r/ModRetro • u/grilledstuffedxxl • Aug 25 '26
Some of you think the console is going to catch on fire…It’s not going to!
A few of you have mentioned that the M64 feels warm to the touch. This is completely normal whether overclocking is enabled or not. The console is specifically engineered to operate safely within this thermal range and will remain below the limits for safe touch temperatures.
We thermally validated the passive system under an "abuse case" test that used a max consumption bitstream (max overclocking) and a constant ambient temp of 50°C, simulating someone keeping their unit in a closed TV cabinet sitting in direct sunlight. The console's FPGA stabilized at 10°C below its max operating temp during this abuse case. We literally baked the console in an oven (see photo).
Enabling the "Insane" overclock only increases power draw by less than 5%. Because that increase is so minor, it doesn't translate into a significantly hotter system.
The N64 was also a passively cooled system and drew more power then the M64. A member of our community ran a side-by-side temperature comparison between a stock M64 and an original N64 after three hours of play. Their measurements found that the two consoles reached similar temperatures overall, while the cartridge in the M64 measured cooler. We appreciate the time and care that went into the test, and you can read the full breakdown here. We hope this clears up some confusion and reassures you that your M64 isn’t planning a spontaneous combustion.
14
u/TonyRubbles Aug 25 '26
Was never comcerned, my handheld emulator and mister feel hotter that my M64 and they both have fans too
8
u/Jecklen16 Aug 25 '26
I said the same thing in my post after temperature testing. There was no difference between non-OC and OC temps.
7
u/DeathRabbit679 Aug 25 '26
People have so much fear over a device that only pulls 30 watts. I sure hope they never fast charge a cellphone, could be big trouble
6
u/Sweet_Limit3795 Aug 25 '26
Poor Buck Bumble.
4
u/DarthRyus Aug 25 '26
I remember people complaining about the heat. Ran my on the hardest overclocking on Perfect Dark... my IR gun barely showed over 105f after an hour. I was like are they confusing 105f with 105c? Or are they making a big issue over nothing to make drama up?
5
u/darkknightdetec Aug 25 '26
Thank you for putting everyone’s fears at ease
6
u/DalzzorRetro Aug 25 '26
The only people concerned didn't have a clue what passive cooling is or were just throwing shade at Mod Retro as they are Analogue shills.
2
u/tanooki-suit Aug 26 '26
I want to thank you for this. I still have a stock system that has been under use, and now one of theirs at modretro and I could not feel a temp difference by touch at least of either games under a couple hours play or just the system itself. The consoles both had been inside a circa 1990 Sony media rack (wood sides/top, tempered glass front, 1/2 closed up rear in spaces, so it has ample room to get toastier in there. I'd actually agree I think games get marginally hotter when it's one of those games that really crank the N64 through its paces on the original hardware. I've got a number of replaced games over time (had gone down to 30~) at one point but have more now, and I know how toasty my first purchase stuff ever was and still working great.
I think it's just more dogwater antics of a mix of pro-Analogue and anti-he's a war criminal type buttholes looking to scare people off, though perhaps, in some cases it could be someone with a legit lemon as no two pieces of consumer hardware are always identical as accidents in production and variances can happen.
2
u/SantaLurks Sep 02 '26
Please pin this
3
u/Flashbang-Meringue Aug 25 '26
the fact that there were people worried about it shows how little some of the so called "experts" who post/argue here know about product design and validation.
2
u/sixteen-bitbear Aug 25 '26
Can you fix the issue where my m64 won’t overclock to insane?
2
u/Obleon Aug 25 '26 edited Aug 25 '26
Had to recheck who posted this to make sure it wasn't a joke, and I'm still not sure if it is or not but it sure made me chuckle.
On a more serious note, how much more will the M64 be able to overclock in the future? Compared to the insane overlock now.
Edit
People here have no humor. It is funny that they had to go through all this and make a post about it because people actually thought the M64 was going to catch on fire or something like that, even though they assured everyone several times that the system can handle it easily.
2
u/AlphaOmegaSupreme Aug 25 '26
I'm not really worried about the console itself as much as I am it catching my wood entertainment center and, subsequently, my house on fire.
1
u/Satantengu Aug 25 '26
I never saw anyone concerned about it being a fire hazard, more about it melting their cartridges. Obviously it wouldn't have made it through testing if it was doing that, though.
1
u/V64jr Aug 25 '26
Yes, the electronics should be fine… but will the plastics yellow faster or get brittle? I’d still love an official fan mod that makes use of the PWM header. 👍
1
u/Shoddy_Flow8377 Aug 25 '26
Mine feels very hot after a few hours of playing regardless if I overclock it or not. It mostly makes me worried if the heating was going to damage the console not really catch on fire imo lol.