Kyle. You are the gift that just keeps on giving! There is a lot of scattered content on thermal modding but the video you created has the next level of polish to it. Sincere thank you from the community.

Kyle, you're a legend!

As a note about the vented backplate: 1. I tested VRMs, ICs, the SSD and the RAM for temperatures with the vented backplate and saw less than 1 degree difference from the stock backplate. 2. A lot of air still gets taken in through the rear vent, even with the vented backplate, so I have very few concerns with device longevity, but wanted to be fully transparent! Edit: I used the "sensors" command for SSD and motherboard temperatures, spot checked with the other results I gathered from MangoHUD. The ICs and VRMs were a bit more difficult. I used a temperature probe wired through the back vent to measure the surface temperatures, and verified its accuracy with a backplate-off IR thermometer test. Obviously the backplate-off results are cooler, but I verified that the probe was accurate that way.

I'd looked at thermal pads on Steam Deck to see if it was worth it, but never found any benchtest I could trust, but you went above and beyond as always! Seems like the backplate + thermal pad combo is absolutely worth it!

No flashy edits, no useless padded infos, just the good stuff. Never change Kyle.

I can’t believe we’re in a world where we’re able to customize our handheld gaming computers. What a time to be alive.

Thank you for these tests... Unlike a certain KZfaqr that just screamed "higher temp bad" a while back, you did some great work looking into it. Amazing work!

Because of your video I also bought the Honeywell pad and the JSAux backplate. Its crazy how quiet the deck is now! Thank you so much! (Especially for cryotools!)

I just got my Vented JSAUX backplate today, and WOW the difference is instantly noticable! Any graphically intensive game would be loud as hell, but now it's super quiet, and GPU and CPU didn't go over 70c the whole time! Well worth the $30, was super easy to install too, highly recommended 👌 Thanks for this super informative video, never would have found this was it not for your awesome content 👍

Geebus this video was great. We had so my opinions and "I think this or that" in the community and now finally we have this glorious comprehensive test that told us a LOT. Thank you Cryo for another amazing set of tests.

Finally the Monoblock! I’m using the old jasaux backplate, new paste, monoblock and Fantastic from Decky. Temps are great with the custom fan curve. The monoblock with the back plate moves a ton of heat but boy does it get hot! Looking forward to the next video!

Watching this made me think I've seen this type of presentation. Then it hit me. YOU ARE THE GAMERSNEXUS OF STEAMDECK

Thanks for confirming that I made the right choice to replace the thermal paste with ptm7950 when I replaced my thumb sticks last month! Now I have a reason to get a backplate. 😁 Oh and I'm excited about the results of that monoblock! Keep up the good work!

Jesus i literally was looking into this myself. Thanks man for always releasing that perfect video at the right time

🔥 hope you're settling in well mate, loving the content!

I have the OG JSAUX Backplate and I also did a repaste but after watching this video I bought the thermal pad as well as the new jsaux backplate. My temps on my OC Deck have been basically always in the 80s so seeing those temps drop will be greatly appreciated

Would you consider making a follow up video on this when used in the long run? As you stated, there *could* be issues with removed airflow to other components, but it's probably impossible to tell in such a short amount of time. Would be interesting to see how or if it changes with time.

Just want to thank you for being thorough with this video. Really appreciate the time and effort you put in!

I still haven't bought my SD, but will in a month. These videos are gold for enthusiasts like me who like to min-max every bit of hardware they got. I've already bookmarked the products you've linked and will be buying them first thing. Thanks a lot!

New Deck owner and new arrival to your channel. Thanks for all your hard work and pleasant demeanor Kyle!

I know you just did all this work and seriously thank you, but I'd love to see some of data for TG's new kryosheet also. That is what I'm running on both my ally and deck and from some rough testing it seems to be performing quite a bit better than stock pastes for both and even the kryonaut extreme I had on the deck prior. People like you shouldering the extreme time investment and hard work to not only do all the testing but consolidate and present it to the community really drives everything forward and makes everyone's lives easier. THANK YOU

To be honest, I don't follow this account, I've never seen another of his videos, I don't even have a Steam Deck, and I just accidently came across here. I'm strangely intrigued and thoroughly enjoyed the effort and thought process of this video. Keep up the good work dude!

Thanks for the video! Some dB(A) info for you: - This measurement is on a logarithmic scale - Every 10 dBA is equivalent to a doubling of sound pressure. - Example: 2.7dBA is NOT 2.7x louder - that's closer to 30% louder IF measuring the exact same tone. - Example: an 80 dBA sound is 4X "louder" than a 60dBA one. This is the difference between a normal conversation face to face and a movie theater. - dBA is a measure of sound pressure - not necessarily perceived volume, and: - Higher frequencies will generally sound much louder to us than lower ones at the exact same dBA measurement.

The most comprehensive cooling video to date. Thank you for sharing all of this information!

Thank you very much for taking time doing all this work!

Man, dont think ive ever done this before but ...subscribed, hit the bell, dropped a like and even commenting. Amazing content. Thank you for the time you dedicated putting this all together.

I've had a conversation about theoriticals of this like an hour before you uploaded the video. I never expected to get my answers so fast. Thank you for the hard work!

another piece of top-notch content as usual! your dedication to thorough and fair testing is admirable, thank you so much for all of your hard work :) this info is very valuable and i'll definitely be considering purchasing at least one of these products in the future!

Have ordered the JSAUX new backplate, thanks for taking the time to test and also compile the info.

A lot of information gathered and collated, you can tell this video took time and effort, have a thumbs up 👍

Dude how do you not have over 1 million subs. I'm relatively new to your channel and from all I've watched. I've come up with nothing but amazing content. Plus, your download I installed on my deck is freaking sweet! Thank you man!

great video! I have the old jsaux backplate. I slapped a blue anodized heatsink on it with a thermal pad and nothing gets too hot to touch. I have not overclocked. Sometimes the fans don't even run. That is when accessible parts get the warmest, but not hot enough to trigger the fan. I can even feel warmed air coming from the top vent on pure convection sometimes .

LEGENDARY. AMAZING WORK KYLE. steam deck optimization is a very hot topic. No pun intended

Amazing and thorough as always, super glad to see someone scientifically conduct testing of the PTM7950 with respect to burn in and thoughtful application. Cheers!

While dropping ~5C is definitely awesome. This just goes to show you how well designed the Steam Deck is from the get go. Valve really has some amazing engineers on this product.

Excited for the new content as always man!

I was geeking out over this and I enjoy the detailed testing that you do.

very detailed and thoughtfully done. I'm thinking about the Noctua Paste and the Honeywell heat pad for sure.

Didn't know you could replace the fans and thermal paste. Good to know. :) Saving video for future reference. Ty. :)

Great video! While delivering lots of data it's tricky to balance droning on forever and keeping the video moving. You nailed it. Huge thanks!

Wow, that was one technical video that I don't normally watch and didn't really need to watch, but watched it to the end. Just love the Deck and what it can do.....Gaming has come a long way since the ZX 48K spectrum where I started. Love the utility by the way.

That warning for taking your morning coffee before working on your steam deck is REAL folks! I just did the JSAUX backplate mod last week and of course - forgot to remove my microSD card. It snapped in half leaving the rest of the card completely stuck in there and I only made it worse trying to use tweezers to remove. Luckily I have a 1TB SSD so won't be needing the microSD card slot...but a huge bummer nonetheless. Anyways - excellent video as always Kyle. Thank you!

I live in the desert. (AZ) It's usually no cooler than 80°F in my home. Currently have the old metal plate Jsaux that is effing HOT! I used these links to get the new back and the Honeywell pad. Liked, subscribed, and will look into your patreon.

That's insane. You are already creating material at the Gamer Nexus level. I hope all the best with the channel and the new life in the US.

something i use that you may want to check out is a graphene thermal pad. it goes over the gpu and is pretty thin. beats putting paste way deep in there.

Just wanted to drop by and add my voice to the choir. I also changed to the Honeywell pad and jsaux backplate. This, together with a cryobyte-undervolt and a fan replacement changed my deck from “pretty damn annoying” to quiet and amazing. I’m extremely satisfied with these upgrades. The pad was a pain to install, but indeed worth the effort. Thnx for all your amazing guidance 👌

Again, an amazing and incredibly helpful video! Thank you so much! If it's not too basic for your channel, I'd absolutely love to see a video about how to find the perfect settings for any game on Steam Deck to guarantee steady FPS, maximise battery life while still having a decent gaming experience. I do know the basics but I have a hard time finding playing around with all the options the Steam Deck provides. Maybe with an explanation of what which feature does so viewers can easily transfer this to any game they want to play. Keep up your amazing work!

Incredible break down! Prepping for an eventual Deck purchase and this channel is a gold mine.

Thanks for the insights. I’d like to add 2 cents to it. The stock backplate isn’t that great in terms of thermal design. Warmer air has higher static pressure. Stock plate has intake vent right above the silicon cover, which is heating up the air and causing elevated pressure that will hinder cool air from flowing into the chasis. That’s why fan speed has to go much higher to counter that effect to keep air flowing into the chasis. I think the best backplate will be a vented cover with metal plate exposed for magnet peltier cooler.

Just got a 512gb OLED SD and have been loving your channel. I can't wait to hear your thoughts and modding recommendations on the OLED deck. Keep up the great work.

Very great videos, I plan on getting the JSAUX clip on fan to deal with the higher temps related to overclocking, can't wait to receive it.

Great Work Kyle! Keep it up. Was a bless to watch and match my Modding Experiences ;)

I have the Delta fan but never found it bothering me since I always cap the fps/ screen refresh. I finally changed the backplate (vented) and thermal paste to NT-H1 and what a difference in noise! The fan is barely audible most of the time. I wish there weren't so many fake PTM7950 sellers out there. I'm happy with the Noctua paste for now. Thank you for your hard work!

I've got the old JSAUX backplate. Going to get the recommended thermal pad and new backplate. Thanks so much!

Fan-freaking-tastic content man. I look forward to more

Great breakdown man, Thank you. I just ordered a deck and will be exploring your recommendations.

Brilliance, as always!!! Thank you for digging in and going the extra mile(s) on this (and all of your content, for that matter)!!! While I’m not in the market for any of these items, I love seeing the analysis. Also enjoying all the playful post-production touches, keep up the great work!

The burst speeds make sense. Better thermal contact with the heatsink creates better coupling, resulting in APU temps closer mirroring the regular heat soaking of the heatsink.

Epic vid! I was interested in getting one of those new backplates, and this convinced me fully. Now I’m also considering getting the thermal pads too!

It would be awesome if you did a Steam Deck OLED thermal mod including re-introducing thermal pads, thermal plate mod (to accommodate the pads contact), and PTM9750 APU instead of thermal paste, and the JSAUX back!

This is exactly what I've been wanting to see. Jsaux posted tests that only covered the internal temps of the APU, where my main concern was the components not cooled with the heat pipe.

I’m curious as to how the KingPin paste would perform. Very thorough and informative video, thank you! I’ll be keeping the stock backplate but I think I’ll move up to the thermal pad 👍🏼

This was really comprehensive and a great deciding factor for me. Thanks

In terms of the clip on fan from Jsaux which is only compatible with the stock backplat, I purchased two different versions of this, there is a kickstand built into the foot of the clip on fan which allows you to stand it. Also, there is a version which does not require the clip from Jsaux and is sold seperately as part of the ModCase, but it includes a metal stick on connector that also gives you the latch from the ModCase which lets you add other ModCase components (but not at the same time). I also tried PTM7950 and that was a total bust, in fact in some cases it made my Steam Deck hotter and definately made the standard case back a lot warmer. Maybe it depends on what model of Steam Deck you are testing on and if Valve used different paste in construction.

Finally the new jsaux backplate reviews are coming out. Thanks so much for your detailed videos. I'm testing out a devaso backplate that has a metal plate attachment for a thermoelectric fan. Similiar to the jsaux magnetic fan but bigger

Excited for the Monoblock video! It will be the deciding factor in modding my Deck.

Thanks for all the hard work you did. I’d probably buy the vented back plate and the ptm sheet

I had already ordered the new backplate, but you talked me into getting the thermal pad also!

I'd like to see the temps of the charging IC and the SSD with the new Jsaux backplate. That extra cent hole probably hurts those way more than it helps the APU

Excellent video, the data really is helpful to inform my purchase. Nobody else is making these kind of videos, huge props to you.

I bought the Honeywell pad and installed it on my GPD win 4. Glad these tests are further proof it actually is doing its job.

I recently fitted the 'old' jsaux back plate. I removed the thermal pad prior to installing the shell.. I wasn't after a shell to cool the deck down, more for the looks, since I opted for a transparent purple back plate. I don't notice any difference in temps... but now I feel that I maybe shouldn't of removed the thermal pad.. The reason I removed it, because I heard that the pad actually blocks the air from passing from the vent at the back to the fan.

You rock! This is super helpful information. I am stock right now but despite the tentative concerns on the new jsaux backplate, I am tempted to go that route with the PTM solution as well. I may never fully OC my deck, but I'm tempted knowing the headroom those two upgrade paths provide. Thanks for the work that you do, and I wish I could afford to support you on Patreon.

Need that clip on fan. Honestly I had one of those jet airplane ps4s so I’m sure the noise won’t be anything crazy lol.

Removing bottlenecks on my steam deck? Within reasonable price without replacing a huge amount of interior hardware? You got yourself a sub my friend!

I didn't realize I could fully optimize my game through the settings I'm new to steam deck . I turned on everything to ultra high for rdr2 ,days gone, and horizon zero dawn. It was amazing lol

Fantastic video! Definitely gonna get the vented backplate when I get a steam deck.

For direct die application, one paste that for some reason people don't bring up that often, but it's likely one of the very best, is the Prolimatech PK-3.

Jsaux new backplate with thermal pad and fan intake vent looks promising especially if you want a quieter Steam Deck, but I'm worried it cools down the APU better but removes airflow to other critical components like SSD, ddr ram memory dies, voltage regulators, battery and other components that might get too hot now and fail earlier!

I bought the new jsaux, but was on the hunt 4 the first gen with metal plate. After seeing this video. God im happy i went for the new. Really good video 😁

great job ! Honeywell PTH7950 Thermal Pad - size needed to cover CPU 13mmX13mm

Great video! I didn't know jsaux made a new backplate. I just received and installed the old one about an hour before this video came and temps are night and day difference for me. Before 20w overclock would instantly go to 95C within seconds and maxed fans. Now after 10 mins it hovers around 89-90C.

I ordered the pad, going to keep using original back plate for now. If nothing happens while using vent plate then I'll upgrade to it. Thanks for all your hard work.

This video is exactly what I was looking for and so so much more, thanks a ton!

Today I've tested the undervolt settings on the 118 bios, I'm on -30 cpu, -40 gpu, -50 soc, any higher I would start to see corruption/random shut downs. I stress tested with Doom eternal (raytracing, low resolution, low settings), with a 4k video running on the background (gpu at 99%, cpu at 95% average), and also with mprime (for ram, altough I used "blend" option). My termals were pretty good already, as I'm rocking the old jsaux plate and that does already some good job at lowering the temps, but noticed the new backplate that you showcase in the video.I decided to make a hole in the superior part, where the top of the fan would be, the hole is about 70 x 200 mm, and my temperatures have gone down by 2-3 ºC compared to the unmodified old backplate, fan speed lowered about 600 rpm. The way I cut the backplate is by warming up a cutter and a lot of pacience, it definitely doesn't look clean but pretty functional, thanks for your videos.

Dude as soon as you said 50 hours I had to comment, thank you, in advance!

I need more guidance about putting thermal pads on the steam deck since I can't follow the process due to editing (and because I'm a noob 😅) did you put a thermal pad on the valve chip too? An installation guide would be helpful 🙏 Which size did you buy those thermal pad?

Didn’t skip a single second. Definitely subscribing after this!

Installed the vented backplate on my delta fan deck, and also added the clip on fan. Deck runs cooler and the little leg on the clipon fan does work well as a stand. It's not fallen over, surprisingly.

I was thinking about getting the PTM7950 and new JSAUX backplate, but was concerned what the actual games were. This video definitely helps make my decision easier. I might just get the backplate and use some thermal paste I already have. Don’t want to setup the PTM7950 if it is all going to come out for a p3r. FYI I saw Salocin900 posted a video of an updated Steam Deck which has different mounting screw locations for the heat pipe. Might be an issue for the p3r if Valve has significantly changed the design.

This is exactly the video I was looking for! Thank you!

Your dedication to your test earned my sub! i hope you keep it up brother man.

I was about to buy the vented jsaux backplate but hesitated because of those concerns about the airflow that could potentially harm the other components in the long term tho, it's a cool informative video as always thanks

Dude I've bought the old back plate. Wish I'd seen this before. Thanks

thank you for this extensive testing ... incredibly insightful

This is impossible to be more clear. Congratulations 🎉

Could you test the game performance difference between a third party launcher like Heroic Launcher vs owning it natively on Steam?

Audio engineer here. With the acoustic measurements in the A weighting (which refers to how the volume of sound reacts to what we here, as we hear different frequencies at different perceived volumes), a 3dB difference is twice the acoustic energy - audio is measured on a logarithmic scale so it would be perceived as a small increase in sound, but the "2.7dB increase," for example, is not 2.7 times louder. It is less than twice as loud, but would be perceived as a small increase in volume.

Biggest Respect to staying real and honest ❤

that was great man, you put a lot of work into this. instead of filling it with fluff and bullshit like most videos.