nope. You bent the paper clip in such a way that it's extremities go under the two tabs on the socket , and the middle part sits on the heatsink itself - but this only works for socket 3 boards. If you're using a socket 1 board, the only way of attaching a heatsink is thermal adhesive...

Here's a pic posted on another thread by tetrium: http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/inteltetr … 3NjkyNw==/?ref= bend the paper clip like that.

Here's a quick diagram I put together:

The red line represents the heatsink clip. Most socket 3 boards have some 2 tabs, diagonally opposite from each-other that can be used to hold a heatsink in place. Hope the diagram makes sense.

kanecvr wrote:

nope. You bent the paper clip in such a way that it's extremities go under the two tabs on the socket , and the middle part sits […]
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nope. You bent the paper clip in such a way that it's extremities go under the two tabs on the socket , and the middle part sits on the heatsink itself - but this only works for socket 3 boards. If you're using a socket 1 board, the only way of attaching a heatsink is thermal adhesive...

Here's a pic posted on another thread by tetrium: http://photobucket.com/gallery/user/inteltetr … 3NjkyNw==/?ref= bend the paper clip like that.

Here's a quick diagram I put together:

socket 3-4 heatsink retention clip.jpg

The red line represents the heatsink clip. Most socket 3 boards have some 2 tabs, diagonally opposite from each-other that can be used to hold a heatsink in place. Hope the diagram makes sense.

Mind you, I believe this only works for SOME socket 3 boards that have this specific thing on it (Mine does NOT). The best heatsinks are the ones with the plastic clips.

Glue tape to install heatsink :

Board and Cpu : (someone knows the manufacturer and type of this board ?)

Heatsinks :

Ok, I found it.Chicony CH-491E Rev 1.4 Socket 3 Board.

Actually, I've been wanting to put a heatsink on my 486DLC (which has a 386 footprint) as it does get pretty hot sometimes. Were there ever heatsinks made specifically for the 386, or do I have to make one/salvage one off something else?

Also, the $30 486DX2/66 I had initially bought for parts did not have a heatsink or fan on it - I think it was used this way. I've probably put 100 hrs on it with a heatsink and fan and it is working quite well. I am still surprised it didn't have one installed.

Sorry to jump in so late in the game....

I too think that a dx33 need some sort of cooling solution. I have a dx33-ISA-only system in the making, and for that I have bought a dx2-66 rated heatsink with fan. It is quiet enough, and on such an old CPU, then I think a good cooling solution is required in regards to stability. I just don't like how hot it is getting. Especially on them extra small 486 boards, that have same size as the small 386 boards. Things are cramped and things get hot, and too much heat is not good for electronics.

This is the one I bought: (brand new and all that)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ever-Cool-EC-486-40m … VYAAOSwMNxXUIfs

I did just put a pentium heatsink and fan with very sticky thermal paste (arctic silver) on top of my intel 486 33Mhz. The thermal paste has been so sticky in the past that if not careful it can pull a cpu out of a socket if not careful when removing a big heatsink, so I thought it would stay there without any other attachment. The case is horizontal AT case though, so it might be different with tower cases.

Yes, modern thermal paste like Arctic Cooling MX-4 can keep small heatsinks in place.

I just ordered this:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Aluminum-Heat-Sink-He … 872.m2749.l2648

I can cut it to fit my co-pro too, with plenty left over for other projects.

Little bump here. I'm running an i486DX-33 as main retro-box (until I build my ultimate So7 build together with my son) and have something of a soft spot for Sid Meier's Colonization. It runs perfectly smoothly on 33MHz, but I've now had two evenings where the system hung (went completely unresponsive without warning) after playing the game for several hours. Feeling the CPU - with no heatsink - it was red hot to the touch. I suspect that that was the cause of the crashes, particularly as the only common factor was running at high utilization for a long time.

Time for me to find a heatsink - and proof that this is not just an academic discussion.

dionb wrote:

... Time for me to find a heatsink - and proof that this is not just an academic discussion.

It will be proof when that fixes your problem.

Actually, in my main retro rig I am using a 486sx-25 overclocked to 33 mhz. Before overclocking, 486 was working without any heatsink and fan and was getting barely warm. At 33 mhz, it is definitely being warmer. I added a heatsink with a fan (no thermal paste was used) just in case. Now it is cool even after several hours of running.
I think that even if the cooling in 486 is not necessary, less heat means lower wearing out of hardware and better longevity of it.

Lol they say even on the CPUs that heatsink and fan is required so......
If you want fanless and heatsinkless build grab some 386 as they don`t need cooling at all....

Radical Vision wrote:

Lol they say even on the CPUs that heatsink and fan is required so......

They do? I've only ever seen that on AMD ones, and that is because AMD binned them lower than Intel to undercut prices (cheaper to add a heatsink+fan).

Well is interesting, some of them have the heatsink/fan req. on them, others don`t, intel, texas instruments and IBM seems not to have on their processors this. Also some AMD processors don`t have that as well...

There's also a difference between just heatsink required and heatsink+fan required.
For most DX33's, heatsink+fan is total overkill.
With Intel, even a DX2-66 only needs a small heatsink, no fan. I have a DX2-66 that I run at 80 MHz with a small fan on it, been running perfectly stable like that for over 20 years (the machine originally came with an Am486DX2-66, with a heatsink and fan... and it really needed that, there was no way it would run at 80 MHz. The CPU died after 2 years, even though it only ran at 66 MHz. So I put the fan on the Intel I got as replacement. It's an OverDrive, so it already had the heatsink).
So really, claiming that a non-overclocked Intel DX33 needs a heatsink+fan... that sounds extremely far-fetched to me.

There might be a difference in if cooling is required between if you want the cpu to last 5-10 years or 30+ years.

Baoran wrote:

There might be a difference in if cooling is required between if you want the cpu to last 5-10 years or 30+ years.

Not really, as I say, it's all about binning.
AMD and other clones basically sold under-specced CPUs, think of them as factory-overclocked. They simply CAN'T run at their graded speed without a heatsink and fan.
But Intel's CPUs were of better quality. They wouldn't label a 486 as a DX33 unless its die was pure enough to run at 33 MHz reliably without a heatsink and fan. They'd sell them as DX25 if they didn't make it.
What AMD and others effectively did, was take these 'DX25' CPUs, put a heatsink and fan on them, and run them on 33 MHz anyway.
Since the Intels never needed a heatsink and fan anyway, adding one doesn't have much use either. They just don't get very hot to begin with.
(of course there are also fake CPUs out there, which may have been re-labeled as a different brand or a higher speed grade... so your Intel DX33 may not actually be an Intel DX33).

My intel 486dx 33Mhz gets hot enough that I burn my finger if I touch it without any heatsink or fan. Also when it comes longevity and electronics, heat always makes a difference even when it is always below specs of the component because that is just physics. Thermal expansion cycles cause stress inside the cpu. If you lower the temperature difference between when computer is turned on and turned off there will be less stress caused by the cycles. I don't know how long a cpu would last without cooling, but I do know that cooling always makes a difference.

Baoran wrote:

My intel 486dx 33Mhz gets hot enough that I burn my finger if I touch it without any heatsink or fan. Also when it comes longevity and electronics, heat always makes a difference even when it is always below specs of the component because that is just physics. Thermal expansion cycles cause stress inside the cpu. If you lower the temperature difference between when computer is turned on and turned off there will be less stress caused by the cycles. I don't know how long a cpu would last without cooling, but I do know that cooling always makes a difference.

Just don't confuse old tech with new tech.
For example, the Space Shuttle uses original Intel 8088 CPUs. They've been to the moon and back many times (talk about thermal stress), and still work fine, 40 years later.
Modern CPUs are very different from these old ones. Much smaller transistors, packed closer together, higher currents running through them, higher temperatures (modern CPUs can't even run without a heatsink and fan, unprotected CPUs will literally catch fire after running for just a few seconds).
We're talking about a 486-33 here, which is DESIGNED to run without a heatsink and fan, and only is about 5W max.
Using a heatsink and fan might extend its life from 200 years to 200 years and 3 months, if you know what I mean.