INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   If you happen to be in the market for a new PC case then chances are you will come across numerous towers with RGB fans and/or LEDs designed primarily for gamers and enthusiasts looking for an eye catching model. Still although I do have to admit that we too like RGB illumination there's always a good percentage of consumers who care not about that and have other priorities when looking for a new PC case such as interior space, features and last but certainly not least low noise levels. Now as some of you may know there aren't that many manufacturers who focus in the design and manufacture of "silent" PC cases, as a matter of fact quite the opposite since off the top of my head I can only think of 4 brand names still active in the market, be quiet!, Antec, Nanoxia and Fractal Design. Be quiet! released the Silent Base 601 line of mid-towers late last year and since many of you asked today, we'll be checking the window version out.

   be quiet! is a premium brand of power supplies, PC cases and cooling solutions for desktop PCs. Consistently the leader in the German PC power supply market since 2007*, be quiet! is one of the most successful PSU brands in Europe. This enduring success is largely thanks to the typical German passion for quality and precision. All product conception, design and quality control is performed in Germany. German expertise is evident the moment an idea is born and throughout the entire design and production process. be quiet! never releases a product until it meets the highest expectations. All materials used – from the smallest screws to the metals in the cases – are tested to rigorous standards. That is why be quiet! power supplies, PC cases, CPU coolers and case fans are among the most silent, powerful and reliable on the market. Innovative engineering concepts coupled with an uncompromising choice of premium materials and world-class manufacturing quality make be quiet! second to none when it comes to noise reduction. With over ten years of experience, be quiet! are truly the quietness experts.

   Just like most PC cases by be quiet! the Silent Base 601 is currently available in two versions (with a SECC steel side panel or a tinted tempered glass side window) and in 4 different color combinations (all black and black with orange, red or silver colored front air inlets). In terms of features the Silent Base 601 comes ready with 10mm thick sound dampening mats (top/front/right panels), 2 pre-installed Pure Wings 2 fans (140mm/1000RPM/61.2CFM/18.8dBA), metal PSU shroud, detachable top fan/radiator bracket, 3-step fan controller (up to 3 fans), removable bottom/front air-filters and 9 PCI expansion slots (7 horizontal and 2 vertical - vertical graphics card installation). As for interior space the Silent Base 601 has enough room up to E-ATX sized mainboards, three 3.5" and/or six 2.5" drives (max of 7x3.5" and/or 1x2.5" drives with extra drive cages), up to 8 fans (120/140mm) and/or 2 radiators (240/280/360mm), 185mm tall CPU coolers, 449mm long graphics cards (287mm with drive cages installed) and 288mm long power supply units. Finally, be quiet! covers the entire line with a 3 year limited warranty.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKACING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A product drawing is placed at the front of the box right over the product name and beneath the company logo.

 

 

The specifications table is placed on the right side right over the color selection and next to another drawing.

 

 

Some of the features are printed on the left side in 4 languages.

 

 

Moving at the rear of the box we find yet another drawing of the Silent Base 601 Window (exposed) and its features in 6 languages.

 

 

As usual the tower is wrapped inside a plastic bag and placed between two foam spacers.

 

 

In the box you will find a 2.5/3.5" drive tray with 4 anti-vibration mounts, 4 Velcro straps, 4 small plastic bags with screws and spacers and the user manual.

 

 

THE SILENT BASE 601 WINDOW EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 11.22Kg heavy Silent Base 601 Window measures 514mm in height, 532mm in length/depth and 240mm in width.

 

 

Unlike most cases in the market that have tempered glass side panels the one used here is not held in place with thumbscrews.

 

 

The fascia is made out of ABS plastic and features two colored air-inlets on the sides.

 

 

A long slide-in/out removable air-filter is located at the base of the tower.

 

 

Removing the fascia reveals a 10mm thick sound dampening mat on its interior and a removable air-filter.

 

 

A single Pure Wings 2 140mm is placed at the front and you can also mount two more (or an 240/380/360mm radiator).

 

 

The I/O is as usual located at the top of the fascia and it includes the 3-step fan controller, USB 2.0 port, microphone and headphones 3.5mm ports, on/off power button, reset switch, HDD activity LED and two USB 3.0 ports.

 

 

The top cover features 6 small openings at the rear (plus several on the sides) to allow air to reach the interior (you can remove the cover but be quiet! has made it easier to mount fans and/or a radiator from the interior).

 

 

At the rear we find a single Pure Wings 2 140mm exhaust fan, the 9 PCI expansion slots and the PSU area.

 

 

Here you can see the slide-in/out air-filter and the 4 tall feet on which the Silent Base 601 Window sits.

 

 

THE SILENT BASE 601 WINDOW INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be quiet! used quick release mechanisms for both sides panels so to release them you just need to press these round buttons found at the rear.

 

 

In terms of interior space, the Silent Base 601 Window seems to be doing fine.

 

 

Here we see the front Pure Wings 2 140mm intake fan with room for a second one.

 

 

The drive bay covers may not offer anything in terms of functionality but they look nice.

 

 

As with previous cases by be quiet! the Silent Base 601 has two plastic covers on the PSU shroud which if you remove you can install an interior 120/140mm fan and a 3rd fan or a 360mm radiator at the front.

 

 

The PSU shroud is also perforated at the rear so this is not a dual-chamber design case.

 

 

The mainboard tray has three long rubber grommets for cable management purposes and a very large opening beneath the CPU area for easy swapping of backplates.

 

 

All 9 PCI expansion slots feature thumbscrews.

 

 

The right side panel also features a 10mm thick noise-dampening mat on the interior.

 

 

At the rear of the mainboard tray we find a vertical drive mount (2x2.5"), the drive covers, removable drive cage (2x2.5/3.5") and the PSU area.

 

 

Both the drive cage and vertical drive tray are made out of aluminum.

 

 

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.

We started placing components by removing one of the covers and mounting the bundled drive tray.

 

 

Next, we mounted our PSU from the rear of the case (can't mount regular sized models from the side).

 

 

Once that was done, we continued by placing our ATX sized mainboard.

 

 

At the front you can mount up to 360mm long and 57mm thick radiators so there's really no limit here.

 

 

You may not be able to use a very thick radiator at the top but you can also use up to 360mm long ones here as well (we used a 280mm one for this review).

 

 

Let's also not forget that with enough clearance for up to 185mm tall CPU air coolers there's really no limit here either (at least not from the case).

 

 

Even though the drive trays do take some space you can use up to three without them interfering with your graphics cards (if you decide to use all 5 however you will have room for 287mm long cards).

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   As mentioned in previous reviews tempered glass side panels are not exactly ideal when it comes to PC cases dressed on the interior with noise-dampening mats since noise tends to leak out from them. Luckily this time over the Silent Base 601 Window does a better job in that area compared to let's say the Pure Base 600 Window again by be quiet! which we had reviewed a while back (roughly 6dBA less) so we really have no complaints about that. We also welcome the push to release mechanisms used for both side panels, the two Pure Wings 2 fans with their 3-step controller and the vertical GPU mount even though just like with past reviews we do feel that manufacturers should provide everything consumers need to use them in the package (extra cost but certainly much less compared to what these parts cost separately). The lack of RGB illumination may disappoint some potential buyers but the Silent Base 601 Window is clearly aimed towards people who are looking for a silent PC case. As for interior space with enough room for three 3.5” and/or six 2.5” drives, eight 120/140mm fans and/or two 240/280/360mm radiators, 449mm long (without the two lower 3.5” drive cages), power supplies up to 288mm long and CPU coolers up to 185mm tall we think that the majority of users will have no problem in that area either.

   The be quiet! Silent Base 601 Window currently retails for USD160.97 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 118.99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which although a bit higher than expected on the other side of the Atlantic is actually quite fair. Bottom line the Silent Base 601 Window may not be the best all-around mid-tower by be quiet! but thanks to its features, build quality and interior space it should be sufficient for the majority of the consumer base and for that it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Tempered Glass Side Panel
- Noise Dampening Mats (Right/Top/Front)
- Radiator Space (Top & Front 240/280/360mm)
- Room For Up To 8 Fans (120/140mm)
- Removable Drive Cages
- Room For 185mm Tall CPU Coolers, 288mm Long PSUs and 449mm Long Graphics Cards
- 2 Pure Wings 2 Fans (140mm)
- 3 Step Fan Controller (Supports Up To 3 Fans)
- Removable Front & Bottom Air Filters

CONS

- Price (USA)
- Extra Drive Cages Required For More Drives