Raspberry Pi 3 B+ Fan Case, JBtek Raspberry Pi Fan with Pi Case for Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, Raspberry Pi 2 Model B & Raspberry Pi 1 Model B+

ASSEMBLY : so obvious that anyone using a Pi should be able to figure it out.... especially with pictures on here... but there's also a slip in the box that lists a YouTube assembly video for THIS case.FAN: Face the label side down if you want the fan to blow directly on the Pi, instead of as shown in the picture where it would be pulling the hot air off the Pi.... which has been heat-gunned and shown to provide substantially less cooling than blowing air directly onto the Pi.NOTE: One review on here says you have to mount the fan on the outside of the cover in order to have it blow down on the Pi. As you'll see in the video, you can still mount the fan under the cover just fine. This is preferred as it protects the blades from your finger or other things getting into them.HEAT SINKS: I used the "Raspberry Pi 2/3 Copper Heat Sink Heatsink With 3M Special Thermal Cooling Paste" which are available here on Amazon, because the third sink is a thin plate, so it will mount on the bottom and still have space under it when the Pi is sitting flat on a desktop. The mini-pillars provide what looks like enough space for a regular sink, like the two mounted on the top. There is a copper kit here with three regular heat sinks for the Pi.WHY COPPER: Because it reportedly conducts heat more readily than aluminum. While that makes scientific sense, I have not used a heat gun and tested copper against the aluminum. For the same money, and reportedly better heat conduction, I opted for the good looking copper.TINY PARTS: So small that you're likely to drop them... so grab a soft, colored towel to use for your assembly space. The tiny white parts will show up nicely against the color and the softness will reduce the chance of the parts bouncing away to The Twilight Zone, like they do when they bounce off of a hard surface like your desk or workbench.TIGHTENING: This is tough with tiny parts, so you need a tiny tool. The screwdriver is included for the screws, but there are the nuts and caps to grasp and tighten. I have a handy EDC Hoffman-Richter Mini-Tool that opens up into a small set of needle nose pliers. A small crafting set of needle nose pliers are your next best bet, such as those used to work with jewelry or a pair used for small electronics parts. Too large of a tool allows too much force making it easy to accidentally damage the plastic or metal parts... so try to find something that's the right size for the job.PUNCH OUTS: If you still have the punch outs in the holes, the screwdriver will work perfectly for tapping them out. For those that are a bit stubborn, you'll want to support the cover so that you don't accidentally break it while trying to unplug the holes. Steady, firm pressure with the screwdriver will pop them out. Too much force and you might break the cover or drive the screwdriver into your hand.5-STAR: The case is as pictured and described. Assembly is blatantly obvious but there is also a link provided to the assembly video for this exact kit. I can't find any reason to ever rate this product as less than 5-stars, unless it's missing parts or arrives broken.

Whether you own a Pi 3 or have been reading up on them, you probably know they run a bit hotter than their predecessors; while this isn't problematic for most applications, they can still idle at around 60 degrees Celsius, which doesn't provide much room to push the hardware before it throttles back the CPU. Without overclocking, my Pi hovered around 55-60 degrees and would push into the mid 70's when playing some of the more "demanding" emulators in RetroPie. Heatsinks may have dropped the temp a degree or two, but it was hard to be sure as the Pi still functioned in the same general temperature range. With this case and fan, my CPU and GPU now idle at 38-40 Celcius and just scrape the 50's under load, giving me plenty of room to overclock without worrying about temperature being a major factor (currently at 1.4ghz). Out of the box, the fan isn't what I'd call loud, but not silent either since it's running at full speed; it's comparable to most laptop fans when they spool up a bit. I am curious to see if it gets louder over time, but I'm not too concerned about it.The only downsides to this case are in the build quality; one of the gold-colored posts sits slanted off to the side on my case because the holes in the top and bottom don't line up perfectly. Also, one of the screws to mount the fan was not threaded properly and I could not get the nut on it. This isn't a major issue however, as 3 screws do the job fine and it is easy enough to find another at the hardware store for 75 cents.Also, as others have pointed out, the fan is facing outwards in the photo acting as an exhaust fan. Install yours the other way so it blows air onto your board, given the design of this case.UPDATE: After less than a month the fan bearing gave out and is making a ton of noise. I've tightened everything and tried to damper any vibrations, but it's definitely the bearing making noise. I replaced it with a Noctua A-series and it's nice and quiet again. This setup is cheaper than most 40mm fans and provides better airflow than most cases, so I can't be too upset. It would be nice if the case were available without a fan for a bit cheaper though.

I only wish the fan was a tiny bit quieter.