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Raspberry Pi 5 Official Case: Features, Cooling Specifications, and Installation

Learn how the Raspberry Pi 5 Official Case protects the board, how its heatsink and PWM fan provide active cooling, how to install it, and how to verify temperatures.

The Raspberry Pi 5 Official Case is an enclosure designed specifically for Raspberry Pi 5. It protects the board from accidental contact and provides an integrated active-cooling system for processor-intensive or prolonged workloads.

Active cooling uses a powered fan to move air and remove heat. In this case, the fan works with a heatsink attached to the processor area. Together, they can help the Raspberry Pi 5 maintain stable performance and reduce the chance of thermal throttling, which is an automatic reduction in processor performance used to limit temperature.

What the Official Case Includes

The enclosure uses a four-part case design: a base, a frame, a removable lid, and a fan assembly. The package also includes a self-adhesive heatsink and silicone feet.

Part — Role

Case base — Supports the Raspberry Pi 5 and helps position the board inside the enclosure.

Case frame — Forms the main side structure and surrounds the board.

Removable lid — Covers the top while allowing access to the board when removed.

Fan assembly — Houses the powered cooling fan above the processor and heatsink.

Self-adhesive heatsink — Transfers heat away from the processor area and spreads it over a larger metal surface.

Silicone feet — Provide grip, reduce vibration, and help keep the assembled case stable on a desk or other hard surface.

Removable lid and port access

The lid can be removed when you need to inspect the board, adjust a connection, or access components during a project. After assembly, check that the required USB, networking, display, storage, power, and other port openings line up correctly. Do not force the lid if it does not close cleanly.

How the Active Cooling System Works

The case uses a fan and a heatsink rather than relying on passive ventilation alone. The heatsink draws heat away from the processor and exposes more surface area to the moving air. The fan then carries warmed air away from the heatsink.

The fan receives 5 V DC from the Raspberry Pi 5's dedicated four-pin fan header. This connector supplies power and supports control and monitoring signals. No separate fan power supply is required when the case fan is connected to this header.

PWM control

PWM, or pulse-width modulation, controls fan speed by changing the duty cycle of an electrical control signal. A larger duty cycle generally requests more fan operation, while a smaller duty cycle requests less. This allows the system to increase cooling when temperature rises instead of running the fan at maximum speed continuously.

Tachometer feedback

A tachometer signal reports or helps calculate the fan's rotational speed. Measured speed is useful because it can show whether the fan is responding to a control request and can help identify a disconnected, obstructed, or failing fan.

Fan performance can be described using CFM, or cubic feet per minute, for airflow volume, and RPM, or revolutions per minute, for rotational speed. More airflow and faster rotation can improve heat removal, although the result also depends on the heatsink contact, room temperature, workload, and case placement.

Raspberry Pi 5 Official Case Specifications

Property — Specification

Fan input voltage — 5 V DC from the Raspberry Pi 5 four-pin fan header

Fan control — PWM with tachometer feedback

Maximum airflow — 2.79 CFM

Maximum fan speed — 8000 RPM ±15%

Heatsink size — 12 × 17 × 4 mm

Case dimensions — 98 × 70 × 31 mm; 3.86 × 2.76 × 1.22 in

Assembled weight — 70 g

Base, frame, and lid material — ABS

Fan assembly material — Polycarbonate

Installing the Heatsink

The heatsink is a small metal component measuring 12 × 17 × 4 mm. Its self-adhesive pad attaches it to the intended processor contact area on the Raspberry Pi 5.

  1. Power off the Raspberry Pi 5 and disconnect all cables.
  2. Place the board on a clean, dry, static-safe work surface.
  3. Inspect the processor contact area. It must be clean and dry so the adhesive can make reliable contact.
  4. Remove the protective backing from the adhesive pad only when you are ready to install the heatsink.
  5. Align the heatsink with the processor area. Avoid placing it over nearby components or at an angle.
  6. Press the heatsink down gently and evenly so the adhesive makes firm contact.

Correct alignment matters because a heatsink that is loose, tilted, or positioned away from the processor will transfer less heat. Allow the heatsink to remain firmly attached before completing the case assembly.

Assembly Workflow

  1. Confirm that the Raspberry Pi 5 is powered off and disconnected from its power supply.
  2. Place the board into the case base. Check that the board rests flat and that its ports line up with the base openings.
  3. Install the self-adhesive heatsink over the processor area as described above.
  4. Locate the dedicated four-pin fan header on the Raspberry Pi 5. Do not substitute an unrelated GPIO connection.
  5. Connect the fan cable to the four-pin header with the connector oriented correctly. Do not force the connector.
  6. Route the cable so it does not cross a closing edge or sit beneath a part that will press on it.
  7. Fit the frame and fan assembly around the board. Check that the assembly sits evenly and that the cable is not pinched.
  8. Install the removable lid.
  9. Check that the lid closes without force and that the ports you need remain accessible.
  10. Attach or confirm the silicone feet are in place before putting the case on its final surface.

Fan header connection

The dedicated four-pin fan header provides 5 V power and supports PWM control and tachometer feedback. The fan cable should be routed inside the case without sharp bends, tension, or pressure from the frame or lid.

Expected Thermal Performance

With the heatsink and active cooling installed, a reported processor temperature near 65 °C can be observed during a heavy workload. This is an observed result, not a guaranteed maximum temperature for every Raspberry Pi 5 installation.

Actual temperature varies with room temperature, processor workload, airflow, power setup, software, and case placement. A case positioned beside an obstruction or on a soft surface may have less effective airflow than one placed in an open, cooler location.

Idle temperature alone is not a useful confirmation of cooling performance. The fan may run slowly or appear not to spin continuously when thermal demand is low. A sustained workload provides a better test of the heatsink, fan connection, PWM response, and airflow.

Verifying Cooling Operation

On Raspberry Pi OS, use the Raspberry Pi firmware temperature command to read the current board temperature:

vcgencmd measure_temp

Output should be formatted similarly to:

temp=64.8'C

To poll the temperature once per second while the system is under load, run:

watch -n 1 vcgencmd measure_temp
  1. Start the repeating temperature display.
  2. Run a sustained CPU-heavy task in another terminal or application.
  3. Watch whether the temperature rises and then remains in a stable range with the case cooling installed.
  4. Check that the fan responds as thermal demand increases.
  5. Stop the test if the system behaves abnormally, the fan makes unusual sounds, or temperatures continue rising unexpectedly.

The temperature command reports the current board temperature at the time of measurement. It does not by itself prove that the fan is operating correctly, so combine the reading with a physical check of the fan connection and fan response under sustained load.

Troubleshooting

Temperatures are higher than expected under load

  • The heatsink may be misaligned, loose, or making poor thermal contact.
  • The fan connector may not be fully seated on the four-pin header.
  • The fan cable may be pinched during assembly.
  • Nearby objects, a soft surface, or poor placement may block airflow.
  • The room or surrounding environment may be warm.

Inspect the heatsink and adhesive contact, reseat the fan connector, and verify the cable route. Ensure the fan intake and exhaust areas are unobstructed, then repeat the sustained temperature test in a cooler, open location.

The fan does not appear to spin continuously

PWM control may request little or no noticeable fan activity while the system temperature is low. Check the header connection and test during a sustained workload. Judge operation using both fan response and temperature behavior rather than idle fan motion alone.

The case does not close cleanly

  • The board may not be seated correctly in the base.
  • The fan cable may be routed across a closing edge.
  • The heatsink or fan assembly may be incorrectly positioned.

Reopen the case, confirm board alignment, reroute the cable, and reassemble without forcing the parts. A properly fitted enclosure should close without trapping or stressing the cable.

Related Raspberry Pi 5 Cooling Information

For broader board context, see the Raspberry Pi 5 review. The Raspberry Pi 5 Active Cooler is another cooling option to compare when planning an enclosure or sustained workload.