I'm building my first PC and recently bought a mid-tower ATX case along with an Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360. While installing it, I noticed that the small fan attached to the CPU pump/block sits very close to the radiator—about 3/16 to 1/4 inch away. It doesn't touch the radiator fans or prevent anything from spinning, but I'm not sure whether this clearance is safe. Do I need to replace it with a different CPU cooler, or is this normal?
2 Answers
That small fan is built into the cooler’s CPU block, so it’s supposed to be there. As long as it isn’t touching the radiator, fans, tubing, or another component, and everything spins freely, the clearance should be fine. You can also verify that the radiator fans are blowing in the intended direction and that your case has a few intake fans.
You don’t need to install a separate CPU fan. The Liquid Freezer III Pro includes three fans on the radiator plus the small VRM fan attached to the pump/block. If the radiator is mounted at the top, make sure the case still has front, side, or bottom intake fans to bring fresh air in.
I mistakenly thought the fan attached to the CPU block was a separate CPU fan. Thanks for clarifying that it’s part of the liquid cooler.
Nothing is touching or stopping the fans, so it sounds like the clearance is okay. I wasn’t sure how to check the airflow direction at first, but I’ll look at the fan arrows and test it once the PC is running.