be quiet! Dark Base Pro 901 Chassis Review

Silent cases have been getting a bad rep from the YouTube community due to their claim that they do not cool well.  While there may be some truth to that, the notion of “cooling well” leaves much to interpretation and the designed nature of a silent case is to suppress noise.

Noise in a modern PC comes from fans and the only way to make fans quiet is to make them push less air.  Less airflow does increase internal temperatures and is where the balance begins.  Now, what doesn’t really matter is the size of the ventilation holes, large holes allow noise to escape and are comically large beyond what is actually required to vent a PC.

Personally, I like to see my fans so large vents don’t bother me but, I’m also one who doesn’t mind a little computer noise.

This dichotomy here is what makes the Dark Base Pro 901 such a great product as you can choose your own level of involvement.

The Dark Base Pro 901 supports a total of 11 fans.  You will get three Silient Wings 140mm PWM fans from the factory and is “enough” for most air-cooled builds.  For those who want to get a little nuts the 901 supports additional 140mm fans at the top, front and bottom.  The rear and side fans are locked in at 120mm, which is fine.

Radiator support tops out at 420mm (triple 140mm) at the front and 360mm along the top and side.

To appease the airflow loving PC enthusiast, you can do a full conversion of the Dark Base Pro 901 from a silent design to a high airflow version using the included accessory box.

Starting with the top, Remove the fake vent and then remove the vent blocking panels to expose the top fan locations.  Then replace the vent cover for more airflow.

The front bezel comes with a replacement panel to convert the acoustic panel into one made from metal mesh.  Of course, you can decide if the included fan filter is required during the conversion process.

You will find a fan location in the bottom of the case and to open up the basement you’ll want to install the vented basement cover, or remove it completely.  The extra space is perfect for installing a watercooling Pump Res combo.

Finally, one of the mods I am most impressed with is the side mounted fan bracket which can support basic fans or a 360mm radiator.  The external vent is already present in the side panel making this mod a pretty simple choice for an aesthetic or cooling upgrade