If there was one non-AI Computex trend this year it’s that everything needs a damned screen in or on it

We can probably all agree that what your PC really needs is a water cooler with a screen. Sorry, make that a water cooler with two screens. Oh third thought, maybe a water cooler with a remote control motorised screen?

Actually, if Computex 2025 is anything to go by, what your PC needs is simply more screens. Because the show was stuffed with them, including plenty of intriguing actual, you know, monitors.

Just to give you a sense of how screen-dominated the show was, here’s the list of just the AIO water coolers with screens we covered at Computex, which itself is surely a subset of all the water coolers with screens actually on display. I mean, we must have missed some.

All the chiller screens we found:

• Antec Vortex View
  Basic stuff, just a 5-inch screen on a water cooling block. Must try harder!
• Hyte Thicc Q60
  Another, er, 5 incher, but this one has its own Arm CPU and can feed you with live stats without any help from your PC. Nice.
• Tryx Stage
  Why make do with just one screen, when Tryx will give you an AIO with two!
• Cooler Master Masterliquid Atmos II
  This one has modular optional screens that detach. Oh, and Jacob says they cry, too. Whatever!
• Xigmatek big screen thing
  We don’t know the product name. We don’t know its precise dimensions. But the award for the largest AIO screen at Computex probably goes to Xigmatek.
• Lian Li Hydroshift II LCD Curve
  A curved screen on an AIO? Yup. Not just curved, but motorised, too. Why? Who cares!

Of course, arguably of more lasting interest are actual PC monitors. Well, there was no shortage of those, either. ASRock tickled our fancy with a 400 Hz 1440p panel. A world first, apparently, thanks to the novel combination of IPS and 400 Hz, this isn’t the highest refresh monitor in history. But it is quick and it should be pretty affordable. The ASRock PG27QFW2A looks like a good real-world candidate if esports are your thing but you want an monitor for daily duties and other types of gaming, too.

Speaking of 27 inchers, the Acer Nitro PG1 could be interesting for gamers on the go. It’s a portable screen which usually means terrible spec. But this one is 4K but also offers a 1080p 144 Hz mode. By desktop monitor standards, the specs are dated. But it looks slick and compact and given the portable remit, could make a lot of sense.

Of course, if pure speed is your thing, the Asus ROG Strix Ace XG248QSG mioght be your thing. It’s a 24-inch 1080p monitor with a TN panel, so it’s not going to be a great all-rounder. But it offers both 610 Hz. refresh and 0.1ms response. The latter must be some kind of record for a PC monitor.

Meanwhile if you want that kind of speed with more pixels and better image quality, MSI’s 500 Hz 1440p OLED panel should surely be in your mix. The MSI MPG 271QR QD-OLED X50 can also detect when you’re not using it and turn itself off to mitigate burn in. Handy.

Samsung also announced that it was finally joining the Nvidia G-Sync bandwagon with its 2025 OLED TV range. 2025 models also offer 165 Hz refresh, plus AMD FreeSync Premium Pro support, making Samsung’s latest TVs pretty plausible as makeshift gaming monitors.

There were, of course, zillions of other PC monitors at the show, not to mention other categories of supplementary display, such as the PC case with a secondary screen, though most weren’t actually new. One trend that wasn’t entirely obvious at Computex but should emerge over the rest of the year is cheap 4K gaming monitors with at least 144 Hz refresh. We’re expecting screens from big brands for under $300. Watch this space.