Crossposted from https://sh.itjust.works/post/55233414
i love the madness that is mounting the stock cooler onto the back of the case with the heatsink still on
this post was submitted on 12 Feb 2026
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iiiiiiitttttttttttt
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you know the computer thing is it plugged in?
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At first I thought they just didn't install the cooler, and figured... well, if the CPU didn't come with one, I can see how one might overlook that, especially if they came from the olden days before coolers were mandatory.
Then I saw it..... I honestly don't know if mounting the CPU cooler as a case fan is better or worse!
With the heat sink still attached? Definitely worse.
What the... Why did... Who would... Dafuq?
"Its overheating. What if i moved this fan thats just sitting on top of the board to the edge of the case?"
Have you tried blowing on it?
I fail to see the problem
Nay, I refuse to see the problem
Back to 486 for you!
Did the 486 typically not have a fan?
I think it didn't have anything! I've got vague memories of passively cooled pentiums but it can't have been long before the fans came out
(...and honestly, my memory is so bad I've got Abraham walking on the water in the book of revelation)
Pentium I came with flimsy passive cooling.
From Pentium II on or AMD K6-2 active cooling was the norm.
486 typically went without cooling.
My 486 had a small heatsink with square block fins, like this one except minus the plate on top with the "overdrive" label (because mine was what the system came with, not an upgrade):
Runs fine while in the freezer!
"If it fits I sits" - CPU cooler fan
Oops