Published: June 27, 2023 | Source: OC3D Internal Testing | Author: Mark Campbell

be quiet! DARK BASE PRO 901 PC Case Review

Conclusion

be quiet’s DARK BASE PRO 901 is an incredibly well designed PC enclosure, so much so that this review has been a challenge for us. The 901 has a wealth of customisability options, and so many features that is was hard to know where to begin when we took the case out of its box. Even now, it is hard to know what to discuss first, or even how to compare this case to other PC cases.

If we had to describe the DARK BASE PRO 901 in one word, that word would be versatile. This case is so customisable that it can be reoriented to suit pretty much any use case. Want the case to sit to your left, you can invert this case’s motherboard tray to achieve that. Want to use a disk drive? This case has options for that. Want lots of airflow? This case has a mesh front panel option and a lot of space for additional fans. Want silence? This case has optional sound deadening panels that can help make your PC quieter. This case even has features that we didn’t know we wanted, like a 15W wireless charger at the top of the chassis.

If you are into water cooling, user of this case can install up to a 420mm radiator at the front of this case (360mm if you also install a 5.25-inch disk drive), and up to a 360mm radiator at the top and side of this case. Out of the box, the DARK BASE 901 is cooled by three 140mm fans, and in total this case can fit up to eight 140mm/120mm fans and three additional 120mm fans. That’s a lot of potential airflow options, and that barely scratches the surface of the DARK BASE 901’s potential.

The DARK BASE PRO 901 has launched at a time where graphics cards have become larger than ever before, with triple-slot graphics cards becoming commonplace in the high-end with heavy heatsinks and large cooling fans. With this in mind, the DARK BASE PRO 901 ships with a GPU support bracket that is designed to prevent GPU sag and to help hide your graphics card’s power cables. The 901’s GPU support bracket is an elegant solution to two problems, and its magnetic base makes it easy to place within the DARK BASE PRO 901. If you are using this case in its inverted layout, you can screw in this GPU support bracket for additional rigidity, as the bracket’s magnetic base may not provide a solid enough connection when used with heavier graphics cards while the mount is inverted/upside-down.

Overall, the DARK BASE PRO 901 is a PC case that is easy to build in and versatile enough to change to suit your requirements as they change. Want to liquid cool your PC, this case has the space for that, want to use your PC to back up your old disk-based media collection? This case supports disk drives. Want to move your PC to a new location and invert its motherboard tray? You can do that! The DARK BASE 901 is the kind of case that will serve your loyally for years to come, and you will have little reason to move on from this case anytime soon.

be quiet’s DARK BASE PRO 901 is an outstanding PC case. It has all of the options that users could want, and its thermal performance leaves nothing to be desired. Even with its three out-of-the-box fans, this case delivered stellar thermal performance, both with its mesh and solid front options. The DARK BASE PRO 901 is a well designed PC case, and be quiet’s design teams deserve a lot of praise for that.

The be quiet 901 is easily one of the best PC cases that we have seen this year, and is perhaps one of the best cases that we will see in 2023. The DARK BASE PRO 901 deserves nothing short of OC3D’s Enthusiast Grade Award, as it is a case that is incredibly capable and incredibly versatile. We cannot imagine anyone buying this case and not being pleased with its feature set and adjustability. It’s a fantastic design, and while its aesthetics will not be to the liking of some users, we think that this case in beautiful in its design and excellently executed.