HYTE Y60 Modern Aesthetic PC Case

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I’m going to start this review off with an admission: building a PC is something of a chore for me, a monotonous one especially when it comes down to picking the chassis (i.e. the all-important case). However, there are many who take pride in showing off their minted machines, and that aspect is respectable because I can appreciate ogling a good-looking case.

Enter HYTE and their high-end Y60 Modern Aesthetic Case, a pricey chassis that does an extraordinary job of exhibiting your equally expensive hardware in one stylish place. This also comes with some compromises, particularly around airflow and ventilation that keep this striking enclosure from reaching its real potential.

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Beautiful Glass Box

In terms of appearance, the Y60 is exactly what most other PC towers aren’t, with a open-box design measuring in at 456mm (L) x 285mm (W) x 462mm (H) and weighing 9.6kg/21.16lbs. The biggest exterior detail is where HYTE removed the support beam in the front left corner and replaced the frame with three-piece tempered glass for added effect. In order to eliminate structural flex, the motherboard mounting tray is modified to be a supporting brace to maintain its stunning shape.

By doing this, the Y60 is as much of a full-on display for your fancy gear as much as it is a desktop case. The remaining metal panels are just as stylish, with right-side, rear, bottom, and top sections constructed of perforated metal that would, in theory, allow maximum air passthrough. I have more to say about this later.

You can also get the Y60 in different color combinations to accentuate your setup. My review unit came in black, but there’s also white, red, and some special editions featuring artwork from notable Pixiv artists. Whatever color you opt for, though, is going to be a looker.

Build Experience

The Y60 is certainly nice to look at, but piecing together a system inside the chassis is complete experience all its own—for better or worse. Seasoned builders should prepare to spend a little more time under the hood to get everything fitted, which isn’t horrible but it does make for some annoying placement without resorting to partially take apart what’s already preinstalled.

This chassis can accept all common motherboard types from large to small (i.e. EATX, ATX, mATX, ITX), which is great. However, the size of your motherboard will determine how you orientate other specific components like expansion cards and discrete graphics—a contingency HYTE thought of by including a built-in PCI Express x16 riser card.

Another potential issue is installing motherboards equipped with preinstalled I/O panel shrouds. While some people have reported needing to remove the rear 120mm exhaust fan, I encountered no such problem and was able to carefully slide my motherboard with shrouded I/O panel directly into the opening, albeit the clearance was an extremely tight fit.

Remember that PCIe x16 riser card I spoke of? You’ll definitely need it as all of the full-height add-ons slots are vertically oriented. On the flipside, positioning your GPU upright puts less physical stress on the contact pins and reduces premature bending, and puts the card upfront in the case. This is also where things can become mildly problematic as the riser card will be a constant obstruction when putting most motherboards into place. The wires are stiff, and it will snap back unless you’re willing to remove it during the installation process by taking out several screws and a holding bracket.

Ultimately, I decided to take the extra two minutes and temporarily remove the riser card during motherboard placement. You don’t have to perform this step and can simply hold it out of the way as an option, but I recommend detaching it for less frustration.

You mount the power supply behind the motherboard mounting tray and that’s pretty much it. A platform is in place to hold the PSU, with nothing else getting in the way. Cutouts in the motherboard mounting tray also help with running cables directly wherever you want to route them and out of view to keep your build nice and tidy. You even have dual storage bays for two 3.25-inch and/or four 2.5-inch modules for drive mounts that exit from the chassis rear. Basically screw in whatever HDD or SSDs you’ve got into the mounts, slide it back into the case, and connect the SATA or IDE cables and you’re done, it’s easy.

Wheezing for Air

Remember that the Y60 is form before function, and this is most evident in how hampered airflow is in its default arrangement. The Y60’s basic airflow is—to put it generously, mediocre at best as air admirably gets pulled in through the bottom of the case. Ventilation through the sides is better but many of the components still run warmer than expected, although there’s still enough room for air to get through without a front end grille.

Your configuration will be a determining factor in your willingness to add more fans in addition to the side and top openings, and your choice of CPU cooler. HYTE already gives you three 120mm fans (one rear, two bottom) and taking advantage wherever there’s ventilation openings is highly recommended even by HYTE themselves.

You can add more 120mm or 140mm fans but the Y60 definitely lends itself more to liquid cooling options of the 280mm/360mm variety, which might be prohibitively expensive for all but the hardcore PC builders. Another thing to note is not all CPU coolers will fit inside the Y60; large units like the Cooler Master MA624 Stealth or Noctua NH-D15 might be pressed up against the glass, or won’t fit at all with heights over 160mm. This is disappointing considering this flagship case can barely contain flagship coolers.

Conclusion

My initial impressions of the HYTE Y60 Modern Aesthetic Case was that it was an incredible looking case, meant for enthusiast PC users hoping to flaunt their latest masterpiece. And much of that remains true after tinkering around with this glass tempered beauty. However, this case has notable limitations that keep it from appealing to everybody, particularly those who want effective airflow right out of the box.

It can be argued that a lot of practicality was given up for aesthetics, and that’s a bit of a bummer when you realize some air-cooled components and dual-linked GPUs (if that’s still a thing anymore) won’t be a match made in heaven. Regardless, I do enjoy most of what the Y60 offers and give it a nod of approval. But you’ll have to work within demanding confines if you’re creating your dream build or looking to overclock inside this unconventional beast.