Question Oversized AIO CPU Fan - - - can I mount it externally ?

[isaacm8]

Background: I am putting together my first build, and am intending to Frankenstein it together using some pieces of the prebuilt ive had since 2023 to cut down on initial costs. One of those costs im cutting is getting a new case because everything else fits into the case i have right now.

Issue: I dont want to skimp on something like cpu cooling, and i'd prefer getting the Artic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360mm because i will be upgrading the case relatively soon, but just not right now, and i also dont want to wait on having a good AIO fan and have to use the air cooling i have currently (note: my current fan is better than the cooling fans that came stock with the prebuilt in the link below). The case i have now isnt compatible with the 360mm, so im hoping there isnt anything preventing me from just mounting it on top or the side if i remove the side glass panel and securing it very shoddily for the time being until i can get a proper case.

Relevant Specs: I struck out and minimized the height measurement because i dont think its relevant but wanted to include it just in case it is.
Case dimensions: height (17.7 inches) x Depth (17.9 inches) x Width (7.8 inches) (link is to the prebuilt i am using to scavenge pieces from in case it is helpful to look)
Artic III Pro 360 dimensions: height (38mm) x Length (398mm/15.6inches) x Width (120mm/4.7inches)

Question: Is there any risk of damaging other components or the fan malfunctioning if i mount it on top or side?

Additional Commentary: I am not super inclined to mount it on the side because that would leave the rest open to the elements (desert dust), but I can use plexiglass to create a shortened side panel as well if side mounting is better for some reason, but my primary concern is whether mounting outside the case bears any risk of harm to any components. Also, I understand it'll be ugly, perhaps less effective because it is mounted on top/side, and that the 360mm is more cooling than basically any CPU knows what to do with, but i'll be getting a proper larger case within the next month, so those will be short-term concerns, and that's why i ask only about the risk of damaging components.

 

[Lutfij]

I can't seem to find much details about the case. That being said, what processor are you trying to cool? You could get away with a 240mm AIO or look into a beefy air cooler. If the processor you're working with has a boxed cooler, work with that until you can get a case that has official support for an AIO.

 

[isaacm8]

Oh yeah, it was just a random Best Buy prebuilt that i bought a few years ago, but now im ready for/need a much better computer. And, i've had the exact same issue figuring out how much i can scavenge from it because there's basically no information available.

To that end, the CPU is going to be a Ryzen 9 9950X3d 16-core, and from what i gather, it needs good cooling.

This is the air cooler fan i have now, which i got from a friend who had upgraded to a better one last year and i thought to try my hand at starting to work on the inside of computers so i switched the stock one with it. I havent had the ability to spend on a good build until now though, and im not sure if it's enough for the 9950X3D.

And, if it's okay, i have two quick follow up questions!

1. Do you think my current one is enough to cool a 9950X3D?
2. If not, and i got the 240mm Artic, would that be enough for the 9950X3D?

 

[Paperdoc]

I see no inherent trouble with mounting the AIO cooler and fans on top of the outside of the case. I assume you will aim the fans so they exhaust air from inside the case. My only questions are sort of obvious.
1. You are confident you can mount securely for a temporary system sp nothing will shift?
2. Enough clearance around the hoses to guarantee they won't rub on a metal edge?
3. Is there a big rectangular hole in the current case top? Or, do you plan to cut one?
4. IF you temporary layout does NOT have the rad/fans over a big opening in the case top, then they will NOT function as exhaust, and that will (for temporary purposes) reduce case ventilation.

 

[isaacm8]

I see no inherent trouble with mounting the AIO cooler and fans on top of the outside of the case. I assume you will aim the fans so they exhaust air from inside the case. My only questions are sort of obvious.
1. You are confident you can mount securely for a temporary system sp nothing will shift?
2. Enough clearance around the hoses to guarantee they won't rub on a metal edge?
3. Is there a big rectangular hole in the current case top? Or, do you plan to cut one?
4. IF you temporary layout does NOT have the rad/fans over a big opening in the case top, then they will NOT function as exhaust, and that will (for temporary purposes) reduce case ventilation.

Hey, there a saying in Spanish that translates to "common sense is the least common of the senses," so i'm happy to get questions that seem obvious to folks with experience since they might not occur to me!

First off, its good to hear there's no inherent issue with that like there can be with things like cloning an SSD from a laptop to a desktop, as i learned yesterday in another thread i posted haha But yeah, exhausting out is the plan. As to your questions, here is the following answers.

1. I am not sure. This occurred to me at work, but what is it i would need to ensure wont shift?
If it's just the fans, then i am pretty sure i could rig something together. If it would be any of the new parts then i would not know until i put everything together. If that's the case, i will just hold on and use the fan i currently have i think.

2, 3, and 4. There is a metal mesh panel that can slide off the top and underneath there is a grille, but i am unsure if the grille itself is removable. However, once i check it out, if nothing important seems like its in the way, then fortunately i am familiar with duct work, and i have tin snips i could use to cut out the necessary pattern. I also have thin pipe insulation, so i could put it over any edges that would be in contact with a hose, as well as the hose itself.

This is the bit where i meant that obvious questions are good because i know that my case can have internal fans installed on top, but i assumed that meant the entire top could come off. So i do not actually know if it does. And even though i could cut through it all, now that i think about it, that would create pieces of metal debris and those feel like potential catastrophes if even one wasnt cleaned out and got into the new system.

This was really helpful to think through the logistics of whether its worth creating a makeshift opening, thanks!

 

[CountMike]

Hey, there a saying in Spanish that translates to "common sense is the least common of the senses," so i'm happy to get questions that seem obvious to folks with experience since they might not occur to me!

First off, its good to hear there's no inherent issue with that like there can be with things like cloning an SSD from a laptop to a desktop, as i learned yesterday in another thread i posted haha But yeah, exhausting out is the plan. As to your questions, here is the following answers.

1. I am not sure. This occurred to me at work, but what is it i would need to ensure wont shift?
If it's just the fans, then i am pretty sure i could rig something together. If it would be any of the new parts then i would not know until i put everything together. If that's the case, i will just hold on and use the fan i currently have i think.

2, 3, and 4. There is a metal mesh panel that can slide off the top and underneath there is a grille, but i am unsure if the grille itself is removable. However, once i check it out, if nothing important seems like its in the way, then fortunately i am familiar with duct work, and i have tin snips i could use to cut out the necessary pattern. I also have thin pipe insulation, so i could put it over any edges that would be in contact with a hose, as well as the hose itself.

This is the bit where i meant that obvious questions are good because i know that my case can have internal fans installed on top, but i assumed that meant the entire top could come off. So i do not actually know if it does. And even though i could cut through it all, now that i think about it, that would create pieces of metal debris and those feel like potential catastrophes if even one wasnt cleaned out and got into the new system.

This was really helpful to think through the logistics of whether its worth creating a makeshift opening, thanks!

As long as you can secure it properly it's not a problem to mount radiator with it's fans bolted to it anywhere, even completely outside of case as long as top of radiator is above the pump.

 

[bill001g]

If you look at water cooling before AIO they used to mount fans and even the radiators themselves outside the cases. They use to bolt them on the side or the top or where ever they would fit.

Note unless you want a water cooler just "because", you really should read the reviews of coolers in general. I am unclear if you already have the 360 AIO or you are doing this project because you are buying the AIO first.

Pretty much even very inexpensive air coolers can keep most CPU under control.

The exception was/is if you are going to run intel cpu with no power limits. Not many people do this any more after all the 13 and 14900k chips failed. It was not directly related to running with no power limits but intel has changed their recommendation. Before you had the intel engineers bragging you that you could run the cpu with no power limit 24 x 7. Now these guys are nowhere to be found.

In addition unless you are running software that runs all core loads a air cooler can keep even a 14900k with no power limits under control.

 

[isaacm8]

If you look at water cooling before AIO they used to mount fans and even the radiators themselves outside the cases. They use to bolt them on the side or the top or where ever they would fit.

Note unless you want a water cooler just "because", you really should read the reviews of coolers in general. I am unclear if you already have the 360 AIO or you are doing this project because you are buying the AIO first.

Pretty much even very inexpensive air coolers can keep most CPU under control.

The exception was/is if you are going to run intel cpu with no power limits. Not many people do this any more after all the 13 and 14900k chips failed. It was not directly related to running with no power limits but intel has changed their recommendation. Before you had the intel engineers bragging you that you could run the cpu with no power limit 24 x 7. Now these guys are nowhere to be found.

In addition unless you are running software that runs all core loads a air cooler can keep even a 14900k with no power limits under control.

It's super cool to learn history like that! Because some things become more rigid and less accessible with modernity, and I feel like this might be one of them.

That said, i ended up being able to find case that's compatible for less than i had expected and ill be able to mount it properly.

I'll be running a Ryzen 9 9950X3d 16-core CPU, and from what I've researched, it runs hot under a heavy workload. Now, to be fair, I wouldnt be running it under a particularly heavy workload all the time. However, at least five times a month, for work I receive a set of PDFs totaling at least 3,000 pages. I also receive just as many Excel sheets that have to be converted to PDFs, and they have enough data to end up being about 4,000 pages. In other words, around five times a month, i have to convert a massive Excel sheet into a large PDF and then run text recognition on the combined 7,000 pages of PDFs. In total I have to convert Excel sheets into 20,000 pages of PDFs and then run text recognition on 35,000 pages of PDFs.

From what I've researched about the PRO III, it will definitely be overkill for cooling most of the time, but for the handful of times each month I need a lot of processing power, the CPU will experience a pretty drastic increase in workload. So, it feels like it makes more sense to build for when it is under the most stress as opposed to building for the workload it is under the majority of the time.

 

[Lutfij]

If the case is in your possession, what's preventing you from passing on pictures of said case for us to see and make suggestions accordingly?

 

[CountMike]

Ryzen 9 9950X3d is perfect cause to use 360AIO on. Only non x3D and Intel 13th and 14th gen I9 are hotter running.
Luckily most if not all modern full ATX and mid sized cases are already made to accommodate 360 or 420 mm AIOs and radiators for custom cooling. In every case of that size, wherever there is space for 3 120 or 140mm fans in a row., you could put 360 or 420 radiators. AIOs today are well mature technology with 6 year warranty, despite large radiator it could be tucked away to front, side or top and unlike that great big bulge of air cooler that covers half the MB, RAM and connectors , it leaves inside the case clean an accessible. Radiator fans also replace same number of case fans while air coolers have up to 3 fans that also need as many or more case fans to work properly.