ASUS ROG Ryuo IV SLC 360 ARGB

We thought it wasn't possible to add more bling bling to a modern gaming PC and that RGB fans were the pinnacle. Guys, how wrong we were! Asus comes out with a cooler with a curved screen. Yes, because the more exaggerated, the better!

The ROG Ryuo IV 360 ARGB is, in short, an All-in-One liquid cooling system that doesn't just want to be a cooler, but a true piece of furniture. With its enormous AMOLED screen (relatively speaking, of course), it promises to become the visual centerpiece of any custom build. But behind such bold aesthetics and an exorbitant price tag, does it hide a product that lives up to expectations, or are the compromises required too extreme?

An extra screen never hurts.

The beating heart of the Ryuo IV SLC is, without a doubt, its display: a 6.67-inch curved AMOLED screen with 2K resolution and a 60 Hz refresh rate. All other components seem to be built around this feature. The system is a 360mm AIO, but with a non-standard sized aluminum radiator of 394 x 140 x 32 mm. The pump, whose speed operates between 1800 and 3200 RPM, is topped by the display, which connects to the motherboard via an internal USB 2.0 header. The three 120mm ROG RYUO IV MF-12C ARGB fans are designed for high performance, with a speed reaching 2650 RPM and a high static pressure of 5.45 mmH2O. The FEP-coated tubes are very short, just 200 mm. And they are positioned in the center of the radiator and not on the outside, as we are usually accustomed to seeing.

Beautiful to look at, but be careful during assembly.

Aesthetically, Asus's offering is very interesting. For those who are custom PC enthusiasts (like us), this AIO adds a fresh, new element, something truly unusual that catches the eye. The idea of having the tubes exit from the center of the radiator is excellent for reducing its length and visual impact, creating a clean look that focuses on the screen. The latter is mounted on rails that allow it to slide, and the fact that it's removable greatly facilitates access to the screws during CPU mounting. However, it is precisely here that our pain begins. Installation can be an experience at opposite ends of the spectrum: extremely simple or a real nightmare, depending on the case in which we want to install it. The 140mm width and, above all, the central position of the tubes, require meticulous attention to available space.

In my case, with a Hyte Y60, installation was theoretically impossible. To manage to position the radiator, it was necessary to physically cut several metal parts of the case. It's not just a matter of millimeters, but of a design that can directly interfere with the motherboard's heatsinks or RAM modules. Therefore, the advice is simple: check and recheck the measurements of your case with extreme precision before even considering purchasing this version. If the tubes in the center aren't feasible, it's better to opt for a ROG Ryujin, for example.

Screen & Software

The screen is undoubtedly magnificent, but it doesn't work as you might think. Don't expect a second monitor for your PC: the display connects via an internal USB 2.0 header, not via HDMI or DisplayPort. This means the content isn't “live” but needs to be transferred to the device. And here's the second difficulty: the ASUS InfoHub software. Personally, I was not a fan of this new application.

In addition to fragmenting the ASUS ecosystem, which should converge on Armoury Crate (used here only for fan LEDs), transferring video files from the PC to the cooler proved very slow, precisely due to the limited bandwidth of USB 2.0. The idea of being able to use the curved screen as two independent displays to show GIFs and system data is fascinating, but the slow transfer speeds dampen enthusiasm. And it seems impossible to load videos larger than 100MB each onto the device.

Does it get cold later?

When it comes to pure cooling performance, there's little to say: it's excellent. The Ryuo IV SLC is capable of taming even the most demanding CPUs, placing itself at the top of its class. We tested it on our Ryzen 9 7950X3D, achieving more than worthy results. With a stress test using Cinebench R23, the CPU stabilized at around 80°C after about ten minutes, with a maximum of 84°C, which is not bad for a 145W CPU.

However, the acoustic price to pay for these performances is the problem. At rest, the sound level is acceptable, but the pump used by Asus is undoubtedly audible, producing a constant background hum that could annoy silence purists. Under load, however, the fans become the negative protagonists: at high speeds they are really noisy and annoying. This is the case in stress tests but certainly less so in gaming, where it is rather the GPU that is most stressed. Fortunately, thermal performance remains excellent even at reduced speeds, making the creation of a manual fan curve almost mandatory to find an acceptable balance.

Do you like us?

The ROG Ryuo IV SLC 360 is a product of extremes. Aesthetically, it's a triumph: the design is unique and visually striking, with a screen that has no equal on the market. The cooling performance is top-notch, and the idea of making the screen modular to simplify pump installation is clever. On the other hand, the compromises are equally extreme. Case compatibility is very limited and risks turning a routine build into a forced modding project. The fans and pump are noisy, requiring manual intervention to tame them. The InfoHub software is slow and fragmented, and the screen's operation isn't “live” as one might expect. Finally, the price of 459 CHF is simply exorbitant.

Bottom line

The ASUS ROG Ryuo IV SLC 360 ARGB is a component that cannot be judged by usual comparison metrics. It's not simply a cooler, but a showpiece, a display item that also functions to cool the CPU, and it does so very well. It's a product designed for a very specific niche: the custom PC enthusiast looking for an absolutely unique aesthetic element and willing to pay a very high price, both in economic terms and in practical compromises, such as physically modifying their case or dedicating time to optimize fan curves to make it quiet.

For everyone else, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. Installation limitations, noise, and suboptimal software make it a difficult choice to recommend. At 459 CHF, the market offers equally performing (and much quieter) cooling solutions at a fraction of the cost. The Ryuo IV SLC is a beautiful exercise in style, a fascinating component that, for now, remains a luxury for the chosen few willing to do anything for an out-of-the-ordinary build.