Steam Deck Chizha Mount Ling Dock Review – The ‘Must-Have’ Accessory That Makes Valve’s Handheld Even More Powerful

Although Valve's Steam Deck is relatively old compared to mainstream handhelds, it remains a capable device that supports several AAA titles. However, to 'supercharge' your experience, Dockcase has introduced their newest Chizha Mount Ling Dock for Steam Deck, and they were kind enough to send us an 'exclusive' review sample. After testing the dock for several days, I must say, it is indeed an accessory that every Valve fan out there should own, since it really brings in 'valuable' benefits and add-ons.

Steam Deck Chizha Mount Ling Dock - LAN Support, Extra M.2 SSD Slot & Futuristic Design

Since the Steam Deck 'accessory' market has become a lot more mature over the years, the competition amongst docking stations is indeed a lot more fierce, since firms like UGREEN and JSAUX have dedicated and impressive products for the Steam Deck out there. However, Dockcase's Chizha Mount Ling holds a premium position in the segment, not only because of its features, but also because of the way its structure is configured to ensure users get the optimal experience.

With just a single dock station, you could potentially get 'terabytes' of storage capacity with your handheld, allowing you to load up as many AAA titles as needed. More importantly, with connectivity such as USB 3.2 Gen 2 10 Gbps, data transfer becomes significantly more seamless across the handheld storage and the onboard SSD, so there's no need to worry about delays while your titles are being loaded on the Steam Deck. We'll test it out in depth ahead, but for a quick rundown, here's the overview of the Chizha Mount Ling dock specifications:

Specification	Detail
Host connection	USB-C link to Steam Deck
Power Delivery (PD)	Up to ~100 W
Display Output	HDMI 2.0 supporting 4K @ 60Hz
Storage Expansion	M.2 2280 SSD slot, up to 4 TB
Cooling / Ventilation	Active 40 mm fan, dual convection channels
Front Display	3-inch touchscreen (170 × 560 pixels) for monitoring/controls
Ports – USB & Peripherals	1 × USB-C port (10 Gbps) 2 × USB-A ports (one of which is 10 Gbps)
Ports – Network & Audio	Gigabit Ethernet (LAN) Optical audio out (TOSLINK)
Physical Cradle / Fit	Adjustable cradle design (fits Steam Deck with many cases)

Steam Deck Chizha Mount Ling Dock - Unboxing & First Look Experience

The packaging of the dock was visually appealing, featuring black and purple accents throughout to match the product's theme, which is a great choice. Once you open the package, the dock itself greets you, and another package inside contains one of the more important elements of the Chizha Mount Ling Dock. The package also features a separate M.2 SSD enclosure, designed to provide expandable storage onboard. With this package, you essentially receive two M.2 2280 SSD slots: one on the dock and the other in the enclosure.

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To power up the Chizha Mount Ling Dock, connect it to your Steam Deck's charging port and a 'Host' labeled port on the dock. Notably, the package includes a USB Type-C port with 100W power delivery for this purpose. Once the dock powers up, the standout feature is defintely the onboard screen, which not only highlights the status of every port on the dock itself, but it also allows you to control functions of your Steam Deck, such as volume adjustment.

The quality of the Dock itself is quite solid, considering you are getting a dedicated screen measuring almost 3 inches, and it features a unique RGB touch on the sides, which really complements the look. Once you power up the dock, you are greeted with an interesting animation, followed by an interface that displays connected devices and the status of each onboard port.

Let's talk about the SSD slot onboard. For testing purposes, I utilized GiGimundo's 2TB SSD drive, which I had recently reviewed, as it features impressive performance. The M.2 slot is located at the bottom of the dock itself and does not function as a proprietary storage area; instead, the device treats it as external media. The reason I say this is that with my first startup, I encountered issues detecting the SSD with the dock. However, I had to switch to the SteamOS 'Desktop' mode, where the drive became visible, but it required formatting.

Once that was done, I was granted 2 TB of additional storage capacity on the device instantly, which was amazing to see. Downloading games directly from Steam to the SSD was a simple task, as all you needed to do was change the download folder for each title. I successfully loaded games like Control and Hitman: World of Assassination onto the SSD. Overall, this was a fairly seamless experience. If you need directions for mounting the SSD, the manual that comes with the dock is quite helpful.

Steam Deck Chizha Mount Ling Dock - External Display via HDMI 2.0 & LAN Connection

Now, external displays on the Steam Deck are another feat with the Chizha Mount Ling Dock, as you get an HDMI 2.0 connection onboard. I managed to test this feature with my ASUS VG30VQL1A curved VA gaming monitor, and my display output was configured to be at 2560 x 1080 with a 60 FPS refresh rate. All in all, gaming on an external display with the Steam Deck is a personal preference, but with the Mount Ling Dock, it becomes a lot easier, since you are getting seamless access not just to the HDMI port, but also USB interfaces, which allows the connectivity of devices such as peripherals and controllers.

I couldn't feel any input lag with the display setup, which is attributed to the dock's top-notch performance, and more importantly, in an almost 2-hour gaming session, the battery life of my Steam Deck dropped from 94% to 18%, which was also great, considering that the handheld's screen wasn't running at all. I also tested Fortnite on the device to analyze the LAN connectivity, and as expected, it worked perfectly as well, with my pings being the usual across my system and the Steam Deck. With wireless connectivity on the handheld, gaming online is simply a terrible choice.

Talking about battery life, the 100W PD port is a 'lifesaver' with the Steam Deck, since it doesn't let the device die out, even in intense gaming scenarios. More importantly, even if you are using the device as your go-to handheld product, the 100W PD ensures faster charging times. Although I couldn't record the exact difference, it was noticeable.

In case you are wondering how the dock handles multiple connectivity interfaces at a time without 'burning' out due to thermal generation, well, Dockcase has thought about this as well, and they have included dual convection airflow channels, with a 'turbo fan' that was probably on all the time when the device was connected to the external display.

Steam Deck Chizha Mount Ling Dock vs Other Options In the Market

Before I dive into this comparison, I couldn't find a dock that replicates the design of the Chizha Mount Ling, such as having M.2 SSD slots onboard, a dedicated touchscreen display, and multiple USB Gen 3.2 interfaces. Hence, I decided to compare the dock against top-rated options, such as the JSAUX Steam Deck dock, which is a popular choice among consumers. However, it simply isn't a match for the Chizha Mount Ling, due to its completely different design and targeted audience.

The JSAUX Steam Deck dock lacks a dedicated screen output, features only one PD-dedicated port, and, more importantly, doesn't come with an SSD slot, so the Chizha Mount Ling defintely beats the top-rated option. The dock being reviewed here is one of the most premium options on the market, not just because of its features, but also because it is user-oriented, to the point that it addresses several 'drawbacks' of the Steam Deck with the simple addition of a docking station.

Now, you might be waiting for the pricing of the Chizha Mount Ling, but unfortuntately, it is under its Kickstarter campaign, so the price is yet to be disclosed. However, if you are interested, you can take a look at the device in depth on Dockcase's campaign here and analyze where the dock is the right option for you.

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