be quiet! Dark Base Pro 901 Review

[@LisamarieSC1]

TY for these videos on this case. I'm currently mid-build and have a few words of caution to anyone buying it. 1 - Be certain that your motherboard will support two 19-pin usb3 connections. (the four usb3 ports are bundled together into two cables with 19-pins. I only had one port on my mid-tier mb so right now I have two usb ports that won't work until I find a solution for this) 2- the mounts for the 2.5 drives are too small by 1.5 mm. (I had to mount my 2.5" drive in one of the large bays at the bottom!) 3 - this thing is a CHONKER! It's SO HEAVY! you may need help to move it around safely. It is 2" wider, taller and fatter than any of my other "full size" towers I have built. It's like the size of dorm fridge! 4 - I am using a seasonic fully modular psu and barely (oh, just so barely!) managed to get my cpu power to reach the top of the motherboard. If it had been 5 mm shorter it would have been a no-go. 5 - Despite the neat feature of having a motherboard 'drawer', which is nice, the unfortunate truth is that you will need to connect some very annoying cables after you install the drawer and this case is so large that it is a little like working in a cave. I recommend buying an inexpensive headlamp to wear in order to keep light on your work area - worked great for me. And finally, 6- This is a little picky but the quality of the screws just didn't seem to be there compared to Cooler Master. Nearly every screw had to be coaxed into going in properly - many of them ending up askew and needing to be redone until they were properly threaded. For the price of this case, I would have expected a bit better, to be honest.

[@chrishanson435]

This and your build video were so thorough and well presented! They answered all of my questions about the case, fan configurations and noise levels. Easily the best case videos I've seen while researching builds over the years. Truly well done. Cheers from NYC!

[@cy9105]

Thank you for cutting right to the chase

[@greghilton7797]

Thanks Chris. Nice case. Cheers

[@ChristopherFlannigan]

No problem

[@cenkocenk]

excellent review thank you

[@michalwalks]

I started building in the case but was disappointed that only 2x 140mm fans work in the front with anything in the 5.25 bay... They should have just moved the bay down 1cm and the fan issue would not be an issue. Secondly, that front flap is impossible to pull down with fingers and when prying it open it feels like it will snap off. Why didn't they use something like magnets... Already compromises that didn't need to be... I should have paid more attention to more videos as you even mentioned the fan issue, because when I did actually listen I now realise that 2 fans really are the sweet spot.

[@birdsoup777]

I feel the same. Had the Darkbase 700. Be Quiet hasn't changed the same annoyances. Thank God I watched this. Was about to buy it. If this case had button up side panels, 1 more front fan, Magnetic front flap, fit a 4090 12vwhpr with out hitting side panel, I would buy it. A few minor annoyances are worse than thing disliked when choosing a case

[@weirdodude1173]

I was interested to see what the different fan configurations are like, in terms of thermals. Thanks!

[@darthstrukt]

Excellent and DETAILED review! Subscribed.

[@birdsoup777]

Chris. Thank you. Merry Christmas. What a bummer. Pointed out minor but massive annoyances for $300 case. Sides should button up, not slide on. Room for 4090 12vhwpr so it doesn't interfere side panel. Massive problem sliding panel on and hitting the gpu cable. Panel buttoning on would help that. 2 140 fans front, should have 3 preinstalled. Had the dark base 700. excellent case but the same annoyances be quiet has not changed. As of now. Looks like be quiet is discontinuing this . Priced at 299.90 in the US. That means discontinued and new or revision on the way. Making case decision. I say " Dislikes outweigh Annoyances "

[@ArnoM86]

Merci pour avoir tester toutes ces configurations de refroidissement

[@LifeIsButaBluff]

I’ve just received the riser cable and it isn’t magnet at all which is very disappointing given that the gpu support bracket is.

[@KrisCH913]

Hello @Christopher Flannigan I would like to buy this case with an Optical Drive and run an AMD 7950X3D with the ROG RYUJIN III 360 in it. I would prefer to mount the AIO on the side and 2x140mm or 3x120mm in the front. What do you think of this combination? Or should I rather mount the AIO on the top and 2x140mm/3x120mm in the Front and 3x120mm on the Side? What do you recommend?

[@JorgeGarcia-ne3ws]

super video with excellent critique.

[@damokerbs5856]

Really enjoying your videos, thanks. I do have the same issue with closing the back side panel on my Dark Base 700. Not sure what it is. Do you have a video whre you compare the latest cases in the market?

[@eugenijusdolgovas9278]

I have a CD-ROM AND 120mm fan under it sucking the air down.

[@Andrew-je8gu]

Nice video bro! I have one question tho. Which fans are better? NZXT F140 or Stock ones? Thanks!

[@SuperRockGarage]

Hello Christopher, when i look at this case it seems natural to me to install a 360 AIO on the side bracket so you can let all the sound panel on. Did you test thermal and noise in this configuration ? Thank you

[@LivelysReport]

Can you fit a 360 radiator and fans in the front with an optical drive in the bottom bay in the front?

[@Phoenixbrady86]

if want to put rgb fans on the front how do you connect the rgb cables?

[@youfoundisaac]

If they make a Micro-ATX version I 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 buy one

[@ChristopherFlannigan]

ITX would also be interesting, worked well for the torrent

[@pillepolle3122]

Just buy this one

[@zeroqool1]

I get what you are saying. I think the trend seems to be leaning towards smaller cases for the sake of space. I can only imagine the conversation 10 years from now with the advancement of technology. 2033: Why did they buy those huge cases ? Why did they buy those big brick video cards? 😊

[@garygevaert9528]

Great review Christopher; Thank You. One question; you indicated you prefer to leave the front aluminum panel on; did you then also leave the front fans in? Which, I presume, would then draw from the front sides? Thank You

[@david29bzh]

How does it compare to the silent base 802 in term of noise?

[@BlindMan5]

I love this case but the gpu bracket would worry me in that position. So i probably wont use it or i will use it but just move the bracket to the end of the gpu. But i would definitely buy this case.

[@Merudes]

Its best to use the right angled connectors with it

[@deviantbuilds]

If people are hitting 99c with a 360 aio on a 13700k, they have a bad mount. Get a correction plate. That should help a lot.

[@intrepidomartv236]

what do you mean by correction plate? the frames sold by thermaltake and thermalgrizzly?

[@Totto70770]

It was 99C with the Dark Rock Pro 4, and in an extremely heavy stress test. The motherboard is probably running the CPU without power limits as well. 99C in this case is to be expected. The AIO brought it down to 95C without throttling. It's not a bad mount, it's just the way these things work. Tuning the CPU will bring temperatures down. The contact frames generally make no difference with 13th gen.

[@alrizo1115]

Intel chip runs hot. They should fix this in the next gen

[@Totto70770]

I don't see it happening with 14th gen. They will be pushing clocks even higher and adding more E-cores. 14th gen will be even hotter. Maybe Arrow Lake will be better.

[@IGFtwo]

Is it possible to install the front fans on the front side of the bracket instead of the backside of the bracket?

[@joeblackisback1]

Yes, of course it is possible. A radiator also fits inside.

[@TurtleMatey]

Curious if this would help dampen coil whine on my 4090

[@pillepolle3122]

Buy 4090 aero no coil whine

[@johnveldthuis331]

I have one of these and don't like the fact that there is no HD activity light on the front panel. Otherwise I love it

[@DVTHEFOX]

THERE ISN'T?!?!. Also NO RESET BUTTON..

[@diego1694]

Very cool case. I actually think that not having a reset button is a good choice, it doesn't make sense to have a reset button in current day. If you need to reset the computer, you do it through the OS, and if it has crashed, pressing the power button for a few seconds to force shutdown the computer does the same thing. I usually leave the reset button unplugged because the odd time that I (or my cat) press the button accidentally is far more detrimental than the little utility that it provides. Even during OC, I would rather use the reset button on the motherboard.

[@InDeLightBand]

Where is the reset button? How to reset the PC?

[@darthstrukt]

I guess you failed to watch the entire video.

[@georgesmirnov4217]

Wrong ibformation about top position of a radiator. 3×140mm fans will not fit into 360mm radiator....

[@GBMatthew07]

Stupid price.

[@wkody7]

Broke