Although the Raspberry Pi 4 has a little more tolerance to heat compared to its predecessorsIt is true that there are a large number of users who complain about the high temperatures that the processor reaches. In this article we are going to teach how to see the temperature on a raspberry pi 4, what happens in certain areas and how to improve their ventilation.
The truth is that when you buy a Raspberry Pi 4, what we will do is receive a motherboard to which we can add components. If you notice, this board does not have a heat sink or fan built into the CPU. Therefore, depending on the use that we give it, we can get a somewhat high temperature in the Raspberry Pi 4. And this will influence its performance. But let's see in detail what happens and how to fix it.
What happens when the temperature on a Raspberry Pi 4 exceeds 80 degrees?
Although their predecessors supported somewhat less temperature, the Raspberry Pi 4 It can reach 80 degrees during operation. However, once this temperature is exceeded, the thermometer will appear on our screen and that will indicate that your temperature has exceeded the figure of 80 degrees.
In this case, processor performance will drop drastically to see if it mitigates that excessive heat. This is also known as Thermal throttling, a self-defense 'mechanism' that some internal components have that all it does is lower its working frequency.
However, if the temperature continues to rise with no apparent limit, it can be dangerous. Usually, when this extreme heat situation is present in the internal components, the machine stops working and would shut down. It wouldn't turn on again until the degrees dropped. However, this situation can become critical if it is repeated very often. Moreover, it is very possible that you may even have to throw the Raspberry Pi 4 in the trash.
How to know the real temperature on a Raspberry Pi 4
We have already told you that when the operating temperature of the CPU of your Raspberry Pi 4 rises, a red thermometer usually appears on the screen warning that it is somewhat excessive and that it should be reduced. However, If you want to know the real temperature of this temperature you can do it through the following command:
vcgencmd measure_temp
Although depending on the use that we are giving to the Raspberry Pi 4, it would also be more comfortable to have a widget installed on the screen that works throughout the power up and shows us the temperature at all times and thus be able to have full control over this aspect.
We must not install anything, but go to the screen toolbar, click with the right mouse button on it and in the menu we will have to select the option 'add/remove items'. Again a menu appears with all the elements that we have in the taskbar and what we will have to do is 'Add' new one. By clicking on the option, we will have to search for a 'CPU temperature monitor'. Once chosen -and installed-, we will have the temperature of the Raspberry Pi 4 at all times.
How to make the temperature on a Raspberry Pi 4 drop
Let's not forget that just as a conventional computer must be cooled, the same thing happens with the Raspberry Pi 4. The electronic components are the same and your CPU and GPU must be well cooled if we do not want the performance of the set to drop drastically or even keep these completely useless elements. Hence, just as in computers we have fans and heat sinks, on the market there are also boxes for the Raspberry Pi 4 that integrate fans. Or, even, we can get hold of heat sinks that will keep the temperature from reaching too high figures.
Cases with fans installed and fans with heat sinks
If for example we are going to use our Raspberry Pi 4 as a multimedia center at home, maybe the following aluminum case with fans and aluminum heatsink is a good option. Its price exceeds 20 euros.
Another of the boxes for your Raspberry Pi 4 that can make the temperature not exceed 80 degrees may be the next option. This box has a double fan to cool the equipment, as well as output for the ports, access to the microSD card slot, as well as space for the operating LEDs. The price of this model does not reach 20 euros.
Now, if you are one of those who do not like to insert your Raspberry Pi 4 in a box and you usually use it outdoors, there are options for you too. A clear example is this fan with aluminum heatsink that you can easily mount on your motherboard and make sure that the temperature is always controlled. Its price? 18 euros are to blame.
Raspberry Pi 4
Finally, we did not want to say goodbye without leaving you the option of taking over the Raspberry Pi 4. If you get hold of it, you already know some tricks to avoid running out of your Raspberry soon. And, more, if the use that you are going to give to the CPU is quite demanding.
