I'm building a PC in a Lian Li O11 Vision Compact with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D and an RTX 5070 Ti. My room can reach around 80°F, so I'm trying to prioritize cooling over appearance. I can mount my Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro ARGB on the top with the mesh panel and use extra fans on the side as intake, or I can mount the radiator on the side as intake and use the glass top. I have six intake fans available and would appreciate advice on which layout makes the most sense, especially for a first build.
2 Answers
An 80°F room isn’t unusually hot, so either layout should work and the difference probably won’t be dramatic. Personally, I’d side-mount the AIO as an intake, keep the glass top installed, and use the rear fans as exhaust. That gives the radiator cooler outside air and matches the case’s typical showcase layout.
I’d leave the radiator mounted on top and run it as exhaust, then use the other fans as side intakes. That’s a straightforward layout, and it should keep the CPU and other components cool even with an 80°F room temperature. I use a similar setup and my internal temperatures stay well under control.
That sounds good. I’m not too worried about aesthetics, and I’ve already started mounting it up top, so I’ll probably keep it there and focus on cooling.
For a first build, is changing the radiator fans to intake difficult? Can I simply flip the fans around, or would I need different fans?