Upgrading Your ROG Ally's SSD

I've been using the ROG Ally for the past year now and so far the included 512 GB storage has been enough to accommodate multiple older game titles and usually I just swap out some games if ever I plan to play a new one. But recently, this has been quite a chore since some games, especially newly released ones, takes huge amount of storage space and transferring it is taking much longer now. Utilizing the SD card is not an option for me since I find running modern games on an SD card is slower and there is still the risk of frying my microSD controller. Relying on external storage also has its own sets of inconvenience hence foregoing this route as well.

Luckily, upgrading the SSD slot of the ROG Ally is really easy and I would say that most non-tech people would not have any problems doing it themselves. With that said, our friends from TeamGroup actually hooked us up with one of their newer PCIe Gen 4 M.2 drive that fits perfectly to the ROG Ally without doing any modification. The TeamGroup MP44S is a 2230 M.2 drive that is compatible with most handheld device including both Steam Deck and ROG Ally. The one I have here is the 1TB version but a 2TB SSD is also available for those looking for larger storage space. It also comes with a graphene label so it should be able to disperse heat much quicker as compared to other SSDs out there. And finally, its 5-year product warranty offers reassurance to all users out there.

Replacing SSD In ROG Ally

Before we actually start with the disassembly, here are some tools that you will be needing:

• Your ROG Ally
• Your M.2 2230 SSD (In my case, the MP44S)
• Screwdriver (PH0 bit)
• Spudger/Prying Tool

1. Make sure that your Ally is turned off before you start disassembling it. The back side is held by six long screws and you can remove it any way you want but the bottom-middle screw is a captive one so don't be surprised if it doesn't come off.

2. Once the screws are out, you can slowly pry it using your prying tool (in my case, a regular triangle pick). What I did is start at the bottom and slowly sliding it until I hear a pop from its clips then using another one for the sides.

3. Once separated, It is important to unplug the cable that is connected to the battery. It prevents unnecessary shorts that could kill your device.

4. Underneath the black sheet is the SSD. You can actually remove this first so you'll have easier access to the M.2 drive. Unscrew the SSD and slowly tug it away from its slot. It takes a bit of effort especially if you have stubby fingers.

5. Once it is out, we can now install our TeamGroup MP44S 1TB 2230 SSD. Do not forget to screw it in again.

6. Put everything back again, starting from the black sheet, then plugging the battery cable in, snap back the rear case then screw it back on.

7. This step might vary depending if you cloned your older SSD to the new one. But for this instance, I want a fresh copy of windows in my ROG Ally. But before you turn your unit back on, make sure that it is plugged in as the device won't boot without it.

8. You'll be redirected in the BIOS setting, then from there switch to advance mode and choose ASUS Cloud Recovery option.

9. From here on out, just make sure you are connected to the internet. the entire recovery and windows installation might take you an hour or two. Just follow all steps in between then after that, you'll just need to update drivers both from Armoury Crate and MyASUS.

And that's it, took me around 2 hours from disassembly to updating all necessary drivers from my newly installed SSD! I guess its time for me to download the new Silent Hill 2 game and enjoy it on my new TeamGroup MP44S SSD!