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I made a Minecraft server with a Pi 2. I overclocked it with raspi-config to something like "Medium". I intend to keep it running 24/7 without a case. Do I need a heat sink and a fan in this situation? If so, please, if you can, reference me to some heat sinks and fans I can use with a link. Thank you.

Jacobm001
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John
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    Possible duplicate of [Is the Raspberry Pi suitable for running continuously, 24/7?](http://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/questions/325/is-the-raspberry-pi-suitable-for-running-continuously-24-7) – Jacobm001 Dec 21 '15 at 21:17
  • John, welcome to the Raspberry Pi StackExchange. As the automated comment above points out, your question has been asked before and already has very detailed sets of answers. If you believe your question is significantly different for some reason, please feel free to edit your question to reflect that. – Jacobm001 Dec 21 '15 at 21:19
  • No, I was not asking if it is suitable to run 24/7, I was just wondering if I should cool it while it is running 24/7 as a Minecraft server – John Dec 21 '15 at 21:19
  • -1 *Please* make use of the search box in the top right of the screen - if you do that three days in a row, at this time of year you will get a little extra bonus...! – SlySven Dec 21 '15 at 21:29
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    There is a command called "vcgencmd measure_temp" that returns you the temperature of your core. Maybe run it periodically and see that the temperature stays steady after a while. – Kolban Dec 21 '15 at 23:51

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The Pi does not require cooling (fans, heat sinks etc.). The only time it would need some form of cooling are if it is being overclocked to unrealistic limits (far betynd what you can configure via raspi-config), or if enclosed in something which prohibited nearly all air flow (e.g. inside a teddy bear).

From the Raspberry Pi Foundation's FAQ:

  1. DOES IT NEED A HEATSINK?

You should not need to use a heatsink, as the chip used in the Raspberry Pi is equivalent to that used in a cell phone, and should not become hot enough to need any special cooling. However, depending on the case you are using and on the overclocking settings, you might find a heatsink to be advantageous. Of course, if you just like the look of a heatsink, you will not hurt the Raspberry Pi by placing an appropriately-sized heatsink on it.

Steve Robillard
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