INTRODUCTION

    Due to space restrictions being a serious issue for most consumers it's no wonder that most PC case manufacturers focus their resources in the design and manufacture of compact/mini and midi towers. Space is an issue for me too (especially when having 4-5 test rigs and 2 cockpits at any given time in the lab) but even so i always prefer full/super towers for all my test rigs, at least as long as their design suits my taste. Luckily there are some exceptions in the market, some manufacturers who keep updating their full/super tower lines and since be quiet! is among them today with me i have their latest Dark Base Pro 901 model.

    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 Dark Base Pro 901 is available in both black and white colors (will be showcasing both in this review, only partially the white however because white on white, not the best result) and as its predecessor is the current flagship model in the be quiet! PC tower lineup. As expected the Dark Base Pro 901 is available with a tinted tempered glass left side panel and as for other features we find interchangeable top and front covers (either for reduced noise or improved airflow), easy to invert motherboard tray and PCI expansion slots, insulated front and right panels, two ARGB LED strips (fascia, PSU shroud), detachable top and front fan/radiator brackets, fan hub, Qi wireless charger, touch sensitive I/O panel, USB 3.2 Gen2 type-c connector, VGA holder and a total of three 140mm Silent Wings 4 PWM fans (1900RPM). Needless to say, the Dark Base Pro 901 has plenty of room for even the largest components including XL-ATX sized motherboards, single 5.25" ODB (lower front), seven 3.5" and sixteen 2.5" drives (room for three 3.5" and six 2.5" drives are included), eleven fans (8x120/140mm, 3x120mm) and/or two 240/280/360/420mm radiators (front 240/280/360/420mm and top/side 240/360mm), 190mm tall CPU coolers, 288mm long power supply units and 495mm long graphics cards. This is one of the largest PC cases right now in the market so let's get up close and personal with it.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Once again be quiet! has 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 over a sticker with the product serial number and barcode.

Once again, the tower is wrapped inside a plastic bag and placed between four foam spacers and a single piece of cardboard.

Aside the Dark Base Pro 901 inside the box be quiet! has also placed the side radiator bracket, 5.25" tray, 3.5" tray, VGA holder, perforated plastic panel, rear cable cover, plastic case with accessories (cable ties, rubber pads, screws), 5 small plastic bags with screws and spacers and the user manual.

THE DARK BASE PRO 901 EXTERIOR

Measuring 569mm in height, 603mm in length and 254mm in width the new Dark Base Pro 901 is among the largest PC cases in the market today.

The entire left side panel is made out of tinted tempered glass and looks great.

As with past models the fascia is made out of brushed aluminum which is very nice to the touch.

At the top we find the I/O which includes the on/off power button, touch buttons for the speed of the fans and the ARGB LED strips, 4 USB 3.2 ports, USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C port and the typical 3.5mm ports.

Again like its predecessor the Qi wireless charging area is just over the I/O.

The front can be easily removed to reveal an air filter, two 140mm Silent Wings 4 PWM fans and the ODB at the bottom (also accessible without removing the fascia).

Moving at the top we find a grill and two noise insulated pieces right beneath it which are of course removable if you decide to install fans or an radiator at the top.

Turning the case around we find another 140mm Silent Wings 4 PWM fan, 8 PCI expansion slots (which you can inverse or place horizontally depending on your setup) and the PSU area.

The right side panel is made out of steel and as expected since there's room on the motherboard tray for another radiator it has a perforated section.

A large air filter takes the entire bottom of the Dark Base Pro 901 (slides in/out from the front).

THE DARK BASE PRO 901 INTERIOR

Interior space is ample and yes, even larger than its predecessor (left the parts box on purpose inside the white variant so you can all see how secure it is).

Even though there are already two 140mm Silent Wings 4 PWM fans installed at the front of the case you can either add one more 140mm fan, replace all three with 120mm fans or install an 240/280/360/420mm radiator.

Just a single 3.5" drive cage is bundled with the Dark Base Pro 901 but if you need room for more there's a total of 5 cages on the far right of the motherboard tray (if you don't need these 5 spots you can remove it to install the bracket for the 240/360mm radiator).

The plastic cover behind the fans can be removed either to install an 420mm radiator (will need to remove the drive cage underneath) or to install the angled and perforated plastic cover found in the bundle (redirects air towards the graphics card and CPU).

The PSU shroud covers the entire bottom (dual chamber design) and has the model line on it.

It's easy to notice that the motherboard tray has no grommets on it because be quiet! has placed a horizontal and a vertical opening for the cables.

Taking a look on the opposite side of the motherboard try we find two 2.5" drive trays, 3.5" drive cage with two 2.5/3.5" drive trays and of course the PSU area.

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.

Once again, we see a PC case by be quiet! with the PSU getting mounted from the rear (and yes, you should be able to fit any model here).

Mounting an ATX motherboard makes it easy to see that for an XL-ATX model you will need to remove the cable cover.

Here I’ve mounted an 420mm radiator at the top (it reaches the limits of the case so it's understandable that be quiet! mentions up to 360mm for the top radiator) and an 240mm radiator at the front (the 360mm radiator i have here was too thick).

With enough space for 190mm CPU air cooler you can use any model currently in the market.

Even if you decide to use 3.5" drive trays at the front there's still room for roughly 350mm long graphics cards (495mm without anything at the front end).

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

    Three things i can always be certain whenever be quiet! releases a new Dark Base Pro PC case, build quality, spacious interior and simple yet elegant design. This case is pretty much build like a tank, has plenty of interior space for even the largest hardware components (XL-ATX motherboards, 190mm tall CPU air coolers, 288mm long power supplies and 495mm long graphics cards) and even though it will not cause your jaw to drop at first sight it’s still a very elegant model which can fit everywhere, both at home and the office. Unfortunately for people looking to get the most silent full tower around the Dark Base Pro 901 is probably not it, largely because of its tempered glass panel. It would had been nice had be quiet! released the same model but with a steel side panel instead (aimed towards people who’d like something even more silent) but at least for now that’s hasn’t happened.

    As for pricing, at the time of this review the black Dark Base Pro 901 full tower by be quiet! retails for USD227.83 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 306.81Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which although very balanced on the other side of the Atlantic it’s once again a bit high over here (also the white variant was just released so due to very low availability pricing is not accurate). That aside however the Dark Base Pro 901 is a clear step upwards from its predecessor and since it delivers as advertised and then some it clearly deserves the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Excellent Build Quality
- Tinted Tempered Glass Side Panel (Full)
- Two ARGB LED Strips (Front/PSU Shroud)
- Interior Space For 190mm Tall CPU Coolers, 288mm Long PSUs, 495mm Long Graphics Cards & Three 240/280/360/420mm Radiators
- Four Pre Installed Silent Wings 140mm PWM Fans (1900RPM)
- Rotatable Motherboard Tray & PCIe Slots
- Fan Speed/ARGB Hub
- Noise Dampening Coating (Right/Front/Top)
- Removable Air Filters (front/bottom)
- Available In Black & White Colors
- Price (USA)

CONS

- Price (EU)
- Slightly Higher Noise Levels Than Expected