Product on Review: Hydroshift LCD 360S AIO
Manufacturer: Lian Li
Street Price:
US: $179.90 USD excl Tax
UK: £149.99 GBP inc. V.A.T.
AUS: $269 AUD inc. Tax
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What can one say about Lian Li. Best known for their trend-setting PC enclosures and renowned for their construction quality, the Taiwanese chassis specialists have now branched out into the wider cooling segment as well as power supplies, cabling and other accessories. Currently they’re cementing their position in the CPU liquid cooling arena with the release of the HydroShift LCD series, a brand new design for high performance AM4/AM5/LGA1700 CPUs that marries exceptional cooling potential with an aesthetic ethos that complements what is perhaps their most successful project to date: the O11 Dynamic case.
The Lian Li HydroShift LCD series has an 'All-In-One' closed loop liquid cooler design with 360mm radiators and three of their 120mm fans. There are three major variants - available in black or white - that share two hallmark features: a pump-mounted OLED screen, and a selection of adaptations that improve hose management. They do however differ in subtle but potentially quite significant ways.
Lian Li’s HydroShift LCD 360S is the most affordable member of the range and also the one that focuses most on performance. It features a 27mm-thick radiator and three 120mm Lian Li UNIFAN P28 fans for easy cable-free daisy chaining and a nice clean finish. It’s effectively RGB-free but with fans and fin density that ensure ample cooling for every current-gen CPU.
The HydroShift LCD 360R by contrast swings a little more towards aesthetics with RGB fans and a thicker radiator. It’s not quite as accomplished a cooler as the 360S - on paper at least - but instead adds that little bit of customisable illumination if that’s your thing.
Sitting atop the tiers is the HydroShift LCD 360TL. It uses Lian Li’s TL-style RGB fans complete with infinity mirror effect on the edges for a truly unique look. The radiator is the same thicker model as the 360R but the higher specification fans mean that it should perform as well as the 360S. This model has an MSRP of $260 in the US however, significantly more than the 360S, making it a much more considered purchase.
About Lian Li:
Lian Li Industrial Co., LTD, found in 1983, is the largest and most reputable family-owned and run designers and manufacturer of high-quality PC cases and accessories.
With nearly 25 years in the PC industry, Lian Li has seen many trends come and go, but has persisted in its philosophy that its products should stand out from everything else, that, with the touch of every Lian Li product, you should feel the difference. Even at times where the norm in the industry was to cut cost, Lian Li persisted in being the top choice for anyone that builds a PC system.
With nearly 25 years in the PC industry, Lian Li has seen many trends come and go, but has persisted in its philosophy that its products should stand out from everything else, that, with the touch of every Lian Li product, you should feel the difference. Even at times where the norm in the industry was to cut cost, Lian Li persisted in being the top choice for anyone that builds a PC system.
Large closed loop coolers are increasingly common due to the current ubiquity of the Lian Li O11D and other PC cases very much inspired by this benchmark design. They offer a wider internal field of view than conventional case styles without compromising cooling performance, with most aspects designed as if your PC and its components were worthy of showcasing in their own right. Pump-mounted LCD screens and fan-edge lighting aren't for cases from a decade ago, even if their performance in such an enclosure would still be exceptional.
These HydroShift models are, in effect, evolutions of the Galahad II. Like those older designs the HydroShift enters an extremely competitive market with an ace in the hole, a 2.88-inch 480x480px IPS display integrated into the pump housing. Each faces off against the likes of the Corsair Hydro Series with iCUE, NZXT’s Kraken Elite and the Phanteks Glacier One but are considerably less expensive than the ASUS ROG Ryujin III.
With that background in place let’s take a closer look at the HydroShift 360S, the performance model and entry point into the range, which is the variant on review today.
