I’ll admit it: I don’t know much about hardware and what’s involved with building and maintaining a badass PC. I DO know, however, that a quality system tricked out with good gear needs to have a quality way to keep it from overheating. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I got to see CoolIT Systems’ latest in liquid cooling: ECO, Maestro, VANTAGE and OMNI. Hopefully, we’ll be able to offer a more in-depth look at these products in the future. For now, here’s a quick overview.

ECO

The CoolIT ECO CPU cooler came about from feedback from the Domino system. The ECO is supposed to be easier and quicker to install because no screwdrivers are needed. It comes pre-assembled, features a 120mm fan and is rather compact. CoolIT has made refinements to the pump, radiator and water block so that users will get a “factory-sealed, maintenance free, easy-to-install, whisper quiet, superb performance and great-value cooling solution.” The ECO costs $74.99 and is available now. For more information, visit www.coolitsystems.com/index.php/eco.html.

Maestro

The CoolIT Maestro software allows you to optimize and monitor your fan or pump. It’s not limited to CoolIT products, either. Maestro automatically detects ESP-enabled products and lets you control and monitor up to three fans, water pumps or other devices powered by a 3- or 4-pin fan header. Software is compatible with Windows XP and above, and the product comes with an ESP Control Node, a USB wireless controller, an external temperature sensor and a strip of 9 RGB LEDs capable of 16 million colors. It costs $89.99. For more information, visit www.coolitsystems.com/index.php/maestro.html.

VANTAGE

The CoolIT VANTAGE is the first wirelessly controlled CPU cooler and has a programmable 84 x 48 pixel LCD screen. The VANTAGE is customizable and allows you to change the backlight color, fan speeds, case lighting, and monitoring and alarm triggers; you can even add your own logo to the display. The VANTAGE costs $124.99 and is expected to be shipping by mid-February this year. For more information, visit www.coolitsystems.com/index.php/vantage.html.

OMNI

The CoolIT OMNI is the first universal full-coverage liquid cooling solution for video cards. An interposer plate lets you to easily install the OMNI universal water block to a variety of graphics cards. The OMNI also features wireless technology and can be controlled by Maestro. Prices vary for the OMNI because you can get it for a number of current graphics cards in 120mm radiator and 240mm radiator variations. For more information, visit www.coolitsystems.com/index.php/omni.html.