Asus' ROG Ally is a high-end handheld gaming PC, but there are improvements that can be made to make it even more high-end. For example, it only comes with a 512GB SSD for storage, and if you've played any AAA game made within the past few years, you're fully aware that many of them, maybe even most, can hit 50GB or more easily. That means that 512GB can easily be eaten up by 10 games, leaving you with no more storage.
Thankfully, the advent of handheld gaming PCs like the Ally and the Steam Deck has led many SSD manufacturers to offer more SSDs in the 2230 form factor, which is what the Ally uses. Before you set up your Ally, you might want to upgrade its SSD to 1TB or 2TB, giving you plenty of room to work with for gaming. Here are our recommendations if you're looking to upgrade your Ally with more storage.
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Best overall 1TB 2230 SSD
Corsair MP600 Mini
- Storage capacity
- 1TB
- Hardware Interface
- PCIe Gen 4 x4
- Brand
- Corsair
- Transfer rate
- 4800MB/s Read/Write
- Price
- $110
The Corsair MP600 is a great SSD that you can put in the Asus ROG Ally or a Steam Deck, and it packs up to 2TB of storage that you can fill up with as many games as you'd like.
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Highest performance 1TB SSD
SABRENT Rocket 2230 NVMe 4.0 1TB SSD
- Storage capacity
- 512GB, 1TB, 2TB
- Hardware Interface
- PCIe Gen 4 x4
- Brand
- Sabrent
- Transfer rate
- 4,750/4,300 MB/s Read/Write
- Price
- $110
if you want to expand storage and don't want to deal with slow read/write speeds, check out the Sabrent Rocket 2230 NVMe SSD. It offers up to 4,750MB/s read and 4,300 MB/s write speeds and unmatched reliability that you won't get with a microSD card.
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Best value 1TB 2230 SSD
Teamgroup MP44S 1TB
Teamgroup's MP44S is a budget 2230-sized SSD that's ideal for handheld PCs like the ROG Ally and Steam Deck, as well as other small computers and laptops. It comes in 1TB or 2TB.
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More value 1TB 2230 SSD
Micron SSD 1TB M.2 2230
Use some added value with the Micron SSD 1TB M.2 2230 as it is compatible with the ROG Ally, Steam Deck, Pro Tablet, and more. It offers sequential read and write speeds of 3,500 MB/s and 3,000MB/s. It is under $100 and helps you upgrade your storage for cheaper.
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Best overall 2TB 2230 SSD
Teamgroup MP44S 2TB
Teamgroup's MP44S 2TB SSD is made for the 2230 form factor, allowing it to fit into handheld PCs like the ROG Ally and Steam Deck. At less than $200, it's one of the cheaper 2TB 2230 SSDs today.
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Best high-end 2TB 2230 SSD
SABRENT Rocket 2230 NVMe 4.0 2TB SSD
Sabrent's 2TB Rocket 2230 SSD (also known as the Rocket Q4 2230) is the highest-end 2230-sized SSD for devices like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally, and is also one of the few 2TB 2230 SSDs you can buy.
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Another powerful option
WD - BLACK SN770M 2TB Internal SSD
The Western Digital Black SN770M 2TD Internal SSD comes in the 2230 form factor, making it ideal for the ROG Ally and Steam Deck. It provides maximum read speeds ot 5,150MB/s and write speeds of 4,850MB/s, making it super efficient and fast. While it is on the pricier side, you're expanding your storage with fast speeds.
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Best 512GB 2230 SSD
Inland TN436 512GB
Inland's TN436 512GB is a great budget option for anyone upgrading their lower-end handheld gaming PC, such as the Steam Deck. It's not the fastest 2230 SSD by any means, but it's cheap and affordable.
A recap of the best SSDs for the ROG Ally
Before the Steam Deck came out, there were no high-performance 2230 SSDs, but now that the Deck and the Ally have become popular, the market offers more than a few good options. There are enough 2230 SSDs to make a choice worth your while.
If you're after a good 1TB 2230 SSD, then check out Corsair's MP600 Mini. In our review, we found it fast enough for gaming while also being pretty cheap. Sabrent's 2230 1TB is a higher-end alternative that works extremely well and is more than enough for gaming.
You can also go big with a 2TB 2230 SSD, like the MP44S, which balances performance and price. We also recommend Sabrent's 2TB 2230 (which is specially branded as the Q4 with a different sticker) or the Western Digital Black SN770M as fantastic alternative options.
Asus ROG Ally review: Windows makes this difficult to recommend
Plagued by Windows-related problems and quality control issues, the ROG Ally is a fantastic device that's hard to recommend currently.