I'm helping a friend build a PC with some spare parts I have, and we're using the Cougar CFV235 case. I'm planning to give him a 240mm AIO cooler. For better aesthetics, I was thinking about side mounting the AIO with the tubes facing down, plus having three intake fans at the bottom, three exhaust fans at the top, and one exhaust fan at the rear. My concern is whether I should set the AIO as an intake since it would pull in hot air through the radiator for pressure balance. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this setup. Is orientation my best choice? Thanks! Also, the main specs will feature a 7700x CPU and an MSI Gaming Slim 4070 Super graphics card.
2 Answers
There aren't any perfect solutions, just compromises. Mounting the AIO on top might not look great, but it'll deliver the best cooling performance. If you go with the side-mounted AIO as an intake (keeping top and rear fans as exhaust), it'll be great for airflow despite pulling slightly warmer air through the rad. Just keep in mind, if the fans are on the far side, it might not look the best, and if they're facing the inside of the case, it could be a little louder due to the radiator and support struts affecting acoustics. If you consider having the side-mounted AIO exhaust, that could keep thermals decent, but it may lead to dust issues since it wouldn't pull in enough fresh air from below. The balance of airflow is key here!
The optimal position for most AIOs is at the top since the pump sits in the CPU block, but mounting on the side works too. Just ensure the tubes exit the radiator at the bottom if you do that. Personally, I'm currently using mine as an outtake with fans pulling air through, and it's working fine. Just remember, if you opt for side-outtake, it could conflict with the airflow intended for your GPU if you have bottom intakes.
I get that you usually prefer top outtake AIOs, but since I have a 240mm and it will be positioned in a 360mm spot, it might look odd. Won't side-mounted outtake just steal air from the bottom intakes meant for cooling the GPU though?