A trim cooling assembly provides a sensible trim cooling capability for intake air provided to a downstream computing pod that includes an air cooling system that provides cooling air to computer systems in the pod. The air cooling system can evaporatively chill received intake air to provide the cooling air. The trim cooling assembly is mounted externally to the computing pod and upstream of the air cooling system and includes one or more trim cooling units that can be individually controlled to provide adjustable sensible chilling of the intake air. The trim cooling units and an evaporative cooling unit in the air cooling system can be controlled to provide various levels of sensible and evaporative cooling to maintain conditions of air downstream of the evaporative cooling unit within certain ranges. Trim cooling units can be progressively activated and de-activated in stages to provide progressively adjusted sensible cooling.