Raspberry Pi: 7 top cases for hacking, stacking and customising your Raspberry Pi

Raspberry Pi: 7 top cases for hacking, stacking and customising your Raspberry Pi

Whether you’re looking for additional capacity, heat-absorption or a gaming-inspired retro throwback, we’ve picked out seven great cases to adorn your Raspberry Pi.

The Raspberry Pi packs a lot of power for a price that won’t break the bank. It also prides itself on being extremely customisable, allowing you to hack, stack and tweak this $35 single-board computer to perform all manner of ingenious functions, limited only by your own imagination (and, presumably, your coding skills).

The same can be said of its aesthetics. Aside from giving your pocket-sized PC a fresh new look, a new case can provide your Raspberry Pi with added protection, cooling or additional capabilities. Whatever your reasons for investing in a new case, here are 7 of TechRepublic’s top picks.

Compatible with Raspberry Pi 3B

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RetroFlag MEGAPi Case

(Image: The Pi Hut)

Raspberry Pi cases in the shape of beloved retro gaming consoles aren’t particularly hard to come by, and this RetroFlag MEGAPi Case in the design of the 16-bit Mega Drive (or Sega Genesis for those in the US) makes us yearn for the pixelated joy of our treasured childhood pastimes. We’re particularly keen on the hinged top, with offers access to a LAN and 2 USB ports, as well as the Mega Drive inspired shutdown and reset buttons.

Price: £25 / $32.30

The Pi Hut

Compatible with Raspberry Pi 4

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Cluster Case (with fan)

(Image: The Pi Hut)

This cluster case is a great option for Raspberry Pi power users – specifically, those running multiple Pi boards simultaneously, which is often done when using Pi boards as a server cluster or other high-intensity functions. Each case comes in a set of two, which can be stacked onto another set until your Pi power needs are satisfied. Of course, those looking to mount several Raspberry Pis on top of each other need to ensure they don’t overheat – again, the cluster case has you covered thanks to its built-in fan.

Price: £10 / $12.90

The Pi Hut

Compatible with Raspberry Pi 2, 3 and B+

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NESPi Case

(Image: Cool Components)

Another entry sure to please retro gaming fans, the NESPi Case for the Raspberry Pi 2, 3, and B+ is inspired by the original NES, sporting the same iconic design as Nintendo’s debut home console all the way down to the working power and reset buttons. In an added strike of ingenuity, the base of the NESPi Case features space to install a ventilating fan to keep the board running cool in extended use – perfect for marathon gaming sessions using a NES emulator (sadly not included).

Price: £9 / $11.60

Cool Components

Compatible with Raspberry Pi B+, 2, 3 and 3B+

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Candy PiBow Case

(Image: The Pi Hut)

This technicolour case is available for Raspberry Pi models B+ through 3B+ and is constructed of multiple layers of laser-cut cast acrylic. With a stylish clear base and lid sporting the iconic Raspberry Pi logo, the lightweight design makes it ideal for mounting and leaves plenty of room on the inside for additional Pi boards.

Price: £12 / $15.50

The Pi Hut

Compatible with Raspberry Pi 4

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Picade Console

(Image: Pimoroni)

Now this is where things get serious: the Picade Console isn’t so much a case for the Raspberry Pi as it is a full-blown, arcade-inspired gaming system. The Picade Console comes with an array of equipment to make your Pi-powered gaming experience as close to that of an 80s-era coin-op arcade cabinet, all the way down to the stick-style controller. Its makers reckons it takes an hour in total to put together – which we think is a more than worthy time investment for the hours of fun you’ll get out of it.

Price: $75 / $97

Pimoroni

Compatible with Raspberry Pi Zero

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Raspberry Pi Zero Case

(Image: The Pi Hut)

This sleek glass-topped case for the Raspberry Pi Zero has been designed in-house by the folks over at The Pi Hut and will give your board a space-age twist, featuring a rubberised base for added stability and a honeycomb-like vent for cooling. The cover needs to be screwed on, so it’s perhaps not ideal if you need quick and easy access to the Pi Zero’s GPIO pins, however the remaining mini HMDI, USB and power ports remain easily accessible.

Price: £5 / $6.40

The Pi Hut

Compatible with Raspberry Pi 4B

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Aluminium Heatsink Case

Pimoroni

For those who regularly travel with their Raspberry Pi or are just looking for some added protection, the Aluminium Heatsink case offers a sturdy shell that not only keeps your pocket-sized PC safe from the bumps and scrapes of modern life, but also doubles as a heatsink that claims to offer 10°C -15°C of passive cooling. Be warned: due to the thermal pads designed to absorb heat from the CPU to the case, it will get hot, so handle with care.

Price: £12 / $15.50

Pimoroni

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