As with the Glacier C350i, I am left with one underlying thought here—what if? What if Phanteks adopted this for the (now) more popular Laing D5 instead? What if Phanteks took their time and tried out a few more volutes? What if Phanteks considered that most customers of the Laing DDC pump get aftermarket-modified versions which end up with a metal heatsink body that does a better job than what this is designed to do with the stock Laing body? At the $90 price point, these what ifs add up more than they would normally have, especially with a reservoir design being so much more about build aesthetics these days when it comes to DIY watercooling for a PC. There are borosilicate glass reservoirs with integrated pump tops for either of the two popular Laing pump options for the same price or less, in cylindrical or rectangular cuboid shape options. The Phanteks option ends up being an overall worse value for money assuming you have room for a reservoir that is more of a tube than a flat plane.

That really is where Phanteks manages to carve out a small niche by offering a flat reservoir with a pump that juts out slightly. With clever mounting to get it up against front case fan/radiator mounting, the Glacier R160 will look good without coming off as a showpiece, and perhaps that is what you are looking for. The frosted finish on the acrylic body adds to this subtlety, wherein the balance of stealth and in-your-face aesthetics is shifted towards the former. It will also be easier to route tubing in and out of the product, although at 80 mm wide, there may be some compatibility issues ruling this out of small form factor cases one would imagine this in.

I do appreciate what Phanteks is trying here, and the included RGB lighting support no doubt is an important decision maker for many. However, I don't feel there is enough being offered to warrant a general recommendation unless you like how it looks, in which case your decision is already made anyway.