Jumpexx

I'm building in a Fractal North mesh and trying to sort out my front 280 AIO setup before I commit to the GPU. The card is 336 mm long, and the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 has a thick 38 mm radiator plus 27 mm P14 fans. If I mount in the conventional push setup with fans against the front bracket and the radiator behind them, that takes about 65 mm out of the GPU zone, and my GPU already sits very close.

I'd prefer hoses down at the bottom of the case to keep any trapped air at the top of the radiator away from the pump, but the Arctic hoses exit straight from the block and the bend radius is not great. Has anyone run this exact combo with the tubes down and a long card? Did you have to route the hoses under the PSU shroud or tie them off?

I'm also considering mounting the radiator directly to the front bracket and running the included fans in pull on the inside. That should not change total thickness, but it moves the fans behind the rad and can buy a little space for tube routing. Is there a downside to pull here? I know dust is easier to clean but less ideal, and P14s might have a different noise profile when pressed against the rad. I'd rather avoid top mounting because the board and RAM area is tight. Any measurements, photos, or gotchas would be appreciated.

I ran a North with a 280 front rad but it was a Kraken X63, not the Arctic. Hoses down is the correct move on paper, but with a near-340mm GPU you may not have a clean path. I ended up tubes up after fighting the bend for an hour. Have had zero pump noise in about a year, only a tiny gurgle on first boot after it sat on its side.

If you do go pull, the included Arctic fans are fine. Just keep the front filter on and don't overthink it. I'd say install the GPU first, then try the hose routing with the rad dry before locking anything down. You can also zip-tie the hoses loosely to the shroud to keep them off the power cable.