Question for Chewitt

LybsterKodi · April 1, 2022 at 3:13 PM

I remember that you recommended ditching the Argone One case and since LibreElec is now getting to the point where I can use my TV remote (just need a few weird key presses - including the eHelp key! - to enable the FF, rewind & stop buttons) I need to start looking for a new case. Are there any you can recommend with a temperature controlled fan?

TIA

**MikeKL** · April 1, 2022 at 4:01 PM

I can personally recommend (from experience to date) going down the passive cooling case route with a Flirc Raspberry Pi 4 Case

**chewitt** · April 1, 2022 at 7:32 PM

I use the flirc case with an RPi4. I would never recommend anything with a fan for HTPC use.

LybsterKodi · April 2, 2022 at 6:27 AM

Living in the Scottish Highlands we don't get many hot days but last year we did get some and my RPi3 did display its little thermometer icon (took me a while to figure out what it was). Its in an aluminium case with heatsinks fitted so I'm thinking give the RPi4 some extra cooling.

Is there a reason for recommending against a fan or is it preference? I understand that most of the time it will run cool enough which is why I want a controlled rather than on all the time one.

**chewitt** · April 2, 2022 at 6:48 AM

I'm in Dubai which means despite it reaching 50ºC outside in mid-summer the RPi4 is used in an air-conditioned environment, albeit stuffed in a semi-open cupboard (five sides closed, one side open behind speaker-cloth) where temps are somewhat higher than the ambient 24-25ºC of the apartment. It's personal preference, but I don't want to hear the spin up/down of fans during a movie.

LybsterKodi · April 2, 2022 at 11:47 AM

Our lounge normally runs 16ºC to 20ºC but with its south facing window and a good sunny day it can reach 28ºC. The latter doesn't happen very often I'm happy to say.

I agree with you about not wanting to hear fans spinning up and down which is why I was thinking about temperature controlled just to stop the cpu boiling itself. I'll give the Flirc case a go and see what happens.

Pretoriano · April 2, 2022 at 12:20 PM

LybsterKodi personally i'm using a cheap armour case and on top of it i have a (expensive, i must admit) Noctua fan without any fan speed control (used to have such a control with the case's original, cinese fans) and it's deadly silent even during the night.

And temperature went down by at least 12°C, sitting around 30°C when idle and around 37°C when using Kodi to watch a movie (1080p at max).

Rpi4 runs at 1800MHz.

**chewitt** · April 2, 2022 at 2:53 PM

RPi4 was designed to run way hotter than most people are mentally prepared to run their devices. Remember when it first launched and the average temps were over 65ºC?

LybsterKodi · April 5, 2022 at 9:31 AM

Chewitt

I think you're right. My i7 laptop idles around 40ºC, my old core2 duo idled at around 25ºC. I didn't get worried until the RPi3 started showing a flickering icon in the corner which when I wandered over to the TV turned out to be a thermometer. I think it should have been accompanied by a message "please strap ice cube to case"

**chewitt** · April 5, 2022 at 1:53 PM

Nothing has ever beaten the 85ºC that one of my mk1 AppleTV boxes once reached

**HiassofT** · April 5, 2022 at 8:32 PM

Quote from chewitt

Nothing has ever beaten the 85ºC that one of my mk1 AppleTV boxes once reached

Pah, that's nothing. The poor quadcore i7 in my laptop is usually around 100°C (at which point it throttles a bit) after a while when building LE.

Critical CPU temp is 105° so although it's not optimal (thermal designs of laptops have their limits) it's also nothing to worry about.

so long,

Hias

LybsterKodi · April 6, 2022 at 2:42 PM

My, its nice to talk to the local HOTSHOTS

Question for Chewitt

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