Franken-PC: It’s tempting to discard gadgets the moment they malfunction. Why bother fixing a broken device when you can just buy the latest model? But every now and then, someone sees the potential in repurposing damaged tech, restoring our faith in human ingenuity. That’s exactly what YouTuber Eta Prime has done with a busted Steam Deck.
The story began when Eta Prime acquired a broken 512GB Steam Deck with a cracked LCD screen. The previous owner had salvaged some of the internal components, recognizing that they were still perfectly functional. Eta Prime saw an opportunity to transform what was left into something entirely new – a miniature desktop PC.
The centerpiece of the project was the intact motherboard, with the original Steam Deck fan precariously attached. The board included a USB-C port capable of video output, along with M.2 and microSD slots for expandable storage.
The first step was to mount the exposed motherboard and fan onto a sheet of Plexiglas, providing both support and structure. A small aluminum heatsink was then attached for basic cooling. To power this franken-PC, Eta Prime used a 65W charger with integrated HDMI and USB ports, enabling a single cable to supply both power and video output.
With the hardware ready, it was time to see if this Steam Deck surgery had been a success. Eta Prime pressed the power button – the LED lit up, and the fan whirred to life. A few seconds later, the Steam Deck’s familiar interface appeared on the connected monitor.
There was just one small hiccup: performing BIOS updates required an attached battery, which the open-air setup lacked. However, Eta Prime found a clever workaround using the SteamDeck-BIOS-Manager tool available on GitHub.
With everything finally running smoothly, it was time to throw some games at it, and the results were impressive. Cyberpunk 2077 managed around 40fps at 900p with low settings and FSR Balanced enabled, while Forza Horizon 5 hit 70 frames per second at the same resolution and FSR settings with medium graphical details.
Considering this setup was cobbled together from Steam Deck scraps, the performance was pretty remarkable. Sure, the exposed motherboard sitting forlornly on the desktop looks a bit sad, but Eta Prime plans to “spend a little more” to improve its appearance with a 3D-printed case and a better cooling solution.
