Do you really need a heatsink for Raspberry Pi 3?

Question

Raspberry Pi

https://habr.com/post/357958/ - on the one hand, it seems like you need
https://www.raspberrypi.org/help/faqs/#performance... - but the official FAQ says no.
I don't want to buy anything again.

Answer 1

Even it seems to me that opinions on the toaster will be polar. Someone will say - "I use it without a radiator and everything is fine." And someone - "burned his finger put the cooler."
Do you know why? Because everyone has their own tasks and their own operating conditions.

Answer 2

The radiator costs a penny and usually goes to the load to the case.
Personally, I don’t think it’s right to boil the SoC above 55-60 degrees, and it will be possible to overclock it a little.
Cooler is more difficult. Usually all sorts of complete noise and rustling blades even at 3.3V. You can make some 12V 80mm cooler by powering it from 5V. It will not be heard at all, and even the connected HDD will be able to cool.
I have such a bookcase with a Cubietruck and a 2.5" HDD at 7200rpm from the end. SoC 30-40 degrees, disk 30-35.