Introduction

Here at TBG, we have a thing for coolers. We’ve tested well over six dozen at this point, of all types, from low-profile to towers to big liquid models. In fact, we’ve conducted multiple shootouts for each of these categories, which we believe gives our audience a much better understanding of the market than one-off reviews do. But occasionally we’ll still do a single-product review if we think it will build on a recent shootout, and that brings us to Phanteks’ new Glacier One 240 T30.

This model was released shortly after we tested the Phanteks T30 fans and named them the best radiator fans ever released, by far.  Given that the Glacier One T30 not surprisingly features the T30 fan (two of them in fact!), we thought it made a lot of sense to see if this was the new king of AIOs. So far, Phanteks has only released a 240mm model, making it a bit small to claim that title outright, but perhaps the combination of the T30 fans and a thicker-than-standard radiator featured on this model will help it outcompete bigger offerings. Of course, only testing will tell us, so let’s jump into it!

Thanks to Phanteks for providing a sample of the Glacier One 240 T30 for review.

The Test

Here’s the test bench we used for our review:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X
• MB: Asus X470 Crosshair XI Hero
• RAM: Corsair 4x8GB Vengeance SL DDR4-3200
• Case: be quiet! Silent Base 802, fans set to minimum RPM
• Thermal paste used for all coolers: Noctua NT-H2 10g
• ARGB Frames: Phanteks Halos (used throughout our benchmarking)

In addition to the Glacier One 240 T30, which retails for $170, here are the coolers included in our benchmarks:

1. Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 ($125)
2. Corsair iCUE H150i RGB Pro XT ($160)
3. Deepcool Castle 360EX ($130)
4. Thermaltake ToughLiquid 360 ($190)
5. Noctua NH-D15 Chromax.black ($110)
6. Scythe Fuma 2 ($60)

As with all of our reviews going forward, this review appears exclusively on YouTube, which you can see below. Not only do we provide details on what comes in the box and dive into some benchmarks, but we also show you what the Glacier One looks like in action!

Conclusions

The Glacier One 240 T30 has a lot of potential, but it didn’t entirely blow us away. The T30 fans are no doubt the star of the show, followed closely by the classy styling and lighting of the ARGB pump cover. We dressed our installation up a bit with the Phanteks Halos ARGB fan frames (a very affordable way to add a ton of aesthetic flair!), and there’s no doubt that Phanteks has its finger on the pulse of high-end PC tastes. But this was all let down a bit by the Asetek Gen 7 pump used by Phanteks, which to be frank, is not at the same level of rest of the cooler.

The noisy pump, along with the $170 price (more than most 360mm-class coolers), makes the Glacier One 240 T30 a tough sell unless its form factor is a match for a system’s specific needs. We can see it being a good fit for many of the newer small form factor cases, which can fit 240mm radiators but most definitely cannot fit 360mm models. Just be aware of the extra thickness of the radiator and fans, which adds 16mm to the overall clearance required.

As always, for all of our recommended coolers and fans, check out our CPU Cooler and Fan Buyer’s Guide, updated quarterly to bring you the most up-to-date buying advice!