[I decided to actually test if the back fan vent helps, I have numbers and my methodology below] I am seriously impressed by this backplate. I was expecting this thing to be a half-baked part that was going to be "meh", and the vents would make the cooling a little lopsided, causing potential issues with other parts within the Deck. After taking a closer look and installing the thing, I am seriously impressed.
Valve had noted that the airflow design of the Deck is the way it is, in order to pull air through and cool everything enough with both the air moving around inside the deck from the intake vent, and the heat sink in the exhaust. This replacement backplate is very smart with its design, and takes into consideration, how Valve originally designed the Deck. Not only does the vent have a nice fine (but not too fine) mesh that allows for good airflow while keeping out the dust that you would expect, but the intake vent has been tweaked for proper additional cooling. The backplate has a thermal pad that pulls the heat from the original design's heat dispersing shield on top of the main compute components into a metal plate on the inside, however, the metal plate actually is extended to be the grill for the intake. Though the porosity is lower than the OEM intake grate, since it is part of that heat plate, it acts as an active heatsink to some degree, there is more active cooling from that than the OEM design for sure.
After installing the backplate, it really made my Deck a LOT more quiet, since the fan doesnt have to work as hard. Not only does it have less pressure to overcome since it has direct access to fresh air via the new vent in the back, but the main components now have an actual make-shift heatsink with active airflow, all without making a major change to the flow of air within the case itself outside of the new vent. Since the fan doesnt have to work as hard, it doesnt have to rev up as much, the Deck is very noticeably more quiet. The general temps are also much lower too, even when playing some pretty intense stuff, it was barely warm to the touch on the back.
As to installation, its super easy, the Steam Deck is quite easy to pull apart for most maintenance tasks and upgrades. All you really need is a small electronics sized screwdriver (plastic pry tools help, but are not required). The back is held on by the screws and plastic clips that can be snapped open pretty easy. REMEMBER TO REMOVE YOUR MICROSD CARD BEFORE YOU TRY TO OPEN YOUR STEAM DECK. Make sure you have the rear buttons you want installed, remove the plastic cover from the thermal pad, and just slap the new back plate and screw it shut. Extremely easy. Insert your SD card before you turn on your Deck, else you will start up your Deck without the additional storage.
Included is a small screwdriver, replacement screws for most of the main screws on the back (the head is smaller than OEM). You also get two additional special sets of raised back buttons as well, one set is angled, the other is highly raised (I kept the OEM style).
Its not an absolutely required upgrade for your Deck, but it is highly highly recommended.
Edit 1: To help with something to reference, I decided to torture-test my Steam Deck using Elden Ring. Its running native 720p medium settings with a hardware FPS cap of 45. I need to state that I did repaste my Deck with Arctic MX6, so it is not using the factory thermal paste.
Just standing idle in the game will have the Deck's GPU running at 88-90%, CPU is running at 55-60% across all cores (general usage did not change to any major degree through all my testing). This is just spawning and standing there in the first church in Limgrave, the game runs at about 40-41FPS.
Ambient room temp is about 26C (78-80F), having the game running for about 10 minutes will have the GPU stabilized at about 82C and the CPU stabilized at about 80C, the fan is running 5100-5400RPM. I used a phone software DB meter at about 30cm (1 foot) directly in front of the Deck's screen, and it read 40DB.
The back of the Deck, where the main compute components are, is very noticeably warm to the touch, but not to the point where you are afraid of getting burnt, just mildly uncomfortable.
For comparison, I completely blocked the main back vent to effectively revert it back to the OEM style of airflow using a post-it note (all of the intake air comes only from the main intake vent near the bottom in the back). GPU temp rose to 86C, CPU rose to about 84C, with the fan having to crank itself to 6200-6400RPM. That raised my DB meter to about 44DB at 30CM away from the front of the screen. I waited about 5 minutes for the new norm to stabilize before I took note of the numbers. When I took the post-it note off the back, after about 30 seconds, the fan audibly turned down a notch, and then about 30 seconds after that, it turned down another notch, back to the original lower-5000RPM range.
It looks like the main heatsink of the Steam Deck really does the vast majority of the work (I am a little surprised given how small the fin stack is). So giving the cooling fan easier access to fresh air really does help a lot.
I dont have the same kind of measuring equipment that people like Gamers Nexus may have, so it's a very rough measurement. But it does show that this back plate with vents does what it claims, and is a proper "upgrade" for your deck.
Edit 2: Please note that this testing was done with a Steam Deck LCD. The internals of a OLED Deck are different.
JSAUX Transparent Back Plate Vents Version for Steam Deck LCD, DIY Clear Replacement Back Shell Case Compatible for Steam Dec
4.6 | 128 ratings
Price: 25.99
Last update: 07-16-2024
About this item
【For Steam Deck LCD】Compatible with Steam Deck LCD.
【See Your Inner Steam Deck】This transparent back cover will let you see all the hardware of your Deck. Thanks to the transparent plate you’ll be able to identify every little component in your handheld device while sporting a unique design.
【Latest Vents Design, Optimal Cooling】Optimize the airflow path through the heat dissipation ventilation hole design to significantly improve the heat dissipation efficiency. At the same time, the thermally conductive silicone grease and the heat-dissipation aluminum sheet also assist in heat dissipation, ensuring efficient heat dissipation during intense gaming, and experiencing the ultimate game experience.
【Customize Your Steam Deck】The transparent cover also comes bundled with three sets of rear buttons (each one with a different height:original, high and low) that will let DIY enthusiasts make their Decks even more unique. Each button has a more durable, anti-slip, premium texture.
【Please Avoid Any Misconceptions】 This product is a custom-designed transparent replacement shell specifically made for the Steam Deck. In actuality, it solely comprises transparent replacement shells, buttons, and necessary accessories like a screwdriver for installation, all intended for use with the Steam Deck. ❗❗❗ NO electronic components or Steam Deck console included.
【See Your Inner Steam Deck】This transparent back cover will let you see all the hardware of your Deck. Thanks to the transparent plate you’ll be able to identify every little component in your handheld device while sporting a unique design.
【Latest Vents Design, Optimal Cooling】Optimize the airflow path through the heat dissipation ventilation hole design to significantly improve the heat dissipation efficiency. At the same time, the thermally conductive silicone grease and the heat-dissipation aluminum sheet also assist in heat dissipation, ensuring efficient heat dissipation during intense gaming, and experiencing the ultimate game experience.
【Customize Your Steam Deck】The transparent cover also comes bundled with three sets of rear buttons (each one with a different height:original, high and low) that will let DIY enthusiasts make their Decks even more unique. Each button has a more durable, anti-slip, premium texture.
【Please Avoid Any Misconceptions】 This product is a custom-designed transparent replacement shell specifically made for the Steam Deck. In actuality, it solely comprises transparent replacement shells, buttons, and necessary accessories like a screwdriver for installation, all intended for use with the Steam Deck. ❗❗❗ NO electronic components or Steam Deck console included.
Product information
| ASIN | B0CB48LWM4 |
|---|---|
| Customer Reviews |
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars
119 ratings
4.6 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #4,052 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games) #54 in Nintendo DS Accessories |
| Package Dimensions | 12.36 x 4.88 x 2.2 inches; 10.55 ounces |
| Type of item | Video Game |
| Item Weight | 10.5 ounces |
| Manufacturer | Shenzhen Wuyishi Technology Co.,Ltd |
| Date First Available | July 4, 2023 |
Top reviews from the United States
Elc
Smartly designed cooling and aesthetic upgrade for your Steam Deck
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2023
Nathan
I got this cover mainly for the alternative back buttons and aesthetics
Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2023
Nathan
Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2023
I got this because I wanted a transparent cover and also better back buttons (I alway had hard times pressing the default buttons due to their size and my hand position when playing)
The back buttons come in 3 sizes: default, medium height, and high. Should help everyone with smaller hands.
The transparent shell is very cool looking and I like the feel. If you put it against led lights the whole SD starts to shine.
The additional pluses of this back shell is the additional vent hole. Making the fan be MUCH more quiet that what it used to be and the whole installation doesn’t take more than 5 minutes.
I was used to hearing the fan while playing or raising the volume considerably but now even on min volume I can’t hear the fan at all when playing.
And also this helps some what with temps. I don’t know where people got results as far as low 70c when playing but mine keeps a steady 78-80c with this in comparison to 84-86c with the stock shell (just lower your expectations because some reviews online gave it more credit than it’s worth on this point)
All in all, completely worth the money and avoid the RGB version as in my opinion some led lights on that back doesn’t worth the additional price for that model.
PS -Amazon shipping has been off lately. It’s the 2nd time in a week I got a smashed box (luckily the item wasn’t damaged) but the box was super smashed
Images in this review
Blake Kelley
Awesome shell, Improved cooling!
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2024
Blake Kelley
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2024
Images in this review
Ryan
Cooling-with a rear button upgrade!
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2024Tracey
Great cooling, nice aesthetic
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2023
Tracey
Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2023
By far the greatest advantage is temps. I saw a significant change under load, averaging about 75*C playing graphically intense games. A must have if you are planning on overclocking the Deck.
Images in this review
Will A
SICK LOOKING!
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2024Shaddon Cole Davis
Works well
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2023
Shaddon Cole Davis
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2023
Images in this review
Zachary King
Recommended for any Steam Deck owner!!
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2024