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

Jiryn

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

dankcushions

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.

Jiryn

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.

Jiryn

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

dankcushions

@jiryn i use this case

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

Jiryn

@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!

muehltime

@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.

dankcushions

@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.