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Valve Steam Deck SSD 256 GB

256 GB
Capacity
Phison E13T
Controller
TLC
Flash
PCIe 3.0 x4
Interface
M.2 2230
Form Factor

Multiple hardware versions found.

Performance could vary due to unannounced flash/controller changes.

Front
SSD Controller
Controller
NAND Die
NAND Die
The Valve Steam Deck SSD is a solid-state drive in the M.2 2230 form factor, launched on February 25th, 2022. It is available in capacities ranging from 256 GB to 512 GB. This page reports specifications for the 256 GB variant. With the rest of the system, the Valve Steam Deck SSD interfaces using a PCI-Express 3.0 x4 connection. The SSD controller is the PS5013-E13-35 (E13T) from Phison, a DRAM cache is not available. Valve has installed 96-layer TLC NAND flash on the Steam Deck SSD, the flash chips are made by Toshiba. Please note that this SSD is sold in multiple variants with different NAND flash or controller, which could affect performance, the "Notes" section at the end of this page has more info. To improve write speeds, a pseudo-SLC cache is used, so bursts of incoming writes are soaked up more quickly. Performance characteristics of the drive are unknown.
The SSD's price at launch is unknown. The TBW rating for the Valve Steam Deck SSD 256 GB is unknown, too.

Solid-State-Drive

Capacity: 256 GB
Variants: 256 GB 512 GB
Overprovisioning: 17.6 GB / 7.4 %
Production: Active
Released: Feb 25th, 2022
Part Number: Unknown
Market: Consumer

Physical

Form Factor: M.2 2230 (Single-Sided)
Interface: PCIe 3.0 x4
Protocol: NVMe 1.3
Power Draw: Unknown

Controller

Manufacturer: Phison
Name: PS5013-E13-35 (E13T)
Architecture: ARM 32-bit Cortex-R5
Core Count: Dual-Core
Frequency: 667 MHz
Foundry: TSMC
Process: 28 nm
Flash Channels: 4 @ 667 MT/s
Chip Enables: 8
Controller Features: HMB (enabled)

NAND Flash

Manufacturer: Toshiba
Name: BiCS4
Type: TLC
Technology: 96-layer
Speed: 800 MT/s
Capacity: 1 chip @ Unknown
ONFI: 4.0
Toggle: 3.0
Topology: Charge Trap
Process: 19 nm
Die Size: 86 mm²
(6.0 Gbit/mm²)
Planes per Die: 2
Decks per Die: 2
Word Lines: 109 per NAND String
88.1% Vertical Efficiency
Read Time (tR): 58 µs
Program Time (tProg): 561 µs
Die Read Speed: 551 MB/s
Die Write Speed: 57 MB/s
Endurance:
(up to)		 3000 P/E Cycles
(30000 in SLC Mode)
Page Size: 16 KB
Block Size: 1152 Pages
Plane Size: 1822 Blocks

DRAM Cache

Type: None
Host-Memory-Buffer (HMB): 64 MB

Performance

Sequential Read: Unknown
Sequential Write: Unknown
Random Read: Unknown
Random Write: Unknown
Endurance: Unknown
Warranty: Unknown
SLC Write Cache: Yes

Features

TRIM: Yes
SMART: Yes
Power Loss Protection: No
Encryption:
  • Unknown
RGB Lighting: No
PS5 Compatible: No

Notes

Drive:

Steam Deck's SSDs are upgradable, although the original SSD that ships within the unit is subject to change, like in any other pre-built or laptop.
Could either be using 256Gb or 512Gb BiCS4 dies.

Controller:

1 main core using Cortex-R5 clocked at 667 MHz with CoXProcessor technology (one additional dual-core) Cortex-R5 clocked at a lower clock for better efficience.

NAND Die:

Read latency tR: 58 µs (ABL)
tPROG with ~ 25% Overhead: ~ 750 µs (Avg - 42.7 MB/s per each die)
Jun 1st, 2024 08:01 EDT change timezone

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