Phanteks NexLinq – A New Leap in Cooling and Lighting

Phanteks is on a mission to change how you look at building custom gaming PCs. With their EZ-Fit system and NexLinq, Phanteks has opened the world of custom water-cooling and lighting to first time builders.

Phanteks NexLinq Ecosystem featured image

For the NexLinq ecosystem debut, Phanteks is launching not one, nor two, or even three products. No, they are launching four products! Even better, each product has multiple options, so you can choose the perfect hardware to match your setup.

Behind Door Number One – Phanteks G400A Cases!

First to the party is a new take on a Phanteks classic, the Eclipse G400A PC case. This chassis is an upgrade to the highly popular P400A, boasting features that make it perfect for building a modern gaming PC.

To start us off, the G400A is fully compatible with innovative rear connector motherboards, such as MSI Project Zero and ASUS BTF boards. The motherboard tray has passthroughs that facilitate the connectors for both boards, without compromising structural stability. What’s more, the rear compartment includes a groundbreaking design to make cable management far easier than ever before. The back of the motherboard tray includes a series of channels, leading directly to the motherboard connectors. Furthermore, they each feature multiple Velcro straps, to keep your wires clean and tidy.

Alongside its support for groundbreaking technologies, the Eclipse G400A is also highly compatible with even the largest gaming hardware. This chassis has an increased internal capacity, well suited for hosting larger components. With 184mm of clearance, you’ll have space for even the largest CPU coolers, and with seven PCIe slots and a GPU clearance of 415mm, you can easily fit an NVIDIA RTX 4090 in this chassis.

Phanteks Glacier One 360 M25 Gen 2 AIO mounted in a G400A

Now, the G400A has a neat little trick up its sleeves for better compatibility between your cooling hardware and motherboard. A dedicated compartment for your AIO radiator and fans. Not only does this location offer support for radiators up to 360mm long but it has 60mm of clearance. As such, you won’t have to stress about your cooler interfering with your RAM or CPU power delivery.

Number Two Step Out – Phanteks Glacier One 360 M25 Gen 2 AIO!

Next up from Phanteks, is the latest addition to their Glacier One Series All-In-One liquid coolers, the Glacier One 360 M25 Gen 2 AIO! The 360mm radiator and fans are perfect for the Eclipse G400A’s top chamber, as combined they are just 50mm high, giving you a comfortable 10mm of extra room.

However, this won’t be the first thing you notice about the Glacier One. Instead, your eye will be drawn to its innovative CPU block – and not just because of its phenomenal mesh paneling and RGB lighting! No, what you’ll notice is just how chonk this block is, and with what’s under the hood, it needs to be big.

For one, the CPU block needs to be large, simply so it can support almost any modern CPU, including both commercial and workstation processors. Yes, in addition to supporting the latest Intel LGA 1851 and AMD AM5 sockets, this cooler is also compatible with Intel Xeon E5 or AMD Threadripper CPUs. As these processors are larger, they obviously require a cooler with more surface area. The Glacier One with its large copper contact plate, is more than ready for the job.

CPU block of Phanteks Glacier One 360 M25 Gen 2 AIO

The second reason the Glacier One’s CPU block is so large is that it cools both the CPU and the components around it. The block includes a dedicated cooling fan, that channels air down and out from the CPU. This airflow is perfect for cooling VRMs and nearby M.2 slots. Internal tests carried out by Phanteks showed that this cooled these components by up to 11 degrees!

Three is Here – M25 Gen 2 Fans!

Third up to the plate for the NexLinq ecosystem, are the Phanteks M25 Gen 2 fans. Fans so good, that they are even included on the Glacier One 360 M25 Gen 2 AIO. This range of cooling fans has traditionally concentrated on delivering exceptional performance, with none of the flashy accoutrements found in higher tier fans. Well, Phanteks has maintained their exceptional cooling, whilst adding in some stylish flair, perfect for building a showcase PC on a budget.

The newest trick for these fans is their ability to daisy chain together. M25 fans use a simple yet effective method for connecting two fans together. Each fan includes a cable running across the top of the fan frame, which is used for both power and control of each fan.

Another ingenious trick the M25 Gen 2 fans have up their sleeve is how they physically connect to one another. They use a simple tongue and groove system to clip together, once in place a screw can then be inserted which secures them in place. Using these methods Phanteks has managed to keep the manufacturing costs of these fans low, making them a perfect budget cooling option.

Even better, is how much choice there is with the M25 Gen 2 range, they are multiple options for colour, size, and even airflow. M25 Gen 2 fans can come in either 120mm or 140mm sizes. Both sizes are available in a classic all black finish, alongside DRGB models available in either black or white. What’s more, you can choose from standard and reverse airflow DRGB fans, to create a super clean-looking gaming PC with optimised airflow.

Last Up We Have – NexLinq Hub!

The final piece to this fantastic launch is the Phanteks NexLinq hub and app. These are the brains behind what makes this launch so exciting.

The NexLinq hub is the perfect solution for controlling all your fans and lighting. With its multiple outputs, you can connect devices to a single location and control them all through a single header on your motherboard. Additionally, they will draw power from the hub, as it features a dedicated PCIe 6-pin connector for direct connection to your PSU.

Using this hub, you can connect and control the whole NexLinq ecosystem simultaneously, including the G400A’s RGB strip, M25 Gen 2 fans, and Glacier One 360 AIO. Once connected you have multiple options on how you can control your hardware, either using Windows Dynamic Lighting, or directly through your motherboard. However, there is also the option to use the NexLinq Windows app.

This lightweight program monitors your PC’s key metrics, such as CPU and GPU temperatures, and provides a platform to control your PCs cooling and lighting. The app boasts user-friendly ways to adjust fan speeds, either using automatic or user-generated fan curves. Plus, with a wide range of colours and lighting effects, you can customise your NexLinq gaming PC to perfectly match your gaming battle station.

Your New Ecosystem?

Are any of these components what you’ve been looking for to build your next PC? Let us know in the comment section below and grab them at Overclockers UK today.