For reference, my Z230 SFF has a Xeon E3-1245 v3 CPU, and no PCH heatsink. I remain very interested to hear whether others with same or different builds have the heatsink present.
I will probably add a heatsink to mine. Think it will have to be epoxied, because I don't see anyplace to attach a hold-down spring.
I can think of 2 disadvantages to adding a heatsink:
- It may void machine's warranty.
- If heatsink is too large it may interfere with PCIe expansion cards.
Of course the main advantage would be lower PCH temperature and presumably longer life / better reliability.