the correct form factor and a suitable SSD shielding foil that cost less than 5 euros.
My luck is that my partner is a long-time hobby hardware modder. Thus, our household is already equipped with all the tools needed for the exchange. Their price would be an additional cost – for the four required tools, it would amount to around 20 extra euros.
And then we can get started. For the SSD exchange, we used the dedicated guide from iFixit. It provides a step-by-step explanation of how to disassemble the handheld. On top of that, there’s a handy list of the tools and parts needed. Of course, there are many different websites online with guides of various detail levels. In this case, iFixit worked for us.
The SSD was replaced in no time. After that, I just had to reinstall the software and freshly download my games. Voilà – 512 gigabytes turns into one terabyte. For just under 100 euros of material costs then. I’m laughing at the 919 euros!
And I am a complete tech noob. If I can do it, theoretically, anyone can.
Expand storage, new display, or better cooling – Many issues can be fixed by yourselves
Ultimately, with the correct materials, tools, a good guide, and steady hands, you can resolve many of the common signs of aging of your Steam Deck yourself. Open the dropdown menus in the following block for more information. I have also gathered comparative prices from iFixit, Amazon, and AliExpress for individual parts.
Storage
If you want more storage space, it does not have to be a new SSD right away. Depending on the desired capacity, you can even get up to two terabytes of storage with a plug-in micro SD. The catch here is that micro SD cards are simply slower than SSDs.
If a fast Steam Deck is important to you, I would recommend swapping the SSD. If it’s just about more storage space, the micro SD is sufficient. To make sure you buy the correct one, you should read the corresponding section in the GameStar Tech guide. The Steam Deck is quite picky and does not work with just any random memory card. You should also check whether the micro SD in your desired size is actually more expensive than a comparable SSD.
Important: When buying the SSD, make sure to pay attention to the form factor! It’s best to read the GameStar Tech guide again for this.
Screen
With mobile devices like a handheld gaming console, it can quickly happen that the screen gets scratched or even completely shatters. But here too, you do not need to immediately reach for your wallet for a new device: Steam Deck screens are replaceable like the SSDs.
When buying a replacement screen, make sure it is compatible with your model.
On iFixit, for example, you can buy the original Valve-OLED screen separately for 94.95 euros, or directly in a kit with all the necessary tools for 104.95 euros. Alternatively, you can find an off-brand OLED screen on AliExpress for 83.99 euros. Of course, there is always the option to install a third-party screen, some of which claim to be better than the original. For example, there are the DeckSight screens starting at 128.31 euros (149 US dollars), funded via Crowdsupply in 2025.
Cooling
It is known that the Steam Deck gets hot quickly under load. I observe this with mine as well. But if it gets unusually hot, it might be worth changing the thermal paste or even the entire heat sink of the LCD device.
On Reddit, user Acorn283 reports that by swapping out the thermal paste on his Steam Deck, he was able to reduce the CPU temperature by an average of 7 degrees Celsius. Additionally, thermal paste wears out: it dries out and degrades. This worsens cooling, which in turn negatively affects the components of the handheld.
If you notice that your Steam Deck is getting significantly hotter while playing than it used to, it’s worth renewing the thermal paste.
I have no experience swapping out heat sinks myself, and at least on Reddit, users write that usually replacing the thermal paste is enough. But if it must be done: with the right guide and replacement part, it should be quite doable. iFixit offers both, but only for the LCD version. There, the heat sink costs 19.95 euros.
Battery
The battery can of course also be replaced when the built-in one starts to lose power or even bulges. The original part for the OLED version at iFixit costs 59.95 euros. If you opt for the version with all the tools, you will be at 64.95 euros. AliExpress also offers the battery, with prices ranging from 30 to 130 euros. On Amazon, on the other hand, I find prices between 52.99 euros and 62.79 euros.
Sticks, D-Pad, and Buttons
If the sticks of your Steam Deck should fail and the buttons no longer trigger properly, you can also fix this yourself. For example, the left analog stick for the OLED Steam Deck costs 34.95 euros at iFixit, Amazon offers the necessary electronics for 29.98 euros, and on AliExpress offers packages with both the left and right for example for 10.67 euros.
If you want to replace the built-in buttons or the D-Pad, you can certainly do that as well. Replacement parts are also available from places like iFixit, Amazon, and AliExpress.
Case
If you find yourself in the position of needing to replace the case of your Steam Deck, there are also a variety of suppliers: iFixit has the back cover for 34.95 euros and the front for 19.95 euros in stock. On Amazon, you can find various suppliers and price ranges: JSAUX, bibuks, or eXtremeRate.
Besides normal black cases, many suppliers also offer vibrant colors or transparent cases. Here you can customize the Steam Deck if you wish.
Thought experiment: Let’s say I want to update
my OLED Steam Deck. I want a 1-terabyte SSD, need a new screen, a new battery, and while I’m at it, I’ll renew the thermal paste. Here’s how my costs might look if I stick to the original parts from iFixit and already have all the tools at home:
| Component | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1 TB SSD Sabrent 2230 M.2 NVMe Gen 4 | 274.20 euros |
| Steam Deck OLED Battery | 59.95 euros |
| SSD Shielding Foil | 3.95 euros |
| Screen | 94.95 euros |
| Arctic MX-6 Thermal Paste | 6.25 euros |
| Total | 439.30 euros |
For comparison, I’ve kept the current price of the SSD from Sabrent based on GameStar Tech’s recommendation. Even then, we’re still looking at a final price of 439.20 euros, which is still well below 779 euros for the cheaper current Steam Deck, which doesn’t even have one terabyte of storage.
The 274.20 euros for the SSD is also not set in stone. Tom’s Hardware and Rock Paper Shotgun recommend the Corsair MP600 Mini E27T 1TB for 239.99 euros. If you don’t necessarily need peak performance, you’re sure to find even cheaper SSDs.
Everything beyond these occasionally necessary tasks on the device drifts into the topic of hardware modding. If you wish, you can buy an elaborate case for special purposes or simply one in your favorite color. There are joysticks that make the input even more precise and comfortable than the originals. If you want to pimp your LCD screen, you’ll surely find something within the crowdfunding and enthusiast scene.
And then there’s software modding: Steam Decks are essentially just compact PCs. If you want, you can completely erase the hard drive and set it up again. There is third-party software that allows dual-booting – meaning installing two different operating systems at the same time on the same system. For example, I have my own partition on my new SSD where Windows 11 runs. This way, I can now play Final Fantasy XIV on the go with a stable Wi-Fi connection. And that just scratches the surface of the possibilities – we haven’t even talked about overclocking yet.
But feel free to let me know in the comments: Are you considering doing simple repairs or replacing components yourself? Or are you already deep into the hardware modding scene? I’m curious to hear your experiences and questions on the topic.
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