Pentium 200MMX heatsink?

valnar · Post by **valnar** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 6:57 pm

I'm building a retro-gaming box and I need a heatsink for a Pentium 200MMX CPU, socket 7. Though the PC will be age-specific, the heatsink does not need to be. I hope to take advantage of all the improvements in heatsink technology to get by with something passive or at least a very soft fan (might be good idea - small case). Older heatsinks back then were very small and mounted with 50x10mm fans and quite annoying.

The second problem is finding something that mounts properly on a socket 7 motherboard.

Ideas?

ntavlas · Post by **ntavlas** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 12:13 am

Socket 370/A coolers have a very similar mounting system and it shouldn`t be too hard to attach such a heatsink by slightly bending the clip. One of those should handle the mmx without the help of a fan, as long as it has wide fin spacing. In the worst case you could use an undervolted 60-70mm fan.

Another solution would be to attach a modern chipset cooler using thermal adhesive but since socket 7 isn`t really secure you are quite limited in the size you can use.

jessekopelman · Post by **jessekopelman** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 11:54 am

My Pentium 200MMX did have a passive heatsink. It wasn't even an impressive one -- comparable to the northbridge heatsink on today's low cost motherboards. It was an NEC, I bought in late 1997 or early 1998. The case fan was really loud in that PC, though. I can't remember for sure if the CPU heatsink was ducted to the case fan, but I think it wasn't as I remember being intrigued by this configuration in the Dell P4 I bought to replace it. That Dell also had a passive heatsink, and this was for a 2GHz P4. I remember being surprised by how big it was, at least 40mm high! You can imagine my surprise at what the state of CPU heatsinks where when I built my current PC in 2006!

NyteOwl · Post by **NyteOwl** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 7:11 pm

I think Coolermaster still make one that will fit, or at elast available. I picked up one on eBay a year or so ago for a couple of bucks barand new for a K6-III+. As they use the same basic socket and mouning it should work on the Pentium as well. It has fair fin area so you might get away with it passive.

Unfotuantely - I can't remember the model number. There are Foxconn HSF still available for Socket 7 adn SS& too.

tehcrazybob · Post by **tehcrazybob** » Wed Oct 29, 2008 7:42 pm

The Pentium 200 MMX has a 15.7 watt thermal design power, and back in those days TDP was an actual measurement specific to each chip, rather than a blanket statement across the entire range. Many modern northbridge chipsets use more than that (up to double) and have no problem with passive cooling (chipsets tend to run hotter than CPUs, but that chip is rated to 70Â°C). If I were you, I'd find a good chipset heatsink - you could go as fancy as a heatpiped Thermalright, but with a small amount of airflow, a Zalman NBF 47 should work well enough. Thermal epoxy the heatsink to the heatspreader in a position that doesn't interfere with the ZIF socket lever, and never worry about it again.

valnar · Post by **valnar** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 2:14 am

ok, thanks everyone.

SebRad · Post by **SebRad** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 6:22 am

Hi, If you go to newegg and look in the CPU cooling section they have quite a few in the Socket A / Socket 370 area. The biggest problem with these new heatsinks is they are much larger than the motherboard may have been intended to take so look at your board and how much room you have around the CPU.
This is a small cheap option that would no doubt cool enough with the fan at 5v. Should then be fairly quiet.
Much bigger option if it will fit may work passive or certainly with very minimal fan speed.

Personally I like DOSBox a lot for old games...

Good luck, Seb