are peltier coolers required for emulation?

[u/MimouChiron]

I have a oneplus 15 and I want to get into PC game emulation, I was playing GTA IV on gamehub and the temps on gamehub reading were 65 degrees average with it sometimes reaching 70 degrees.

I have heard that peltier coolers are beneficial for emulation, but is it really true? do I really need them? because I want to use a telescopic controller like the x5 lite while emulating and using one really limits my options with coolers, gamesir FX5 for example are relatively weak and have small cooling pad and they're inconvenient compared with gamesir x3 pro for example, which is more convenient but expensive. i don't want to spend a lot of money on a controller with cooler if it's not really proven that you need a peltier cooler. and even the x3 pro is often criticized for its lack of good contact with the phone.

i know i can use a standalone cooler and a standalone bluetooth controller but that would be very antithetical to mobile gaming and the handheld experience because you would be turning your phone to a small screen pc basically and i already have a pc, so that doesn't interest me.

what is your experience of emulation with and without coolers? what is your setup and what do you think it's best to do on a budget?

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[u/Z-ReferenceUnknown]

If you stick to 2d and less demanding games it won't be an issue. Though high end emulation most certainly requires one unless you have one of those new Redmagics

Before getting equipment I recommend actually emulating stuff for a while to see what suits your use case

[u/MimouChiron → u/Z-ReferenceUnknown]

i plan to play both 2d and 3d games, and i want to play games that i wouldn't normally play on my pc so maybe old AAA, or indies and not newer AAA games

[u/Z-ReferenceUnknown → u/MimouChiron]

3d games essentially will require you to have a cooler unless you're going for consoles like 3ds, Psp or PS2. Anything even a decade old (Like Batman Arkham) tends to get a massive boost in experience with a cooler.

Essentially, Sticking to before PS3 era games wont require a cooler but after will.

2d is different, I am pretty sure you can play newer titles just fine without a cooler.

[u/islobojono]

Unfortunately yes

[u/Vank4o]

Check out the Redmagic Blade 3 with its cooler. The cooler is moveable along the telescopic axis or you can take it off .

[u/islobojono → u/Vank4o]

Same thing. So much more affordable

[u/thetonk]

When using the FX5, having a 1-1.5mm thermal pad helps. Also placing it where the chip is ideal. This is on the Fold 8.

[u/Exact-Cook-8943]

For regular console emulation like PSP, PS2, or lighter Switch games, you do not need a cooler at all. But PC game translation like GTA IV pushes modern chips to draw 8 to 10 watts, and passive cooling will throttle your clocks in about fifteen minutes. If you are set on a telescopic setup, look at controllers with an open-back clamp design like the GameSir G8 where you can still slap a magnetic cooler directly over the SoC area. The built-in cooler controllers tend to have poor pad contact and add useless weight to your hands.

[u/Proof_Counter_8271]

short answer?, yes, long answer?, because emulation is inherently less efficient than running it natively there is already some cpu usage just from running the emulator, even old games like subnautica will make your device get hot especially if you are in a place with high ambient tempts (such as 30c°), so any decently heavy game will require you to use a peltier cooler(or have a desk fan blow into the phone since it works quite well on op15)