We often get asked if you can rotate your CPU Water Block and whether it will have any influence on performance in your system. The short answer is yes, you can rotate all XC7 RGB Elite Water Blocks in 90 degree increments.
XC7 RGB Elite mounted in the standard way
XC7 RGB Elite mounted with ports at the top
Since Intel mounting brackets are square, you can freely mount these in any direction that fits (in 90 degree increments).
It isn't the same for AMD though, as you will need to put the mounting brackets in from the sides instead of top and bottom. In the above pictures you can see the same water block, but with the mounting brackets in two different positions.
The internal chiplet design of CPU's change from time to time, and from CPU to CPU, so it is not possible to give a single answer to this question. On some CPUs, you will see no difference from how you orientate your CPU Water Block, while on others you might see a small improvement with the block in it's intended orientation (we're talking a few °C here).
If your fear is that you will get 10-20°C worse temperatures from rotating your block, then do not worry—the differences will never be that big, and in normal use it is doubtful that you will notice any change.
