With all the reports of the GameShell overheating, I’m curious if anyone has attempted to undervolt the Cpu to get the heat down?
It is more slowing it down that would have an impact. I’m not even sure the voltage can be changed.
I’m not sure if there is a way to get the CPU temperature. Well I can look at that once I have mine.
Ah, I used to see people undervolt their PC Cpus to get better temps, but I suppose that voltage difference has a larger impact at those TDPs.
At the very least, (if it is possible) it might help with battery life if they cranked (calculated margin of error) the voltage to ensure stability.
I fully intend to underclock mine when it arrives
Well we will need it in hands to see what can be done. Changing the CPU core voltage is not going to be as easy as gamers PC with tons of overclocking options
Yeah, that’s very true.
I’m hoping it has the same (or similar) overclocking/underclocking settings/abilities as the PI. I’m anxious to get my hands on it and I can’t do anything but theorize and suggest rn 
@yong
你好，已经发现了机器发热的根本原因，在于系统自带的模拟器，仅仅启动retroarch，还没有运行游戏时，cpu占用已经300%了，cpu长时间满负荷运行，导致主板发热严重。
希望团队能优化一下retroarch模拟器。
谢谢。
3 Likes
I was thinking underclocking instead. But I dont have my gameshell yet to thinker with it.
Yeah @Petrakis underclocking makes more sense.
Most modern IC’s especially processors have some kind of simple thermistor (which is just a resistor who’s resistance changes based on temperature) built into the package itself to keep it from ever getting too dangerously hot.
Gonna be honest, I didn’t mean to undervolt instead of underclock. I figured it was a suggestion for people who already had a Gameshell and didn’t want to give up precious speed. Ultimately, yeah, an underclock might be necessary, but if (seriously if) both are available I don’t see why we wouldn’t tune both.
The idea of manually undervolting isn’t to protect the package, is to keep this thermal throttling from happening, preserving the clock speed.
If this truely isn’t an option (I only suggested it because the Pi3 has these features), I am totally fine with that. I thought I ought to clarify that the idea is supplemental to underclocking, not either or. If it proves to have a negligible effect, so be it.
1 Like
Personally, if I notice any overheating in my unit the first thing I’m going to try is:
- running the system outside of the shell and
- while outside of the shell, put on a mini heat sink.
It may be possible to resolve this by modding the case to include venting and/or a heat sink rather than trying to modify the software which could limit what games it can handle.
2 Likes
I can’t lie, I bought these the day people started mentioning overheating
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07B8NWMF3/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D3TVVC7/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
1 Like
From the pictures I’ve seen so far of the board and case:
- the SoC on the board seems to be facing away from the screen (a reasonable design not to damage it)
- it should be possible to align a small heatsink like those pictured by @QuantumKraken with the opening at the back of the case
With the STL files for the board container, it should be possible to design a custom lid with an opening to allow all of this within the current design
1 Like
I think it’s a prime candidate for a mini water cooling system 
2 Likes
You could use the lightkey port on the keypad to charge a mini fan
Mine has never overheated and I’ve had like 8 hour SSH sessions transferring 10+ gigs at once. Not to mention the gaming sessions.
How did the thin copper heat-sink work out for you? Did it fit in the case? Did it improve heat dissipation?
I’m considering using 1 or 2 (or maybe 3) as a passive cooling solution because my GS keeps crashing from overheating.
Honestly, I didn’t end up using them; the heat still needs to radiate somewhere. I would have used the thicker heat sinks, but I really didn’t want to put holes in my case.
A thermal pad might do the trick in making the plastic case the radiator, but I can’t really recommend it.
Sorry, man.
1 Like