How to prevent your Raspberry Pi case from overheating? Step-by-step guide

It is an open secret that The popular Raspberry Pi boards tend to get hot when they are being pushed to their maximum capacity, but it also happens when they are at rest. They have registered temperatures above 110 degrees Celsius across Pi 3 models and above 80° on Pi 4.

Several studies conducted by experts have concluded that High temperatures do not pose an immediate risk to your CPU nor do they cause it to malfunction. since those heat levels are part of its nature. However, the problem arises in the prolonged use at this level of heat while inside a plastic casing.

What can we do to solve these overheating problems? How do high temperatures affect the performance of the small board? What specific steps can you take to cool down your Pi? These are some of the questions we will answer from now on in this guide.

How does overheating affect the performance and lifespan of my Raspberry Pi?

For users and fans of the brand, seeing the device running at high temperatures is a source of concern. If we analyze the impact this has on performance, we see that The plate automatically seeks to lower the temperature when it reaches its configured limits.If your CPU is under heavy load for extended periods, the Pi attempts to lower the load by sacrificing frequency and performance; in short, It slows down to avoid collapse.

Now We are referring to durabilityOne of the heat protection systems that the Pi has is to freeze up in the face of extreme temperatureAt this point, it needs to be restarted, and If the blockages are very frequent, this ends up affecting the life of the equipment. However, we must point out that they are configured to work with high levels of heat, although cooling them properly extends their lifespan.

What are the main reasons why my Raspberry Pi overheats so much?

From the Pi3 series en forward, the unique Raspberry boards They have presented high temperatures as an unavoidable characteristic. The creators have made some modifications that manage to lower the temperature by a few degrees, but that's still not enough. What causes the high temperatures of these plates?

Take a look at the data we've collected:

• The processors: By incorporating more powerful processors, up to four cores and above 1,5 GHz, performance and power are improved, but heat also increases due to greater work and energy demands.
• Regulated voltage: The combination of the voltage passing through the USB port, with that required by the rest of the components, causes the amount of current needed to heat the board.
• 4k video playbackHigher image resolution also increases the power demand on the processor and memory card. These components begin to heat up over time, and this heat is transferred to other components.
• 100% usage: When running a large number of programs or working on a very demanding project, the graphics card can utilize up to 100% of the CPU, which increases power consumption. This causes the heat to exceed acceptable limits, at which point the card automatically regulates its operation.

Learn step by step how to fix your Raspberry Pi overheating from scratch

Every problem has a solution, and this is the case with the high temperature of the Raspberry Pi board. There are simple and inexpensive tricks that contribute to better performance. already extending the useful life.

Let's look at two aspects you should work on to cool the Pi quickly:

Improve the configuration

In this particular case, We are going to update the firmware "000137ab" which prevents the temperature from skyrocketing. It also reduces USB 3.0 data transmission, which helps maintain a normal temperature in the Pi4 model.

Take note of the steps you need to take to successfully complete the update:

• We begin with the installation of "rpi-eeprom" to flash the memory.
• We take advantage of update Raspberry Pi.
• We install "rpi-eeprom" y "rpi-eeprom-images".
• After installation, The operating system must be restarted. so that the update can load.
• When it starts up again, We verified that the installed version is "000137ab"If the serial number is correct, it means we have updated it properly.

Install heat sink

When you buy a Raspberry Pi kit, this In most cases, it includes a pair of heat sinks.The problem is that they don't explain where you should place it, or how to do it. Also, the material of this component matters, and you should know that aluminum heatsinks are better.

Installing them is not complicated, just follow these steps and you will do it successfully:

• Find two of the places where they should be installed; about the processor y about the Ethernet chip.
• Take the heat sink, remove the pad that it has underneath and place it on top of the processor.
• Do the same procedure with the other heatsink.
• Press down a little to make sure they are firmly in place.
• Already with these steps, You ensure that you will have a more suitable temperature. on your license plate.

List of the best heatsink kits to use with your Raspberry Pi from scratch

Users themselves have verified that installing a heatsink, combined with a fan, It helps control the temperature of the plate, This means the processor works at its maximum speed without performance drops due to overheating. There are several affordable alternatives that can eliminate this headache.

Some suitable kits for the Raspberry Pi are the following:

Mudder Cooling Kit

This small kit is manufactured by Mudder and is an effective solution for overheating. It contains 10 heat sinks made of copper and aluminum materials.

Aukru – 3 in 1 Kit

This Aukru kit includes a box that ensures easy assembly and disassembly, as well as heat sinks that prevent the motherboard's performance from dropping due to high heat levels, They come in two different sizes. The external slots in the casing significantly improve the aesthetics.

NinkBox Raspberry Pi 4 Kit

This is one of the most complete kits available. This company has designed A set of quality heatsinks that are installed with thermal adhesive on the processor and LAN chipThe creators claim that it lower the temperature to 20 degrees without the need to install an additional fan. Its description indicates that the heat sinks act on the mini-computer to prevent it from overheating and causing operational problems.

With any of these kits added to your Raspberry Pi, you won't have any reason to worry about the board overheating or performance dropping if temperatures rise. It's a slightly larger investment, but The effort is worthwhile to develop the full potential in future projects.