Like most handheld gaming PCs, the Steam Deck comes with restricted inner storage – simply 64GB on probably the most inexpensive model. And with many PC video games exceeding 100GB, even the most important 512GB Steam Deck mannequin will battle to carry many video games.
With its SDXC-compatible SD card slot, it’s simple sufficient to increase your Steam Deck’s storage with the perfect SD playing cards. Whether or not you need to add one other 500GB, 1TB, or extra, we’ve bought you lined.
TL:DR – Best Steam Deck SD Cards
1. SanDisk Excessive microSDXC
Our High Decide SanDisk Excessive – 1TB
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Dimension: 400GB, 512GB, 1TB | Learn Pace: As much as 160 MB/s | Kind: SDXC
Pricing will be fairly various
Go large or go residence with the SanDisk Excessive SD card. This Class 10 A2-rated SD card comes in various sizes, from 64GB to 1TB. If you’d like to have the ability to retailer greater than only a few video games in your Steam Deck, it’s value investing in a 1TB card. This offers you ample room to take pleasure in your whole favourite titles.
With its 160MB/s learn speeds, you’ll be capable of set up and cargo video games in your Steam Deck, quick. Though we assume it would stay in your console, for those who do take away the SD card to insert it in one other gadget, or retailer it in your bag, there’s the added reassurance it gained’t get broken due to it being temperature-proof, waterproof, shockproof, and X-ray proof.
2. Lexar Play microSDXC
Lexar Play – 1TB
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Dimension: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB | Learn Pace: As much as 150 MB/s | Kind: SDXC
Sizes vary from 128GB to 1TB
The Lexar Play SD card is one other nice possibility for the Steam Deck, and has comparable specs to our prime decide the SanDisk Excessive. One factor you may shortly discover is that appropriate SD playing cards for the Steam Deck aren’t precisely low-cost.
Total, that is the largest draw back for many of them. If worth is beginning to turn out to be a problem, I might positively counsel choosing a 512GB SD card reasonably than the 1TB; typically sufficient these sit round $60-80 as an alternative.
3. SanDisk Excessive Professional microSDXC
SanDisk Excessive Professional
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Dimension: 400GB | Learn Pace: 170 MB/s | Kind: SDXC
On the subject of smaller and cheaper SD playing cards, the SanDisk Excessive Professional 400GB is one other respectable various to the bigger Excessive 1TB. For those who’re on the lookout for a fast and straightforward storage resolution, particularly for those who’re solely on the 64GB Steam Deck mannequin, that is nicely value your consideration.
4. Lexar Skilled 1066x microSDXC
Lexar Skilled 1066x – 512GB
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Dimension: 512GB | Learn Pace: 160 MB/s | Kind: SDXC
1TB possibility is greater than double the price of the 512GB
The Lexar Skilled is one other nice worth for cash SD card, rocking 512GB of storage at a fairly inexpensive worth. It even affords the identical fast speeds as a few of the dearer SD playing cards available on the market, so there’s loads of bang in your buck with regards to this performing in the Steam Deck.
5. Samsung EVO Choose microSDXC
Samsung EVO Choose – 512GB
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Dimension: 512GB | Learn Pace: 100 MB/s | Kind: SDXC
Investing in the Samsung EVO Choose microSDXC means you get 512GB of storage for round $50, which is fairly good worth for cash. The trade-off, nevertheless, is slower learn speeds, however this should not trigger an excessive amount of of a headache.
Samsung affords a beneficiant 10-year restricted guarantee, and its EVO Choose SD card is waterproof, temperature-proof, X-ray proof, drop-proof, and so forth, for added sturdiness.
What You Ought to Contemplate When Shopping for a Steam Deck SD Card
A key level I need to drive residence right here is that you just should not be driving out and selecting up any outdated SD card and slotting it into your Steam Deck. There are some actually vital elements that you must take into account, together with measurement, pace, affordability, and total compatibility.
You may need to get an SDXC card, these are the quickest microSD round, and the sort we have been recommending in your Steam Deck. Certain, you could find some older and bigger SD playing cards, memory-wise, however these simply will not go well with the learn, load, and set up instances you may want. For a fast reference to what SD Card will work for Steam Deck, I might counsel on the lookout for ‘A2’ on any playing cards your contemplating.
One other factor to think about is the very fact Steam Deck is proscribed to UHS-I, which might run learn speeds at 100MB/s. That is the quickest we will go. So at any stage, your Steam Deck will completely run quicker utilizing the inner storage.
That being stated, we would nonetheless advocate utilizing an SD card alongside. That is since you will not must burden your valuable SSD drive with much less demanding titles, like indie or simply older video games, for instance, as an alternative opting to maintain them on the SD drive. Simply do not anticipate new video games to run at blistering speeds when operating off of your SD card. Put merely, SD playing cards are perfect for storage over efficiency.
For extra on the Steam Deck, take a look at all the pieces we find out about Valve’s new handheld PC, the 100 verified playable video games on Steam Deck, and our first hands-on with Valve’s handheld gaming PC.
Robert Anderson is a offers skilled and Commerce Editor for IGN. You’ll be able to observe him @robertliam21 on Twitter.