INTRODUCTION

   The basic concept behind PC cases may not have changed that much over the years but there's no denying that manufacturers have managed to squeeze more and larger hardware components into smaller models. Needless to say, manufacturers have improved on other aspects also including airflow levels (usually with reduced noise levels as well), tool-less features and of course looks so it's a safe bet that there's at least one reason for everyone out there to upgrade to a newer PC case. The latest Shadow Base 800 FX Midi-Tower by be quiet! seems to combine all of the above and well, that's just what arrived in the lab a while back.

   be quiet! is a German premium brand of power supplies, PC cases, water and air cooling and fans for desktop PCs. With more than 20 years of experience in the field of quiet hardware for computers, be quiet! offers virtually inaudible as well as extremely performant products in worldclass quality. Since its foundation in 2001, all be quiet! products are conceived and designed in Germany. The development takes place in close cooperation with our locations in Asia. The final quality control also takes place at our headquarters near Hamburg. This is how be quiet! ensures that every product meets our high standards.

   The latest Shadow Base 800 FX midi-tower by be quiet! is currently available in black and white colors both of which sport a tinted tempered glass left side panel and a right panel made out of SGCC (galvanized) steel. Just like many of its predecessors the Shadow Base 800 FX sports a plethora of features including a thick insulation mat behind its right side panel for reduced noise levels, removable air-filters (top/front/bottom), mesh fascia for increased airflow levels, integrated 8-way fan controller with ARGB hub, rotatable PCIe slots, top USB 3.2 Gen2 type-c connector, four pre-installed LightWings 140mm PWM fans (1500RPM) and of course a PSU area shroud. Also being among the largest midi-towers ever released by be quiet! the Shadow Base 800 FX has enough interior space for up to E-ATX sized motherboards, three 3.5" and seven 2.5" drives (single 3.5" and three 2.5" tool-less trays included), eight 120/140mm fans and/or two 240/280/360/420mm radiators, 180mm tall CPU coolers, 250mm long power supply units and 430mm long graphics cards. So, time to see what you can all expect from the latest Shadow Base 800 FX midi-tower by be quiet!

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKACING AND CONTENTS

As with most of their towers be quiet! has once again used a plain cardboard box the front of which has a large product drawing just over the product name and beneath the company logo.

The specifications table is placed on the right side right above the color selection and a sticker with the product serial number and barcode.

At the rear of the box, we see an exposed drawing of the Shadow Base 800 FX.

Once again, the tower is wrapped inside a plastic bag and placed between two foam spacers.

Along with the Shadow Base 800 FX be quiet! packs 6 cable ties, drive tray, 4 rubber pads, 4 mounting screws, 4 small plastic bags with screws and spacers and the user manual.

THE SHADOW BASE 800 FX EXTERIOR

The Shadow Base 800 FX weighs a total of 12.3Kg and measures 522mm in height, 550mm in length and 247mm in width.

Just like with most cases by be quiet! nowadays the left side panel is made entirely by tinted tempered glass.

One of the main features of the Shadow Base 800 FX is its mesh fascia which has two ARGB LED strips (one on each side).

As usual the I/O is once again located on top of the fascia and includes a single USB 3.2 Gen2 type-C port, two USB 3.2 ports, on/off power button and LED, ARGB LED button and the usual microphone and headphone 3.5mm plugs.

You can always remove the fascia just by pulling it outwards from underneath as seen above (here you can also see the removable filter).

be quiet! has placed three LightWings 140mm fans at the front (you can easily mount an 240/280/360/420mm radiator behind them).

At the top we find a removable magnetic air filter and right beneath it space for up to three 120/140mm fans or a single 240/280/360/420mm radiator.

Turning the Shadow Base 800 FX around we see the fourth LightWings 140mm fan, 7 PCI expansion slots (rotatable) and the PSU area at the bottom.

The case sits on four tall feet and features a slide in/out air-filter that takes up the entire base of the case.

THE SHADOW BASE 800 FX INTERIOR

As mentioned already the Shadow Base 800 FX is among the most spacious midi towers released by be quiet! to date.

At the front there's enough room for an 240/280/360/420mm radiator regardless of thickness (at least in regards to 240/360mm radiators).

You can use this vertical piece of plastic to route cables behind it thus improving looks and airflow levels.

The PSU shroud is made out of steel and has two cut-outs, one at the front for the front radiator (the plastic piece is also removable) and one next to the motherboard tray.

Since cables are meant to get routed behind the cover i mentioned earlier the motherboard tray only has three openings, one for mounting the CPU cooler, one behind that cover and one at the top for the 4/8-pin motherboard power connectors.

On the other side of the motherboard tray, we see the vertical steel tray used to mount the two 2.5" drives, horizontal steel tray on which be quiet! has placed the 8-way ARGB hub (3.5" drive can be mounted next to it) and of course the PSU area which in this case takes the entire bottom (or you can mount a 120/140mm floor fan at the front).

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

As always, the purpose of this section is not to build a functional system but rather to showcase what you can expect from the case at hand in terms of interior space.

Just like with most recent midi towers by be quiet! the PSU is installed from the rear of the case (plenty of room here for even the longest models).

Using a normal ATX sized motherboard inside the Shadow Base 800 FX leaves plenty of room for other components.

Instead of using a thick radiator on top (360mm in this case) and a thin one up front (420mm in this case) you should do the exact opposite.

With enough room for 180mm tall CPU air coolers you should be able to mount most if not all models currently in the market.

Even with an 60mm thick radiator at the front you should still have no problem mounting even the longest graphics card inside the Shadow Base 800 FX.

NOISE LEVEL TEST

After giving it much thought we decided on performing noise tests with each PC Case we receive by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically on top of each case to measure the noise levels emanating from the pre-installed fans at both 50% and 100% with the help of a fan controller (if the case doesn't have one, we use our own).

CONCLUSION

   The latest Shadow Base 800 FX midi-tower by be quiet! might not be worlds apart compared to what they've released to date but it's still a very spacious and good looking model which should easily cover the needs of the majority of users out there. The four LightWings 140mm fans not only offer very good airflow levels out of the box (also thanks to the mesh fascia) but they also look very nice next to the two front ARGB LED strips. Build quality is also very good, the rotatable PCIe slots could come in handy for some setups and with enough room for the largest components (including two 240/280/360/420mm radiators) out there the Shadow Base 800 FX does seem to be the jack of all trades. Yes, out of the box it doesn't have much room for drives (just 4 in total) but for the vast majority of users that shouldn't be an issue.

   As i type these lines the Shadow Base 800 FX Midi-Tower by be quiet! retails for USD219.90 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 197.27Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which is more or less what i was expecting. Overall, the Shadow Base 800 FX Midi-Tower by be quiet! delivers on everything that matters from interior space and looks to build quality and available features and for that it clearly deserves the Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Tinted Tempered Glass Side Panel
- Two ARGB LED Strips (Front)
- Interior Space For 180mm Tall CPU Coolers, 250mm Long PSUs, 430mm Long Graphics Cards & Two 240/280/360/420mm Radiators
- Four LightWings 140mm Fans (1500RPM)
- Rotatable PCIe Slots
- 8 Way ARGB Fan Controller
- Noise Dampening Coating (Right Panel)
- Removable Air Filters (front/top/bottom)
- Available In Black & White Colors

CONS

- Just 4 Drive Trays (Out Of The Box)