Best M.2 2230 SSD for Steam Deck, Microsoft Surface & Slim Laptops

The most popular and widely used form factor for M.2 NVMe SSD is 2280 where the number 22 specifies the M.2 SSD width in mm and 80 denotes its length in mm. M.2 2280 SSD, mostly NVMe is widely used in Desktop PCs, Workstations, Laptops, and some consoles like PlayStation 5. However, M.2 2280 SSD can be too big for some devices like Steam Deck, Microsoft Surface Pro Tablets/Laptops, Portable Mini Computers, Slim AIO (All-in-one) PCs, etc. For them, you need M.2 2230 NVMe solid state drives that are super compact having a length of only 30mm while the width is the same as 22mm. Other M.2 SSD form factors besides 2280 and 2230 are 2242, 2260, and 22110. Here, you can see that 2230 is the smallest while M.2 22110 is the biggest form factor for M.2 solid-state drives. The most common use of M.2 2230 NVMe SSDs is in Steam Deck, Microsoft Surface pro 8/pro 7+/pro X, laptop3, laptop4, laptop go, book3, slim mini PC/HTPC, Ultrabook, and other smaller portable computers.

M.2 2230 SSDs (NVMe) are also compatible with all the devices that support the bigger M.2 2280 NVMe drives. However, when it comes to availability and range, they lack well behind the M.2 2280 PCIe SSDs. For the retail market, only a handful of smaller manufacturers make 2230 SSDs. Bigger manufacturers like Samsung, Hynix, etc. also make 2230 SSDs but they are mostly for OEMs and not for the retail market. This makes buying a reliable and good 2230 SSD a bit of a challenging task as users may not be aware of the various other brands and models available in the market. So, to help you out, here I am listing down the best 2230 SSDs that you can use with your smaller and portable computers.

Note: All M.2 2230 SSDs are single-sided which means they are on the slimmer side. Single-sided SSDs have NAND memory chips and controller located on one side only, leaving the other side free from any components. Also, the performance of a same-capacity 2230 SSD is comparatively lower than its similar 2280 counterpart. Right now, the maximum storage capacity available for M.2 2230 SSD is 2TB.

Best M.2 2230 Solid State Drives (NVMe SSDs)

Below are the best M.2 2230 NVMe PCI-Express solid-state drives for compact and slim computers or portable consoles.

Sabrent Rocket 2230 NVMe 4.0 1TB SSD

[PCIe 4.0 Ready, Good Build & Performance, High Capacity, High Compatibility]

Sabrent has become quite a well-known and reputable name in solid-state drives. It is a USA brand and it manufactures solid-state drives, memory, and smaller computer accessories. The performance and quality of SSDs from Sabrent are very good and can compete with the SSDs from bigger brands like Samsung, Kingston, ADATA, Hynix, Crucial, etc. Here we have Sabrent Rocket 2230 NVMe 4.0 1TB SSD which is a PCI-Express Gen4 M.2 SSD with having capacity of 1 TB.  It is one of the best M.2 2230 SSDs for Steam Deck, Microsoft Surface, or devices that only support 2230 SSD. This single-sided SSD uses 3D TLC NAND flash memory and the new 12nm Phison E21T SSD controller offers excellent performance. The sequential read and write speeds of the SSD are 4750 MB/s and 4300 MB/s respectively. The operating temperature is around 0°C to 70°C and the endurance rating is 600 TBW which translates into a longer lifespan.

Sabrent Rocket 2230 NVMe 4.0 1TB SSD is backward compatible with PCIe 3.0/PCIe 2.0 interfaces and works seamlessly with reduced bandwidth/speed. The SSD does not come with a DRAM buffer cache but rather uses HMB (Host Memory Buffer), a technology that uses system RAM for SSD cache. For error correction, the SSD uses the LDPC (Low-Density Parity Check) algorithm which is very good and does not impact the performance of the device. This SSD is also available in 256GB and 512GB capacities but for upgrade purposes, I strongly suggest going for the 1TB version for future-proofing and greater SSD lifespan. The exact model number for the 1TB version is SB-2130-1TB.

Buy Sabrent Rocket 2230 NVMe 4.0 1TB SSD

SYONCON AP425 M.2 2230 NVMe SSD 512GB

[Good Performance, Higher Endurance Rating, Graphene Heat Dissipation Patches]

A very good M.2 2230 SSD from SYONCON which is a new emerging brand like Sabrent. It is a PCIe Gen3 SSD and has a capacity of 512GB. The SSD uses Micron TLC 3D NAND Flash memory and supports NVMe 1.3 specification. It is a single-sided 2230 SSD and has read and write speeds of 3200 MB/s and 2600 MB/s respectively. For cooling, the SSD uses graphene heat dissipation patches to reduce the temperature by 40°C. The SSD comes with a relatively higher endurance rating compared to its competitors. Here, the 512 GB variant has an endurance rating of 388 TBW while the 1TB variant has 788 TBW. This 2230 SSD is compatible with Steam Deck, Any Dell/HP/Lenovo laptops that use 2230 PCIe NVMe drives, Microsoft Surface pro 8/pro 7+/pro X/laptop3/laptop4/laptop go/book3, Ultrabooks, and Apple computers. The SSD is also available in 256 GB and 1 TB capacity.

Buy SYONCON AP425 M.2 2230 NVMe SSD 512GB

XPC Technologies 2TB M.2 2230 NVMe SSD

[PCIe 4.0 Interface, Fast Read/Write Speed, Large Capacity]

If you are looking for a high-capacity 2230 SSD for Steam Deck or Microsoft Surface laptops then XPC Technologies 2TB M.2 2230 NVMe SSD is one of the best options available. XPC Technologies is not a manufacturer but a reseller that sells SSDs and memory of popular brands like Western Digital, Micron, Crucial, Hynix, Transcend, etc. under its brand name. Here, it is a Western Digital make 2TB 2230 PCIe 4/0 NVMe SSD that has read and write speeds of 5000 MB/s and 4800 MB/s respectively. The endurance rating for the drive is 500 TBW which is quite good but lower than the competition mentioned above. This 2230 SSD is compatible with Steam Deck, Surface Pro 7, Surface Laptop 3/4, Surface Go, Surface ProX, and Asus Flow Z13 but is not compatible with Surface Pro 8 or 9.

Important Note for Steam Deck Users – There are known issues with Steam Deck BIOS showing connected drives, so do not rely on BIOS to determine if the drive is connected. You have to simply launch a recovery USB to re-image the Steam Deck onto the installed SSD.

Buy XPC Technologies 2TB M.2 2230 NVMe SSD

Other 2230 Solid State Drives

• Kingston 2230 M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD 512GB
• Western Digital SN530 M.2 2230 NVMe SSD 512GB
• XPC Technologies 2TB M.2 2230 NVMe SSD [Micron]
• Dogfish M.2 2230 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD 1TB

Queries/Need Help?

If you have any queries regarding the compatibility or other issues regarding 2230 SSDs then do let me know in the comment section below.