Image: Asus
PC Gaming hardware is notoriously ugly and often completely impractical, but you kind of have to admire the audaciousness of ASUS' GX700, the world's first water-cooled gaming laptop.Computer hardware manufacturer ASUS announced the laptop today, but hasn't revealed too many details. The GX700 is powered by sixth-generation Intel K-SKU processor, with the latest Nvidia graphics processing unit (GPU), but ASUS didn't specify which one. The GX700 also has a 17-inch screen capable of handling 4K videos and games, even if there aren't that many of those out there that support that resolution right now.ASUS didn't say exactly how the GX700 will work, but judging from the picture, it seems like it will work like a normal, bulky gaming laptop that you can also dock into a water-cooling unit. It's hard to imagine that that whole contraption is designed to be portable, though it would be hilarious to watch someone try to set it up in a Starbucks.Water-cooling is a very extreme performance booster in its own right. The premise is that once you already have the best CPU and GPU, and running them at higher than manufacturer-recommended speeds (overclocking), nearing the point of nuclear meltdown, cooling your system with fans just isn't going to cut it. You'll need a water-cooling system, which runs tubes of cold water over your computer's components, leaching heat.It's a quieter, more effective, and way more badass way to chill your rig, but also dangerous. Water and PCs don't really mix, and water-cooling systems can leak.