Hyte’s “Impossible” Case: X50 Ultra-High Airflow Chassis
As Hyte explains, the case is not easy to make. For instance, examining the front panel, you see perforations continue around the edge but maintain some structural rigidity.
The back also has louvered vents, which require a 3-step process to manufacture.
The cases are expected to be $120 or $150, but the US price may be different, and we expect to review them.
The thing that jumps out to us most about the X50 is really just the panels. They are essentially gigantic pieces of perforated metal. Most of the case is steel. It has a unique power supply shroud that looks like plastic but is also steel.
The X50 does not include any fans and Hyte’s focus has been to make something that looks different and has an emphasis on performance. In terms of fan options, the X50 supports up to 3x120mm fans at the bottom, which has a filter underneath the case that you can simply pull off.
Hyte has fans that color match most of its models.
The X50 also has side-intake options and front intake mounts. The case is heavily ventilated everywhere. Taking the front panel off and examining it, we noticed that it has a lot of perforations on the side, which looks like it would provide more access to air.
One of the things that isn’t final for the cheaper $120 model, which has the mesh panel as opposed to the glass, is the presence of the grommets. Teller tells us that the grommets are “the most expensive part per volume of a case.” The product director says that they are trying to see if Hyte can get it in the cheaper variant, but says that since it will be covered by a mesh panel, people aren’t likely to notice its omission.
The case has a very deep cable management channel. It also has drive support on the sides.
Looking at the glass-panel variant, the glass is 4mm thick, which is gigantic. We’re told that it’s a “laminated acoustic glass.”
The horizontal louvered vents on the back are mostly straight, even though they may not look like it on camera. There were 2 reasons for its design here. Hyte tells us it was for structural reasons and flow. We often talk about impedance to flow into a case, but impedance to flow going out doesn’t come up as much. There were a few instances in which we have brought it up, like in the Lancool 207 (read our review), where it has a really restricted airflow in one of its panels. In theory, being able to help the air exit faster should help with thermal performance. Hyte is trying to make a thermal performance chart topper and we’ll see how it does in our testing.
Another thing worth pointing out is that the front IO ends up routing, basically, internally and kicks out towards the back side. This is coupled with a couple cable management velcro straps, which is a more standard feature.
Hyte continues its louvered vents on the PCIe slots.
Speaking with Teller, the product director emphasized how difficult it was to design and manufacture the case. He explained that, in general, round things are typically difficult to make, which is even more difficult to make out of steel. In the case of the X50, it has compound curves, which are curves in 2 directions. This is exemplified in the corners of the case. Explaining how it was produced, Teller stated that the metal is stamped with a 3-ton hydraulic press that has to come down very slow and smoothly. According to the product director, most case tooling uses a 1-ton press that comes down very quickly. He also points out that the yield contributes to the cost. This means Hyte’s yield is lower with the X50 and its production is more difficult.
Teller explained that its machines have to run slowly otherwise things will tear and rip. Thus, the metal needs to be gently massaged into position. If the press comes down too quickly, it would act like a guillotine and cut things in half.
The process of figuring out the manufacturing took a lot of experimentation. The company practiced with heated up presses, which Teller tells us is very expensive. Hyte also experimented with stainless steel and steel that doesn’t have any nickel or chromium in it, which reduces the structural rigidity that allows for easier manipulation, but then quickly oxidizes and rusts.
The company initially thought that if they had less mesh, making the panels would be easier, but the factory making the X50 informed Hyte that it would actually be easier if they had more mesh. This ended up being an unexpected benefit as they wanted more ventilation.
The curved metal PSU shroud also required a slow stamping process with very tight tolerances, which is common with many kitchen products like colanders and metal bowls.
The louvered slats on the back were also a challenge to implement. Some of the factories that Hyte has worked with have told them it couldn’t be done or that they didn’t know how to do it. Teller said that the factory that produced Hyte’s Y60 (watch our review) and Y70 (read our review) cases, however, has an appreciation for doing difficult things and understands that if they’re able to do difficult things, they’ll be able to produce more units, which can generate more money. The factory was able to pull it off.
Next up, we’re going to take a look at some of the failed panel prototypes that Hyte has produced. Teller tells us that Hyte spent tens of thousands of dollars to create many different prototypes as they have different tooling. The company also initially heard that what they were asking for was “impossible.”
One of the first prototypes we looked at was made using plastic, which would be easier than making it out of metal, but ends up feeling flimsy.
Another one we looked at was all rusted, which was due to the fact that Hyte used a softer metal with less nickel and chromium to reduce the chance of it tearing during the manufacturing process. Like we said up above, however, this introduces oxidation, which causes rust. The panel in the picture above is only a week old despite looking significantly older than that.
The reason Hyte tried that is because previous prototypes would just tear, especially at the seam of where the mesh meets the solid metal. These issues made Hyte second guess their manufacturing process and case design.
Another prototype was stamped but also welded together, which wasn’t going to be acceptable.
We looked at another prototype that was both ripped and rusted. This unit had a difference in hole size and spacing, which lent itself to tearing.
Another unit we looked at used lower porosity mesh on the edges, which is what the factory Hyte worked with said was the limit of what it could do. Hyte couldn’t accept this design, however, as they were targeting over 40% porosity. Teller says the X50’s final design ended up having about 45% porosity with 2mm holes and 3mm spacing.
The last prototype involved a stamped sheet of mesh and looked close to what Hyte was going for but presented another issue. The downside is that it prevented Hyte from mounting any mounting points on it. This means the company couldn’t attach it to a case and the factory couldn’t control the tolerances very well. It would have to require some welding.
Looking at the final front panel design, there’s about 40mm of mesh depth and that’s stamped into a piece of steel that was at one point a solid piece. The company then folds the remaining solid piece, which have studs in them that click into clips.
When we asked Hyte if the X50 would be coming to the US, Teller stated, “We’ll see,” which is up in the air due to the US’ unpredictable tariff policies.
