CES 2026 is always good for at least a few “look at this thing!” PCs, and this year, iBUYPOWER really leaned into that with their Trace X Custom Loop Concept.
It’s a flashy return to hardline liquid cooling in prebuilts, something that’s usually reserved for the hardcore DIY crowd or those "sell-a-kidney" expensive boutique systems. (Or should I say, "sell-both kidneys," given the current state of PC part prices). But while the custom loop is the eye candy, the real story is the stuff that’s going to hit shelves later this year.
But hey, let’s look at the fancy-shiny thing first.
The Trace X Custom Loop Concept PC
The goal here is to make custom hardline loops less of a nightmare. Custom cooling is notoriously intimidating (one wrong bend and you've got a puddle), so iBUYPOWER redesigned the distroplate.
It integrates the pump, reservoir, and all the coolant routing into one transparent unit to save space and stop the alignment headache. They even added sliding terminals so you can actually line up your ports with the CPU and GPU blocks without losing your mind. Yes, "your" because I would never attempt putting together something like this in a million years. But it looks neat!
It’s basically an evolution of their Element CL systems. It looks more modern, and at least in theory, way easier to maintain. Just keep in mind it’s still a concept. No need to start saving your rent, it's just a cool "what is possible." They have stated they look forward to feedback on it for developing future products, however.
Which brings us neatly to the part of the announcement that actually matters for most people.
The Gen 10 lineup (stuff you can actually buy soon)
iBUYPOWER is rolling out its Gen 10 cases and cooling gear, and it’s surprisingly solid.
- The Trace X Case ($99.99): This is the standout for me. It’s got that panoramic fishbowl look with a single piece of curved glass wrapping around the front and side. It’s paired with a metallic grill and a flowing vent design on the top. My favorite part of this is that more options are being worked on for the trim, so coming soon, you'll be able to get pink and lavender for the white case and a faux wood for the black.
- Element Pulse X ($99.99): If you want your PC to be seen from the moon, this case has got integrated ARGB lighting running along the edges and that signature corner power button. You can swap between a mesh top for airflow or glass if you just want to admire the lights.
- New cooling gear: They’re refreshing their AIOs with the AW5 360mm ($99.99), which adds a segmented display to the pump block so you can see your CPU temps at a glance. They also showed off a more traditional AC5 RGB tower air cooler for those of you who aren't ready to trust liquid near your expensive parts.
- KM10 Keyboard and mouse ($34.99): Available soon as an add-on for certain systems or as a standalone bundle.
The Trace X Custom Loop is undeniably cool, and I love seeing a prebuilt company still experimenting with different features despite the current state of the consumer market.
Most importantly, though, the Gen 10 cases and coolers are reasonably priced, and they’ll actually be in builds you can buy this year. The official IBUYPOWER site indicates that all of these are releasing in Q1.
Do you think custom loops are the next big thing for PC prebuilds? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
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