be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 Review
Category : Cases
Published by Luca Rocchi on 05.02.17
With the Dark Base Pro 900, be quiet! has yet another case in its portfolio, while this is actually the successor of the Silent Base 800, which was introduced almost two years ago. This new flagship model is compatible with E-ATX motherboards and high-end custom water cooling gear. On top of that there is a lot of space for HDDs and SSDs.
Almost two years ago be quiet! made a statement with the Silent Base 800 case, which was their first full-tower enclosure. Now there is a new flagship case from the German manufacturer. It’s a big tower that is compatible with high-end components and apart from that it’s highly modular. Compared to the Silent Base 800, we find a similar, sleek design and high-quality materials. Since compared to its predecessor the case has grown, there is even more space available on the inside.
First of all the Dark Base Pro 900 measures 577 x 243 x 585mm at a net weight of 14Kg, while the Silent Base 800 measured 495 x 230 x 542mm with a net weight of almost 10Kg. The largest motherboards the predecessor could house were EATX models and the Silent Base 900 can even be equipped with XL-ATX form factor boards. Both models have been equipped with seven HDD sledges, yet the new one has space for no less than 15 SSDs or seven HDDs and one SSD. This is thanks to the fact that the sledges can now be equipped with two 2.5’’ drives..
Also on the cooling side be quiet! has changed a lot. While the Silent Base 800 was only compatible with mid-range water cooling components such as 280mm and 240mm radiators, the new Silent Base 900 full-tower can be equipped with up to two 360mm radiators or even a 420mm one. In other words the new Dark Base Pro 900 is way more flexible in terms of cooling and storage.
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Preview
Specifications
| Model: |
Dark Base Pro 900 |
| Case Type: |
Full tower |
| Dimensions: |
243 mm (W) x 585 mm (H) x 577 mm (D) |
| Material: |
Steel, ABS, Aluminum, Tempered glass |
| Color: |
Black |
| Drive Bay: |
5.25": |
2 |
| 3.5": |
7 |
| 2.5": |
15 |
| Expansion
slots: |
8 |
| Form factors: |
E-ATX, ATX, mATX, mini-ITX |
| Cooling: |
Front: |
3x 120mm / 3x 140mm (2x 140mm included) |
| Rear: |
1x 120mm / 1x 140mm (1x 140mm included) |
| Top: |
3x 120mm / 3x 140mm |
| Bottom: |
2x 120mm / 2x 140mm |
| Side: |
/ |
| Watercooling |
Front: |
280mm / 360 / 420mm |
| Rear: |
120mm / 140mm |
| Top: |
280mm / 360 / 420mm |
| Link to the product: |
Dark Base Pro 900 |
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Features
Drive bay capacity
The Dark Base Pro 900 can be equipped with up to seven 3.5 HDDs or fourteen 2.5 SSDs locate on the left side of the motherboard tray and on the backside there is another 2.5" slot. Since this case is compatible with E-ATX and XL-ATX motherboards, you could even create a multimedia or storage server. |
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Fan controller
Integrated into the top of the case, there is a fan controller supporting a maximum of seven fans. It requires a single SATA power connector and can set fans to spin at different speeds. |
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Watercooling ready
The Dark Base Pro 900 offers a lot of space on the inside, which for instance, allows for monting E-ATX or even XL-ATX motherboards and SLI or Crossfire setups. The front can be equipped with a 360mm or 420mm radiator, while the rear and lower parts are compatible with two additional 120/140mm radiators. Furthermore the top can be equipped with another 360mm radiator. If you'd really want to go crazy with the Dark Base Pro 900 and equip it with this many radiators you'll have to make compromises, by removing the hard drive cages in the front. |
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Product overview
Overview |
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| The Dark Base Pro 900 features a simple and neat design. be quiet! manufactures this case from high quality aluminum, metal and plastic. The front door comes with a black panel covering the two 5.25" slots located at the top of the case as well as three front fans. There is also a removable and washable dust filter, which has been placed on a plastic frame. The door and one side panel, are equipped with thick sound-absorbing material, which has become a trademark for every silent case.
The I/O panel features two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0 ports, the power and reset buttons as well as the standard audio jacks. In addition we find also Qi wireless charging plate integrated into the top side, that allows for charging your mobile phone wirelessly. On both sides of the front panel there are a few small openings, so the front fans can pull fresh air into the case. The right side panel, even if it looks quite simple, is actually the most important piece of the soundproofing system as it is equipped with soundproofing material, which is actually pretty heavy and does a good job at absorbing noise and vibrations. The left side panel is made from solid tempered glass.
A quick look at the back of the Silent Base 900 shows there are eight PCI expansion slots, the opening for the motherboard I/O panel, a 140mm fan slot and the opening for a standard ATX power supply. Underneath the case there are two plastic supports which ensure that the PSU can pull in enough fresh air to never run hot. |
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Installation
Overview |
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The interior of the Dark Base Pro 900 is clean and simple like the exterior featuring a classic design and layout. There is space for up to two 5.25" devices, seven 3.5" and one 2.5" drives. Due to the design of each sledge, you can install two SSDs on each of them. Apart from that there is another 2.5’’ slot behind the motherboard tray. The installation of all drives is tool-less. Unlike many other manufacturers, be quiet! didn't make mistakes related to the HDD cages, as in fact, they are completely removable and you will be able to reconfigure the internal layout to suite your needs. The motherboard tray is made of solid steel, and it features a big cut out behind the socket, which allows the user to install aftermarket CPU coolers without having to remove the motherboard beforehand. In addition the motherboard tray can be removed and you can also change the internal layout of your case. Between the motherboard tray and the right side panel there is enough space to hide plenty of cables.
To check the compatibility we've used an ATX motherboard and a huge PH-TC14PE cooler from Phanteks. As you can see from the pictures there is more than enough space to install even high-end components. A closer look at the specs regarding the height of coolers reveals they can measure up to 185 millimeter in this dimension. Graphics cards can be up to 323 millemter long. |
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Ventilation options
Overview |
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| From the cooling point of view, the Dark Base Pro 900 is impressive. First of all we have to say that inside the case there are three pre-installed SilentWings 3 140mm fans. This case allows you to install up to three 120/140mm fans in the front as well as in the top. Furthermore there is space for one 120/140mm fan in the rear and two 120/140mm in the bottom. Regarding custom water cooling setups there is also a lot of flexibility, since it's for example possible to install two 420mm radiators.
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Temperatures
Overview |
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For testing purposes we're using an MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC motherboard, an Intel Core i5-6600K CPU, which receives cooling through a SilentiumPC Fortis 3 HE1425 MCE cooler as well as a MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G graphics card. To put the CPU under full load, we're running prime95 for 10 min and in the case of the GPU we use Furmark also for 10 minutes. After these ten minutes, we're going to write down the temperatures. The ambient temperature is close to 24°C. |
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All noise dampening panels installed |
Idle (°C) |
Full (°C) |
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Intel Core i5-6600K |
28 / 28 / 27 / 28 |
52 / 55 / 54 / 53 |
| MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G |
46 |
66 |
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Less is better |
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Conclusion
Rating |
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Cooling |
Features |
Layout |
Build Quality |
Value for Money |
| Pros |
+ Good
compatibility for watercooling and aircooling |
+ Water cooling
+ Dust filters
+ Qi wireless charging plate |
+ Interior
space
+ Good space for cable routing |
+ High quality materials
+ Rubber groomets
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+ Well priced |
| Cons |
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- No Type-C USB |
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- PSU Cover |
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If you want a stylish full-tower, that’s been made from premium materials, then the Dark Base Pro 900 could be what you’ve been looking for. Due to the modular design, the internal layout is absolutely brilliant. We really like the tool-less sledges for HDDs and SSDs as well as the removable motherboard tray. The interior is modular to quite an extent allowing you to even reposition the placement of your motherboard. If you are a fan of reverse-ATX cases for example, the Dark Base Pro 900 even gives you that option. For that purpose you have to release a few screws and then turn the motherboard tray the corresponding way.
Thanks to the huge dimensions of the chassis, there is enough space for all kinds of components. Nevertheless the cable management is not perfect and could easily be improved. We would like the case to be a few millimeters wider so there is more space between the backside of the motherboard tray and the right side panel. Additionally we would like to see a PSU cover since there is a huge tempered glass panel which shows everything is inside your case.
Another aspect we really came to appreciate is the compatibility with the custom water cooling loops. First of all you get three fans with which have already been included in the delivery of the Dark Base Pro 900 and even their cables have been sleeved. Apart from that the chassis itself comes with armada of additional spots for fans. As we already mentioned you can install 360/420mm radiators and that itself is great already. It's pretty clear that this case is perfect for anybody who’s looking for a solution with good airflow.
Despite the fact that the Dark Base Pro 900 is a premium case made of high quality materials such as tempered glass, the price is still quite reasonable. Apart from the great looking design there is good airflow as well as a very well-thought interior. The Dark Base Pro 900 is available for 209 Euros and receives 4 stars out of 5.
