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Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement

Introduction

Use this guide to replace the heat sink in your Steam Deck OLED.

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

You'll need replacement thermal paste to complete this repair.

What you need

  1. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Prepare your Steam Deck for disassembly: step 1, image 1 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Prepare your Steam Deck for disassembly: step 1, image 2 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Prepare your Steam Deck for disassembly: step 1, image 3 of 3

    • 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 snap right in half.

    • During your repair, it can be helpful at times to lay the Steam Deck face-down in its case to protect the thumbsticks and prevent wobble.

    Edit

  2. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the back cover screws: step 2, image 1 of 2 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the back cover screws: step 2, image 2 of 2
    Tool used on this step:
    FixMat
    $36.95
    Buy

    • Use a T6 Torx driver to remove the eight 5.8 mm‑long screws securing the back cover.

    • Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from.

    Edit

  3. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Unclip a handle: step 3, image 1 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Unclip a handle: step 3, image 2 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Unclip a handle: step 3, image 3 of 3

    • Insert an opening pick at an upward angle between the back cover and the front shell near one of the triggers.

    • If you can't insert your pick here, try along the top or bottom edges of the Steam Deck OLED before sliding it toward the handle.

    • Slide your pick along the edge of the handle to release the clips securing it to the front shell.

    Edit

  4. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Unclip the top and bottom edges: step 4, image 1 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Unclip the top and bottom edges: step 4, image 2 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Unclip the top and bottom edges: step 4, image 3 of 3

    • Reinsert your pick and slide it along the top and bottom edges until the back cover feels loose.

    Edit

  5. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the back cover: step 5, image 1 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the back cover: step 5, image 2 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the back cover: step 5, image 3 of 3

    • Grip the unclipped handle and pull it away from the front shell to release the remaining clips.

    • Remove the back cover.

    Edit

  6. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Disconnect the battery: step 6, image 1 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Disconnect the battery: step 6, image 2 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Disconnect the battery: step 6, image 3 of 3

    • Grip the battery cable pull tab, located to the left of the battery.

    • Firmly pull the battery cable straight away from the motherboard shield (toward the battery) to disconnect it.

    • This bundled cable is fairly stiff. If you're having trouble, re-grip the pull tab close to the head of the connector and gently walk it side-to-side as you pull.

    • If the cable pull-tab feels fragile or rips during this process, remove the motherboard shield and disconnect the cable using a spudger.

    • When the battery cable comes free, it might push up on the motherboard shield. Don't worry, as this won't damage anything.

    Edit

  8. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Disconnect the right button board: step 7, image 1 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Disconnect the right button board: step 7, image 2 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Disconnect the right button board: step 7, image 3 of 3
    Tool used on this step:
    Tweezers
    $4.99
    Buy

    • Use a spudger to flip up the small white locking flap on the right button board interconnect cable ZIF connector.

    • Use tweezers or your fingers to grip the cable's pull tab and slide it straight out of its socket to disconnect it.

    • The pull tab may be labelled C‑R.

    Edit

  9. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Separate the cable adhesive: step 8, image 1 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Separate the cable adhesive: step 8, image 2 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Separate the cable adhesive: step 8, image 3 of 3

    • The interconnect cable is adhered to the motherboard shield.

    • Insert an opening pick between the interconnect cable and the motherboard shield.

    • Be careful not to crease or tear the cable.

    • If you're having trouble inserting a pick, lightly heat the cable using an iOpener or a hair dryer.

    • Slide your pick along the shield to separate the cable.

    Edit

  10. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Move the interconnect cable: step 9, image 1 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Move the interconnect cable: step 9, image 2 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Move the interconnect cable: step 9, image 3 of 3

    • During the rest of the repair, it may be helpful to move the interconnect cable over the battery and out of the way of the motherboard shield.

    • Be careful not to crease or strain the cable, as it's still adhered to the battery.

    • Tape the cable in place away from the motherboard shield.

    Edit

  11. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the motherboard shield screws: step 10, image 1 of 2 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the motherboard shield screws: step 10, image 2 of 2

    • Use your T6 Torx driver to remove the two 3.8 mm‑long screws securing the top left and bottom left corners of the motherboard shield.

    Edit

  12. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the motherboard shield: step 11, image 1 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the motherboard shield: step 11, image 2 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the motherboard shield: step 11, image 3 of 3

    • If the speaker cable is taped to the bottom edge of the motherboard shield, gently peel it off.

    • Remove the motherboard shield.

    Edit

  13. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Reassembly instructions: step 12, image 1 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Reassembly instructions: step 12, image 2 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Reassembly instructions: step 12, image 3 of 3

    • During reassembly, use the flat end of a spudger to slide the battery connector into its socket on the motherboard.

    Edit

  14. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Soften the sticker adhesive: step 13, image 1 of 2 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Soften the sticker adhesive: step 13, image 2 of 2
    Edit

  15. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the heat sink sticker: step 14, image 1 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the heat sink sticker: step 14, image 2 of 3 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the heat sink sticker: step 14, image 3 of 3

    • Try not to tear the heat sink sticker, as you'll reuse it during reassembly.

    • Slide the tip of an opening pick under one edge of the heat sink sticker.

    • Peel the sticker up until you can grab it with your fingers.

    • Gently remove the sticker from the heat sink and fan.

    • During reassembly, place the sticker back in its original location. The residual adhesive should stick well.

    • If the residual adhesive isn't sticky anymore, tape the outside edges of the sticker to the heat sink and fan with small strips of tape.

    Edit

  16. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the heat sink screws: step 15, image 1 of 1

    • Use your T6 Torx driver to remove the three 3.3 mm‑long screws securing the heat sink.

    • During reassembly, install the screws in the order marked on the heat sink mounts: 1, 2, then 3.

    Edit

  17. Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the heat sink: step 16, image 1 of 2 Steam Deck OLED Heat Sink Replacement, Remove the heat sink: step 16, image 2 of 2

    • Lift the heat sink from the motherboard and remove it.

    • Depending on the age of your device, this might require some force. A twisting motion may help loosen the thermal paste.

    • Before reinstalling the heat sink, follow this guide to clean the heat sink and APU and reapply thermal paste.

    Edit
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 OLED answers community for help.

Author

with 2 other contributors

Clay Eickemeyer

Member since: 09/19/22

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