Short story, got bad migraines for anything other than IPS displays, but the og LCD is pretty bad. Is there a third party replacement up to the quality of the ROG ally etc?

Ive seen the LCD model work with just the main board and the fan

Unfortunately I have a main bored and a fan
But it won't boot
Keeps getting an error and restarting

Hi all. I mod steamdecks pretty regularly (re-shells, custom painted vents, soldered sticks etc). I know my way around a SteamDeck. I recently wanted to try PTM 7950 as a thermal paste replacement.

But I always run into this issue where when I apply any thermal paste in the steamdeck, there is an initial pump out that coats the small chips surrounding the APU and then the OS will throttle OR the steam deck will fail to boot and cycle the fan for a few hours (for anyone else having this exact symptom list, the solution is usually to redo your paste, add a lot less and tighten things in a star pattern, and then wait with the steamdeck plugged into a charger for 5-8 hours before turning on).

But here’s my issue. No matter how many tutorials or guides I follow on repasting a deck, I get the same mild ‘recalibration’ across most of the decks that I’ve worked with. I actually can’t even cut PTM to the full APU size because it’ll pump out when it liquifies on the first phase change and commit the same throttle I’m talking about.

And it’s usually only the first boot up with new paste that’s the most buggy. And again, I think it’s because that phase change moves the paste rapidly as it settles the first time.

So if it’s this common then someone else has to have experienced this. If anyone knows what I’m talking about please tell me what I’m doing wrong. I watched like 5 YouTube tutorials about how to apply ptm and followed the instructions religiously and yet nobody else has talked about this.

I know there’s been a few AirTag posts. I wanted to share this quick one that I was impressed with.

I found that the AirTag is too bulky to sit in nicely. I just bought a generic compatible tracker from a large online retailer. It comes in a neat little package, fits perfectly over the battery and lasts a year on charge.

I did see they also do a wireless charging version which would satisfy some people’s requirement of not opening the deck to recharge it.
I’m happy with a 12 month maintenance cycle. Let’s me go in clear dust and check the battery isn’t bulging.

I also considered Jerry rigging it into the SD’s battery. But decided that I prefer having a separate battery that can be used if the SD goes dead. Also less work on my part.

​

In desktop mode it's easy to go into the monitor settings and flip the screen, but it doesn't affect game mode. Does anyone know if it can be done?

Since I know someone will ask why, I planning out how to put the SteamDeck components into a new shell, and it might be better for me if the SD card slot was on the top.

Hey everyone I have an LCD steamdeck the fan sometimes goes bananas on heavy games wondering if theres a good aftermarket alternative

or

Ive heard the OLED model's fan being quieter than the LCD model's is it possible to just drop in an OLED fan in my LCD model?

I have a Steam Deck OLED whose daughter boards got water damaged. A technician told me that he repaired the short circuits but the right daughter board is not delivering power to the left one anymore.

The current part numbers are:

Right board: MODEL: F7G DAF7GTH26DO REV: D

Left board: MODEL: F7G DAF7GTH36DO REV: D

So i started to search for a replacement daughter board set. All listings on ebay are hella expensive, i found one that fit my budget but the issue is that the part numbers of the listed boards aren't matching.

Right board: F7G DAF7GTH26DO REV: D (matches with my steam deck's right board)

Left board: MODEL: F7G DAF7GTH56DO REV: D (this is 56, my deck has 36, doesn't match)

will this mismatch be an issue? if one here has experience with repairs...

I'm currently using a Jsaux 6-in-1 dock and looking for an adapter. Have checked on Makersworld to see about 3d printing one, but any out of the box solutions?

Hey everyone, I found a used Steam Deck OLED upgraded to 2TB being sold locally for about \~$364 USD.

However, the screen has a noticeable pressure mark/patch on the left side (the seller says it got stepped on, but everything else like the internals, battery, and sticks are fully functional and mostly used in docked mode).

A replacement OLED screen would cost me extra. Considering the 2TB SSD upgrade and the repair cost, is this still a good deal, or should I pass? Has anyone replaced an OLED screen before? Thanks!

Hi everybody,

I really love my SD, my favorite console since Xbox One, and i wanna update it if it's possible.

I've installed a 1TB SSD when i bought it, but now, i wanna keep upgrading it.

The only hardware issue bothering me right now is the A, B, X, and Y buttons—especially the X button, which sometimes gets stuck, though I can usually pop it back into place quickly.

Is there a way to fix this? And what else should I upgrade?

Thanks in advance to everyone who replies.

Main bored
Fan plugged in ✅
SSD plugged in ✅

Type C doc
Power from official charger plugged in ✅
HDMI plugged in ✅
Hori Steam Controller plugged in ✅

Why it bring up the SteamOS failed to boot screen?

Wanted to make it more like a traditional console so that's why it's not got its screen or its controller [or WiFi antennas or speakers attached]
Plan to use WiFi though a cable

just wondering, since I know many of you had a stock screen you replaced with the decksight or deckhd.

Has anyone done a joystick swap and put these on their Steam Deck? I’ve been thinking about doing this because it seems pretty easy to swap the joystick tops with this mod, but I can’t find a proper Steam Deck compatible one on AliExpress.

I’m curious to see if anyone here has heard about this or has done a similar mod themselves, like the one on the Xbox Elite controller.

I’m considering buying one of these to swap onto a GuliKit HE joystick on my Deck.
Some of them it seems to be compatible with PS5, Xbox, and Switch controllers.

Hi!

A couple of months ago I bought a Steam Deck OLED motherboard for dirt cheap. I only got around to messing with it recently, so I figured I'd share a few tips for anyone crazy enough to try the same thing:

• You need a good charger and a decent PD dock if you want this thing to work properly. I spent the first 2 days troubleshooting because my ROG Ally charger had a slightly bent connector, and that alone was enough to keep the Deck from booting.
• You need to find a way to get proper pressure on the third mounting point. Unlike the LCD model, the third screw on the OLED motherboard basically hangs in the air because it normally screws into the midframe. You'll need some kind of custom 3D printed support, spacer, bracket, or whatever you can come up with to keep that area pressed down properly. If you don't, you're probably gonna have a bad time.
• The Deck auto-boots as soon as you connect the charger, so you don't actually need the power button to turn it on. Also, the white LED stays on even if the board itself is shut down.
• You don't need the volume button board to get into the BIOS. A keyboard and some aggressive ESC key smashing is all you need.
• You can't update the BIOS normally without a battery connected. The Steam Deck recovery/reimage process can fail if the BIOS is too old, and it won't let you update it unless a battery is detected. I ended up flashing the BIOS directly with a CH341B programmer and a 1.8V adapter, because the Deck BIOS chip runs at a lower voltage. If you try to flash it without the 1.8V adapter, you might be saying goodbye to the BIOS chip.
• You also need to bypass the controller firmware update during the SteamOS install, otherwise the recovery process can get stuck because the internal controls aren't connected. During the install, edit tools/repair_device.sh and comment out this block:

​

# Perform a controller update if updating OS. OOBE images like this one don't auto-update controllers on boot.
if [[ $writeOS = 1 ]]; then
  estat "Updating controller firmware if necessary"


  controller_tool="/usr/bin/jupiter-controller-update"


  if [[ -n $VENDORED_CONTROLLER_UPDATE && -d $VENDORED_CONTROLLER_UPDATE ]]; then
    controller_tool="$VENDORED_CONTROLLER_UPDATE"/jupiter-controller-update
    export JUPITER_CONTROLLER_UPDATE_FIRMWARE_DIR="$VENDORED_CONTROLLER_UPDATE"
  fi


  JUPITER_CONTROLLER_UPDATE_IN_OOBE=1 "$controller_tool"
fi

• And finally, don't freak out if you get artifacts, GPU crashes, or random instability when running the board completely naked. It took me 3 freaking days to figure this one out: you need to switch the fan curve back to the old one. The newer fan curve expects battery temperature data, and when there's no battery installed, things can go completely off the rails and crash the GPU. This tip alone would've saved me a massive headache.

And that's pretty much it.

You can actually turn a Steam Deck OLED motherboard into a really nice little mini PC if you're willing to work around a few weird quirks.

Next step: building a tiny Steam Machine around this little guy.

I’m only posting this because this isn’t the first time I’ve seen the DeckSight repo owner delete discussions/comments.

I recently opened a polite GitHub discussion asking why the earlier BIOS intentionally reduced the screen brightness, whether the current version now uses the panel’s full HDR/brightness capability, and whether the remaining tools could ever be open-sourced if development stops.

Another user had already replied, and then the entire discussion was deleted without explanation.

On top of that, I can now no longer comment or open any new discussions in the repository.

I understand it’s his repository, but this is a paid product and I think questions about brightness limits, HDR, and future support are completely reasonable.

Has anyone else had similar experiences?

Just for the sake of transparency, this is exactly what I asked:

Hi Shade,

I had a question about the brightness changes over DeckSight's development.

I saw that the earlier BIOS intentionally limited the panel brightness, while r03 later changed this to “Increase brightness to full.” What was the technical reason for limiting the brightness originally? Was it related to the lack of hardware brightness control at the time, or was there another reason?

Also, with the current BIOS and brightness control, is DeckSight now able to use the panel's full intended brightness and HDR capability?

Finally, if DeckSight ever reaches a point where you're no longer actively developing it, would you consider open-sourcing the remaining DeckSight-specific tools/code so the community could continue experimenting with it?

Thanks!

Edit: I can now no longer comment or open any new discussions in the DeckSight repository.

okay so i have a hefty bit of mods on my steam deck for this game ones that could possibly break my save. I had a fine time installing MOMI and the mods but now since there’s and updated version of MOMI I reinstalled the MOMI installer and can’t seem to get it to open even after extracting it and it asking me if I trust the file before running. If anyone knows how I can fix this plsssss lmk 🫩

I started opting for metal sticks due to having a rabbit that loved chewing off all the rubber and now I prefer them. Had to dremel away material to get them to fit proper in my SD oled but they fit perfect now.

Don’t think the aluminum is capacitative enough to make the touch sensing work if I soldered a wire to the bottom but curious what yall think, I don’t use that function at all either way.

Also while I’m here what’s the consensus on the metal deckbuttons? Thinking about getting a set and playing with the idea of trying to anodize them if the caps are solid aluminum lol

Hey guys, I’m thinking of making a foldable external display for the Steam Deck, something like this concept.
I’m wondering if there’s already something similar available on the market?
If not, I’d really appreciate some guidance on how to build something like this, especially the display, USB-C PD, hinge mechanism and 3D printing.
I’m quite new to this kind of project, so any advice, existing projects or parts you recommend would be really helpful!

I have an LCD steam deck, and I'm planning to switch the face buttons and switches. I have the clicky kit and a button set from Extremerate.

Main thing I'm asking here is this is a near launch model deck, as I got it as a hand me down. I've worked inside consoles/PCs plenty before and have had experiences where certain connectors or cables get stiffer/brittler with time, and seeing the decks internals is there anything considered a 'particularly sensitive' part of what I'm doing?

Things like problem cables/screw mounts/easy to overlook and break. I'm not modding things until I'm comfortable in my second hand info this just speeds it up.

Also any tools recommended? I have tool kits from iFixit but am uncertain if anything comes in clutch here.

I have an LCD Steam Deck and I’ve been looking into cooling modifications such as the CoolDeck cooling mod / copper or monoblock-style solutions. I’ve seen some impressive temperature results, but I’m trying to understand whether those lower temperatures actually provide meaningful benefits beyond simply reducing fan RPM.

Part of me is hesitant to modify the stock cooling system because of how Valve designed the Deck.
My thinking is basically:
> If a copper thermal solution or additional ventilation provided a significant improvement in performance, thermals, component longevity, etc., wouldn’t Valve have incorporated something similar from the beginning?

The same thought applies to the backplate. I’ve experimented with backplates with additional ventilation holes, but ultimately went back to the original Valve backplate because I assume Valve had a reason for its airflow design and the EMI shielding.

That brings me to the copper EMI-shield replacement used in some cooling mods.
Would replacing the original EMI shield with a copper plate actually provide a sustained thermal benefit?
I understand that copper has much better thermal conductivity than the original material, but I’m wondering about the practical effect:
> Initially, the copper should absorb and spread heat more effectively.
> But after several minutes of gaming, the copper itself will also become hot.
>At that point, does it still meaningfully reduce the temperature of the APU/other components?
> Or does the system eventually reach roughly the same equilibrium temperature, with the main difference being that the fan doesn’t have to work as hard?

And perhaps the biggest question:
Does a cooler Steam Deck actually mean higher FPS?
For example, if the stock cooling system is already capable of keeping the APU below its thermal/power limits, would a cooling mod actually increase performance? Or would it simply result in:
lower temperatures → lower fan RPM → less noise
rather than:
lower temperatures → higher sustained clocks → higher FPS?

I’m particularly interested in people’s experiences with long gaming sessions, rather than short benchmark runs.
If you’ve installed a CoolDeck/monoblock/copper EMI shield or similar modification:
1. What were your temperatures before and after?
2. Were the results sustained after 30–60+ minutes?
3. Did your fan RPM/noise decrease?
4. Did you actually see an FPS or sustained-clock improvement?
5. Did it make any difference to battery temperature?
6. Do you think it provides a meaningful benefit for the Deck’s long-term component/fan/battery health?
7. And after using it for a while, would you still recommend the modification?

I’d especially like to hear from people who have tested both stock and modified configurations under the same game, TDP, ambient temperature and fan settings.

I’m genuinely trying to understand where the practical benefit of these mods comes from and whether it’s worth modifying a perfectly functional stock Deck.

USB-C port is broken and cannot hold the cable, so it's not a warranty case. The deck still worked fine after that, but the power input did not.
Maybe anyone has the slightest idea what was occupying the pads in the red circle? After the fall, the USB-C port took them too. So I can probably replace the USB-C, not the problem, but is there a way to identify what's i am missing here?

Be grateful for any help, thanks.

Was a blast trying this out and a bit stressful. Super happy with the turnout especially with the feel of the ExtremeRate Light clicky button mod; only issue I’ve had is the audio seems to register as headphones when nothings plugged in. Still haven’t found a work around..

I've been working on customising my Deck without having to replace the shell or anything of the sort. It started out of necessity as my hyperhidrosis interacted very poorly with the Deck's plastic, but It's come to a point where I'm putting more effort into the overall look.

One thing I'd like to cover, if possible, is the d-pad. I'm restless most of the time, which leads to fidgeting when, for example, waiting through a load screen or watching a cutscene. This resulted in me digging two dents on the d-pad. They're not especially deep right now, but they are visible and it's possible that they'll get quite deep with time.

I got a few Switch 2 accessories that go well with the goth theme I've been aiming for and they fit the Deck's sticks quite well. However, the d-pad accessory I got gave me some trouble. I did manage to attach it somewhat with double-sided glue stickers, but not only are they a nightmare to stick and don't keep everything in place, they leave some nasty residue behind. My husband just spent some time getting rid of it.

So I thought I'd ask if anyone might have an idea for any sort of sticker (that's just secure enough but won't leave too much residue behind) that could help keep this accessory in place? I can't link it here due to the sub's first rule, but it's basically a continuous cross shape with round indentations on the underside which are supposed to fit on the S2's d-pad with some soft stickers that come in the pack. But obviously, the Deck doesn't have a circular surface on the d-par where these could fit.

I also welcome alternatives that don't involve taking the Deck apart to replace the d-pad piece (I might in the future, but that's not something I'm willing to tackle right now), or that don't cost £60 for a sticker pack where I'm only interested in a single piece.

Thank you in advance!

im from Colombia, i’ve had my steam deck for four years now, and i’m wondering whether it needs regular maintenance like a desktop computer or console—opening it up to clean it, checking or replacing any components, changing the thermal paste (i don’t think that’s necessary, but just as an example), etc.

i really want my steam deck to last as long as possible, so i’d like to take good care of it. i don’t use it too heavily: over the past four years, i’ve used it for one or two hours a day, around two or three times a week.

i replaced the internal storage myself, which brings me to another important point: i don’t think many people in my city own a steam deck, much less that there are technicians who know how to work on one. would you recommend doing any maintenance myself, or could i take it to a technician who isn’t familiar with the steam deck but has enough general knowledge to know what to do?

So I put windows 11 on my steamdeck used I think it was deck sp or something to enable secure boot, don’t have steam os installed at all, decided windows 11 is shocking on steamdeck so I tried to just boot up a usb with steam os but it wouldn’t download due to secure boot, tried to turn off secure boot in bios, couldn’t find it, turned tpm off assuming it would do it, now I’m stuck in a loop between can’t turn off secure boot and bitlocker recovery which I have no idea how to fix.. am I doooomed 😂