Review on Raspberry Pi 4 Starter Kit - Aluminum XTG with 4GB RAM by Vilros by Josh Sheehan

This is a very high quality standard Raspberry Pi starter kit. I've bought countless of these over the years and they all came in plastic sleeves. This is my first experience with an all metal case. I've tried fans, fanless, and now aluminum cases designed for heat dissipation and I've never been disappointed, but each has its pros and cons and this case is no exception. I'm giving this case 4 stars because it works exactly as intended, but I'm not sure I would wholeheartedly recommend it as there are a few flaws. Metal and includes metal screws to hold the whole case together. The case design is also very nice and I can say that it works. The case will visibly heat up during use to the point where the entire case feels warm to the touch, but never hot. Even under hours of stress, it never overheats. Since the case is designed for that, I consider it a plus. Since it's fanless, it's also completely silent. Given the Pi4's increased processing power and overclocking potential, I'm excited to see how this case will handle the load. The bad part is unconfirmed, but in my rudimentary testing I found this case had a noticeable impact. Bluetooth performance (and possibly built-in WiFi). I was less interested in testing Wi-Fi and had no real opportunity to test it; I wasn't planning on downloading software to diagnose an issue that wouldn't affect me anyway (I bought an external WiFi dongle for this build - I was never interested in the Pi's built-in WiFi). But Bluetooth was another matter. This build was meant to be a media/game streaming build with Kodi and Steam Link, for which I wanted to use the built in bluetooth chip. It works perfectly next to the Pi in the case. In my downstairs media area, when the controller is placed within a normal operating distance of 10 feet from the Pi, it lags too far behind to be usable. I used the same controllers in a similar setup on a Pi 3B+ (in a plastic case). case) and I never had a problem so I attributed it to a problem with the Pi 4 and spent hours trying to find a solution. I did some research and found other similar heat dissipation cases with slots specifically cut for wireless communication. Supposedly these slots are effective but I just don't know. I took the Pi out of the case and tested it and it worked fine. I eventually found a solution to avoid using Bluetooth (I never liked Bluetooth for gaming), but it was necessary, not intentional, as is the case with WiFi. The cover must not interfere with the normal functioning of the included features. Granted I have a big TV and may be a little far from the Pi so I'm only giving 1 star but it's worth considering. I haven't tried a fanless plastic case for the Pi4 and the heat dissipation potential of this case seems like a good idea to me, but I'm wondering if it could have been done differently. In any case, this case shows that Vilros is constantly innovating and trying to offer high quality products to its customers. The case isn't the only item included, it also comes with all the usual starting items including an HDMI cable, an SD card and a power cable with a switch (best I've seen on a Raspberry Pi so far ). This isn't the first Raspberry Pi I've bought from them and if I buy more it sure won't be the last.