Raspberry pi4 + ssd (X825?) - not a repeat question :)

Hardware
1

Hey there. Brand new to HA, to pi, to all of this (and very excited). I searched and didn’t find answers, so:

I’ve decided on SSD + pi4 (boot from sd)

I found James Chambers’ article on all of it:

https://jamesachambers.com/raspberry-pi-storage-benchmarks/

However, in searching for a case to combine a pi4 and SSD, I came across the geekworm x825.

My questions:

  1. Besides removing a chord hanging out the backside, what’s the purpose/need for an extra board like the x825?

  2. If I do use that, am I going to be wasting pins I could be using for something else more important?

  3. Can I do this with just heatsinks and no fan? This will be in a recording studio, so want to minimize sound.

THANK YOU for helping a newbie :slightly_smiling_face:

Mitch

2

You could maybe use something like : -

I use the flirc pi 4 case and had it run multiple compiles to stress it and it never got above 40° C
This is different enough for you to just use the top as the heat sink.
Looking at the ‘board’ you are suggesting I’m not sure about the USB riser or any components that are above the board, You ‘may’ get away with fitting the base bit as well, or it may need a little reshaping with an angle grinder, or if you’re not ‘handy’ just skip the base bit.

3

Thanks!

I’m also trying to figure out what the damn purpose of that board is, beyond removing a protruding cable. does it do anything else worthwhile?