ASUS ROG Ally may be destroying its own MicroSD card reader
Running hot is expected, but the friendly fire is not
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The popularity of the handheld sector has certainly exploded with the mainstream Valve Steam Deck and now the more recent ROG Ally. However, it seems it has come with some issues, as the MicroSD card reader might be being cooked by the handheld device.
As Toms Hardware reports, ASUS addressed the issue in a Discord message on some of the faults users have had with some of the Allys. In its own testing, it found that under certain thermal stress conditions, the SD card reader can in fact malfunction. This leads us to believe the part is getting cooked by the thermals of the device.
This may be the result of the fan curve, with the component not spinning up as much at those lower thermals. However, that quietness leads to damage to its own parts, as such WhitsonGordon on Discord has confirmed there will be an update to the Ally. Focusing on fine-tuning the default and minimum fan speeds for that reliability but without sacrificing noise level. It is also confirmed if you have issues with your device you can RMA it by contacting your region’s customer service.
How the SD card reader is failing and temporary fix
As we can assume, the SD card reader is overheating. The placement as you can see below on the motherboard is quite close to the power delivery VRMs. These convert the power and regulate what is supplied, and that process is inefficient and is how the heat is created. As such if that is not dealt with or moved, it will spread over to the reader as they are right next to each other, heating up and damaging the card or slot itself.
One of the fans is directly over the VRMs and slot, so the solution is simple, adjust the fan curve. Although it might be annoying in the short term with loud noise and power consumption, it should leave the device in your hands and not be sent away. As the solution ASUS is working on is going to be similar, you can implement it now to make sure there’s enough airflow over the VRMs and reader to keep them functioning.
