be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 Case Review

[Guest]

The be quiet! Dark Base 900 and Dark Base Pro 900 are identical on the inside and both offer tons of options for enthusiasts. Today we test the Pro version.

be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 Case Review : Read more

 

[Sam Hain]

Corsair 760T in this... "case", LOL.

 

[cliffro]

Pricewise this is more comparable to the Enthoo Primo than the Evolv.

 

[jimmysmitty]

Pricewise this is more comparable to the Enthoo Primo than the Evolv.

It is quite expensive.

My question is why is the PSU upside down? The pictures have the PSU fan facing the GPU which means the PSU is pulling air from the GPU and might be causing the CPU to run warmer since it will get less cool air.

 

[CBender]

This is something i'll say for a first time for a case. This is so damn BOXY.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

This may just be the perfect case I have been looking for. There are plenty of reasons to choose this case. I love the functionality you have. The modularity, the silence. I also love the high-grade materials used in the design, aluminum and tempered glass. Lastly, I find this case beautiful, more visually appealing than the competition. I think this is the case I'm going to get.

Does anybody know when it becomes available?

 

[JustanotherSith]

July sometime I believe.

 

[3ogdy]

Finally a case a Noctua fan looks good in. Didn't think I'd ever say that. Well, except for the Sabertooth / military color combination.

 

[Crashman]

Pricewise this is more comparable to the Enthoo Primo than the Evolv.

I agree, but the Evolv was the closest Phanteks case we'd received. Let's not forget that the Dark Base Pro 900 is a smallish "full tower", and finding cases from our collection which were both size-appropriate and price-appropriate was difficult. Having said that, I'd like to get the Primo into our charts.

 

[Compuser10165]

I have a bequiet Silentbase 800 and I am very please with it. However I sth remove the side panel to help cool my R9 390 when needed, and that is with and extra fan on top. This case cooling also seems to be limited to the fans being low static pressure. Altough it is silent, nonetheles. I consider the 900 as a bigger 800 with higher build quality (aluminium) but also a much higher price. I don't know if I would choose it in that price range.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

I have a bequiet Silentbase 800 and I am very please with it. However I sth remove the side panel to help cool my R9 390 when needed, and that is with and extra fan on top. This case cooling also seems to be limited to the fans being low static pressure. Altough it is silent, nonetheles. I consider the 900 as a bigger 800 with higher build quality (aluminium) but also a much higher price. I don't know if I would choose it in that price range.

I had a similar problem with my MSI R9 390 in my NZXT H440. The temps were reaching 90C. However, unlike your situation, I simply installed two top exhaust fans and then my temps lowered all the way down to 70C and fan RPM went down by 60%. I love this Be Quiet case despite its lack of effective cooling, as seen in the review, but I am having a lot of trouble deciding between two cases:

-Be QUiet Dark Base Pro 900
-Lian Li PC-O8WGN (Link)

I love features that both have, but I am kind of attracted to how the Lian Li looks. Only thing that concerns me is the airflow in the Lian Li. There are three intake and exhaust, but the intake are all in the back by the HDD cages and PSU, and so are two exhaust. On the motherboard side of the case (since it is a cubical case it has two zones) it just has a single exhaust fan.

What I find strange, though, is that the CPU and GPU both got great temps on the overclockers' review: http://www.overclockers.com/lian-li-pc-o8-case-review/ but they actually had a radiator at the top and the fans were top intake. So I don't know what to do at this point - Be Quiet or Lian Li. The Newegg promo on the Lian Li would let me get it for under $300 and it ends in two days! So I ought to decide by then.

 

[Royharper]

I don't care that its quite large it looks so cool

 

[Compuser10165]

I have a bequiet Silentbase 800 and I am very please with it. However I sth remove the side panel to help cool my R9 390 when needed, and that is with and extra fan on top. This case cooling also seems to be limited to the fans being low static pressure. Altough it is silent, nonetheles. I consider the 900 as a bigger 800 with higher build quality (aluminium) but also a much higher price. I don't know if I would choose it in that price range.

I had a similar problem with my MSI R9 390 in my NZXT H440. The temps were reaching 90C. However, unlike your situation, I simply installed two top exhaust fans and then my temps lowered all the way down to 70C and fan RPM went down by 60%. I love this Be Quiet case despite its lack of effective cooling, as seen in the review, but I am having a lot of trouble deciding between two cases:

-Be QUiet Dark Base Pro 900
-Lian Li PC-O8WGN (Link)

I love features that both have, but I am kind of attracted to how the Lian Li looks. Only thing that concerns me is the airflow in the Lian Li. There are three intake and exhaust, but the intake are all in the back by the HDD cages and PSU, and so are two exhaust. On the motherboard side of the case (since it is a cubical case it has two zones) it just has a single exhaust fan.

What I find strange, though, is that the CPU and GPU both got great temps on the overclockers' review: http://www.overclockers.com/lian-li-pc-o8-case-review/ but they actually had a radiator at the top and the fans were top intake. So I don't know what to do at this point - Be Quiet or Lian Li. The Newegg promo on the Lian Li would let me get it for under $300 and it ends in two days! So I ought to decide by then.

I suggest the bequiet 900 Case. For the price of the Lian Li (even if you get it for 300 It isn't worth it). That is an exclusive case that asks a high price. I seriously would buy a Corsair 900D in the 350$ price range even though it is huge and may not be best for you. Stick to the bequiet 900 case and add two more fans ,as it is very versatile and customizable. (Even the non-pro version if you don't mind the absence of the wireless charging dock or the window).

 

[cliffro]

Pricewise this is more comparable to the Enthoo Primo than the Evolv.

I agree, but the Evolv was the closest Phanteks case we'd received. Let's not forget that the Dark Base Pro 900 is a smallish "full tower", and finding cases from our collection which were both size-appropriate and price-appropriate was difficult. Having said that, I'd like to get the Primo into our charts.

The Primo is a very nice case, it was by far the easiest case I've ever done a build in. Granted that ease is hindered by it's size and weight. They made it fairly easy to make the business side of it tidy/neat.

The only issue worth noting that I had was the length of my SATA power cables. The Cablemod cables and the original EVGA 850 G2 cables were not long enough to route neatly with the rest. And were just barely long enough to reach the mounting location for the SSD Trays on the side of the ODD cage in a straight line. My next task well after building it, is to find matching longer cables or matching extensions. No Black/Blue extensions that I can find so far.

 

[Virtual_Singularity]

The DB 900 series could've been great. Instead, it's good, at best, maybe. The placement area of the PSU is what ruins this case for me. Imagine how nice this case might've been if the mobo tray was kept on one side (do away with the left side "modularity" option), and have a solid, common sense placement for the PSU, with the addition of a shroud for it, even (ideally). Instead, the PSU is placed away from the back of the case, attached with a proprietary chord that BQ provides, where it's exhaust can inevitably add to the overall case temp. Why, BQ, why?? =(

 

[g-unit1111]

I suggest the bequiet 900 Case. For the price of the Lian Li (even if you get it for 300 It isn't worth it). That is an exclusive case that asks a high price. I seriously would buy a Corsair 900D in the 350$ price range even though it is huge and may not be best for you. Stick to the bequiet 900 case and add two more fans ,as it is very versatile and customizable. (Even the non-pro version if you don't mind the absence of the wireless charging dock or the window).

I wouldn't say it's that exclusive. It's a very nice case indeed and definitely competes with a lot of high end models. The price currently is about $150 for the full tower model which puts it in Corsair 760T / Phanteks Enthoo Luxe / In Win 805 territory.

The DB 900 series could've been great. Instead, it's good, at best, maybe. The placement area of the PSU is what ruins this case for me. Imagine how nice this case might've been if the mobo tray was kept on one side (do away with the left side "modularity" option), and have a solid, common sense placement for the PSU, with the addition of a shroud for it, even (ideally). Instead, the PSU is placed away from the back of the case, attached with a proprietary chord that BQ provides where it's exhaust can inevitably add to the overall case temp. Why, BQ, why?? =(

I agree, after having both an H440 and a Phanteks Enthoo Luxe, I would be more partial to having a case with a PSU shroud than I would with one that doesn't. It makes the interior look so much neater even if you're terrible at cable management like I am. :lol: