DIY Cooling Bumps iPhone 17 Pro Max Performance by Nearly a Third

Late last week, a Reddit user showed off their unique iPhone 17 Pro Max setup, which uses passive PC SSD heatsinks to improve sustained performance stability. The user, u/T-K-Tronix, says their DIY cooling system bumped the Pro Max’s stability score from 69.4% to 90.5%.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max has the new A19 Pro chip and an aluminum wraparound unibody that replaces previous glass-backed builds. It also has a vapor chamber for heat dissipation, which the company says is 20 times more effective at cooling than the titanium used in older iPhones.
Even so, extreme workloads like high-resolution Apple ProRes video recording can still push thermal limits, which is what T-K-Tronix hoped to improve with extra hardware cooling. After implementing an array of SSD coolers, they tested the modified device using 3DMark’s Steel Nomad Light stress test. The reported 90.5% stability score indicated an improvement of 30.4%—nearly a third.
Inspired by u/T-K-Tronix’s work, quite a few of the post’s replies suggested Apple should one day produce its own MagSafe-compatible cooling accessories. (We won’t hold our breath.) Though impressive, the modder’s setup isn’t exactly convenient for carting around town—but if you’re taking on relatively stationary tasks like Apple ProRes video recording, an arrangement like this one could boost performance.
© 2001-2025 Ziff Davis, LLC., a Ziff Davis company. All Rights Reserved.
ExtremeTech is a federally registered trademark of Ziff Davis, LLC and may not be used by third parties without explicit permission. The display of third-party trademarks and trade names on this site does not necessarily indicate any affiliation or the endorsement of ExtremeTech. If you click an affiliate link and buy a product or service, we may be paid a fee by that merchant.

source