Лbest SD card Steam Deck in a handheld gaming PC, Valve opens up a world of possibilities, no matter which model you choose. After all, even the 512GB version will only fit Call of Duty: Warzone, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Assassin's Creed: Valhalla before it runs into storage issues.
Luckily, it can expand storage fairly easily. best sd card for Steam Deck from brands like Samsung, SanDisk or Lexar. Those of you who don't want to dive deep under the hood to install an NVMe SSD in your deck Steam, can use the microSD card slot at the bottom to cram up to 1TB of storage - at least until a 2TB card finally hits the shelves. You power you'll even get away with one you've previously used with your smartphone if you don't mind formatting it, but you'll want to make sure it has good read speeds and plenty of storage space first - fast write speeds are a bonus.
Generally speaking, microSD cards are slightly slower than eMMC storage in the base deck. Steam, so you'll want to keep all your favorite games on the device itself. However, microSD cards allow you to take more games, movies, TV shows, and software with you.
Here are the best SD cards Steam Deck:
1. SanDisk Extreme microSDXC
Naturally the best SD card for Steam Deck should be as large as possible without sacrificing reading speed - no offense to loading screen prompts, but we'd rather play the game. The 1TB SanDisk Extreme microSDXC model cannot reach its 160MB/s read speed ceiling due to its own limitations Steam Deck, but it still performs better than its competitors at 100MB/s. This is the best place subject to your own limitations Steam Deck.
Western Digital claims the SanDisk Extreme microSDXC card is waterproof, shockproof, and even X-ray resistant. We don't recommend putting any of these claims to the test, but they're also covered by a lifetime warranty if you do, which is more than most alternatives. If 1TB is too rich for your taste, it's also available in 512GB, 400GB, 256GB, 128GB, 64GB, and 32GB options, though you might run into something in double-digit territory.
2. Samsung EVO Plus or EVO Select
Different names, different colors, but the same specifications under the hood: Samsung EVO Plus and EVO Select are almost identical. Amazon has exclusive rights to Select in some countries, but with the same speeds, classifications, and warranties, it's worth looking for the cheapest one available. Even better, they are sometimes available in multiple packages.
The write speed is slightly slower than the SanDisk alternative, but the read speed is 100MB/s. That's enough to run indie games in Steam Deck no problem.
3. Lexar Play
You'll save the most money by upgrading to a 512GB, 256GB, or even 128GB model, but the Lexar Play is often the cheapest 1TB on the market thanks to sales. It's designed with smartphones and Nintendo Switch in mind, but it can run your library without issue Steam.
SD card classification
When you look at the SD card, you may see something that looks like gibberish. Like gaming monitors and their naughty chain of letters and numbers, each one counts, and Steam Deck has limitations.
For example, the Steam Deck uses UHS-I, the maximum read speed is about 100MB/s, and the write speed is 90MB/s. You'll be able to use the faster UHS-II standard since it's backwards compatible, but you won't get higher nominal read and write speeds. Since you will need to format the microSD card in the operating system Steam Deck, it's not worth spending extra money on one branded UHS-II, unless you are connected to the Linux ecosystem with other devices.
The higher the V-rating, the better. V30, V60 and V90 show what is the minimum sustained write speed: 30MB/s, 60MB/s and 90MB/s respectively. Write speed isn't as important as read speed considering you'll want to download your games ahead of time, but no one likes to wait.
The number that looks like it's inside a circle (it's actually a C) is the speed class. Class 10 is the fastest and default recommended for HD video recording, but is less important for Steam Deck.
The "A" number is the performance class of the application, and A2 is naturally better than A1. Both are designed for smartphone operating systems such as Android, which means the standard is less important for gaming performance. Steam Deck, but can help when you switch from one software to another.
Can I use a Nintendo Switch SD card?
Short answer: yes, but you can't switch the SD card between devices on the fly. The Nintendo Switch uses microSD cards which have the same form factor and are suitable for Steam Deck, but you'll need to format them, which means you can't store PC games and Switch games at the same time. You should also consider the specifications of the microSD cards you have as they may not reach the heights required Steam Deck.
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