Chunks of aluminum that keep your Raspberry Pi cool are not exactly unusual, but rarely do they look this good. DeSalvo Systems’ new heatsink case for the Raspberry Pi 4 offers over 10.5 ounces (300g) of metal to passively cool your Pi, whipped into what are either rather beautiful curving blades, or a heavily-gelled new-wave hairstyle on top.
(Image credit: DeSalvo Systems)
There’s a catch, of course - the Phineas Case costs $70, as much as an 8GB Pi itself. DeSalvo has form in this area, having previously put out the gorgeous Maker Block case for $249, but one look at the graph provided on the site makes the investment feel worthwhile. An overclocked Pi 4 4GB ran a half-hour stress test while wearing the case, maxing out its overclocked CPU above 2 GHz, and didn’t get hotter than 50 Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) once.
The case itself measures 2.9 x 3.9 x 1.73 inches (75mm x 100mm, x 44mm), and has access slots for the Micro SD card, GPIO pins (as long as you don't mind bending your cables by 90 degrees), and all the other ports. Due to the limited GPIO access, using HATs and add-on boards is out of the question. The Pi’s two LEDs, so often hidden by cases, are also visible, thanks to holes drilled in the metalwork. The board attaches to the inside of the case with screws, while hex bolts shackle the two halves of the case together. You get some thermal compound in the box, along with tools, some stick-on feet that add 1.4mm to the unit’s height when assembled, and a piece of thermal interface material for use with 2GB Pi 4 models.
Built of 6061 aerospace aluminum this passive cooling case looks like a great way to silently cool your Pi 4 effectively even when it’s under load. The fittings are all stainless steel, and there are holes strategically drilled in the bottom for mounting on DIN rails or other assemblies, should you have it in mind to create a cabinet full of these things. Judging from the looks, however, it would almost be a shame to shut these cases away from view.
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Ian Evenden is a UK-based news writer for Tom’s Hardware US. He’ll write about anything, but stories about Raspberry Pi and DIY robots seem to find their way to him.
CooliPi can cool under 50˚C overclocked to 2350/750/550 MHz on air, with ambient temp 23˚C . Including GPIO with POE header on a side, CSI and DSI cables and two resets. Manufactured for one and a half years now. Only 8GB models can be pushed that far, because its PMIC runs at 1.5MHz, i.e. 50% higher than in former models. More energy per PMIC tick delivers more current to the SoC. This is the secret of the latter Raspi models' overclockability. You can even use it to cool it in liquid Nitrogen (video).
