How Much Does it Cost?
The Akasa Gem Pro is available right now from Amazon. It’s not particularly expensive either, clocking in at just £25. That’s pretty great value for money given the overall build quality and from a brand as well respected as AKASA. There’s a lot of cheap cases out there that are nothing more than a holder for the Pi 4, this one is actually functional and that’s worth the extra investment.
Overview
I’ve seen people fitting the Pi systems inside cigarette boxes, shoe boxes, glued to the backs of monitors, screwed to a bit of wood and much more. There’s no limit to what you can do with it really. However, there’s a lot of benefits to using a properly engineered case and cooler. Much in the same way you can put your PC components in a milk crate, doesn’t mean it’s the best solution though.
Build Quality
It’s a very simple piece of hardware, which is great, as there are fewer things to go wrong. Milled aluminium not only looks and feels great, but it’s also incredibly strong. That more unified body design means heat can dissipate through it much easier too.
The interior structure is simple too, just enough room for the Pi board. Of course, al those little aluminium spacers work great too, just use the pads, pop them in place, and you’re good to go.
Performance
As far as cases go, it’s certainly functional. It’s strong enough that you could jump on it and it’d hold up great. Not that I recommend that you do jump on it of course, but my point is, it’ll protect that fragile PCB.
The heat dissipation is great too, and while some cases use tiny fans to cool the Pi, the passive cooling means total silence and that can be a big advantage for many users.
Should I Buy One?
The AKASA Gem Pro is a great choice for anyone investing in a new Pi 4 project. It looks good enough to keep up on your desktop or under your TV. It’s strong enough to fix into a project that may get knocked around a little, and it provides protection for the Pi and cooling performance that ensure you’ll always be getting maximum performance and zero noise.
