jamesh wrote: ↑Mon Jul 01, 2019 10:35 pm
The A72 use more power because they are twice as powerful. Simple as that. Not sure why people would think that would not be the case.
James, sorry I don't think it's as clear cut as you make out.
- A Pi 4 idling consumes more power than a Pi 3, even when running at a lower frequency and even when booted to a CLI not desktop. Here we're not pushing data through the new faster ethernet, nor the latest USB 3 bus. It's running the basics of the OS and allowing the CPU to run in a power-saving mode.
- Newer and Faster does not mean it needs to consume more power and generate more resultant heat. I'm glad the 165W Xeon processors of the past are long gone. You can see that power consumption is now remaining relatively flat https://www.karlrupp.net/2015/06/40-yea ... rend-data/ compared to processing capabilities.
- A move from 40nm to 28nm is normally associated with an increase in performance and decrease in power consumption.
jamesh wrote: ↑Mon Jul 01, 2019 10:35 pm
We actually have some ideas to get the temperature down, currently being tested. My open air Pi is running about 6degs cooler with some test firmware (not the USB firmware, already have that installed). Cannot say that is what will come out of the other end of testing, but looks promising.
As for the case design, not my field. Never used cases.
You are producing a "Desktop Kit", marketing it as a "
PC Replacement" (Eben), the addition of 2 HDMI ports, this version of the Pi is being pitched as a Desktop.
A scenario that will see the Pi 4 in an enclosure, not left in free air. Using the official case, the metal shielding of the USB and Ethernet ports get really hot to the touch, if this isn't addressed I'm sure someone somewhere will manage to burn themselves on these external connections. (I've put the case back on mine and will try and measure the shield temperatures tonight)
I accept the case design may not be your area, but some team did define or measure the power and thermals of the board, sharing this information with the team designing the new case so that it would work. Then, of course, there would be all the testing of the final productised solution to ensure the requirements were met and the system worked together properly.
"A project like Raspberry Pi 4 is the work of many hundreds of people, and we always try to acknowledge some of those people here.
This time round, particular credit is due to James Adams, who designed the board itself (you’ll find his signature under the USB 3.0 socket); to Mike Buffham, who ran the commercial operation, working with suppliers, licensees, and resellers to bring our most complicated product yet to market; and to all those at Raspberry Pi and Broadcom who have worked tirelessly to make this product a reality over the last few years." - (
Eben -Raspberry Pi 4 on sale now from $35)
It looks like these questions should be aimed squarely at JamesA and MikeB, but I doubt they'll be reviewing the forum or various blog posts. When we had issues with the PoE HAT, you pulled it from sale (eventually). I think the Pi 4 case and all the SKUs that include should be pulled from sale (once suppliers have access to more stock) until the products have been tested and actually work together. Or, is that the reason they are all awaiting stock, that the case has been pulled, but it's not being disclosed openly until there is a solution? If there is a problem, do what you did with the PoE Hat and publically admit it, even before you have a full solution.
I really hope some tweaks in the works can bring down the temperatures, but it's going to have to be by a significant amount.