Best way to approach Retropie install with SSD for ROMs

oko360

Hey guys! I recently bought a 2GB Pi 4, an Argon ONE M.2 case, and an M.2 SSD. I intend to use it for RetroPie.

I’m following a YouTube tutorial, and I’m up to the part where you flash the RetroPie image onto an SD card. Is it possible to use Etcher to flash the RetroPie image onto my SSD and have the Pi boot from there instead? Or is this not advisable? If not (I have an SD card laying around anyways), I at least want to use my SSD to store all my ROMs and save files. How do I go about doing this?

I apologise if this seems like a dumb question, I'm a complete beginner and can't seem to find any comprehensive advice that takes me through every step. Using info from different sources at different stages might not work well together if that makes sense (for a beginner).

Thanks!

dankcushions

@oko360 said in Best way to approach Retropie install with SSD for ROMs:

I’m following a YouTube tutorial

Please note we only support following our official documentation here: https://retropie.org.uk/docs/First-Installation/

I at least want to use my SSD to store all my ROMs and save files. How do I go about doing this?

https://retropie.org.uk/docs/Running-ROMs-from-a-USB-drive/

you can boot from an SSD but i'll leave that to someone else to answer - never done it!

mitu

Use Raspberry Pi Imager, instead of Etcher, everything you need to install is available there.

Install the latest EEPROM on a microsd card, this will update the bootloader so it supports USB (see here).
Flash the latest RetroPie image (4.7.1) directly on the SSD, RetroPie is available in the list of available operating systems. Make sure you choose the Pi 4 image option.
Connect the SSD to the Pi, then power it up - it will boot from the USD drive automatically.

oko360

@dankcushions I'll have a look at the documentation thanks!

oko360

@mitu This is what I needed! Thanks a lot, I really appreciate it!

Quick question for your first point "Install the latest EEPROM on a microsd card, this will update the bootloader so it supports USB"

How do I get the initial "bootloader" on the micro card in the first place? Or should I just follow the link and install EEPROM straight away. Sorry if this is a silly question.