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    Would I have to worry about Overheating with an Aluminium case?

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved General Discussion and Gaming
    caseplasticoverheatingairflowaluminium
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    • JirynJ
      Jiryn
      last edited by

      Would I have to worry about Overheating with an Aluminium case?
      I already have a plastic case, and am using a heat sink, but I am looking to upgrade to this case.
      https://www.amazon.com/Eleduino-Raspberry-Aluminum-Enclosure-Heatsinks/dp/B01LXGZWSH/ref=sr_1_6?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1502933292&sr=8-6&keywords=raspberry+pi+case+metal

      I am currently using this case https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011RBJV9G?psc=1

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      • dankcushionsD
        dankcushions Global Moderator
        last edited by

        there's many factors in overheating but generally the difference between plastic and aluminum would be marginal. i have an aluminium case with much better ventilation than that, and a cold room, and i can still overheat my pi3 in specific situations.

        JirynJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • JirynJ
          Jiryn
          last edited by

          Yea, I didn't see any real ventilation
          I don't have aircon in my gaming room sadly, and the case doesn't seem to have much ventilation (Unless there are holes/vents you don't see in the images)

          Which do you use? Does a fan make much difference?

          I mostly use my pi for Arcade and 4th gen consoles (Snes/GEN) but also the PS1 rarely.

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          • JirynJ
            Jiryn @dankcushions
            last edited by

            @dankcushions
            Out of sheer curiosity, what do you do to overheat your Retropie?

            dankcushionsD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • dankcushionsD
              dankcushions Global Moderator @Jiryn
              last edited by

              @jiryn i use this case

              i've manage to overheat when doing a large compile (mame or fbalpha for example).

              JirynJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • JirynJ
                Jiryn @dankcushions
                last edited by

                @dankcushions
                Interesting, though I have no clue what you mean by large compile in this circumstance, I am guessing loading or trying to run a large file, or intense program.
                (Also, now I'd really like to know. Even with all my degrees and certifications, I feel like I learn something new everyday in my field of study... which I both love and hate.)

                Thank you in advance!

                muehltimeM 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • muehltimeM
                  muehltime @Jiryn
                  last edited by

                  @jiryn I find putting a small external fan over the pi takes the unit from approaching 70 F to consistent 45-50 F. I also found that when I had a cheaper power supply, it got hotter than when I bought one of the recommended power supplies.

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                  • dankcushionsD
                    dankcushions Global Moderator
                    last edited by

                    @jiryn said in Would I have to worry about Overheating with an Aluminium case?:

                    @dankcushions
                    Interesting, though I have no clue what you mean by large compile in this circumstance, I am guessing loading or trying to run a large file, or intense program.
                    (Also, now I'd really like to know. Even with all my degrees and certifications, I feel like I learn something new everyday in my field of study... which I both love and hate.)

                    Thank you in advance!

                    no problem :) i mean you install something from 'source' via https://github.com/retropie/retropie-setup/wiki/updating-retropie#updatinginstalling-individual-packages

                    rather than downloading the application, this takes the latest code and 'builds' the application on your raspberry pi, which uses several CPU cores (almost every emulator only really uses one), and maxes them out for 30+ minutes.

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