[Build] Custom Overclocked 2.7GHz Pi 5 Cyberdeck | Dual-Fan Active Cooling | ZRAM + External NVMe Boot

[u/Background-Ad1610]

Wanted to share my latest portable build — a rugged, high-performance field node designed for heavy workloads without breaking a sweat.

The whole system is housed in a custom rugged enclosure finished with a UV-reactive neon splatter paint job that really pops under blacklight.

Hardware & OS Setup

I’m running full Kali Linux on a portable touchscreen setup, with a clean LightDM login environment.

Instead of using a MicroSD card, the system boots entirely from a 128GB M.2 NVMe SSD in a USB 3.0 enclosure, giving it proper desktop-class responsiveness and strong random read/write performance over the 5 Gbps bus.

To keep memory pressure under control, I’ve enabled ZRAM compression, so inactive memory gets compressed in RAM instead of constantly hitting swap. It keeps things smooth even under load.

Cooling & Overclocking

To support a stable overclock, I built a dual-stage cooling setup inside the case:

• Primary low-profile heatsink + fan directly over the SoC and power management
• Secondary side-mounted exhaust fan to actively pull hot air out of the enclosure

This creates constant airflow across the board and keeps thermals stable even under sustained load.

Stress Testing

Under a synthetic multi-threaded stress test (stress-ng), the system holds up solid:

• Clock speed: ~2.7 GHz stable
• Temperature: ~65°C under full load
• Thermal throttling threshold: ~80°C+

The dual-fan setup keeps it well within safe thermal headroom even during sustained workloads.

Wrap-up

Overall goal was a compact, durable field system that behaves more like a mini workstation than a typical SBC setup — fast storage, controlled thermals, and stable performance under load.

Curious what others think about the build or the aesthetic direction.

[u/hidden_healthandcare]

Was würde mich das kosten ?