HYTE THICC Q60 Review: Colossal Performance

Sajjad Hussain

As Tech4Gamers’ Founder and Editor-in-Chief, I bring over 13 years of PC Hardware Reviewing and 8+ years of IT Project Management experience. Certified in Google IT Support, my focus is on providing honest product reviews and analysis and fostering a strong gaming community with 130k+ members in PPG.

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Hayyan Serwer

As the CPU Cooler and RAM Expert, I test the latest hardware to provide tips for smart purchases. I cover everything from busting myths about CPU coolers to looking into the newest RAM designs, examining various parts of PC hardware.

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In this review, I am testing a hyped liquid cooler from HYTE named THICC Q60. Why THICC? This cooler has a 52mm thick radiator, whereas standard liquid coolers have 27mm thick radiators. This is not complete without mentioning that adding 120x32mm PF12 fans makes the total thickness of 84mm. Indeed, it is THICC.

This is my first and probably the industry’s first cooler with a digital and graphics processing unit. How is that so? This cooler has a 5” IPS Screen, which is almost a mobile phone, except it does not have a touch function! Another striking feature is the Nexus Link concept, whereby all the cables are integrated and pre-routed. You will only get on Nexus Link cable to address the connectivity.

There is more to this cooler than meets the eye, and we will explore all of it shortly. This cooler is listed at a whopping USD 300.

Key Takeaways

• The HYTE THICC Q60 is a powerful 240mm liquid cooler that offers the performance of some 360mm coolers. Plus, it has a 5” IPS Screen for true display capability.
• You should buy the HYTE THICC Q60 if you have a HYTE case and plan to be in their ecosystem, you want best performance from a 240mm AIO, and the 5″ IPS screen suits your style.
• You should skip the HYTE THICC Q60 if you are not planning to spend $300 USD on a cooler or if your chassis does not have enough clearance for its thicc (pun intended) radiator.

How Is The HYTE THICC Q60 Different?

The THICC Q60 is a 240mm AIO cooler, but it differs from the bulk of other 240mm liquid coolers in that it provides the thermal performance of 360mm AIO coolers. However, you would need to pay USD 300 for this cooler to get a custom loop setup and enjoy even better temps. The Nexus Link design makes this cooler almost cable-free; the crispy 5” IPS screen with Nexus software offers many ways for display customization. Overall, this cooler sits perfectly in the HYTE Ecosystem.

Packaging And Unboxing

The packing box is also THICC. Pun intended. I was not expecting this large a shipping box for a 240mm size cooler. The cooler and its accessories are tucked in a compartmentalized container inside the main shipping box. The following are provided:

• 1x Cooler
• 1x Intel Backplate
• 1x Intel Mounting Bracket Set [Pre-Installed]
• 2x AMD Mounting Bracket Set
• 2x AMD Standoff Screws
• 4x Intel LGA1700 Standoff Screws
• 4x Intel LGA115x/1200 Standoff Screws
• 4x Intel LGA115x/1200 White Spacers
• 4x Spring Nuts
• 1x Nexus Link Cable
• 1x Installation Manual
• 8x Radiator Screws

Design

The HYTE THICC Q60 is a 240mm size liquid cooler. It is small in that sense but thicker than any other liquid cooler on the market, with 84mm thickness. HYTE has almost provided a comprehensive cooling solution with form and function, though they did not include a thermal paste tube in case the cooler needs to be re-installed or switched to a new build. It is time to take a look at each component in detail.

Radiator

The two PF120 fans come pre-installed in a pull configuration. I am not sure about the specific reason for this orientation, but it may have something to do with the HYTE ecosystem, where users would install this cooler in Y60 or Y70 on the side. Anyhow, you can change the orientation of the fans regardless.

You can see that no cables come out from the fans. This is due to the Nexus Link design. These fans have a Nexus Link interface, whereby the cable connectivity is concealed inside the frame.

The overall thickness of the unit is 84mm (52+32mm), as is evident from the viewing angle in the picture. The white and black combination gives a good visual vibe. The far right side of the radiator has an enlarged housing to cover the internal connections.

The tube end of the radiator shows two thick tubes making a connection with the fitting. There is an RGB backlit HYTE logo on the far right side. There is a cutout or inset on the right side of the main frame of the radiator, as it has the USB C ports for the Nexus Link cable.

The HYTE logo is backlit using a 4-pixel RGB array.

I am showing the left side of the radiator, which has a label showing the power rating per channel combined with two channels. You can note the Nexus Link Power Output mentioned on the port label on the fan. I will cover that shortly.

I have removed the PF12 fans. The radiator has a dimension of 120x288x52mm. Adding 120x32mm fans would make the overall height of 84mm. The radiator is made of aluminum material. It has 14 FPI count with 10 channels for coolant flow.

The complete assembly is black, and the pumps are integrated into the fin stack. I did not observe any broken or bent fin. Each mounting hole has a nice threaded area.

I have installed the PF12 fans in a push configuration. You just need to take care of Nexus Link connection port configuration and can easily install the fans in any direction.

There are a total of 3 USB C ports on the side of the radiator’s main frame. One is located right on the radiator’s block, to which you can connect any Nexus Link device, like more PF12 fans in the PC Case. The other two ports are in the inset area. These are the main ports of action.

The second picture shows how you will connect the bundled Nexus Link cable to the radiator. It is the only cable that you need for the total connectivity. I like it how HYTE has come up with a cable less connectivity without even needing any controller hub. Other brands should note how it is done properly.

There are two Nexus Link Ports or channels on the block of the radiator. This is where the fans are connected to. Each channel is rated for 8A at 12VDC whereas the combined power of both channels is listed at 15A at 12VDC.

The unit is powered by a PCIe/PEG connector. Each channel can support up to 17 Nexus devices, for a total of 34 devices, for which the unit can draw up to 180W from the PSU. This could be a power-hungry solution.

Taking a look at the side view of the unit, you can see that it has thicker tubes that are made of CIIR rubber with nylon braided sleeves.

Having a cable-free cooler is a dream, particularly for back-plug motherboard builds (MSI Project Zero and ASUS BTF). The HYTE THICC Q60 lives up to the expectation.

Pump

I observed that the pumps are integrated into the radiator. This design is being used by many manufacturers now. One possible reason is to bypass the ending patent of Asetek in the North America. But in this cooler’s case, it is obvious that the block’s dimension would be even higher if the pumps are to be integrated into the block’s housing.

HYTE has used dual harmonic pumps which are rated between 2000 to 4500 RPM. They use ceramic bearings with impeller having 24mm diameter. Notice how HYTE has routed the pumps’ cables. Even these cables are concealed.

Block And Display Screen

Despite having the pumps integrated into the radiator assembly, I found that the block still has a relatively large size. This could well be due to the internal connections and cables. There is a magnetic interchangeable cover over the base protecting the copper base that has pre-applied thermal paste.

Looking at the side of the block, you can see three things:

• Two-tone matte black housing of the block with a curved top
• Double-Hinged Floating Spout connecting the screen with the block
• A large-size diffuser (A-RGB Backlit) on the backside of the screen

This is what the A-RGB lighting effect looks like on the backside of the screen.

The tubes are installed in 90° mount on the base of the block so that they can be rotated as per requirement to the left or right side position. HYTE has used gray clamps to conceal the connection of tubes with the barbs.

This cooler has relatively a large size copper base. The cold plate measures 56x56x1.5mm. Thermal paste is pre-applied in a particular pattern. The large size dots are in the center and they gradually become small size going out from the center.

The Intel mounting brackets are pre-installed. The mounting brackets’ design reminds me of the CORSAIR iCUE H150i LCD.

This cooler has a 5” IPS LCD screen, which has a 60Hz refresh rate with a resolution of 720×1280 (293 PPI). It has a brightness level of 300 nits. The bias lighting is done via a 42-pixel qRGB array. HYTE uses a double-hinged floating spout so that the screen can be rotated at 90ᵒ on the sides.

When installing the cooler, this hinge side needs to face up towards the top of the motherboard. The total height of the screen and hinge is 105mm.

Nexus Link Cable

HYTE has also provided a large Nexus Link cable with the cooler. One end of the cable has dual USB Type-C ports, which are connected to the dual ports on the radiator.

The other end of the cable has three connectors. One connector is a 6-pin PEG connector (75W). There is a 4-pin PWM connector that reports the pump speed only. There is a 9-pin USB 2.0 connector which is needed for the Nexus software control.

Fans

HYTE has used two PF12 non-RGB fans on this cooler. These fans have a dimension of 120x120x32mm. The frame of these fans is made of polycarbonate material, whereas the blades are made of fiberglass-reinforced liquid polymer crystal, which was first used by Noctua on the NF-A12x25 series of fans.

Each fan has 7x large blades in black. The center has a large diameter compared to the regular fans on the market. Each mounting hole has a circular cur-to-size anti-vibration ring. The frame has a closed design which does not allow air to escape at the point of contact between the radiator and the fan.

The backside of the fan shows a 4-arm assembly. These arms have curved sides for a directed airflow.

The fans are interconnected using the Nexus Link interface. Each fan has 12-pin ports: one is a Nexus Link Input port and the other is a Nexus Link Output port. One fan makes contact with the radiator’s Nexus Link port.

I removed the fans to show the 8x screws. Speaking of the numbers, these fans are rated for a maximum speed of 3000 RPM, generating a maximum airflow of 105.8 CFM at an air pressure of a whopping 8.14 mmH₂O. However, these are loud fans at full speed with a maximum sound rating of 47.3 dBA from HYTE. These fans use fluid dynamic bearings.

Installation

The following steps are required to install this cooler on the MSI Z790 Project Zero motherboard:

• Place the Intel LGA1700 backplate on the backside of the motherboard.
• Secure it using 4x Intel LGA1700 standoff screws.
• Remove the protective magnetic cover from the base.
• Place the block on the CPU so that the threaded portion of the standoff screws pass through the cutouts on the mounting holes.
• User spring nuts to secure the block.
• Connect the Nexus Link Cable to the radiator.
• Install the radiator as per the situation.
• Connect the PCIe, 4-pin PWM, and USB 2.0 connectors to PSU, fan header and USB 2.0 header on the motherboard respectively.
• Download and install the Nexus software.
• Installation is completed.

Clearance

This cooler definitely has a clearance issue. The overall height of the radiator is 84mm, with a total dimension of 288x120x84mm. This much height may not be possible on the top of the case. Your best pick is on the side, front, or base of the PC Case. Remember to measure the graphics card length if installed on the side or front.

Since the double-hinged floating spout needs to be placed up top, there is a tube length issue at hand as well. It was difficult installing this unit on the side of the MSI PANO 100L PZ case. There was pressure on the tube while installing the block with the hinge side facing the top. I could not install the unit on the base since the tube was obstructed by the graphics card, and it did not allow mounting the block with the hinge side up top.

Nexus Software

You can download the Nexus software from HYTE website and install it on your PC. This software is a must to control the screen, lighting effects, and Fans/Pumps speeds. In simple words, you are software dependent much like CORSAIR iCUE products.

Software Walkthrough

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One thing I noticed is that this software is not user-friendly. Good luck finding the control for the A-RGB lighting effects. Customizing the screen display is not simple. You will need to spend some time to get used to it and discover the true potential of this otherwise powerful software. Customization of the foreground and background should be incorporated into the main function.

However, in motherboard control mode, you can’t control the speed of fans independent of the pumps. 4528 RPM shown in the picture refers to the pump speed only.

HYTE needs to redo the software interface and make it simple with a clear flow of interface.

RGB Effects

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I am sharing some of the display options on the screen of this cooler.

Thermal Testing

I have used the mentioned configuration to test the performance of this cooler: –

• Intel i7 13700k
• MSI Z790 Project Zero
• Anacomda RGB 32GB DDR5 kit 7200MT/s CAS34
• Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB NVMe SSD [For OS]
• GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3060 VISION OC [For Display]
• Fractal Design ION+ P2 860 Platinum PSU
• MSI PANO 100L PZ Case

Here is the settings table for testing:

These are the thermal test results:

Holy moly! This cooler, with a small size but with a thicker radiator, has fantastic performance as it easily matches some best performing 360mm liquid coolers like EK-Nucleus AIO Lux CR360 D-RGB, My_Valkyrie SYN 360 White, and Cooler Master Atmos 360, for example.

It is good to see a 240mm size cooler offering the 360mm size cooler, but it comes at the cost of a premium price tag and high sound output where it almost touches the 52 dBA at a room sound level of 35 dBA. You are advised to use the balanced curve mode or define a custom fan curve.

Should You Buy It

Buy It If

✅You have a HYTE Case and want to have a HYTE Ecosystem: The HYTE THICC Q60 sits perfectly within the HYTE’s ecosystem of using the Nexus Link concept. This cooler seems to be designed and hand-picked for Y60 and Y70.

✅You need a powerful cooler in a small size: You can get a performance level of 360mm cooler from this 240mm size liquid cooler from HYTE thanks to powerful 120x32mm fans and 52mm thick radiator with dual harmonic pumps.

✅You want the best of the best display cooler: The HYTE THICC Q60’s crispy 5” IPS screen with Nexus software puts all other coolers to shame when it comes to displaying your content on the cooler’s screen.

✅You want a cable-free cooler (almost): The HYTE THICC Q60 is probably the best cooler in the market that has the lowest possible cable connection. Thanks to Nexus Link and internal wiring/connection, you only need one cable for the connectivity, and this without needing any controller hub.

Don’t Buy It If

❌You are a budget user: The HYTE THICC Q60 retails at a steep price of USD 300, which is still less than that of Siren Duo from Teamgroup, which retails at USD 399.99. Spending 300 bucks on a cooling unit is questionable, but if you have a heart and funds, go for it.

❌Your PC case does not have enough clearance: This cooler has an overall dimension of 288x120x84mm (LxWxH). This dimension sparks the clearance and compatibility issues for the PC Cases. Do your homework diligently if buying this cooler.

❌You are not a software-only person: The HYTE THICC Q60 is totally dependent on the Nexus software for all the functions and features. If this is something that does not fit your style, skip it.

My Thoughts

The THICC Q60 is a first-of-its-kind cooler from HYTE that offers superb cooling performance with a stunning display. In our testing on the Intel platform, this is the first 240-mm cooler that offers a performance level of 360-mm size coolers. This cooler is compatible with Intel LGA115x/1200/1700 and AMD AM4/AM5 sockets. The user can buy brackets for Intel LGA2011 and AMD TR4 sockets.

From a performance perspective only, this cooler boasts a 52mm thick radiator in a 240mm size with dimensions of 288x120x52mm. It has 14 FPI counts with parallel dual-pass heat exchange technology. The dual harmonic pumps are integrated into the fin stack. HYTE uses 400mm thicker CIIR rubber tubes. All the wires and connections are done internally from the factory, so you will get a cable-free cooling unit.

The installation of this unit is as simple as possible. I observed no issue installing this cooler on the Intel LGA1700 socket. It requires 9 items to install the block in as many as 4 steps. You need Nexus software to control this cooler and its functions. However, this software is not easy to understand and you would need some time to get a grip.

Now, regarding the thermal performance of this cooler, it offers an impressive cooling performance, giving 360mm coolers a tough match from a 240mm liquid cooler. However, this performance comes with a high sound output. I tested the unit with fans and pumps running at full speed. You can customize it to determine the best possible sound level with adequate performance as per your requirements.

HYTE offers a 6-year warranty. I have no experience with their support system and can only hope that they provide an effective customer service comparable to the likes of CORSAIR, EKWB, Lian Li to name a few.

Hayyan Serwer

[CPU Coolers & RAM Expert]

Hayyan Serwer is a tech enthusiast, with a love for PC building and article writing. Hayyan specializes in writing about CPU coolers and RAM kits. Hayyan has been familiar with the tech industry for over half a decade now, and has now stepped into providing quality reviews for the latest and greatest tech.
Get In Touch: hayyan@old.tech4gamers.com