Aluminum back plate gives Steam Deck a performance boost

Recently, user cheater00 documented the results of installing an aluminum alloy back plate on their LCD Steam Deck. Additionally, the poster mentions that the test was performed with no other device changes, including reapplied thermal paste, bios updates, settings, etc. The test consists of the user leaving the Steam Deck to run for three hours with the game The Outer Worlds running and no user input. The first round of testing was conducted with the plastic back plate, and the second was done with the aluminum plate. The results are a comparison between both and are as follows:

• Fan usage was 35% less
• GPU boost clock +38 MHz (+2.6%)
• GPU temps 12 °C lower
• CPU temps 13 °C lower
• FPS: +11%

With the results seemingly favoring the aluminum plate, the mod has a few drawbacks. The user reports that the plate did not sit properly on the back of the Steam Deck, resulting in L1 and R1 triggers sticking until the user loosened the screws closest to the inputs. Additionally, comments on the post express concern that the additional ventilation holes on the aluminum panel will keep the Steam Deck from effectively using forced airflow to cool internal components like the charging IC. Finally, the plate cost is among the more expensive options for Steam Deck mods. Primarily available from sellers on Aliexpress, the aluminum back plate is priced upward of $120, with one selling for $227, not including shipping. With such a high price, it may be a while before additional Steam Deck users start testing this mod.