The All-In-One (AIO) liquid cooler market is extremely competitive, saturated with products that promise superior thermal performance and flashy RGB. It gets even more complicated with more new players joining the scene with their low-priced offerings. However, Lian Li’s HydroShift II LCD-C series carves out a unique niche, not just through raw cooling power, but through a minimalist aesthetics and out-of-the-box cable management design. This is less a thermal solution and more a flagship piece of visual engineering designed for builders who demand the cleanest possible internal PC layout.
A Design Revolution: The Near-Tubeless Aesthetic
Where most AIOs proudly display their thick, braided tubes and numerous cables snaking from the pump head to the motherboard, the HydroShift II takes on a different path. Its signature feature is the side-mounted tubing and concealed wiring. The pump and USB cables are seamlessly integrated into the tubes’ woven sleeve, which then tucks neatly into the side of the radiator assembly.
The result, when properly installed, is a pump head that appears almost wire-free—a significant achievement in a component category often plagued by visual clutter. Lian Li includes adjustable tube support brackets, which slide along the radiator mount. This seemingly small detail is critical, allowing for precision alignment of the tubes and achieving that advertised “near-tubeless” look regardless of your case size or mounting orientation. This attention to routing flexibility sets the HydroShift II apart, making it an ideal choice for dual-chamber cases like the Lian Li O11 series. That goes without saying, the downside of this design is the limitation to top-mounted radiator case choice.
Installation is generally straightforward, thanks to an improved 4-point mounting mechanism that ensures even pressure distribution over the CPU IHS. The aforementioned tube clamps further simplify the final routing.
The Centerpiece: 2.1-inch IPS LCD
Dominating the CPU block is a 2.1-inch circular IPS LCD screen. This display is vibrant, boasting a 480×480 resolution and 500-nit brightness, ensuring your system stats, custom images, or animated GIFs remain sharp and visible even in well-lit environments.
Control over the screen and ARGB lighting is highly flexible. While the powerful L-Connect 3 software provides comprehensive customization, the cooler also features a brilliant Offline Mode. By simply rotating the outer ARGB ring of the CPU block, users can scroll through preset display themes and lighting effects without needing to launch the software or rely on a USB connection, a genuine convenience that enhances the user experience.
Lian Li offers the HydroShift II LCD-C in several configurations, including the 360TL and 360CL (featuring their respective UNI FAN models) and a 360N Fanless version. This last option caters specifically to enthusiasts who wish to pair the AIO with their own choice of high-performance fans, maintaining the minimalist pump aesthetic.
Thermal Performance and Specifications
Despite its aesthetic focus, the HydroShift II is no slouch in cooling performance. It is built to handle modern, high-TDP processors, offering full compatibility with Intel LGA 1700/1851 and AMD AM4/AM5 sockets. Our test on the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X at 120W see the cooler keeping the temperature under 90 degree Celcius.
Lian Li opted for a slimmed-down 24mm radiator (slightly thinner than the traditional 27mm standard), a choice made to increase case compatibility. Despite this reduction, the cooler holds its own against the conventional radiators, especially when paired with the high static pressure of the bundled UNI FANs. Key thermal specifications include:
- Pump Speed: Typically around 2000–2500 RPM.
- Radiator: 360mm, 400 x 122 x 24mm, Aluminum Alloy.
- TL Fan Specs (360TL version): 200–2600 RPM, up to 90.1 CFM airflow, and 3.97 mmH2O max air pressure.
Final Verdict
The Lian Li HydroShift II LCD-C is a premium product with a premium price tag, but it justifies the cost for a specific audience. It excels for PC builders whose primary goal is a visually immaculate and cable-managed build. The combination of top-tier thermal performance, a high-quality LCD screen, and the industry’s most sophisticated cable concealment system makes it the current aesthetic benchmark for AIO liquid cooling. If you are building a showcase PC and value a supremely clean look above all else, the HydroShift II LCD-C is the flagship cooler you’ve been waiting for.
