4 Facts about the Raspberry Pi 5 Case

By Adam | October 18, 2023

The new Raspberry Pi 5 case is super cool. Figuratively and literally.

As I’ve elaborated before, I’m a bit of a case nerd when it comes to single board computers. While I’ve used a lot of official Raspberry Pi cases, my favorite cases are actually the Argon ONE case and the FLIRC case for Raspberry Pi 4.

And I’m excited to see what third-party companies are going to come up with. If the Argon ONE case really pushed the functionality of Raspberry Pi 4, then I’m itching to see what they’ll manage with Raspberry Pi 5.

However, this time, it seems that Raspberry Pi has really gone above and beyond with their new case.

Roughly a week ago, Raspberry Pi Ltd. released a video – a discussion between Eben Upton, John Cowan-Hughes, and Gordon Hollingworth. In the discussion, they discuss the details and considerations that went into the design.

So, I though it would be worthwhile to dive into some of their points. What I want to do here is draw your attention to 4 of the key takeaways from the discussion.

Of course, the conversation is worth watching in its entirety, and you can check out the video here:

Admittedly, I haven’t gotten my hands on an official case yet, but it seems that Raspberry Pi Ltd. has really listened to the community on this one.

So here are 4 facts about the Raspberry Pi 5 case!

#1: You’ll be able to mount HATs above the fan. And the PoE+ HAT fits inside.

One of the standout features of the new case is the ability to mount HATs (Hardware Attached on Top) above the fan.

In case you’re not a HAT nut, HATs are essentially add-ons that expand the capabilities of Raspberry Pi boards. And the ability to mount HATs above the fan on the case sets it apart from its predecessors.

In comparison to previous models, you’ll actually be able to keep your Pi 5 encased while running a HAT.

This means that HATs won’t get in the way of cooling solutions for the Pi.

But while some or most HATs will be mounted on top, there’s one clear exception to the rule: namely, the PoE+ HAT. The PoE+ HAT for Raspberry Pi 5 will actually fit inside the case.

Previous PoE+ HATs had a fan built in. For example, here’s what the PoE+ HAT looked like for Raspberry Pi 3B+ and for Raspberry Pi 4:

The PoE+ HAT for Raspberry Pi 3B+ and Raspberry Pi 4

With the new PoE+ HAT, there isn’t a fan built-in. Instead, it has a much more compact L-shape. So, you’ll be able to fit it inside the official case along with its fan.

And, on top of this, you’ll be able to fit the RTC battery inside as well!

#2: They’re stackable!

If you’ve grown accustomed to the previous cases, then probably one of the first things you noticed about the Raspberry Pi 5 case are the vents at the bottom piece.

This is not only much better for ventilation than previous variants. It’s also important for one of my favorite new features: they’re are stackable!

All you have to do is remove the top piece so that they sit flush with one another.

The stackable nature of the new case is great if you’re planning on building Pi clusters, for example. You won’t need to get a specific cluster case.

Instead, you could just stack a bunch of official cases on top of each other.

#3: The Active Cooler fits inside too.

The Active Cooler serves as an alternative to the fan. It not only makes use of active cooling though, because it relies on a heatsink for passive cooling as well.

One question that seems to come up time and time again is whether or not you can fit an Active Cooler inside the case. If you want the Active Cooler instead of the fan, then I have good news. Indeed, you can fit it inside the case.

Here’s a picture from Jeff Geerling’s blog:

Both the fan and the Active Cooler are guaranteed to keep your Pi from throttling though.

#4: The fans should last for 50,000 hours of use.

As John Cowan-Hughes says in the interview, that’s “years and years”. Indeed, 50,000 hours corresponds to roughly 5.7 years.

And, as Eben Upton stresses, that’s 50,000 hours of use. So if you’re not using the fan 100% of the time, then you should be able to expect it to last longer than five or six years!

No word yet on how long the Active Cooler will last.

Contest & Newsletter

We know how frustrating it is to have to wait until October 23rd for a Raspberry Pi 5.

So we wanted to make it possible for you to play around with one as soon as possible.

So we’ve set up a contest: What’s the craziest thing you can come up with for Raspberry Pi 5?

Provided your idea doesn’t destroy it, you can send us your idea and we’ll enact it on ours. And we’ll write an article about it!

We’ll announce the winner here and on buyzero.de on October 23rd.

The winning idea (determined by us) will win a full Raspberry Pi 5 kit. This includes a 27W USB-C Power Delivery (PD) Power Supply, an official case (of course!), an SD card, and a Raspberry Pi 5. All with free shipping within the EU & Switzerland.

The runner-up will win a Raspberry Pi 5 with free shipping within the EU & Switzerland.

So be sure to send in your ideas. You can go to the following link for more information: WIN A FREE RASPBERRY PI 5!

Conclusion

Those are the 4 key takeaways from the new case. You’ve got HAT compatibility, stackability, custom cooling options, Active Cooler integration, and extended fan lifespan.

At the moment, they’re only releasing cases that are red and white, but hopefully they’ll also have sleek black and grey cases in the future.