The MagPi - February 2020

T

hermal performance isn’t the be-all and

end-all of choosing a case for Raspberry Pi 4

• in fact, as our testing in issue 88 proved,
  under most real-world workloads Raspberry Pi 4
  is more than capable of handling itself.
  It’s little surprise, then, to find every case on
  test – except the Raspberry Pi 4 Stand – passed
  the demanding thermal throttle benchmark with
  flying colours.

What is perhaps surprising is the variance within

the tests. The Pi Hut case’s fan isn’t as effective as

passive options like the Pimoroni Heatsink Case

and the Flirc – and while the CooliPi is the best

performer overall, its high price and bulk make for

a difficult case to recommend for most use-cases.

Under real-world conditions, any of the cases –

including the Raspberry Pi 4 Stand – should prove

more than adequate to prevent thermal throttling.

Only those operating Raspberry Pi 4 in relatively

extreme environments need worry about cooling –

and there’s nothing wrong with picking your case

based on features, accessibility, price, or aesthetics

instead, opening up the whole group as potential

winners depending on personal taste and budget.

And The Winner Is...

Winner: Argon One

The Argon One ticks almost every box: it’s attractive,

includes a wealth of features, cools well, and won’t

break the bank.

Pimoroni Heatsink Case Pi Hut Case

Stand Flirc Argon One CooliPi

Temperature

(Degrees Celsius)

25

45

65

85

Time (Seconds)

200 400 600 800

Case cooling

Any should prove more

than adequate to prevent

thermal throttling

Raspberry Pi thermal case group test magpi.cc 73

REVIEW