this post was submitted on 05 Jan 2024
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Steam Deck

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How to choose a model? (self.steamdeck)
submitted 10 months ago by frickineh to c/[email protected]
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I don't do much handheld gaming, but I'm going to have some overseas flights and long-ish train rides later this year, and may also be having surgery that will keep me fairly bedbound for about a month. I'm just not sure how much money it's worth spending on a deck that I likely won't use much outside of those specific cases - I bought a switch when I got covid in 2020 and used it a ton at the time but I've only used it a few times since, though I miiight use a deck a bit more just because I already have a pretty extensive steam library.

Is it better to stick to the cheapest model or is there enough of a difference that it might be worth spending a little more for a nicer one?

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[–] breadsmasher 11 points 10 months ago

Bigger than 64Gb LCD has faster storage. 64 is EMMC iirc.

The newer ones all have the faster storage and a better screen

The older/smaller ones can be had at a discount in comparison

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

I just got my OLED model, and I would get a 512GB version of either type at minimum. You'll be able to install several things before worrying about SD cards, and you can always upgrade the drive later.

As far as I've read, the battery life in-game sometimes is better, sometimes is about the same, but the screen and the weight are both improved over the LCD version. It's otherwise pretty much the same. I like OLED and have a few games with HDR, so I'm glad I sprung for the newer model.

I was in a similar boat and thought I would use it on occasion, but I haven't played a game on my beefy desktop thus far, not even to stream a title. It's super convenient to just pick this up and play in the short moments between doing other things, and I've read about other people who bought some for their kids as a replacement for a laptop.

When you throw in tinkering around to add Epic, Amazon, and Gog games via Heroic Launcher, there's a massive and relatively cheap ecosystem of games you wouldn't be able to access on a more closed console.

[–] shigutso 5 points 10 months ago

I recommend getting the OLED 512GB because it can store plenty of games and it's better in every way over the LCD model.

If your budget is absolutely limited, then the LCD model is also great.

[–] captainlezbian 2 points 10 months ago

I recommend OLED. Personally I’m glad I went with the top tier. I threw a bunch of indie games on it and a few AAA and there’s room to spare, and the screen is just gorgeous. I definitely use it way more than my switch. The switch is just a bit too small screen and the deck is just right

[–] Nibodhika 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

There used to be 3 models sold:

  • 64: LCD screen, Slowest storage, no anti-reflective glass, regular battery
  • 256: LCD screen, Fast storage, no anti-reflective glass, regular battery
  • 512: LCD screen, Fast storage, anti-reflective glass, regular battery

If your region still has the 64 or the 512 for sell they'll be highly discounted. The 64 I think it's not worth it, because it's too small disk size, the 512 is what I have and I'm very happy with it.

Currently the three models sold are:

  • 256: LCD screen, Fast storage, no anti-reflective glass, regular battery
  • 512: OLED screen, Fast storage, no anti-reflective glass, large battery
  • 1TB: OLED screen, Fast storage, anti-reflective glass, large battery

If you don't care about the anti reflective glass the new 512 is very tempting, 512 is more than enough and you can always put SD cards for extra games. Personally I would go for the highest one, larger internal storage is always preferable to SD cards, the anti-reflective glass is worth it and if you're going to be travelling a lot the large battery is surely worth it. If the price is too high, the 512 is very close.

As for the usage afterwards, my deck has seen lots of usage, the biggest problem I have with the switch is very limited game catalogue (not that they don't offer enough games, but I have very few because they're really expensive). If you like gaming, the deck is great because it allows you to squeeze 5min gaming sessions whenever you have free time, which a PC doesn't because it takes 5min to open steam, open the game, load your save, etc, whereas on the deck you unlock it and you're back where you stopped in a matter of seconds.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Do you mean fast storage? Memory is the same across the board I think.

[–] Nibodhika 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

No, the 64 model had emmc memory, all other models have nvme.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

That's storage then. Memory means RAM.

[–] Nibodhika 1 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Memory can also mean storage, but if you were confused by it it's better to edit the post so there's no confusion.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

When has memory ever meant storage (not including people accidentally using the wrong term)? I'm genuinely curious because it's literally in the name: Random-Access Memory.

[–] Nibodhika 2 points 10 months ago

RAM is a type of Memory, other examples are Read Only Memory (ROM), or more specifically the type of Memory I'm referring to in most lines, i.e. Non Volatile Memory express (NVMe). Lots of places use memory to refer to storage (especially in portable systems such as phones or consoles), while others use memory to refer to RAM, which is why the more clear names are RAM and Storage as pointed out before, which is why I edited my post to prevent further confusion.

PS: SDDs are also RAM technically speaking, the name of RAM to mean the large, fast temporary non-cache memory of computers in modern systems dates back to the time we used magnetic tapes for storage, which was a Sequentially accessed memory.

[–] frickineh 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I think the anti-reflective glass is very tempting. I'm not incredibly worried about the battery because basically everywhere I take it will have charging available and I don't think I can justify the cost of the 1TB model knowing that I really prefer using my PC for gaming whenever possible (which is most of the time, for me).

This is very helpful, thank you!

[–] Nibodhika 2 points 10 months ago

There are screen protectors with anti-reflective coating if that's the only downside of the cheaper model.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

You can install a 3rd Party ssd in all models.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

I got the 64gb from the wait-list which ended the day before it arrived in the mail. I put in an aftermarket 1tb nvme 2230 and the tiny emmc thing is in my router now. At the time that I did it, I believe the ifixit guide suggested peeling off the foil shield thing but I just slid it off and on to the new one without unwrapping it. It was pretty easy but if you haven't taken many things apart, just get one of the bigger models. There are a number of annoyances with just 64gb and that model totally existed just for people like me apart from having a drive at all, which is probably so people don't cluelessly buy one with no drive and complain.