Steam Deck OLED gets modded to have 32GB RAM - but this really isn't for the faint-hearted

A modding and repairs workshop based in the US has managed to successfully upgrade a Steam Deck OLED to 32GB of memory.

This is SlickBuys Mods and Repairs, based in California, which offers mail-in repairs or upgrades and specializes in consoles and gaming handhelds.

VideoCardz spotted the above YouTube video which shows how SlickBuys has managed to give the Steam Deck OLED an upgrade to 32GB of RAM - but there are significant caveats here.

The process of switching out the 16GB memory modules for 32GB is an involved one, and even after the soldering iron is put away, there's more work to be done. That includes removing the BIOS chip to tinker with it (and reprogram it to accept the new memory), and then implementing a firmware update block.

In other words, you won't be able to get new firmware from thereon out - because it'll overwrite the mentioned tinkering and revert the memory to be read as just 16GB. So, the firmware that comes with the mod is what you'll have to stick with going forward (unless you want to go through the BIOS rejigging process yourself, post-firmware update).

Ultimately, that limits the usefulness of this upgrade procedure. There's also another question mark here, namely: how much better do games run with 32GB of RAM on the Steam Deck?

We don't know, because no benchmarks are provided here, though of course it'll vary depending on the exact game - and whether it really needs more memory. There's an increasing number of titles that do, though, but still - it'd be nice to get an indication of how it might help with a more taxing game.

SlickBuys has previously modded the ASUS ROG Ally and beefed that up to 32GB of RAM.