Upgrading the SSD in the Asus ROG Ally X is easier than ever - here's how

Asus' ROG Ally was already one of the best PC gaming handhelds, so when Asus announced the ROG Ally X with almost everything we wanted from a successor, we were very excited. An additional improvement that we were delightfully surprised by is a change from the smaller, harder-to-find 2230-style SSDs to the 2280-style that almost every computer uses. That means it's never been easier to swap out the SSD for more capacity, and Asus says the ROG Ally X will support SSDs up to 8TB in capacity. With the internal changes in this mid-cycle refresh, the steps to swapping out that SSD are slightly different. However, they aren't more complex, so anyone with a screwdriver can increase their storage capacity.

About this tutorial: The Asus ROG Ally X was sent to us by Asus for purposes of review, and the company had no input into the contents of this tutorial.

What you need before you start

You don't need much to swap the ROG Ally X SSD

The ROG Ally X's Gen4 NVMe drive only has 1TB of capacity. That's not much when you consider you need space for Windows 11 and all your games. Thankfully, Asus has made it pretty accessible to swap out for a larger drive, and with the Cloud Restore feature, you won't have to worry about cloning the existing drive. Once you have the basics together, the process should be smooth.

• Asus ROG Ally X (still under warranty so that you can use Cloud Restore)
• M.2 2280 NVMe SSD of any capacity up to 8TB - this is the type of drive that most computers use, so you have options
• Size 0 Phillips head screwdriver
• Guitar pick, spudger, or other plastic pry tool
• An internet connection with Wi-Fi

If your ROG Ally X isn't under warranty, you can still swap the SSD, but you'll want an external NVMe enclosure to clone the original SSD.

How to remove the original SSD from the ROG Ally X

It'll only take a few minutes

The ROG Ally X has redesigned internals, so changing the SSD is slightly different from the process for the ROG Ally. Along with a new SSD size, some of the other internals have also moved slightly, and there is now a ribbon cable connecting the back panel to the rest of the handheld. That means you need to be slightly more careful when opening the back, but it's not much more trouble than before.

1. If you have one installed, remove the microSD card and any accessories that might be plugged into the USB-C ports or 3.5mm headphone jack.
   
2. Use the Windows power menu to turn off the ROG Ally X completely. If you use the power button, it will only go into sleep mode, which we don't want.
   
3. Lay the ROG Ally X on a soft surface, screen down. Remove the six screws marked in the image, and place them somewhere safe while remembering which position they came from. The middle bottom screw is captive, so it won't come off the casing.
   
4. Use your guitar pick or spudger to lift the back shell off gently.

   Try not to insert your tool more than a few millimeters, as the ROG Ally X has some delicate cabling inside that we don't want to snag. You can see where these cables are in the picture for the next step. They're the thin white ribbon cable and the smaller cables near the bottom two corners.

   
5. Gently lift the back case up, and move it out of the way as far as it will go, being careful with the white ribbon cables.
   
6. Unlock the battery connector by sliding the metal clip down.
   
7. Lift the battery connector up to disconnect it.
   
8. Gently peel the thermal cover off the SSD and put it aside for later.
   
9. Unfasten the screw holding the SSD down and gently pull the SSD out of the slot.
   

How to install the new SSD in your ROG Ally X

And how to get Windows and Armoury Crate SE onto it

Now you've got an empty M.2 slot to install your new SSD in, and it's time to do the steps in reverse to get everything installed.

1. Insert the new SSD into the slot at an angle.
   
2. Push it down, then gently refasten it with the screw.
   
3. Put the thermal shield on top of the new SSD.
   
4. Reattach the battery connector to its socket, then slide the metal lock back in place.
   
5. Gently push the back cover onto the ROG Ally X.
   
6. Put the screws back into their original holes and gently tighten them.
   

Now it's time to reinstall Windows and the all-important Armoury Crate SE.

1. Plug the ROG Ally X into the included charger.
   
2. Hold down the volume down button, then press the power button to boot into the BIOS menu.
   
3. Press Y to exit EZ mode and enter the Advanced tab.
   
4. Select Asus Cloud Recovery and press A.
   

After entering your Wi-Fi details, let the recovery utility run. It will take some time to reinstall Windows 11 and Armoury Crate SE and put it back in the out-of-the-box state. The recovery process might ask you to agree to a few things at various stages of the process, and it will reboot several times as it installs things. You might also see popups on what looks like a Windows desktop; leave it to reinstall without selecting any options, and it'll soon be done.

Upgrading the SSD in the ROG Ally X is easier than in the original

If you want more storage space for games in your ROG Ally X, swapping in a new SSD is quick and simple. That's partly because it now uses an SSD standard that is widely available and also comes in higher capacities than the 2230-based SSD used in the original ROG Ally. With a few minutes of time, a screwdriver, and some care, you can have up to 8TB of SSD storage space to fill with on-the-go gaming goodness.