Hyte Y40 Evaluate | PCMag

Fashionable amongst present methods, PC builds with vertically mounted graphics playing cards are getting far more frequent, as case makers accommodate DIY-ers who need to give that look a shot. Designs that stand the cardboard parallel to the motherboard have however a single main concern that has prevented adoption by extra patrons: The case might permit for it, however these costly PCI Categorical 4.0 riser cables required to make it potential are often offered individually. Of the a number of circumstances we’ve reviewed of late that help vertical mounting as an aesthetic choice, some have required patrons to splurge on further brackets to mount the cardboard, and none has included the cable within the field. New model Hyte modifications that, with its glassy, shiny Y40 ATX mid-tower ($149.99), which marries plenty of glass and a bundled riser cable to supply a slick foundation for a PC construct with a vertical card mount.

The Design: Crimson Rover

Obtainable in purple, white, or black finishes and enclosed on two sides with tinted tempered glass, the Y40 options fan mounts on the highest, backside, proper and rear panels, together with separate mud filters for the underside consumption fan and the facility provide’s air inlet.

(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

Hyte locations its entrance panel ports on the backside edge, making it apparent that the corporate would like you to position its case atop, quite than beneath, your desk. The only audio jack combines stereo headphone output and monaural microphone enter, the 2 Sort-A USB ports hook up with a USB 3.x Gen 1 cable, and the only Sort-C port makes use of a USB 3.x Gen 2 cable. Energy-on indicator lighting surrounds the facility button.

(Credit score: Kyle Cobian)

A singular double set of enlargement slots round again contains seven half-height slots within the regular place, plus 4 “distant” slots at full top. The design permits builders to fill all however one of many seven half-height slots with enlargement playing cards whereas retaining a full-height graphics card as much as 422mm in size.

(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

(Credit score: Kyle Cobian)

(Credit score: Kyle Cobian)

The half that makes it really easy to maintain six of the unique seven slot areas open (even when just for half-height playing cards) seems to be nothing greater than a bit of plastic and steel bracket that guides the included PCIe 4.0 extension cable excessive of close by playing cards. It may be positioned in any of the half-height slots, although the additional down it goes, the extra tightly its cable might be bent. Designed to carry a graphics card with an extra-thick cooler, the 4 full-height slot covers serve solely a single PCIe x16 bodily connector through that cable. However when you’ve got one of many newest mega-beast GeForce RTX 4090 playing cards, you’ve obtained the girth.

(Credit score: Kyle Cobian)

As for motherboard help, that is actually an ATX case. Although I famous no obstructions that may preclude the usage of bigger boards, PCBs better than the usual 9.6-inch depth of ATX will obscure the Y40’s cable passages, and people longer than 10.8 inches will intervene with the location of 140mm followers on the dual-fan aspect mount. So we would plan round ATX right here.

(Credit score: Kyle Cobian)

Whereas radiators as much as 280mm format could be positioned contained in the aspect mount, customers who need one thing larger will discover a 360mm-format mount on the highest panel that may maintain radiators which might be really as much as 410mm lengthy (together with finish caps). Offset to the left from motherboard standoffs, a giant radiator cleared the floor of our motherboard by round 52mm and even left 6.6mm of clearance between our radiator followers and the tops of our 44mm-tall reminiscence warmth spreaders. Those that select this house for his or her radiator will want a lot of that offset whatever the top of their reminiscence modules since, at 20mm, the house between the motherboard and prime panel is thinner than many of the gadgets that customers would mount right here.

(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

The twin 140mm/120mm fan mount is offset roughly 18mm from the floor of the motherboard tray. Combining that distance with the size of standoffs would permit 25mm-thick followers to (barely) clear the sting of an oversize motherboard…had been cabling not a priority. A drive tray that matches to the again of the motherboard tray is drilled to just accept a single 3.5-inch or two 2.5-inch drives.

(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

(Credit score: Kyle Cobian)

Hyte’s said 224mm power-supply depth restrict extends from the facility provide’s mount to the consumption fan. Eradicating the fan would give customers an additional 140mm of house, for the reason that included 120mm mannequin strains up with the rear fringe of the elective 140mm mounts.

(Credit score: Kyle Cobian)

(Credit score: Kyle Cobian)

Constructing With the Y40

The Y40 features a folded instruction sheet, a useful Phillips-to-hex socket for repositioning standoffs, particular person resealable luggage of screws, a breakout adapter for connecting particular person headphone/microphone results in its headset combo jack, and 5 ratcheting cable ties which will or might not be Zip branded.

(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

Cables off the chassis itself embrace two three-pin fan (one proven under), HD Audio (for the entrance panel’s headset jack), an FPANEL mixture block (for the facility button and LED), USB 3.2 Gen 1 (for the 2 Sort-A front-panel ports) and USB 3.2 Gen 2 (for the Sort-C front-panel port). Although the mixed FPANEL connector nonetheless confuses some builders, it’s a 24-year-old Intel spec that was adopted by most motherboard manufacturers over a dozen years in the past: It merely took one other decade for case producers to get aboard.

(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

At the moment’s pattern construct contained in the Hyte case makes use of the ATX motherboard choice of our standardized check configuration:

The graphics card does an awesome job of hiding cable entry factors alongside the motherboard’s backside edge from this angle, whereas top-edge cables are hidden at most view angles by the top-mounted radiator. We positioned Corsair’s radiator there to help in cooling the motherboard’s CPU voltage regulator, and advocate that anybody utilizing the aspect mount for his or her closed-loop liquid cooler contemplate putting at the least one further 120mm fan on the highest panel above their CPU socket.

(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

Then once more, a full set of followers would make the case look extra full in a present construct, and the choice to place a 360mm radiator on prime or a 280mm unit on the aspect could be the builder’s concern. To create a good efficiency comparability, we simply examined this pattern with the identical part set as beforehand used to check equally sized circumstances.

(Credit score: Thomas Soderstrom)

Testing the Hyte Y40: Benchmark Outcomes

Lian Li’s O11 Dynamic EVO was the closest assessment pattern we might discover to matching the Y40’s glass face and aspect, however it sadly has an enlarged aspect chamber just like the H9 Elite from NZXT…so we included each. By the point we had been configuring charts, the Y40’s noise information led us so as to add the Fractal Design Pop XL Silent to the combination and alas, all 4 samples ended up inside 3 levels F of one another concerning CPU temperature. Not a lot that is telling there.

The Y40 ties for worst with the O11 Dynamic EVO in voltage regulator temperature, owing primarily to the dimensional relationship between the factor that gives the airflow (our radiator’s followers) and the factor that wants it (the warmth sinks surrounding our CPU socket). Within the case of the Y40, the acute leftward offset and low positioning probably leaves the motherboard’s higher heatsink exterior of the followers’ circulation path.

As for GPU temperature, the Y40 finishes in an approximate three-way tie with the Pop XL Silent and the H9 Elite, all three are edged out by the O11 Dynamic EVO.

Sound-pressure-level outcomes present how the Y40’s glass entrance panel roughly matches the Pop XL Silent’s damped plastic entrance panel within the quantity of noise it permits to flee. The glass displays extra noise again into the case, so anybody standing behind the case would possibly assume it louder. (We don’t do this.)

Verdict: Let’s Get Vertical

Just like the O11 Dynamic EVO that got here earlier than it, the Hyte Y40 performs adequately with out even filling its aspect vent with followers. Likewise, constructing out both of those circumstances as supposed will enhance its cooling efficiency and noise. Conversely, the Hyte Y40 does one thing the we’ve not seen any of its rivals do: It helps a vertical graphics card bracket and cable with out excluding the usage of some other enlargement slots.

Then once more, whereas its rivals power builders to decide on between one vertical or a number of horizontal full-height playing cards, the Y40 opens up your choices by concurrently supporting one full-height card vertically and a number of half-height playing cards horizontally. Like the highest radiator mount that’s offset far sufficient to suit radiators previous 50mm-tall DIMMs however low sufficient that the offset was really wanted, and just like the aspect panel that helps 280mm-format radiators however not longer ones, it’s all a balancing act for a case that prices $150 however features a particular cable value $40 to $60. Briefly: It performs on par with its non secular kin, and it is an awesome case selection for those who just like the look and know you’ll use the cable.