By: Aaron Lai
October 9, 2020
I recently decided it was time for me to sign up for Amazon Prime. In the past, most of the items from Amazon were shipped to my place with Intelcom Express or Canada Post, and they have always found my house with no issue. However, it seems like Amazon is now shipping directly with their own carriers. As such, when I recently ordered a bread knife, I was surprised to get a phone call on the day of my supposed delivery. The delivery person had called to ask me where my house was. I decided to open my front door and look outside for him, but I could not spot him. I tried to give him directions and he said he would drive around the area. It was only a few minutes later when he called back, realizing he was actually in Airdrie instead of Calgary. Just so you know, Airdrie is located 25km or 15 miles north of where I reside. As such, the driver said he would have to bring it back to the processing area and I would get my package tomorrow. The next day rolled around and I got another phone call from another driver asking me where my house was. I jokingly responded by wondering if he was in Airdrie and he immediately realized the mistake once again. I ended up calling Amazon's customer service to help them direct future drivers to my house, but this whole back-and-forth was truly surprising. I would have thought such a large company like Amazon would have the right logistics to determine my house location, or at least be in the right city. I think it just goes to show that bigger is not always better. However, when be quiet! asked us if we would review their largest case, the Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2, I was more than excited. This case is one of the largest cases I have taken a look at, but can this case keep the sentiment of bigger being better? Let us read on to find out!
Today's review unit of the be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2 arrived from their American offices in Walnut, California. Traveling with UPS and their Standard service, the Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2 arrived in pretty poor condition. There was one notable gash in the box. In addition, the top panel had some more damage. It seems there was either some issues in shipping such a heavy case, as this box was pretty beat up. As with most cases, the shipping container also doubles as the retail container. The all-black corrugated cardboard box shows off the case in full color. This is quite the departure from the last be quiet! case we reviewed, the Pure Base 500DX. The company's logo can be found on the top right side, while the product name is under the picture of the case. At the bottom, we have a descriptor of "Outstanding Flexibility and Silence". A large red "Fragile Handle with Care" label can be found on several sides of the case, but it seems like these stickers only further provoked UPS to damage the box. Otherwise, you can see this is the Orange rev. 2 that we received. The be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 also comes in silver and black.
Before we continue on, I have grabbed the specifications from the manufacturer's website for your perusal:
General Data
Model: Dark Base Pro 900 Orange rev. 2
PSU form factor: ATX PS/2
Motherboard compatibility: E-ATX / XL-ATX / ATX / M-ATX / Mini-ITX
Case size excl. stands (L x W x H), (mm): -
Installation of motherboards with backplate: ✓
Case size incl. stands (L x W x H), (mm): 577 x 243 x 586
Dimensions side panel window (L x W), (mm): 479 x 525
Color option: Orange
Weight (kg): 14.39
USB 2.0: -
USB 3.2 Gen. 1: 2
USB 3.2 Gen. 2 Type C: 1
HD Audio I/O: Mic + Audio
Expansion slots: 8
Fan mounting locations: 10
Qi charger / Quick Charging Option: ✓
Material
Top cover: ABS / Aluminum
Side panel: Steel / ABS
Side panel window: 4mm tempered glass
Front panel: ABS / Aluminum
Stands: ABS
Drive bay capacity
5.25 bays: 2
3.5 slots (max.): 7
3.5 slots (scope of delivery): 5
2.5 slots (max.): 14
2.5 slots (scope of delivery): 10
Pre-installed fans
Fan @ top: -
Fan @ front: 2x Silent Wings 3 140mm PWM
Fan @ rear: 1x Silent Wings 3 140mm PWM
Dimensions (L x W x H), (mm): Front: 140 x 140 x 25 / Rear: 140 x 140 x 25
Fan speed @ 100% PWM / 12V (rpm): 1600
Noise level @ 100% PWM / 12V (dB(A)): 28.1
Airflow @ 100% PWM / 12V (CFM / m3/h): 77.57 / 131.79
Air Pressure @ 100% PWM / 12V (mm H2O): 2.16
Voltage range (V DC): 12
Input power (W): 1.68
Input current (A): 0.5
Connector: 4-Pin
Lifespan (h / 25°C): 300,000
Fan controller: Dual rail stepless fan controller (8x 4-pin) / PWM hub
Optional fan installation
Front (mm): 1x 140 (w/o ODD cage, bracket included)
Top (mm): 3x 140 / 4x 120
Bottom (mm): 2x 140 / 2x 120
Side panel (mm): -
PSU shroud: 1x 120
Optional radiator installation
Front (mm): 120 / 140 / 240 / 280 / 360 / 420
Top (mm): 120 / 140 / 180 / 240 / 280 / 360 / 420
Bottom (mm): -
Rear (mm): 120 / 140
Cooling
Max.construction height of CPU cooler unit (mm): 185
Airflow channel: Full circuit airflow system
Lighting
RGB LED illumination: internal
LEDs synchronizable with RGB controller/motherboard: ✓
Expandable RGB controller: ✓
PSU compatibility
Maximum dimensions excl. bottom fan (mm): 284
Maximum dimensions incl. bottom fan (mm): 150
Graphics card
HDD cage (in height of graphics card) installed (mm): 323
HDD cage (in height of graphics card) removed (mm): 472
Insulation and damping
Top panel insulation mats: -
Front panel insulation mats: ✓
Side panel insulation mats: ✓
Anti-vibration decoupled HDD: ✓
Anti-vibration decoupled fan: ✓
Anti-vibration decoupled PSU: ✓
Anti-vibration decoupled motherboard-tray: ✓
Removeable dust filters
Front: 1
Bottom: 1
Side panel: 1
Accessories
Screw set (Drives/Motherboard): ✓
Rubber rail (pcs.): -
Standoff (pcs.): 3 (for E-ATX)
LCS bracket (pcs.): 1
HDD slot cover (pcs.): 6
Upper fan bracket (pcs.): 1
HDD panel rubber grommet (pcs.): -
SSD bracket for PSU shroud: 1
LED strips (pcs.): 1
Cable ties (pcs.): 6 (Velcro)
The sheer size of the case did not really hit me until I tried to open up the box and turn it over to slide the case out. It was then when I just realized the girth of the Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2. Inside, be quiet! has shielded the case in two foam brackets, while also wrapping the whole Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2 in a black fabric bag. I really like it when manufacturers include a mesh bag rather than a plastic one, as it can be easily reused later on. This bag also helps in preventing surface damage like scratches that might occur during the shipping process. A small booklet can be found inside for some instructions on the installation process, which is something I would actually advise you to read, as you will see later on. Otherwise, there is some warranty information. As with their Pure Base 500DX, be quiet! provides three years of warranty, which is pretty lengthy for a computer case.
I do not usually do this, but when be quiet! supplies us with so many accessories, it only makes sense to show them off. As you can see here, the be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2 comes with several extras for the case. Starting at the left side, we have three additional drive cages to mount 3.5" drives. A stack of six Velcro straps are included for cable management, while three extra standoffs are provided for mounting larger E-ATX motherboards. Next, we have several brackets, including one for an upper fan bracket, liquid cooler reservoir bracket, hard drive slot cover, and an additional plastic 2.5" drive sled. Underneath, we have all the necessary screws for mounting your gear. Finally, be quiet! has provided two RGB LED strips with proprietary headers to plug into the included RGB controller, as you will see shortly.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
