be quiet! Dark Base Pro 901 Chassis Review

There are two ways to look at the Dark Base Pro 901 from be quiet!.  On the surface we have a rather large tower chassis that checks all of the boxes. 

• Tempered Glass? Check
• Support for the highest-end motherboards? Check
• ARGB Support? Check
• Integrated fan control system? Check
• Silent operation? Check (if you are into that sort of thing)
• Option to appease the toughest of TechTuber? Check
• Cable Management Options? Check
• Badass Black color scheme? Check
• External 5.25” Bay? Check
• Silent Fans Included? Check
• Inverted Motherboard Option? Check
• And.. the list goes on

If you are one who cannot think for themselves and needs a checklist to make a decision then the Dark Base Pro 901 is the perfect chassis to test and reaffirm your existence.

For me, I find the Dark Base Pro 901 to be an amazing chassis however, not for the obvious reasons.  As a casemodder I look beyond what the case offers to what the case could offer.  And, once again, the 901 delivers.  While the chassis is delivered in a silent configuration you can easily enable “party mode” using the included accessories.  Not only is this super easy but shows that be quiet! has finally realized that not everyone is concerned with sound quality.  Some of us just want a quality case with quality features.

Or, if we play devil's advocate then we have a company bending to the will of a certain tech tuber with enough pull and sheep to force a change in core company policy that not only defined them as a company but belittles them on the global stage. 

Either way, the modification options are quite amazing and easily appeal to both sides of the enthusiast fence.

When I look at a chassis design, I am looking at what the possibilities are.  I love the removable motherboard tray as it happens to be designed such that someone can fully test their PC without obstruction.  Once everything works they can install everything and away they go.   

While this case does support watercooling, I see no provisions for DIY watercooling gear,  It can easily be installed and the ample 420mm radiator support indicates that this case can support current and future hardware needs without any major modifications.

If I was to criticize anything, I would say the case is too big.  Some of the size comes from the provisions that make the chassis a silent case, this includes extra plenum spaces around fans to minimize noise and the plethora of cable routing behind the motherboard.  Cable routing is not a problem with the Pro 901 and speaks volumes for the sheer size of the chassis.

Thing is, that is what some builders are looking for.  Gone are the days of a min + max'ing a case for LAN parties where cooling and size were most important.  These days enthusiasts are looking at overall style and unless they are limited by space the overall dimensions don't matter. 

Casemodders Dream Case
Inverted Motherboard Option
Silent and High Airflow Design
Removable Motherboard Tray
Easy to Install
External 5.25” Bay
Centralized Fan Control

Case is heavy
Case is quite large
No provisions for linking ARGB fans