Image: Jon L. Jacobi
One of the coolest features of Valve’s Steam Deck is how it’s built to make its compact internal hardware accessible to the user, something that PC gamers can appreciate. For example, if you want to save a bit of cash with the cheapest model and upgrade the storage on your own, you absolutely can, using a standard 30-millimeter M.2 SSD like the Corsair MP600 Core Mini. And as luck would have it, that exact drive is on sale for $80 in its 1TB capacity right this minute.
To be clear, this PCIe 4th-gen SSD isn’t just for the Steam Deck. The M.2 format is also used in most laptops these days, and at the smallest regular size, this MP600 Mini should fit into just about any device with an M.2 slot. That includes Steam Deck competitors like the Asus ROG Ally and Lenovo Legion Go, plus many laptops and most desktop motherboards made in the last few years.
Corsair’s MP600 Core Mini was one of the first consumer drives made with portable devices like the Steam Deck in mind — it was possible to track down the 2230 form factor before, but it often meant digging into OEM parts lists or scouring secondary markets like eBay. You can read our full review on the drive, but TL;DR, it’s a solid upgrade for most users with a fair price.
That price is typically around $100 for the 1TB model, making today’s $79.99 promotional price a deal in anybody’s money. The even roomier 2TB version, normally a splurge at $199.99, is down to $169.99 at the time of writing. That’s a pretty big chunk of the Steam Deck’s retail price, but it might be worth it if you’re tired of re-downloading big game files or shuffling them to a MicroSD card.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer
Michael is a former graphic designer who’s been building and tweaking desktop computers for longer than he cares to admit. His interests include folk music, football, science fiction, and salsa verde, in no particular order.
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