Liquid cooling turns into a visual and lifestyle upgrade
Liquid cooling is shifting from a pure performance accessory into a visual centerpiece and lifestyle product, where liquid cooler innovations blend thermal efficiency with customizable displays, modular cooling systems, and PC cooling aesthetics that treat the radiator and pump as design objects as much as functional parts. At Computex, that shift was impossible to miss: all-in-one units now feature multi-screen pump blocks, OLED and holographic AIO cooler displays, and interchangeable components that echo custom loops. 360mm AIO coolers dominated the show floor, underlining how larger radiators have become the default for high-end gaming and creator builds. At the same time, brands experimented with new interaction patterns, like magnetically mounted screens and refillable designs, giving enthusiasts more control over how their coolers look, behave, and even where information appears inside the case.
Thermaltake’s screen-heavy AIOs push in-case displays to extremes
Thermaltake brought some of the boldest liquid cooler innovations, centering on in-case displays. The ST360 Pro Ultra ARGB mounts a 6-inch 2160×1080 OLED panel on the pump, with deep blacks and high detail for images, video, or telemetry. The display attaches magnetically and can swivel, so builders can align it however their layout demands. According to Overclock3D, this AIO “can be controlled using the company’s TT RGB PLUS 3.0 software,” which also handles screen content. For display-obsessed builders, the ST360 Trio Ultra ARGB Sync goes further, adding three 6-inch LCDs (720×1480 each) in a foldable array that creates a triple-monitor AIO cooler display right on the CPU block. Thermaltake even leaned into nostalgia with the Retro 360 Ultra, a CRT-inspired cooler that pairs liquid cooling performance with a playful, retro PC cooling aesthetic.
ASRock Taichi AQUA and HOLO chase DIY flexibility and holographic flair
ASRock used its Taichi AQUA and HOLO series to answer a different question: what if an AIO looked and behaved like a custom loop? The Taichi 360 HOLO integrates a spinning holographic display in the pump top, using persistence-of-vision tech to create a floating 3D effect instead of a flat LCD. Users can load images or animations, turning the pump into a hovering logo or animated badge. The Taichi AQUA 360 targets performance-focused enthusiasts with a block styled after custom water blocks, twin pumps hidden in the radiator, and tight-tolerance daisy-chain fans. A small LCD module mounts either on the block or elsewhere in the case via magnets, letting builders preserve the exposed metal look if they prefer. Crucially, the AQUA adds two G1/4-inch fittings for refilling or expanding, pushing AIOs closer to modular cooling systems than sealed appliances.
TCOMAS bets everything on 360mm AIO coolers and multi-display blocks
While bigger brands experimented with screens and fittings, TCOMAS focused its entire range on 360mm AIO coolers. The company offers no smaller sizes, arguing that 240mm and 120mm formats are fading while 360mm radiators have become the go-to for high-end builds. Within that single size, it plays with wildly different pump block designs. The CUBE D3 and EXIT D3 echo last year’s TRYX STAGE style but add a third display, turning the pump into a three-sided cube of screens. TCOMAS also showed a concept AIO with a pump-mounted display roughly the size of a gaming handheld, aimed at builders who want maximum visual impact. This focus on large radiators and display-heavy blocks underlines how 360mm AIO coolers are now platforms for PC cooling aesthetics and interaction, not just heat dissipation.
From cooling hardware to personal expression
Taken together, Thermaltake, ASRock, and TCOMAS point to a clear direction: liquid cooling is turning into a canvas for personalization. Screens on pump blocks are no longer simple temperature readouts; they are full-blown dashboards, media frames, or holographic logos. Modular touches such as magnetically mounted AIO cooler displays, G1/4-inch fittings, and daisy-chain fans give enthusiasts more freedom to route, upgrade, and arrange parts like custom loops. 360mm radiators have become the standard format for these liquid cooler innovations, leaving brands to differentiate with visuals, interactivity, and DIY-friendly features. For builders, the message is simple: the next wave of coolers will be judged as much by how they look and how they fit a build’s theme as by thermal numbers, turning liquid cooling into a lifestyle component at the heart of the PC.
