Steam Deck Motherboard Replacement

Written By: Carsten Frauenheim

Comments: 62

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

1 - 2 hours

Introduction

Use this guide to replace the motherboard in your Steam Deck.

Remember: follow general electrostatic discharge (ESD) safety procedures while repairing your device.

These steps only describe how to physically remove and replace your console’s motherboard. You may need additional software tools and calibration procedures to get the replacement motherboard to function as intended.

Tools

Step 1

Turn on your Steam Deck and allow the battery to discharge below 25% before starting your repairs, as a charged lithium-ion polymer battery can be dangerous if accidentally punctured.
As an extra precaution, Valve recommends putting your Steam Deck into battery storage mode within the BIOS before starting any internal repairs. Read how to do that here.
Power down your Steam Deck and unplug any cables.
If you have a microSD card installed, make sure to remove it before opening the Steam Deck. If you attempt to remove the back cover with it still installed, it could break in half.
During your repair, it can be helpful to lay the Steam Deck face-down into its case at times to protect the thumbsticks and prevent wobble.

Step 2

Use a Phillips driver to remove the eight screws securing the back cover:
Four 9.5 mm screws
Four 5.8 mm screws
Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from to avoid damaging your Steam Deck.

there should be a picture of the SD card slot at the start of every Steam Deck teardown. i know the note is there but i generally use the pictures to guide me and forgetting to remove the SD card is a very critical step

Nathan Barrow -

I agree, I just broke mine...

Camille B -

What is the the #1 philips used for? Only the #0 is mentioned in the instructions.

Christopher Martin -

I wish they would specify which size to use for which screws.

Mark D -

I found it easiest to use a PH1 for the red screws, and PH0 for the rest (including the internals.)

Chris Clawson -

Be careful you can strip the screws take your time

I use PH00 bit

jaybush74 -

I used the PH1 bit for this. You can use smaller bits but ideally there should be no play of the bit in the screw head.

Charles Semple -

are there playstation replacements (circle,square,cross,triangle)

Deór -

I used the ifixit tools and used the 00 size for the screws on the back.

Luis B - 10/01/23

I've completed the guide and found it very helpful!

I think somewhere in this part it would be helpful to name the size of the correct Phillips driver to use:

Use a Phillips driver to remove the eight screws securing the back cover:

Four 9.5 mm screws

Four 5.8 mm screws

Maynard -

Step 3

Insert an opening pick into the thin gap between the back cover and the front shell, along the edge of the right grip.
Pry up on the back cover to release it from the locking clips.

I found it easiest to start this process at the top of the device near the fan exit.

Peter Lindberg -

second that and inserting the pick in the bottom middle and sliding the pick to each side

Sub -

I also found the top near the fan exit to be easier

Travis Patton -

Thank you for this tip, it definitely was easy starting at the top instead of by the bumper/triggers. After I opened the top I did the bottom and then it was way easier to gently open the sides. be very careful and go slowly to make sure that none of the clips are damaged

Luis B -

same; i pried from the top of the screen area. I was unable to find an opening on the side

Dennis Wu -

I also started from the middle of the deck and worked my way out since I couldn't get a grip with the pick on the deck's side grips. Since this is a common step for pretty much all guides for opening the deck I think it's also worth noting that you should be careful not to bend the trims/seams where the front and back covers meet with the pick. When I first opened my deck you can definitely see where I nudged the pick in between the covers since I was probably using too much force on the pick itself.

Kaleb McKone -

It would be useful to note here that if you want to insert the little blue triangular iFixit opening picks into the right side along the edge, there isn't actually a gap as the directions say, at least not on newer Decks. You'll be making the initial gap using the pick. Brace it on something because you will need to use enough downward force that you're flexing the pick a bit and it'll probably be digging into the skin of a bare hand. With enough force suddenly it will make a click and go in just a bit, and then you're in business.

CaptFrost -

plastic picks didnt work for me but finger males did the job on prying this open

jacobbagsic -

I found it easiest to open starting with R1 or L1 buttons and proceeding to the center of the top edge

Karol Gro -

Step 4

Once the clips are disconnected from one edge, the rest disconnect easily.
Grip the back cover at the opening you just created and pull it up and away from the device to unclip the long edges.
Remove the back cover.

If you have an SD card, you will want to take it out. I followed the guide and didn't think about the SD card I had inside. When I went to snap the case back on it clapped shut on the exposed SD card, shearing it in half and leaving the bottom half stuck in the SD card slot. I am still endeavoring to get it out.

Novice -

Step 5

Use a pair of tweezers to remove the piece of foil tape covering the hidden screw on the board shield.
If possible, try not to rip or tear this tape so it can be reused. If necessary, you can fashion a replacement by cutting a piece of aluminum foil tape to fit.

Use some heat here from a hairdryer to make this part easier.

If you screw up here you can replace the little aluminium square with some aluminium tape from Amazon. No less than 50 microns thick, slightly thicker is fine. and the square is 13mm both ways.

Matt S -

Step 6

Use a Phillips driver to remove the three screws securing the board shield:
One 3.4 mm screw
Two 3.7 mm screws

The procedure ended here for me, used an ifixit PH 00 bit on the screw behind the aluminium tape, bit wouldnt bite too great, one wrong twist and the screw was stripped. Not sure who or what initially screwed in that particular screw as the rest of the screws on the shield were fine, but boy is it in there tight. So now i have a stripped screw and a botched ssd replacement, don't think valve will let me RMA for this, but i'll give it a try and update accordingly.

Y. van S -

Any updates? Did they let you RMA?

Emanuel Gjoni -

I found one screw to be ridiculously tight too, managed to undo it without stripping thanks to reading your comment beforehand and going extra careful. Not going to lie, it was a tense moment :D

Andy HL -

I think the tendency is to go too small on the screwdriver bits because you're working on small electronics.

I used the PH1 bit on the screw under the foil and the PH0 bit for the two remaining screws without any problems.

Charles Semple -

What does this shield actually do? Some kind of magnetic protection?

Corey Cleric -

if I had to replace the key (R2) and that's it, can I directly remove it or do I have to act here on the motherboard too?

pujattidanny -

have you gotten an answer yet? trying to change mines as well but dont wanna do too much to the deck

briaNN -

button Not key, i’m sorry

pujattidanny -

I used the ifixit tools and used the 00 PH for these screws with no issue

Luis B -

If only swapping the SSD, it is not necessary to remove the top left 3.7mm screw. The heat shield is flexible enough that you can move it out of the way to access the SSD screw. For me this was necessary as the 3.7mm screw was completely unmovable and quickly stripped.

Scott A -

FYI there is a little pin on the cover that slots into the board. It is located near the top screw. I needed that to be inserted for the cover to go back down properly.

Seth Robinson -

Step 7

Remove the board shield.
During reassembly, ensure that the fan cable lays on the side of the board shield and isn't pinched underneath.

When putting back on, run a pick along the edge of the shield between the wires to make sure nothing is pinching and the wires are clear of the shield before screwing down.

Matt S -

Step 8

Grip the battery cable by its pull tab and pull it directly away from the motherboard to disconnect it.
Alternatively, use the flat end of a spudger or a clean fingernail to gently push the connector out of its socket, then disconnect it completely by hand.

After fully reassembling my device I found that my battery was not showing any stats anymore. I couldn't start the device without being plugged in, however if I restarted it would stay on even if my power cable was detached. Battery showed 0%. It turns out I had not fully reinserted the battery cable at this stage during reassembly. MAKE SURE YOU PUSH IT ALL THE WAY BACK IN!

Michael Hoffmann -

Awesome thanks for this tip!

petergeranio -

It is helpful to lift up gently with a the tapered end of a spudger underneath the tucked-in portion of the battery cable, creating a bit of flex in the cable before pulling on the pull tab. I found that without doing so, the fabric pull-tab simply tore off of the cable under light-to-moderate force (the fabric itself ripped cleanly across, like a paper towel). Careful, gentle pressure with a spudger can be used to remove the plug by prying gently on the rear ridge of the plastic plug (not the wire!) if this happens.

Gene Eckser - 08/08/22

This is exactly what happened to me. Maybe it was a pull tab previously, mine was a ribbon cable that tore - captured the image here: https://www.ianwootten.co.uk/2022/11/22/...

Ian Wootten -

I found it less scary and easier to remove the battery connection by using a fingernail on the ridge and pushing it off the connector. I felt like pulling on the battery cable was too harsh.

montgomery mchargue -

Upon plugging the battery back in, I found it easy to use two spudgers- one on each side- to pull/push the connector back into it's port. Be careful to not put any pressure on the battery wires themselves.

montgomery mchargue -

When reconnecting the battery cable, you'll know when it's inserted and power is restored, because the white LED will illuminate at the top of the Deck near the power button. You should be able to see it while you're reconnecting the battery cable

Michael Davis -

Why not just let the battery discharge completely and then not have to disconnect it?

Jeffrey Martin -

Completely discharging a battery reduces its lifespan. It's completely unnecessary.

Stefan Camporese (CENTER) - 12/11/22

Because no lipo battery is ever completely discharged -- you would not be able to recharge it if it was. There will always be enough power left in it to cause damage if shorted even if it isn't charged enough to power up the device it's connected to.

David Cameron -

I would personally not recommend pulling the tab. It doesn’t apply force at the correct angle. You should revise these instructions to advise using a combination of pulling on the tab, and careful pressure on the connector towards the right of the mainboard to carefully work it out.

Using the pull tab alone could cause problems if not done extremely carefully.

William Winborne - 09/01/23

This part was wayyyyy easier than I anticipated and I worried for nothing because I used the ifixit spudger to push it out a bit and then I literally used my finger nail and was able to slide it right off. Dont be afraid, its not that difficult and its not that delicate to break if you do it patiently

Luis B - 10/01/23

I inserted the cable very firmly with a spunger, being careful not to press down too hard on the cables, and even tried redoing it, but I don't see any LED illumination. I am now unable to boot the deck into the boot manager. Any additional tips?

junefish -

Step 9

Use a Phillips driver to remove the 3.4 mm screw securing the SSD.

Step 10

With the SSD screw removed, the SSD will pop up at a shallow angle.
Grip the end of the SSD and pull it away from its M.2 board connector to remove it.
During reassembly, insert the SSD at a shallow angle into its board connector, and secure it back into its horizontal position with the SSD screw.

Step 11

Use a pair of tweezers to remove the sticker from the top edge of the fan.
If possible, try not to rip or tear this sticker so it can be reused. Use a little bit of heat if necessary to soften the adhesive.
If the sticker feels like it might tear, use tweezers to peel up one edge just until you can grip it with your fingers, then remove the rest by hand.

It's not super clear from the pictures but you're aiming to remove the black strip, not just the small white square sticker. Use heat and go slowly.

Matt S -

I didnt like using the tweezers for this part because the sticker was so stuck that it felt like using the tweezers was going to rip it. I used the tweezers to lift it a bit and used my finger to gently lift the rest.

Luis B -

You don't need to remove the sticker entirely from the heat sink, just the side where it sticks to the fan. At least on mine, the black sticker was 80% on the heat sink, so it was much easier to just peel off the thin strip from the fan

jamesmiglietta -

Step 12

Use a Phillips driver to loosen and remove the two screws securing the heatsink to the motherboard:
One captive 3.5 mm screw
One 3.4 mm screw
No, your eyes don't deceive you! The third heatsink screw was removed earlier in the disassembly: it doubles as the hidden board shield screw.

Step 13

Lift and remove the heatsink.
Before reinstalling the heatsink, follow this guide to clean the heatsink and APU and reapply thermal paste.

Where i can buy this heatsink?

Savatium -

Step 14

Use a pair of tweezers to grip the edges of the fan connector and pull up to disconnect it from the motherboard.
Pull the fan cable by its connector, not the wires themselves.

Step 15

Use a pair of tweezers to peel up and remove the Wi-Fi shield tape.
If possible, try not to rip or tear this sticker so it can be reused. Use a little bit of heat if necessary to soften the adhesive.

The steam deck looks to be shipping now with an additional plastic sheet adhered to the wifi module meant to better retain the connectors in place, that will have to be removed.

Stephen Micheals -

Step 16

Use a pair of tweezers to grip the edges of the speaker connector and pull up to disconnect it from the motherboard.
Pull the speaker cable by its connector, not the wires themselves.

Step 17

Use a pair of tweezers to grip the antenna connector close to its base.
Pull straight up to disconnect the cable.
Repeat for the second antenna cable.
During reassembly, ensure that both antenna cables are reconnected at their appropriate connectors. The labels on the cables match the markings on the Wi-Fi module.
To reconnect each cable, align the connector directly over its socket, and then press down so it snaps into place.

Step 18

Use the pointed end of a spudger to lift up the small locking flap on the display cable's ZIF connector.
Use a pair of tweezers to slide the cable out of its connector.
Grip the cable by the pull tab, not by the cable itself.

Step 19

Use the pointed end of a spudger to lift up the small locking flap on the audio cable's ZIF connector.

Step 20

Use a pair of tweezers to slide the cable out of its connector.
Grip the cable by its pull tab, not by the cable itself.

Step 21

Carefully peel the audio cable off of the battery.
The audio cable is secured to the battery with some light adhesive.
If the adhesive is stubborn, don't force the cable. Lightly heat the audio cable using an iOpener or a hair dryer to soften the adhesive.

Step 22

Use the pointed end of a spudger to lift up the small locking flap on the button board cable's ZIF connector.
Use a pair of tweezers to slide the cable out of its connector.
Grip the cable by the blue pull tab, not by the cable itself.

Please note, when replacing the button board cable, and when removing the motherboard, there may be adhesive that sticks the DB cable to the ribbon cable underneath it, which is the Interconnect Cable, to the right of the image above.

Since the adhesive will stick that cable to the Interconnect Cable, the DB cable that connects to the BOTTOM of the motherboard may disconnect from its zif connection. You will have to connect the DB cable that connects to the underside of the Steam Deck's motherboard first to ensure the connection from the DB to the button board is established. This can be tested in the BiOS as basic directional pad and A and B buttons should be functional in the BiOS or Recovery Menu.

Opz Sigma -

Step 23

Use a Phillips driver to remove the three 3.7 mm screws securing the motherboard.

Step 24

Remove the motherboard.
The audio and button board cables attach to the underside of the motherboard with ZIF connectors.

On replacement, check all the way around the motherboard for trapped cables!

Mark H -

Second the above, the DB cable is usually attached to the underside of the motherboard, however due to adhesive that the DB cable is ontop of, when removing the motherboard it can disconnect the DB cable from the motherboard.

Also this is important to make sure that the following aren't inaccessible when re-installing the motherboard:

Heatsink Fan near top-right
MB cable to display near bottom left
Speaker and Wi-Fi cables near bottom right
DB cable that connects underneath Motherboard near bottom left
HD Audio cable underneath Motherboard near bottom right

Opz Sigma -

Peux ton changer le lecteur sd ??

Il est défectueux

d.karimali -

Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting, or ask our Steam Deck answers community for help.

Author

Carsten Frauenheim

Member since: 10/03/20

87825 Reputation

7 comments

When will I be able to buy the motherboard?

Jing -

What is the actual size of the screws (M1.6, M2 , M2.2) as this information would be helpful if someone was to lose a screw while carrying out a repair or re paste.

Luis Elias castro -

Why Can't I buy this accessory？

ziyang -

Could we change dram or apu on the motherboard or upgrade thé motherboard ? Cause it s just zen2 and rdn2 .we need better performance and power !!!!

lapartdesanges50 -

Neither the ram or the APU are replacable. This is about the most powerful of an APU you can get in this formfactor, while not getting abysmal battery life

MJ26 Gaming -

Peux ton changer le lecteur sd ??

d.karimali -

When will I be able to buy the motherboard?

Fabiano Carboni -