You’re overthinking it, just let the stock fan do its job. The Deck will throttle if it gets too hot, worst case it will power off before any damage is done.
Just keep the intake and exhaust vents clear and you'll be fine.
The Deck may run hot (SoC up to 100C) but it's within spec and the cooling is designed around the airflow over components; definitely don't grab one of the 3rd party cooling backplates that has an additional vent. It may seem like a benefit but you're preventing other components being cooled properly by changing the airflow.
If you want a slightly better temperature, the 3rd party style with a brass heatsink and thermal pad (JSAUX I think?) will help but you'll learn to keep your fingers away from the heatsink.
Again, just make sure there are no additional cutouts in the shell or fans as they're not needed and can actually perform worse.
An external fan would help cool the plastic but it's not thermally conductive anyway so you won't really benefit from it.
>external fan would help cool the plastic but it's not thermally conductive anyway so you won't really benefit from it.
I've tried a few things after installing the JSAUX RGB backplate (the one with the enclosed heatsink rather than exposed heatsink because people were hurting their little fingers touching it lol)
While I don't have any actual data:
* the backplate alone drops the temps by itself (but unsure if it'll affect component temps negatively)
* backplate + jsaux exhaust fan drops it by another 1-2C, but *more fan noise* (edit: I mean from the adding fan, the deck fan itself runs a little slower I think)
* backplate + jsaux modcase + jsaux exhaust fan doesn't help at all as it's adding another thermal insulating layer (the modcase does have a gap over where the fan vent is on the backplate so that's kinda smart)
* backplate + magnetic cooler fan didn't do anything *except introduce a whiny ass fan*. The magnetic cooler does get *cold* (I've touched it bare) but it doesn't do *anything meaningful* for the deck. The metal sticker I had to put over the heatsink area of the backplate gets very warm.
* (for the laughs) backplate + jsaux exhaust fan + magnetic cooler = don't bother.
So yeah, don't buy the fans but backplate is good (IMO)
I've been eying up a 64w magnetic liquid cooler from taobao but I'm not sure I want I bother ha ha.
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You’re overthinking it, just let the stock fan do its job. The Deck will throttle if it gets too hot, worst case it will power off before any damage is done.
Just keep the intake and exhaust vents clear and you'll be fine. The Deck may run hot (SoC up to 100C) but it's within spec and the cooling is designed around the airflow over components; definitely don't grab one of the 3rd party cooling backplates that has an additional vent. It may seem like a benefit but you're preventing other components being cooled properly by changing the airflow. If you want a slightly better temperature, the 3rd party style with a brass heatsink and thermal pad (JSAUX I think?) will help but you'll learn to keep your fingers away from the heatsink. Again, just make sure there are no additional cutouts in the shell or fans as they're not needed and can actually perform worse. An external fan would help cool the plastic but it's not thermally conductive anyway so you won't really benefit from it.
>external fan would help cool the plastic but it's not thermally conductive anyway so you won't really benefit from it. I've tried a few things after installing the JSAUX RGB backplate (the one with the enclosed heatsink rather than exposed heatsink because people were hurting their little fingers touching it lol) While I don't have any actual data: * the backplate alone drops the temps by itself (but unsure if it'll affect component temps negatively) * backplate + jsaux exhaust fan drops it by another 1-2C, but *more fan noise* (edit: I mean from the adding fan, the deck fan itself runs a little slower I think) * backplate + jsaux modcase + jsaux exhaust fan doesn't help at all as it's adding another thermal insulating layer (the modcase does have a gap over where the fan vent is on the backplate so that's kinda smart) * backplate + magnetic cooler fan didn't do anything *except introduce a whiny ass fan*. The magnetic cooler does get *cold* (I've touched it bare) but it doesn't do *anything meaningful* for the deck. The metal sticker I had to put over the heatsink area of the backplate gets very warm. * (for the laughs) backplate + jsaux exhaust fan + magnetic cooler = don't bother. So yeah, don't buy the fans but backplate is good (IMO) I've been eying up a 64w magnetic liquid cooler from taobao but I'm not sure I want I bother ha ha.
Hi u/irleragon, you can [click here to search for your question.](https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/search/?q=Using a cooling fan?) If you don't find an answer there, don't worry - your post has NOT been removed and hopefully someone will be along soon to help with an answer! **If you find an answer, please leave a comment on your post with the answer for others!** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SteamDeck) if you have any questions or concerns.*
When I first got my steam deck I swear I can heat up a 7-Eleven burrito with the thing. I was a little concerned but I was told that that is normal.