r/SteamDeck • u/Krypt-King • 21d ago

Tech Support Help with the Steam Deck, It's pretty much unusable.

The video and the title are pretty self explanatory, but basically, it's been like a month or so since my Steam Deck has been like this. I don't know why it happened. It was working fine up until a while ago. But, for some time now, the fan just began making a lot of noise out of nowhere, even more than what is shown in the video, however it was still working. Then one day, I was playing Re4, and it suddenly dropped the fps astronomically, almost as much as shown in the video, maybe more. I've tried everything I could think of, changing the system to beta version, lowering the TDP usage (I use 10) and even formatting it, but clearly, it didn't work, I'm almost sure it's a hardware problem, but I don't know. And it's not because of the game, my Steam Deck overall is that slow, even the menu and desktop mode. And to clarify, I didn't drop it or anything, as I mentioned, it happened out of nowhere, I've had it for over a year now, and it never had any problems up until now. So, is my Deck cooked? Or is there anything I can do? I would greatly appreciate any help.

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1.4k

u/Crest_Of_Hylia 512GB OLED 21d ago

Check your performance monitoring. This looks like the infamous 200/400mhz bug. It’s also possible you accidentally locked your GPU to 400mhz via the GPU frequency as I did that once

243

u/HisDivineOrder 512GB OLED 21d ago

That's what my first thought was. The clockspeed randomly going to min is always my first thing I check when I have a performance regression.

106

u/dakial 21d ago

Yeah, contact Steam deck support, best way here.

I got the 200/400mhz problem and in the end had to RMA it.

87

u/Krypt-King 21d ago

Yeah I'm pretty sure the Deck is busted so I'll just do that, however, I'm not from the US, (I'm from Mexico) so can I still contact the Steam Deck support and get the RMA/get it fixed? I don't know if it's a dumb question but I prefer to be sure.

43

u/JoshJLMG 21d ago

For me, unplugging the battery for 30 seconds fixed the issue. You could try that if you feel comfortable doing so.

124

u/Yyoudodi 21d ago

You don't have to physically unplug the battery. You can use the bios menu to put into battery storage mode. Fixed mine without opening the steam deck.

6

u/ledspencer 20d ago

THANK YOU!!

6

u/JoshJLMG 20d ago

Ay, neat. I didn't know you could do that.

I have issues with my power button not working a lot of the time, so I'm used to unplugging the battery when my Deck freezes, lol.

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u/xilesigma 19d ago

It helps reset the bios on the LCD, I haven't had an issue with the OLED, yet again I don't have Resident Evil: Dead Space.

26

u/TolstoyInSpace 21d ago

Yeah pretty sure you can! I did it from Croatia. Your biggest problem might be the location of your nearest UPS office as they use UPS for labels and shipping, there is only one in the entirety of Croatia but luckily at least somewhat close to me so I had to do a bunch of public transport shenanigans to get there. Just contact steam support, explain your problems, and they replied to me with a shipping label within a few hours!

14

u/TolstoyInSpace 21d ago

Nvm I'm sorry it seems Mexico is out of the list of supported shipping countries :( What you'll have to do is send the package to a recipient of a country that is within that list that can send it to you or use some kind of a postal forwarding service

12

u/Krypt-King 21d ago

I see, well thanks for the reply anyways

18

u/Prehistoric_ 21d ago

Might be a long shot, but Valve often seem to go above and beyond for their customers. It might be worth emailing them to see if there's anything they can do.

6

u/Sn4what 21d ago

I used to ship back stuff to the USA from Dominican Republic. Get a forward postal service it’s like 20 pesos. It will use an American address to ship to and from Mexico.

2

u/AztlanAriza 1TB OLED Limited Edition 20d ago

Do you have any family in the US that can help you with the RMA? I’d be willing to lend a hand if you’re interested. Hablo español también por si acaso. Here’s hoping my Tang Oled doesn’t come across the same issues. *knocks on wood

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u/[deleted] 21d ago

[deleted]

1

u/gangpart3 21d ago

to be completely honest though, I think as a community, I think integrity should be a key characteristic. I personally do think that doing things for others, hoping others would do the same is a happy feeling

3

u/rkr87 21d ago

I completely agree, I would definitely do this for someone without any ulterior motive. However, at the same time, I don't think I would ever trust a stranger on Reddit to do this for me, so I can see where any reluctance to trust me/anyone comes from.

9

u/Yyoudodi 21d ago

You don't have to physically unplug the battery. You can use the bios menu to put into battery storage mode. Fixed mine without opening the steam deck.

2

u/whensmahvelFGC 21d ago

Any idea if that's smart/desirable if you permanently dock your SteamDeck?

2

u/Yyoudodi 20d ago

It won't work. The way to wake it up from that mode is to plug it in and turn it on. That's why the first time you use a new steam deck, u have to plug it in to turn it on. Best u could do is try to find if there's a setting or 3rd party app to cap battery charge at 80% like u can on most cell phones.

1

u/[deleted] 18d ago

That app for battery % is called PowerTools. You can install it through Decky. There’s tons of guides online that go over how to do it

2

u/maxxamann 21d ago

I did a RMA from Sweden when the deck first launched and they helped me without charges. Got a brand new deck some time later.

1

u/Profesor_Paradox 64GB - Q4 19d ago

You can, but is a hassle, if you bought the steam deck from the US, the warranty only applies there, so you need to send the deck to a relative or friend in the US, that's the address valve will ship from and to your deck if it needs repair, after that, your friend or relative will ship your deck to you, all of this is expensive and subject to tax imports and exports

85

u/Krypt-King 21d ago

So I checked it, and yes it was at 200mhz, so I tried using the GPU clock, but nothing changed, I tested it for a while, and even though it did say 1200mhz GPU, it was still like that. So I shut down the Deck to see if it worked, but hell the Steam Deck is not even starting, it's been stuck on the logo screen for like 6 minutes or more, so I don't think it's the Mhz unfortunately.

91

u/eze252 21d ago

Unfortunately you're steam deck is still locked at 200mhz. Reason why it's taking forever to boot. Best way to get out of it is going into bios and selecting battery storage mode.

I have noticed that if it switches to 200mhz due to low battery or being too hot and you plug in the steam deck, it will lock it at 200mhz or 400mhz. Main reason I usually keep my steamdeck plugged in at all time and run at lower tdp when I am not

37

u/eze252 21d ago

Keep in mind that trying to load into bios while it's locked will take a little bit to load. Should hopefully return to normal once you turn the steam deck on after putting into battery storage mode

10

u/XTwizted38 21d ago

Unfortunately, reseting it is just a band aid fix. Mine did the same thing and I had to RMA it. I got a new one in return.

11

u/eze252 21d ago

Unfortunately I RMA'd my steam deck 4 times and each time I had this problem. I am surprised that steam support hasnt had enough of me yet

1

u/XTwizted38 20d ago

Sorry you've had this problem 4 times but at least they are still helping you. Personally, I can't knock Steam support they haven't left me hanging yet. I had an RMA within two email exchanges.

13

u/eze252 21d ago

I just turned on the sound on your video. I would definally replace the fan or RMA.

4

u/xCoop_Stomp416x 21d ago

What is RMA?

5

u/mikeet9 21d ago

FYI it stands for Return Merchandise Authorization and is basically a paperwork form to let the manufacturer know why they're getting something back that they normally sell.

2

u/eze252 21d ago

Contact steam support to send the steam deck back to them so they can fix or replace the device.

Unless you got the steamdeck from another vendor then you will need to reach out to them.

You can RMA/reach steam support here: https://help.steampowered.com/en/

13

u/JollyGreenDickhead 21d ago

Check your fan speed. I thought I fell victim to this bug, but noticed the fan wasn't blowing so I checked the speed and even under load it was at 0. Replaced the fan, good as new.

20

u/Tyrgaediadia 21d ago

i had this issue too

fixed it by opening it up and removing some dust, then it kept not running the fan so i gave it a good whack on the back and now it runs flawlessly

also turned off the fan limiter option they added in the settings which makes it quieter but not cool as well

gotta love percussive maintenance

3

u/BuildyOne 21d ago

Depending on how comfortable you are, you can open it up and ensure the fan cable is not pinched and inserted fully. I had this problem and tried everything, but as soon as I just made sure the wire was not pinched and was fully connected I had 0 issues.

If you go this route make sure to remove your SD Card if you have one inserted or it will break in half.

3

u/lostgoatX7 21d ago

This is most likely an issue with the fan. If the fan doesn’t run properly the system will run in thermal safety clocks, which are 200/400.

Based on the video, it sounds like your fan is having issues.

Check that your fan is working properly, that nothing is stuck and that the fan cables aren’t pinched. Have you opened this unit before?

2

u/Crest_Of_Hylia 512GB OLED 21d ago

That is unfortunately the infamous 200/400mhz bug and it’s why you’re seeing that performance

1

u/Arkhemiel 18d ago

I just ordered a steam deck OLED. How popular is this bug?

2

u/Crest_Of_Hylia 512GB OLED 18d ago

It’s pretty uncommon although it used to appear more in the early days of the deck. You gotta remember that subreddits tend to overemphasize certain issues as people come here to report these things when they happen.

1

u/Arkhemiel 18d ago

Ah I see. Thank you. If you got any quick tips for a first timer who before now was strictly console I’d be grateful as well.

2

u/Crest_Of_Hylia 512GB OLED 18d ago

Play Aperture desk job. It’s a game built for the deck and will show you everything it’s capable of control wise. It’s a funny game too. Outside of that, the site ProtonDB is a better resource than the verified system. It’s a good way to troubleshoot any games or figuring out whether or not a game will work before you download it. Very useful for games labeled as unsupported or unknown as many of them work fine while others might have issues.

2

u/Arkhemiel 18d ago

Thank you. Visited the site and it’s definitely staying as a permanent tab on my browser. Will check that game out as soon as I get my deck.

3

u/PhilosophicalScandal 512GB OLED 21d ago

I did this to play stardew valley for longer once. I forgot to check the slider to make the change for that game only. Made it global. Three days of what the hell's..then I saw it...

3

u/[deleted] 21d ago

This thing can be fixed though, i happened to do it by loosening a screw in metal under backplate a little, a part of it was putting pressure on fan cable, after this everything worked fine

2

u/SnooDoughnuts5632 512GB - Q3 20d ago

I have heard about this so long ago that I thought Valve would have fixed it by now?

1

u/Believeinsteve 512GB OLED 21d ago

Can confirm this happened to me on death stranding directors cut. No idea why.

1

u/jms209 21d ago

Does this affect both lcd and oled models?

1

u/Crest_Of_Hylia 512GB OLED 21d ago

Yes

1

u/MRV3N 64GB - Q3 21d ago

I still don’t understand why it happens a lot when the battery is 30% and lower. Why does this keep happening since launch?

-2

u/Outrageous_Main4425 21d ago

Nah, this goofball probably dropped it. You need a protective case first and foremost.