Rapid-Detach Fan X with Advanced Integrated Water Cooling | Unboxing and Testing of Phanteks GLACIER ONE 360 D30

Phanteks has unveiled its latest all-in-one water cooling system, taking a departure from the intricate designs of its earlier infinity mirror cooling heads. Instead, the new design showcases a minimalist style with RGB light strips. One significant enhancement is the reduced size of the water cooling head, ensuring better compatibility with various builds. Paired with the recently introduced D30-120 quick-release bridge fan, it promises not only a superior cooling performance but also ease of installation.

Specifications of Phanteks GLACIER ONE 360 D30:

  • Supported CPU Sockets: Intel LGA 1700/1200/115X/2011/2066, AMD AM5/AM4
  • Available Colors: Black and White
  • Pump Speed: Up to 3100RPM
  • Fan Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 30 mm
  • Noise Level: 30.2 dBA
  • Max Airflow: 64.3 CFM
  • Peak Air Pressure: 3.01 mmH2O
  • Water Tube Length: 400mm
  • Cooling Radiator Dimensions: 397 x 120 x 27 mm
  • Materials Used:
    • Water block: Copper
    • Radiator: Aluminum
    • Tubes: Rubber
  • Warranty Period: 5 years

ARGB, 30mm Thickness, quick-release bridge design | Phanteks GLACIER ONE 360 D30 unpacking

The Phanteks GLACIER ONE D30 series water cooling lineup boasts four distinct styles, with options for both 240mm and 360mm radiator sizes. Both sizes are available in classic black or pristine white. When compared to its predecessor, significant changes can be noted in the design of the water-cooling headshell. It has been notably reduced in size and transitioned to a fixed, non-detachable design, thereby minimizing potential conflicts with motherboard heatsinks or RAM modules. Yet, despite these modifications, the water pump’s speed remains a powerful 3100RPM, and the cooling radiator employs a standard 27mm thick aluminum fin.

Previously, the D30-120 fan was unveiled by another reviewer. It’s a 12cm fan, uniquely designed with a 30mm thickness. One of its standout features is the ease of connecting multiple fans. The design employs metal pins and contacts to power both the fan and its lights. This clever design approach minimizes cable clutter, optimizing both functionality and aesthetics.

The unboxed Phanteks GLACIER ONE 360 D30 showcased in this review is in a sleek black variant. The packaging echoes this theme, with black dominating the exterior box. It prominently features an image of the radiator in the center, while the inside retains a more traditional kraft paper box packaging.

Phanteks GLACIER ONE 360 D30 outer box.
The water cooling introduction is printed on the back.

The Phanteks GLACIER ONE 360 D30 features a unified design that integrates the water pump and cooling head. Its top cover is both non-removable and non-rotatable. This design choice eliminates concerns about incorrectly aligning or inverting any patterns during installation, especially since the pattern and the Phanteks LOGO on the top cover are vertically symmetrical.

Phanteks GLACIER ONE 360 D30 body.
The pattern on the top cover of the water cooling head.
The water-cooled copper base comes with a pre-applied layer of thermal paste. Additionally, the package also includes a separate tube of thermal paste for users.
The water cooling tube can be rotated.
The water block cable includes a 3-pin power supply, and Phanteks D-RGB male and female connectors can be connected in series.
27mm thickness, 13 micro-channels, 360mm size cold row.

The D30-120 fan sports a thickness of 30mm and boasts a maximum speed of 2000RPM. It uses a 4-pin PWM for speed regulation and features ARGB lighting around the frame. Its design emphasizes a bridge-connection series. Given the plethora of small components that come with it, first-time users are advised to closely follow the installation instructions to ensure a smooth setup.

D30-120.
The other side of D30-120.
There is also an LED light bar on the inner circle of the frame.
Fan accessories.
The bridging contacts can be seen on the side, and the connection direction is marked on them.
Install the corresponding contact of the bridge, and install it with a plastic clip if there is no contact on the other side.
There is a mortise and tenon structure on the side of the fan for easy alignment.
The contacts on both sides are marked with In & Out connection directions.
After the fan is connected, lock the cold row, and then install the plastic covers one by one.
Although the preparation steps are somewhat cumbersome, the appearance is very clean and tidy after installation.

Phanteks GLACIER ONE 360 D30 dual-platform installation demonstration

The Phanteks GLACIER ONE 360 D30 is compatible with a variety of CPU sockets, including Intel’s LGA 115x, 1200, 1700, 2011, 2011-3, and 2066, as well as AMD’s AM4 and AM5. For this review, tests were conducted using the ASUS ROG Strix Z690-E GAMING WIFI and the ASROCK B650E TAICHI motherboards to carry out the installation and measurements.

Water cooling accessories.
The Intel platform provides a metal-reinforced backplane.
Lock four studs on the front to fix the back panel.
Then lock the four spring screws.
Remove it to check whether the thermal grease is evenly pressed, and the result is normal.
However, when disassembling, the studs that fix the back panel are easy to remove together.
Intel platform lighting display.

For the AMD platform, users need to utilize the motherboard’s original backplate. Installation involves placing the studs on the front side of the motherboard to securely anchor the backplate in place.

Install studs.
Replace the water block buckle with the AMD version (the original one is the Intel version).
AMD bracket.
Lock the four spring screws.
Remove it to check whether the thermal grease is evenly pressed, and the result is normal.
AMD platform lighting display.
Close-up of the water cooling head.
A close-up of the fan.

The package includes three sets of pipe clips. These are provided to allow users to more effectively manage the direction of the tubing, ensuring both functionality and a more aesthetically pleasing appearance.

Pipe clamp.

Phanteks GLACIER ONE 360 D30 dual-platform heat dissipation test

In this assessment, the top-tier consumer-grade processors, Intel i9-13900K and AMD RYZEN 9 7950X, were put to the test for temperature evaluations. Here’s a breakdown of the testing process and findings:

Test Setup and Procedures:

  1. Intel Platform Settings:
  • Enable XMP
  • Disable power consumption limit
  • Adjust CPU Load-Line Calibration to LV.1 (originally set at LV.3)
  • AIDA64 FPU performance measurement set to Lv.2, given that the default power consumption at Lv.3 peaks at 322W, which most cooling systems struggle to handle. Adjusting this setting makes the resulting data more comparative.
  • The AMD platform used the default settings and enabled PBO.
  1. Benchmark & Testing:
  • Utilized AIDA64 FPU to emulate the utmost temperature conditions.
  • AIDA64 CPU test to mimic typical daily load temperatures.
  • 3DMark Time Spy for game load temperature simulations.
  • Ran the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark test to represent real game temperature conditions.
  • Employed HWiNFO64 to log the average temperature over a ten-minute duration.

Test System Configurations:

Intel Test Platform:

  • Processor: Intel Core i9-13900K
  • Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix Z690-E GAMING WIFI
  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 8G
  • RAM: T-Force DDR5-5600 8GBx2
  • OS: Windows 11 Professional Edition 21H2
  • PSU: FSP Hydro Ti 1000W

AMD Test Platform:

  • Processor: AMD RYZEN 9 7950X
  • Motherboard: ASROCK B650E TAICHI
  • GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 8G
  • RAM: T-Force DDR5-5600 8GBx2
  • OS: Windows 11 Professional Edition 21H2
  • PSU: FSP Hydro Ti 1000W

Results:

On the Intel platform, using the Phanteks GLACIER ONE 360 D30, the AIDA64 FPU test kept the i9-13900K at a temperature of 98°C under a power load of 286.9W. This result indicates that this cooler’s peak cooling capacity for the Intel platform stands around 290W. Impressively, the system maintained temperatures below 70°C during regular gaming sessions, attesting to the cooler’s efficiency.

The AMD platform, particularly with the inclusion of PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive), is known to produce high temperatures. However, a useful metric to understand the efficacy of a cooling solution on this platform is by observing the balance between frequency and power consumption, which can be representative of the cooler’s performance.

In the conducted AIDA64 FPU test, the RYZEN 9 7950X maintained a steady 5.0GHz frequency while consuming 215W of power. This indicates that the Phanteks GLACIER ONE 360 D30 cooling solution allows the 7950X to operate at its full potential without thermal throttling. Moreover, under regular, daily operations, the temperature predominantly remains under the 70°C threshold, further showcasing the efficiency of the cooling system on the AMD platform.

Summarize

The Phanteks GLACIER ONE 360 D30 stands out primarily because of its use of the D30-120 fan, which excels in multiple aspects. Not only does it feature a quick-release bridge design that simplifies the installation process, but it also impresses in terms of lighting and overall performance. What really took the author by surprise, however, was its silent operation. While many high-efficiency water-cooling fans tend to produce noticeable noise, the D30-120 remains quiet even when running at its full speed of 2000 RPM.

In a departure from most contemporary water coolers that rely on SATA power supplies or USB 2.0 sockets, the GLACIER ONE 360 D30 only requires a connection to the motherboard’s 3-pin. For its lighting component, a specialized D-RGB 3-pin connects to the motherboard’s 5V 3-pin, making it convenient. Moreover, the lighting can be controlled using the motherboard’s lighting software, which not only simplifies the installation and usage but also eliminates potential conflicts between different lighting control software and spares the USB 2.0 socket.

In terms of pricing, the Phanteks GLACIER ONE D30 240mm comes in at NT$4790, while the 360mm variant is priced at NT$5690. This positions them in the mid-range segment of the water-cooling market. However, when considering that purchasing three separate D30-120 fans would cost NT$2790, it becomes evident that the water cooler, when viewed as a comprehensive package, offers excellent value for money and can be deemed quite reasonably priced.

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Title: Rapid-Detach Fan X with Advanced Integrated Water Cooling | Unboxing and Testing of Phanteks GLACIER ONE 360 D30

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