A recent Reddit post by user cheater00 has sparked excitement within the Steam Deck community. Cheater00 shared their journey of swapping out the standard plastic back plate of their LCD Steam Deck for an aluminum alloy version, and the results were nothing short of impressive.
The process itself was straightforward: merely replacing the back plate with no additional modifications such as new thermal paste, BIOS updates, or altered settings. To thoroughly assess the impact of this change, cheater00 conducted a test by running the game “The Outer Worlds” for three hours on the Steam Deck, both with the original plastic plate and then with the new aluminum one.
Here are the eye-opening results:
– Fan usage decreased by 35%
– GPU boost clock increased by 38 MHz (a 2.6% boost)
– GPU temperatures dropped by 12°C
– CPU temperatures dropped by 13°C
– Frame rates increased by 11%
These findings clearly highlight the potential performance enhancement that comes with the aluminum plate. However, the modification isn’t without its complications. Cheater00 pointed out that the back plate didn’t fit perfectly snug, causing the L1 and R1 triggers to stick until some of the screws were loosened. Furthermore, there are concerns from the community about the additional ventilation holes on the aluminum panel possibly hindering the Steam Deck’s forced airflow mechanism, which is crucial for cooling internal components like the charging IC.
Price is another significant factor. The aluminum back plate is primarily available through sellers on platforms like Aliexpress, with prices starting around $120 and going up to $227, not including shipping costs. This makes it one of the pricier mods for the Steam Deck, potentially deterring widespread adoption until further testing and reviews are made available.
Overall, while the aluminum back plate mod offers substantial performance benefits, potential buyers should weigh these against the fitting issues, cooling concerns, and the steep price tag. The Steam Deck community remains intrigued, and it’s likely that more users will delve into this mod to further validate its effectiveness and address its drawbacks.
