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Ever since the Steam Deck came out, the humble handheld gaming PC has been going done a renaissance of sorts. Because portion these fun-shaped PCs person been astir for a while, being made by the likes of Ayaneo and GPD, they’ve present deed the mainstream. I’ve reviewed a batch of these caller “mainstream” gaming handhelds, and portion they’re each varying levels of good, they’re inactive not each the aforesaid – particularly erstwhile it comes to opening them up and upgrading the storage.
Pretty overmuch each handheld gaming PC volition fto you slot successful a microSD paper to grow your storage, but if you privation to upgrade to a faster, much capacious SSD, you’re going to person to popular the handheld unfastened and swap retired the drive. I wouldn’t urge this to everyone, particularly if you get queasy astatine the imaginable of tinkering with your electronics, but galore of these handhelds marque it beauteous casual to upgrade.
So I did what immoderate sane idiosyncratic would successful this situation, I took each the handhelds successful my laboratory and opened them up, truthful I could spot however casual (or difficult) they would beryllium to upgrade. And portion each of these devices do fto you swap retired your storage, immoderate of them marque it rather a spot much hard than it needs to be.
A Word of Warning
This isn’t meant to beryllium a step-by-step usher connected however to upgrade the retention connected each handheld. That would marque this nonfiction extremely long, and I’d impulse you to look up teardown guides if you request immoderate guidance connected immoderate of these circumstantial handhelds. Just support successful caput that there’s nary shame successful not being comfy with tinkering with your devices.
If you’re going to bash immoderate of this yourself, determination are a mates of crushed rules of sorts you request to support successful mind. The archetypal of which is to effort and enactment successful a static-free environment. If you unrecorded successful a much arid area, it won’t wounded to deterioration an antistatic wrist band. I luckily unrecorded successful New York, truthful this isn’t thing I typically request to interest about, but I’d decidedly impulse you to thin connected the broadside of caution.
You should besides purpose to disconnect the artillery from the motherboard whenever you’re doing immoderate benignant of enactment connected a handheld gaming PC – this besides goes for immoderate electronic, to beryllium fair. You don’t privation to hazard shocking yourself due to the fact that you did thing wrong.
Finally, support your abstraction organized. There’s thing worse than going to reassemble a device, lone to hide which screw goes where. These handhelds are comparatively elemental erstwhile it comes to the antithetic screws that you person to woody with, but they tin perfectly get mislaid if you don’t support way of them.
MSI Claw 8 AI+
I haven’t got a accidental to really beryllium down and reappraisal the MSI Claw 8 AI+ yet, contempt it coming retired much than six months ago. But I person spent a batch of clip with it, and it is simply a large small device, adjacent if the bundle is incredibly bad. However, there’s 1 happening it does amended than immoderate different handheld I’ve used: its serviceability.
All you request to bash to get into the MSI Claw 8 is instrumentality retired the screws connected the backmost of the device, pry disconnected the backmost and the SSD is instantly accessible. You don’t person to determination immoderate cables retired of the mode oregon instrumentality retired immoderate screws. Just unscrew the M.2 retention screw, propulsion retired the thrust and regenerate it.
Like a batch of handhelds, though, the MSI Claw 8 AI+ uses an M.2 2230 drive. These are tiny small drives that acceptable successful smaller spaces. They’re perchance a small slower than their bigger 2280 counterparts, but not capable that it matters for most people.
ROG Ally X and Xbox Ally X – Internals
Asus ROG Ally X and Xbox Ally X
Asus ROG Xbox Ally X
I’m a immense instrumentality of some the archetypal Asus ROG Ally X and its successor, the Xbox Ally X. Despite their smaller screens, they’re conscionable truthful comfy to really use. But portion these 2 consoles look beauteous chiseled from each different connected the extracurricular – mostly owing to the Xbox Ally X’s weird controller protrusions – they person a batch successful common.
For the Ally X, you conscionable person to region six screws on the backmost of the device, 3 of which are captive, which means they won’t travel each the mode out. Then, you conscionable pry the backmost unfastened to get inside. The Xbox Ally X is mostly similar, with 5 screws connected the back, and 3 much on the bottommost of the device. Once those are removed you tin region the backmost of the handheld.
On some of these consoles, though, determination is simply a tiny ribbon cablegram that runs from the motherboard to the backmost panel, presumably to powerfulness the rear paddle buttons. Be cautious you don’t conscionable yank the backmost of the console off, due to the fact that it’s very imaginable you’ll rip 1 of these cables – I for definite astir did.
Once the backmost is removed, though, you’ll beryllium capable to spot the full-sized 2280 SSD close successful beforehand of the battery. Just beryllium cautious here, the artillery cablegram runs beauteous choky supra the SSD, and the existent artillery connector connected the motherboard is precise fragile. You’re going to privation to instrumentality attraction not to drawback thing erstwhile you’re disconnecting it.
Luckily, erstwhile the artillery is disconnected, it’s ace casual to region the M.2 retention screw, propulsion retired the SSD and regenerate it. And, due to the fact that it’s a 2280 drive, beauteous overmuch thing you find connected Amazon volition bash the job.
Lenovo Legion Go
The Lenovo Legion Go is simply a Steam Deck alternate that runs Windows 11 and has a immense QHD display. What's not to love?
Lenovo Legion Go
At first, it seemed similar the Lenovo Legion Go would person been 1 of the easiest handhelds to unfastened up and upgrade. After all, the removable controllers marque removing the backmost sheet highly easy, without worrying astir shoving thumbsticks into the table.
However, aft you region the six screws connected the backmost and region the panel, you’ll spot however overmuch of a symptom the Legion Go truly is. Looking much similar a accepted laptop than astir of the different handhelds here, you’ll spot what’s fundamentally a sticker covering the artillery and SSD. To regenerate the drive, the sticker needs to beryllium pulled backmost a bit, successful bid to uncover the wires betwixt the thrust and the battery. Then, erstwhile you’ve disconnected the battery, you tin get astatine the 2230 M.2 SSD.
However, the SSD is covered successful this weird mylar tape, apt to support the electronics connected the SSD from the portion that was conscionable removed. I don’t cognize however indispensable it is, but I’d instrumentality that mylar portion from the archetypal thrust and wrapper it astir the replacement drive, conscionable successful case.
Lenovo Legion Go 2 – Internal
Lenovo Legion Go 2
The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is simply a Steam Deck alternate that runs Windows 11 and has a immense OLED display. What's not to love?
Lenovo Legion Go 2
The Lenovo Legion Go 2 is pretty much amended than the archetypal successful each way. Better display, amended controllers, but it is truthful overmuch harder to get into.
Not lone are determination 2 other screws nether the stand, but erstwhile I got inside, I saw the thrust instantly – it was conscionable sitting betwixt the CPU instrumentality and the artillery assembly. But seeing is lone fractional of the conflict here.
First, I had to instrumentality retired 2 screws connected either broadside of the fan, and past propulsion retired the full artillery – which is huge, caput you. Once the artillery is retired of the way, there’s different screw connected the bottommost close of the instrumentality assembly that is securing it to the board. Once that is removed, you person to tenderly region the heatsink, which is attached via thermal pads to the SSD, RAM modules and the cooling strategy itself.
Finally, I got to the SSD. The Legion Go 2 does travel with a 2245 drive, but it astatine slightest has abstraction for a full-sized 2280 drive, you’ll conscionable person to determination the adapter implicit a little. That’s a tiny win, but it comes on with a handheld that you person to astir wholly teardrop down to upgrade the SSD. But, hey, astatine slightest Lenovo is inactive letting you upgrade it.
Steam Deck
Running connected Steam OS, this handheld offers a seven-inch show and beefy internals acceptable to instrumentality connected games optimized for it.
Valve Steam Deck OLED
Handheld gaming PCs would astir apt inactive beryllium niche if not for the Steam Deck, truthful recognition wherever it’s due, but Valve’s handheld is 1 of the hardest ones to ace unfastened and regenerate the drive. Valve adjacent went retired of its mode to effort and pass radical that opening it would marque the Steam Deck much fragile, successful a teardown it did with The Verge. But I did it anyway.
Getting the Steam Deck itself unfastened isn’t hard – conscionable instrumentality retired the screws astir the exterior and region the backmost panel. But erstwhile that’s retired of the way, it’s not instantly wide wherever the SSD is. Turns out, it’s hiding underneath this metallic metallic bracket close adjacent to the artillery and fan. After removing it via 3 tiny screws, 1 of which is hidden underneath metallic portion for immoderate reason, I was capable to region this small shield.
Once that’s retired of the way, the small 2230 thrust is close there, and conscionable similar the archetypal Legion Go, the thrust is wrapped successful mylar tape, but this clip it seems similar it’s to halt it from shorting against the metallic sheet that’s placed implicit it. I’m not wholly definite that’s necessary, but I’d support it wrapped up astir immoderate caller SSD you flip successful your Steam Deck either mode – it can’t hurt.
Lenovo Legion Go S
The Lenovo Legion Go S is astir apt my favourite handheld, peculiarly the 1 that comes with SteamOS installed. It conscionable has specified a beauteous design, and it feels truthful bully successful the hand. Unfortunately it’s a symptom successful the ass to really unfastened it up.
I stared astatine the Legion Go S for a bully fewer minutes, noting that it lone has 3 screws instantly disposable connected the chassis, and decided to look up a guide. Luckily, this teardown video from WinDeck Tech was extremely helpful.
After removing the 3 screws connected the bottommost of the device, I had to pry disconnected the small portion of integrative that runs on the buttons connected the top. Then, determination are 3 much screws nether that. But that’s not all, due to the fact that aft those screws are gone, you person to pry the near and close bumper retired of their slot to entree two much screws nether those. Just support successful caput that those are captive screws, and won’t travel out.
Once those past 2 screws are loosened, I started prying it apart, but conscionable similar WinDeck Tech explained successful his video, the captive screws astir the triggers did get stuck a mates times, truthful I had to gingerly enactment my mode astir them, until I yet got the happening apart.
Luckily, erstwhile I worked my mode into the system, the SSD is sitting close successful the open, close beneath the CPU fan. You conscionable person to region the powerfulness cable, which is besides precise easy, and you’re bully to regenerate the 2245 SSD the handheld comes with. Luckily, similar the Legion Go 2, this handheld is compatible with a full-sized 2280 drive. So astatine slightest it has that going for it.
Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor astatine IGN and the PC components queen. You tin travel her @Jackiecobra
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