be quiet! Dark Base Pro 901 Chassis Review

I mentioned early in this review how the Dark Base Pro 901 supports an inverted motherboard installation and the process is rather straight forward.  You will find a QR code in the manual which will take you to a YouTube video describing the process with step-by-step instructions.

Or you can crib off my photos, if you’ve ever done any casemodding (real case modding) the process is pretty simple.

First step.  Remove the motherboard try.  Yes, I said that correctly, the motherboard tray can be removed and comes out as a single unit complete with SSD drive trays and expansion slots.

From here we can see what kind of room is available for system installs.  The case supports E-ATX and LX-ATX motherboards and the EVGA Z790 Dark falls into that category.   What I find interesting is that top expansion slot is obscured and inaccessible when operating in the standard “flat” orientation but, becomes available if you choose to go vertical with your build.

To continue with the flip, you need to remove the top fan mounting panel and flip the contact switch.  This controller is how the top fans get their PWM signals making the cable routing extremely simple.  However, since the base is attached to the top of the chassis, you need to switch both of these to the other side.

Remove the vertical support column, re-run the front panel cables to the opposite side and reinstall the support column.

From here you simply install everything just how you took it out but, swapped to the other side.

To be honest I’ve always liked the inverted motherboard layout even back in 2011 when SilverStone offered it with the Temjin TJ08-E.