Hyte says all Thicc Q80 Trio users should 'remove the cooler from their system immediately' and get a refund after internal fault found

The liquid cooler that Hyte called "the raid boss of liquid coolers", the Thicc Q80 Trio, is being taken off the market and all users are instructed to stop using them immediately and get a refund. This is, Hyte says, because of a "fragile internal component that is susceptible to damage during transport."

This comes after some user reports of coolant leakage and subsequent analysis. The scary thing is that apparently "the damage to these coolers is internal and invisible to the end user, but may cause these liquid coolers not to function or to fail."

"Effective immediately, Hyte is directing all users to cease using the Thicc Q80 Trio AIO, and to remove the cooler from their system immediately. Distributors and resellers have been notified to cease using and selling the Q80. Customers who purchased directly from Hyte.com will receive full refunds and instruction on how to safely dispose of the AIO soon. We will also notify authorized resellers to reach out to customers who have purchased this product on next steps."

Hyte also notes that the Thicc Q60 doesn't suffer the same issue because it "uses a different design." So no need to get removing those from your rigs.

It's unclear whether the Q80 Trio will have its "fragile internal component" redesigned and be re-released, or whether this simply spells the end of the company's latest and greatest liquid cooler. I suppose there's a chance that changing packaging to make it more secure during travel might fix it, but it seems unlikely a company would risk that after an issue this big, and it likely needs a bigger rethink.

We saw the Thicc Q80 Trio at Computex earlier this year, which the company described as "the most Thicc, cool, quiet, and intelligent AIO ever made." The screened-up AIO features three FP12 fans on a 360 mm radiator and comes in at 52 mm thick, with fantastic claimed airflow and static pressure.

Hopefully we see it return in a less leaky fashion, because it looked to be something mighty impressive. The Thicc line-up's special feature is the 5-inch screen attached to the pump, which was something pretty novel when the Q60 came out. It's still one of the largest screens you can get on a liquid cooler, and includes its own processor, RAM, and storage to run its visuals. Though the Q80 costs a whopping $350.

Hyte also includes an apology at the bottom of its announcement. And I will say, as unfortunate as it is to see a product with fatal issues like this, it's always nice when the company responds promptly and decisively like this. Quick direction for all users to stop using the cooler and get a refund seems like the best solution to a bad situation.