Steam Deck Disk Speed Test Tutorial 2024 [Your Guide Is Here]

Is your Steam Deck starting to lag when playing games? The speed of your Steam Deck disk is likely being affected due to some issues. Find out when and how you should run the Steam Deck disk speed test in this article.

This article will guide you on when you should run the Steam Deck disk speed test and how to run it. Moreover, it will also provide tips to keep your Steam Deck optimized.

Steam Deck has been popular with gamers ever since its release last year. It has allowed users to play their favorite computer games whenever and wherever they want. However, it also comes with its fair share of issues. One of these issues, which is a problem in all gaming machines, is slow speed. That's why you need a tool to regularly run the Steam Deck disk speed test.

Guide on How to Run Steam Deck Disk Speed Test

With the importance of running a Steam Deck disk speed test becoming clear, you need to find a reliable and accurate way to run the test. Below is the detailed guide to run the disk speed test, which you can follow to run an accurate Steam Deck disk speed test:

#1. Run Steam Deck Disk Speed Test for SD Card with Disk Speed Test Software

• ⏲️Estimated Time: 3-5 munites
• 👩🏼‍💻Supported OS: All Windows operating systems
• 🧰Tools: Steam Deck SD card, SD card adapter/reader, Windows PC, EaseUS Partition Master

For running the Steam Deck disk speed test to check the speed of the external SD card, the free and best tool to use is EaseUS Partition Master. It is an amazing toolbox for all the issues related to hard disks. This tool has a dedicated feature called "DiskMark" that can accurately check the disk speed of your Steam Deck.

The "DiskMark" feature provides accurate and reliable speed results for hard disks. It uses three parameters, the read/write speed, I/O speed, and delay speed. You can download this software for free to run the Steam Deck disk speed test.

Steps to Run Steam Deck Disk Speed Test via EaseUS Partition Master

The process to run the Steam Deck disk speed test using this tool is easy to follow and quick. It will take you a couple of minutes at most to complete the test.

Before you start, connect the Steam Deck sd card to your PC via an SD card adapter. Here is how you can run a disk speed test for Steam Deck via EaseUS Partition Master:

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Partition Master. And click the download button to activate the "DiskMark" feature under the "Discovery" section.

Step 2. Click on the drop-down box to choose the target drive, test data, and block size.

Step 3. Once everything is configured, click "Start" to begin the disk test. Then, you can see the Sequential or Random read/write speed, I/O, and Delay data.

#2. Run Steam Deck Speed Test for Internal SSD on Linux via KDiskMark

• ⏲️Estimated Time: 3-5 munites
• 👩🏼‍💻Supported OS: Linux
• 🧰Tools: Steam Deck, Linux Computer, KDiskMark

To check the speed of the internal SSD of your Steam Deck, you will need to use a third-party tool. A great tool to test the internal SSD of your Steam Deck is KDiskMark. You can access the KDiskMark tool from GitHub through this link. It has a simple and easy-to-follow user interface, and you will only need a couple of clicks to run the Steam Deck disk speed test.

Note: Running the speed test for the internal SSD of Steam Deck is risky. That's why it is not recommended for beginners, as they can easily corrupt or damage the internal SSD. You should only try this method if you are confident in your skills.

When Should I Run Steam Deck Disk Speed Test

Many scenarios on your Steam Deck can warrant a disk speed test to help resolve the issues. The disk speed test allows you to check the current condition of your hard disk. Some of the situations where you should run the Steam Deck disk speed test are given below:

• Slow Game Loading: If you are experiencing slow loading times when launching games on your Steam Deck, it may indicate that the disk speed is slow. Running a disk speed test can help you identify the cause of the problem.

• Inconsistent Performance: In case the gameplay suddenly starts to lag or slows down while playing games on your Steam Deck, it may indicate that the disk speed is inconsistent. If you run a disk speed test, you can identify if the performance issues are related to the disk speed.

• Slow Bootup: When booting up Steam Deck, if it takes too long, there is likely a problem with the Steam Deck disk. You can find the likely causes by checking the disk speed through a disk speed test.

• New SD Card: Running a disk speed test is also recommended when adding a new SD card to your Steam Deck. By running a test before and after the SD card, you can check out the difference in the performance and how much it improved.

All these reasons and many more make keeping a tap on your Steam Deck disk a must-do task. Through disk speed tests, you can always be aware of what's going on with the Steam Deck disk. After checking the disk speed, compare it with average and optimal speeds and see if your Steam Deck disk performs well.

Further Reading: Install Windows on Steam Deck

Bonus Tips on Optimizing Steam Deck Disk Speed

Now that we have gone through how to run the Steam Deck disk speed test, the next question is how to optimize your Steam Deck speed. While there are no exact answers, you can take certain steps to optimize the Steam Deck speed. Use the following tips to optimize your Steam Deck disk speed:

• Upgrade the Steam Deck: If you like to play heavy games on Steam Deck, you should go for high-end versions of Steam Deck. It is available in 3 models, with 512GB being the top. For users who love playing heavily graphic-oriented games, the 512GB model is recommended.

• High-Speed MicroSD Card: Still need more storage for your games? Steam Deck allows you to add further storage using SD cards. If you need to use one, always go for the one with high speed. It means you should use a card with a UHS-I or UHS-II speed class.

• Games on the Internal Storage: While SD cards are great for storing your games library, you should keep the most played games on the internal storage of Steam Deck. The loading time on SD cards is slower than the internal storage of Steam Deck.

• Check for Software Updates: Keeping your Steam Deck's OS updated to the latest version is also important for optimal performance. The SteamOS is updated continuously, and you should update with it to ensure your device performs at its best.

• Turn Off Adaptive Brightness: It is one thing users have found the most annoying thing in the Steam Deck. While the concept is great, it doesn't work as expected. Not only it drains the battery, but it also degrades the performance leading to slower speeds.

Conclusion

In summary, Steam Deck allows you to enjoy your favorite games whenever you want. However, like gaming systems, it can also be plagued with slow speed issues. The slow speed can degrade its performance leading to lagged gameplay and slow loading times. Thus, using EaseUS Partition Master to run the Steam Deck disk speed test and resolve discovered issues is the best way to keep Steam Deck in optimal condition.

FAQs About Steam Deck Disk Speed Test

Do you have more questions regarding the Steam Deck disk speed test? If yes, we have answered some of the most commonly asked questions regarding this topic below:

1. What is the average Steam Deck disk speed?

It depends on the type of SSD used in the Steam Deck and which generation is being used. The third-generation NVMe SSD in Steam Deck can achieve a speed of up to 3000Mb/s. Using a 4th generation, NVMe SSD can achieve up to 5000Mb/s read and write speed.

2. Which is faster, Steam Deck SSD vs. SD card?

The Steam Deck SSD card is faster than a regular SD card. The Steam Deck card is an SSD, and SSDs use faster NAND flash memory and have a more sophisticated controller. It allows them to manage the data more efficiently than an SD card.

3. Should I use EMMC or NVMe SSD on Steam Deck?

If it is the speed you are looking for, then NVMe SSD is the preferred choice for Steam Deck. eMMC is more suited for a device like digital cameras. NVMe SSD also has faster read and write speeds than eMMC. Moreover, its ability to handle large files is far superior to the eMMC.