ASUS makes cable-free liquid cooling a reality with its ROG Strix LC IV series coolers
ASUS makes CPU liquid coolers “cable-free” with its ROG Strix LC IV series
In case you weren’t aware, ASUS is the king of making PC hardware “cable-free”. They were the first PC hardware manufacturer to embrace the “BTF”/”Back-Connect” concept for motherboards, and since then, they have been hiding the cables of all of their components. Just look at their BTF motherboards and graphics cards. Now, ASUS has made their all-in-one liquid cooling solutions cable-free, thanks to its new ROG Strix LC IV lineup.
(OC3D’s ASUS ROG CES 2026 Booth Tour)
How did ASUS make these coolers cable-free?
As the saying goes, “it takes two to tango.” ASUS’ ROG Strix LC IV series isn’t cable-free on its own. They need a compatible motherboard with ASUS’ new “AIO Q-Connector”. Supported motherboards include ASUS’ new ROG Crosshair X870E Glacial, ROG Crosshair X870E Dark Hero, ROG Strix X870E-E Gaming WiFi 7 Neo, and ROG Strix X870E-A Gaming WiFi7 Neo.
If you have a supported cooler and motherboard, you can install the cooler as normal, and your cooler and motherboard’s “AIO Q-Connect” contacts will interface. These pads will then provide control signals and power to your liquid cooling solution.
(See the “AIO Q-Connector” between the CPU socket and DRAM slots?)
Can these coolers be used with “normal” motherboards?
If you don’t own an AIO Q-Connect motherboard, don’t worry. ASUS’ ROG Strix LC IV coolers can be installed on standard motherboards and used with a modular cable. This cable allows ROG Strix LC IV coolers to be used with standard motherboards. If you don’t need it, just leave this cable in the box.
Six variants
Three versions of ASUS’ new Strix LC IV coolers will be available. There are LCD models with either short-length or standard-length tubing, and a non-LCD standard-length model that has an RGB illuminated RGB logo instead of an LCD display. All versions of the cooler will be available in Black or White.
LCD models will feature a 5.08-inch LCD display with a 720×720 resolution. This screen can be used to display system information or custom content.
ASUS’ new Strix LC IV CPU coolers will be available later this year alongside compatible motherboards. ASUS has not yet unveiled pricing for these new CPU cooler.
You can join the discussion on ASUS’ ROG Strix SLC IV series of CPU liquid coolers on the OC3D Forums.
