This is my main concern. I really don’t want to mess up my deck
don’t micromanage the battery.
you are likely worried about nothing
how do you expect a dock to mess up the power/battery?
get an official dock and it comes with an original power supply. It’s a bit more $$ than alternatives, but it would be the ‘safest’ solution.
also, the battery is a fairly easy replacement, if needed. But likely it won’t be needed
I use the official dock and it comes with an additional charger. The official charger alone is worth the money in my opinion. The docks works great and get frequent firmware updates.
Basically all of them as long as they deliver the required 15v at 3a to the Deck. The Deck’s battery management system straight up disengages the battery when plugged in to a powerful enough charger.
You are worried about nothing. But to be safe buy the valve dock. Save up if you have to.
First and foremost, the Steam Deck uses USB-C PD (USBC Power Delivery).
This is a standard between the wall adapter, cables, and hardware requiring the power (i.e., Steam Deck).
You could use a 10000000 Watt capable adapter, but through negotiation the Steam Deck will only ever ask for 45 Watts maximum. I personally have a 100 Watt capable adapter and can verify both on the Steam Deck and with a passthru digital meter that tells me what is being drawn.
So to simply answer your question - literally any Dock, so long as it touts having USB-C PD.
This is not an issue, in the slightest. Any discount strain should be fine. Unlike the Nintendo Switch, the Steam Deck utilizes proper USB charging protocols in all modes.