The present invention is directed to ventilating or cooling element for airflow cooling in a digital data processing apparatus, and it is particularly suited to such apparatus having a high circuit density, or mounted within a restricted chassis or housing, such as the housing of a web server, or of a storage array device for a network server or web server. The cooling element includes a fan that is disposed at an angle to integrate its cooling air with general circulation or air flow through the chassis. The element may mount on a plate, such as the thermally conductive plate of a heat sink, that is adapted for coupling to the chassis and/or contacting a microprocessor chip, and a fan is disposed on the mounting plate at an angle to cool the plate or chip without creating obstructive cross wind. The mounting plate can be disposed within the middle portion of the chassis. The fan or cooling element can be angled so as to direct airflow towards at least a selected portion of the chassis, e.g. along a flow path to a chassis vent or opening, which may be in the rear portion. The mounting plate can also include one or more a thermally conductive heat dissipation members, such as fins or posts, and the fan may have a side-to-side tilt as well as an inclination with respect to the plane of the plate.