Vilros Raspberry Pi 5 Passive & Active Cooling Max Starter Kit (2GB RAM)

absolutely thrilled with this kit, purchased to run my CNC out in the shop so i was impressed with the metal case. dual cooling with the included heat sink and fan, and the portable micro SD adapter. I only had/have 3 concerns with this item, but not worth demoting a star for. first, it comes with a camera module adapter, I think this is a toss in, more value for the cost but definitely didn't need to be in the kit in my opinion, and the second the ports are extremely tight, it is very difficult to plug in and remove cords specifically the micro HDMI, not a game stopper, as I just attached a pigtail so I can extend the life on the PI. and lastly, the SD card came preloaded with PI IOS, I was having issues loading programs on it, and a couple other issues but I just re-flashed it from the PI site and runs perfectly

good quality

Case was not drilled and tapped properly, making the case impossible to assemble without modifications.

I received this Vilros Raspberry Pi 5 Passive & Active Cooling Max Starter Kit in May 2024. The item I received matched the Amazon page product description and pictures. I think this is a very good starter kit for a Raspberry Pi 5 if you are starting from scratch and want everything you need to get going. If you are already in the Raspberry Pi world and you have parts laying around then some of the items in this kit you may not use such as the HDMI cables and SD card USB adapter. However even if you have some of the parts already, all the parts in the kit are of the best quality I have seen. They all are better than what I had for my other Raspberry Pis. For example the power supply is a 5 amp power supply which provides plenty of power. Also the cable attached to the power supply that you plug into the Pi was extra thick and of a very high quality. I also loved the included metal case for the Raspberry Pi circuit board. It is constructed of very thick metal and it also doubles as a heat sink for the "passive" cooling. There is a part of the metal case top that extends down towards the Raspberry Pi circuit board and after attaching to this part an included heat transfer tape, it touches the CPU and transfers the CPU heat to the metal case. If I am being picky about the case design then the passive cooling is only for the CPU and the other chips on the raspberry pi are not being passively cooled since the case does not touch those chips nor are there any included small heat sinks for these other chips. However the active cooling fan that comes with the case should cool these chips when the heat is high enough to cause the fan to turn on. I have been using the Pi to watch HD videos and the fan has yet to turn on since the Pi has not gotten hot enough yet so I think the included case is fine for most normal needs. If you are going to be overclocking then you may need a more comprehensive cooling system. The case does include standoffs that will raise the top of the case to allow you to use a full heatsink/fan combo that more directly cools all the chips on the Pi. There is a very nice instruction book included that contains color pictures and clear instructions on how to get everything setup. I didn't need this but for beginners I think it is a very nice touch to include this in the kit. There is an included flat ribbon cable to use with a camera which was odd to me to include in this kit since there was no included camera with it. However it is nice to have this on-hand if I ever want to add a camera. Overall I think this is a great kit with top shelf parts and to me I didn't notice any corners being cut with the parts. I think the quality of the parts included with this kit justifies the price point it is at and is a good value if you want to just place 1 order and get everything you need.

BEST THING ABOUT IT: out of the box and running in no time ADDITIONAL LIKES: comes with OS (on a 128 GB micro-SD card), heat-dissipating aluminum case, TWO mini-HDMI cables, fan, power supply, carrying case, camera module adapter cable WORST THING ABOUT IT: fan is a bit noisy ADDITIONAL DISLIKES/CONCERNS: nothing WARRANTY: none stated COMMENTS (Function, Appearance, Quality): There are many excellent reviews on the Raspberry Pi 5 (2024) on the web. Suffice it to say, it is an excellent mini-PC. This review is of the ‘Starter Kit’ offered by VILROS. I’d refer you to the web to learn more about the Pi itself. I acquired this unit to replace and older Raspberry Pi 3. I. use the unit to run PiHole network-wise ad blocking software, and I must say - this works great. The Raspberry Pi itself is wonderful for this purpose and the 5 is much faster than the 3. Regarding the kit…it is impressive. It includes everything you need to setup and run the Pi. The micro SD has the OS pre-installed making running to PI a breeze. Some assemble is required. The instructions included with the case possess a QR code that links you to an instruction video that is simple to follow. Basically you have to install a thermal conductive pad, the Pi5 board with the SD card, plug in the fan, apply rubber feet, close the case and you are ready to plug in the monitor via the supplied mini-HDMI-to-HDMI cable (there is actually two of them in the kit to connect two monitors if desired), pair or plug in a keyboard and you are set to go. The kit includes everything to accomplish this including screws, spacers and a screwdriver. The kit also contains camera module adapter cable, a micro SD to USB adapter and a neoprene carrying case. I cannot emphasize enough how simple this was to setup. Vilros’ instruction video is simple and straight-forward and the materials in the kit are high quality. MARKETING vs REALITY GRADE: A (The kit contained everything as presented and as described.) MOST SUITABLE FOR: a dedicated computer for running a network pi-hole or media center IS IT WORTH IT?: Absolutely. A linux based computer for <$140? This is a good deal! *PRECISE RATING: 5 RECOMMENDATION: Don’t hesitate; buy it if you need a service it can perform for you. (As always, I will report back if there are any durability issues with additional use.) On a personal note, I try to cover everything I think one might like to know about each product, especially something not covered in the listing. So, I hope you found something informative and useful in this review. Thank you for taking the time to read it. Good luck with your decision. *Rating scale: 5 = definitely buy again, happy to have it (exceptional in several characteristics,) 4 = probably buy again (decent job of doing what I need, excels in one or two characteristics) 3 = perhaps buy again after researching options (functions OK, looks OK, decent quality, average life expectancy but no outstanding characteristics) (in other words, average) 2 = would not buy again (low end/below average merchandise and/or service, but not totally worthless) 1 = sorry I bought it the first time (poor performance in several characteristics, no redeeming characteristics) Characteristics considered: Presentation/Packaging, Quality, Craftsmanship, Materials, Functionality, Utility/Versatility, Instructions, Ease-of-Use, Comfort, Value.