Hi,

I bought a JSAUX transparent backplate back in January. It was one of the early models which came out before there were other color options. I bought it not for the looks, but for the extra cooling it provides to all components under the aluminum shield. I always use a case over it (with a homemade cutout for cooling around the metal plate).

I noticed my backplate is getting “stress” cracks at the edges of the metal cooling plate. My guess is that these are caused to the repeated heating cycles the Steam Deck goes through in normal use. I’ve read some posts dating from a few months ago telling the same story, but no recent ones (or where they banned or smth ?)

https://preview.redd.it/78uaymceljzb1.jpg?width=896&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f52435ef26fd25d0a8b11dea144dd32f9c9900a3

https://preview.redd.it/h7ss31jfljzb1.jpg?width=709&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=00c78ab3875578898ba14bf932f560e4b73a625b

I’m about to buy another backplate to have it in stock at home in case the current one ultimately fails, since there’s a sale going on.

I have a few questions for those who bought the newer variants :

Do they also crack ?

Which color is less likely to develop cracks ? (My guess would be cristal, since there are no coloring agents in the plastic)

Is there anything to do to prevent this ? (apart from “Don’t use the Deck, duh !”)

Do the cracks develop to the point the metal plate “falls off” ?

Has the quality improved overall ? (I heard stories about plastic inserts not being installed properly, causing issues with the back buttons. Mine unfortunately don’t have this issue…)

Thank you.

  • lululock@alien.topOPBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    I haven’t put an extra fan on because I didn’t feel the need, I don’t overclock. The internals are already significantly cooler thanks to the backplate and fresh high performance thermal paste alone.

    I emailed JSAUX and they agreed to send me a new one. I’ll keep the old one on until it ultimately fails and I’ll have a spare to fix it quickly.

    • Methanoid@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      i dont overclock either, the fan is just to cool the plate which can shift more heat which helps lower the speed/noise the internal fan makes, expecting a performance boost is like chasing a mythical pink unicorn.

      • lululock@alien.topOPBEnglish
        1·
        1 year ago

        Interesting insight ! I never thought about that tbh. I’ll check around at home, I may already have a fitting fan.

        I don’t play really intensive games (maybe Forza 4 once in a while) but I like the idea that components may survive for longer if I get them cooled better (I have a 120mm dual fan tower cooler for my 65W Ryzen in my main build, if you see what I mean lol).

        I also quite like the hand warmer ability of the JSAUX backplate. Really neat when playing in colder areas…