Cooler Master ATCS 840 Full Tower Case Review

Water Cooling Installation

When it comes to water cooling, the ATCS 840 is no slouch but unlike the HAF it is not what you would call single rad friendly. This is because you can not place one in the most logical location by removing the 120mm exhaust fan and sticking it there since the motherboard tray’s reinforcing bracket gets in the way.

Overall, you are left with not exactly great options. You can technically install a rad in the bottom of the case in front of the PSU; but that means it will be the lowest point in your loop. You could place one in the motherboard side of the drive caddy, but then you are blowing hot air inside the case. You can also swap out the fans and stick one on the top of the case but that would be a waste as well


Dual fan radiators are also in a similar boat in that you could possible mount one on the motherboard side of the drive caddy, but as with the single rad the tubes would be on the bottom of the case (assuming it will fit in the first place, you may need to do some modding to fit one here) and all that hot air would still be stuck in your case. You could also put one on the top of the case, but in all honesty this case is a “whole hog” kind of case and it cries out for a triple rad setup. This is a good thing as the singles and dual may make for a decent loop, but a triple fan rad will almost always be better. To this end we are going to explore this option in more detail.


As with the HAF 932, installing a triple bay radiator in the top of the case means first removing the monster 230x200 fans. This may sound daunting but in fact is an easy proposition since unlike the HAF 932, the mesh grill covering the fans is easily removable. To do this you unscrew the two thumb screws at the top of the case and slide the mesh assembly out the back. With this done you then have easy access to the fans. Eight screws is all that separates these two fans from freedom.


Once these fans are removed you can not just stick the triple bay and three fans in place as they need an adapter. Luckily, this adapter is included with the ATCS 840 and in all honesty it makes installing the triple bay with 3 fans soooo much easier. As you can see in the above picture, you simply lay the fans on top of the radiator, line up one of the four plastic adapters and screw it all together. Rinse and repeat three times and presto change-o you have an easier to maneuver water cooling sub assembly.


While it may be easier, it still is a wee bit of a tight fit getting the whole works into position. We recommend removing the motherboard tray and both side panels to give you all the room you can get. Trust us when we say this sub assembly maneuvers like a pregnant yak! Once it is in place you then reuse those eight fan screws to secure it to the case. You then can replace the mesh top and start in with the rest of the WC’ing setup.


There are quite a few benefits to this setup; the first and foremost being that all three fans are not occluded and should have heck of an easier time exhausting the air out the top. All in all this is should mean lower static pressure working against the three fans. The brilliance in this setup means that you only lose the top most 5.25 bay and you could even use it in a pinch if it was really necessary and you had the patience to work around the water cooling components. Also, since the 840 is even longer than the HAF, the radiator doesn’t stick into the optical bay. It may seem like a small thing but it does make installing your barbs and tube a heck of a lot easier.

As an added bonus, this case does inherit all the extra space that the HAF has so using an extra thick radiator and / or six 38mm fans in a push-pull setup is not only doable but is down right easy to accomplish. Let me tell you; there are very few cases which can boast not only being able to handle a internally mounted triple radiator but also the ability to handle double fans and double thickness rads! For all you hardcore water cooling aficionados, if that last sentence doesn’t make you “sit up and bark”… I don’t know what would.

Does all this improved (and easier) installation make up for the fact that you are basically limited to a lone radiator setup? Yes and no since the HAF certainly offers more options but for most people a single triple bay radiator should be enough. If you need more than that, the HAF may actually make a better option, but for everyone else, the shear user-friendliness coupled with even lower static pressure does make for one heck of an argument in the ATCS 840’s favor.