I'm building my first small-form-factor PC with a Ryzen 5 9600X and an ASRock Phantom Gaming B850 motherboard. It won't have a dedicated graphics card and will mainly be used for office work, replacing an old mini PC. The MSI liquid cooler only fits at the rear, but the motherboard partially covers the radiator and its fans once everything is installed. There isn't enough clearance to mount it normally at the top, though two slim fans might fit. Is this placement acceptable for a low-demand office system, or should I use a larger case or switch to an air cooler?
3 Answers
That’s a poor position for an AIO radiator, and this processor doesn’t really need liquid cooling for an office PC. A conventional tower air cooler would be simpler, quieter, and easier to mount without the motherboard blocking the radiator.
For basic office work, it will probably function since the system likely won’t generate enough heat to overwhelm the cooler. Still, the restricted airflow isn’t ideal, so check whether you can fit even slim fans at the top. If there’s no top clearance, I’d consider another cooling option.
The radiator placement isn’t normal or especially efficient. Since there’s no dedicated GPU and the workload is light, temperatures may still be acceptable, but an air cooler makes much more sense here. Something like a Peerless Assassin or another inexpensive tower cooler should provide plenty of cooling without the mounting hassle.
The AIO came bundled with the motherboard and processor, but I can use it in another build. I ended up buying a Peerless Assassin because it was inexpensive and seemed like a better fit for this system.