How hot does the Banana Pi R4 get without a cooler?

The Banana Pi R4 reaches 69°C under sustained CPU load without a cooler, with an idle temperature of 47°C. No thermal throttling was observed.

What is the best cooler for the Banana Pi R4?

The Generic BPI R4 Active Cooler provides the best thermal performance, reducing load temperatures by 22.0°C to a peak of 47°C at a price of $5.00.

Does the Banana Pi R4 need a cooler?

The Banana Pi R4 does not thermally throttle under sustained load even without an aftermarket cooler. However, a cooler will still reduce operating temperatures, which can improve long-term reliability.

Banana Pi R4 Cooler Comparison

Comparing 2 cooling configurations for the Banana Pi R4. SoC: MediaTek MT7988A.

Best Overall$5.00

Generic BPI R4 Active CoolerActive cooling

-22.0°C

47°C peak · no throttling

Buy on AliExpress Details

Expert Summary

The Banana Pi R4 does a great job of handling itself under load, with no throttling occurring and a maximum temperature well within limits. That said, if you stuff it inside a case with no heatsinks or airflow, you may find yourself getting on the hotter side.

The good news is that cheap BPI R4 coolers are available on AliExpress and improve things drastically, giving you plenty of headroom for even the tightest of homelab racks.

Peak Temperatures at a Glance

Generic BPI R4 Active Cooler

47°C

Banana Pi R4 (No Cooling)Baseline

69°C

Below 65°C 65-79°C 80°C+ or throttled Stock baseline peak

Temperature Comparison

Banana Pi R4 (No Cooling)Generic BPI R4 Active CoolerAdd more from the table below

Baseline

Load

Cooldown

Stock/Baseline

Cooling Solutions

2/5 on chart

No Cooling

NoneBaseline

No Throttle

Peak69°C

Idle47°C

View details →

Generic BPI R4 Active Cooler

ActiveBest ActiveBest Value

No Throttle

Peak47°C

Idle38°C

Improvement-22.0°C

Price$5.00

Value$0.23

View details →

	Cooler	Type	Peak Temp↕	vs Stock↕	Throttling	Price↕	Value↕
	No CoolingBaseline	None	69°C	-	None	-	-	Details
	Generic BPI R4 Active Cooler	Active Best ActiveBest Value	47°C	-22.0°C	None	$5.00	$0.23	Details