8 / EXAMINE FAN MOUNTS
You might find that your existing fan mounts will be useful for mounting
your radiator, removing the need to drill fan holes to mount it. However,
the fans or radiator need to sit flush with the panel, in order to avoid dust
ingress or hot air spilling back into the case.4 / WORK OUT AIRFLOW
Before you start altering existing fan mounts, decide on your case’s new
airflow arrangement. You’ll need to work out if you want to see the fans,
whether you can factor in dust protection and how to balance the airflow
in your case. You also need to decide whether you’re using the radiator as
an intake or exhaust.
5 / CONSIDER RGB FANS
Plenty of high-profile case mods use RGB fans with custom radiator
blowholes. If you’re using RGB fans, you’ll need to arrange them so they’re
visible. You might want to position them so that they exhaust air through a
side radiator, or they could be visible through front panel blowholes.
7 / CHECK CLEARANCE
Use a tape measure to check the clearance for the radiator. Make sure
there’s enough free space for the radiator’s width and height, as well as
enough depth behind the panel for the radiator and fans.6 / INSPECT CASE PANEL
Measure the chosen panel for your particular radiator. Make sure it’s
large enough to support your radiator, and ensure that it has enough
free space to cut out the blowhole. It’s also worth checking the
material from which it’s made, as steel will take much longer to cut
than aluminium.
9 / REMOVE PANEL
Remove the panel from the case if possible. This will make cutting
it mucheasier,andit alsomeanstherestofyourcasewon’tbe
showeredwithmetaldustfromcutting.Considerde-rivetingthe
caseif it’s not held together using screws or push fittings.