I’m getting a 64gb steam deck probably next month. It will be used as a portable console and a desktop PC for work (desktop reliant websites). The most heavy game I’ll play is Stray (no 1st person shooters, MMOs or huge open worlds) with an hour or two of play time a day.
I plan to get a 3rd party dock, a screen protector and a case. I will wait until around black friday for those.
Is it necessary to get a ssd? Or will the 128gb micro SD card I have will be okay for one downloaded game at a time?
Main issue is the heat. Will a case make the SD hotter? Will having a JSAUX backplate or a fan matter to keep the console cooler during playing? From what I’ve read, people say the backplates will still get heated after so many minutes of playing. The fans seems to put vaccume pressure on the actual fan and will cause it to stop working in the near future. I want to prioritize coolness before getting everything else.
I wouldn’t buy any accessories other than an SD card and a “dock”. The stock cooling of the Deck is fine unless you plan to game in scorching heat: https://twitter.com/OnDeck/status/1549467955754217473
In my experience the back side gets a bit hot, but it’s not where you touch the device, and as long as the APU is cool enough, I wouldn’t see this as a problem.
About the “dock”: Any USB hub with Power Delivery (min 45W) and an HDMI port is fine. I’m using a D-Link one and am very happy with it.
Really ask yourself if you need 4K 60hz because it adds complexity to the dock, makes it more expensive, and takes up more power. I had a Cable matters USB-C hub with ethernet, HDMI, 4k60 etc and the HDMI died after a few months.
This little guy (which I bought first when the SD launched) has been going strong and was $20 https://sabrent.com/collections/usb-c-hubs/products/hb-tc5p
I use it on my 4K TV but I have the resolution set to 1080p 60 Hz anyway since the desktop UI is easier to navigate and I don’t run my games at that res. So if you don’t need 4K60 (which I bet most don’t) get a $20 dock like this and upgrade to something fancy later if you really need it.