You can always count on Computex, Taiwan's annual mecca for PC enthusiasts, to deliver mind-blowing tech and jaw-dropping PC mods. But at 2023's edition, we think we may have reached peak PC bling with Lian Li's UniFan TL LCD Series, a set of premium aftermarket PC case fans. What sets the TL LCD Series apart? Its ingenious incorporation of a screen right in the middle of the fan hub. Yeah, PC RGB just got a demotion and an inferiority complex.
The middle of PC case cans would seem the final frontier for case modders. We've seen models with infinity mirrors in the middle, creating the illusion of an abyss in the center of each fan. But the TL LCDs take it to another level. It's possible to display temperature readings in the middle of each fan, or showcase your favorite still images. (Here come the pet mods, with a different cat in each fan, in 3, 2, 1....) Or you can unleash the power of the mighty GIF and watch your fans come to life in a mish-mosh of movie clips, memes, and, inevitably, cat videos.
Like some of Lian Li's other fans, these can snap together in series, in groups of two or three, using edge connectors and magnetic attachments. Each group then attaches to a special controller designed for these fans. (Ultimately, the video signal will get fed into the fans via a USB header.) A Lian Li rep noted that you'll be limited to installing six of these fans per PC, due to the limitations of the controller.
At the moment, the TL LCD fans treat a group of fans as one video screen. A video demonstration showcased Pac Man chasing and being chased by ghosts between two fans. We also saw some Street Fighter-type action unfold, with combatants bouncing between the pair of fan screens as they took their licks.
Just as startling as the effect is the price: $129.99 for a three-pack. They will cost just a little more than Lian Li's non-LCD TL version, but let's get real: If you're paying $100-plus for three PC case fans, you wouldn't spring the extra few bucks for animated GIFs swirling around 'em?
Lian Li was still working out some logistics. The fans will have a screen that is 1.6 inches or 2.1 inches in diameter, and the controller still needs some work. Still, we expect to see these all over mods at Computex 2024 and in social-media glamor builds before the end of the year. And we are trying to work out what PC surfaces remain for the case crowd to stuff gratuitous little video screens onto, at this point. (Motherboards and all-in-one liquid coolers long ago succumbed.) We suspect gear makers are running out of spots...but we have faith that they'll find more before next year's show.
