By: Jonathan Kwan
February 7, 2025
Recently, a kid in my church told me a story about a guy she knew from school. Allegedly, things got "really weird" between them, which prompted more questions. What does she mean by "really weird"? And how did we get to this point? I cannot say I am emotionally invested in any type of high school drama, but there has got to be more to the story. The next week, she brought along a letter he wrote to her, which described a number of things from his perspective. According to the letter, they talk on the phone late into the night all the time, frequently eat lunch together, and hang out at the mall after school. She acknowledges there was a developing relationship; however, it was the moment he asked her out that she became uninterested. What the heck? How can someone change so quickly? Now, I have a few theories of why this all came crashing down, but this is a tech website, so I will just use this to illustrate that people's preferences can change -- and often rapidly -- over time. Over the years, we have seen many trends in PC chassis design. Starting with the power supply placement, we have seen it in front, above, and most commonly in the last twenty years or so, below the motherboard. We have also witnessed a shift from horizontal cases from the 1990s to primarily towers since the 2000s. And seemingly popping up every now and then are chassis with inverted layouts. Then there was the evolution of case windows, which started from acrylic sheets in the 2000s to tempered glass in the late 2010s, and in the 2020s, multi-panel tempered glass fish tank style cases. With shifting tastes and varying preferences, is it possible to make a chassis that stands the test of time and changes in taste? be quiet! attempts this with the Light Base 600 LX. In addition to your favorite ARGB LED lighting and multi-panel tempered glass design, it puts the power supply behind your motherboard, and features a symmetrical layout so you can use it in any orientation you like, whether it is conventional, inverted, or horizontal. Is the be quiet! Light Base 600 LX all things to all people, or did they try too hard and end up mastering none? Read on to find out!
be quiet! sent their Light Base 600 LX mid-tower in its retail box from Newegg in Ontario, California, USA. It made its trip up here to us here in Calgary, Alberta Canada safely via UPS Standard. There were notable slashes and rips on the box, but this is not uncommon for packages of this size and weight. Nothing inside was damaged, which is good.
As you can see in my photo above, be quiet!'s retail box design for the Light Base 600 LX comes from the same template as the Light Base 900 DX, which is very similar to almost every product we have reviewed from the company. The environmentally friendly -- or economically friendly, depending on your perspective -- brown corrugated cardboard box has all the contents printed in black ink. On the box, you will find be quiet!'s logo, the text "Light Base 600 LX", and a drawing of the case occupying majority of the real estate. An "About" section for the brand and a specifications table can be found on various sides. The color variant is also indicated. There is minimal waste in packing material and the box is easily recyclable, reducing its environmental impact.
Out of the box, you will receive the be quiet! Light Base 600 LX chassis clipped between two large Styrofoam brackets. Styrofoam, otherwise known as expanded polystyrene, is brittle and gets leaves crumbs everywhere when damaged. I wish the company used polyethylene instead, which is shatterproof and does not get messy. That aside, there is nothing much out of the box. A small accessories box is zip-tied inside the chassis' HDD bay from the factory. You will also get a user guide. I find the user guide very well-written with nicely drawn diagrams. It is exactly what you would expect from a German company -- practical and straight to the point on how things are done.
Before we move on, let us take a look at the specifications of the be quiet! Light Base 600 LX, as obtained from the manufacturer's website:
General data
Model: Light Base 600 LX Black
Color option: Black
Motherboard compatibility: ATX / M-ATX / Mini-ATX
Case size excl. stands (L x W x H), (mm): 450 x 305 x 435
Case size incl. stands (L x W x H), (mm): 450 x 305 x 455
Volume (l): 59.7
PSU form factor: ATX PS/2
Net weight (kg): 12.1
Expansion slots: 7
Pre-installed fans
Fan at top: -
Fan at front: -
Fan at side: 3x Light Wings LX Reversed 120mm PWM
Fan at rear: 1x Light Wings LX 120mm PWM
Fan at bottom: -
Dimensions (L x W x H), (mm): 120 x 25 x 120
Fan speed at 100% PWM / 12V (rpm): 1600 / 1500
Airflow at 100% PWM / 12V (CFM / m3/h): 51.5 / 87.5 | 48.8 / 83.0
Air Pressure at 100% PWM / 12V (mm H2O): 1.34 / 1.04
Noise level at 100% PWM / 12V (dB(A)): 25.5 / 28.5
Voltage range (V DC): 5-13.2 / 5-12
Input power (W): 3.8 / 1.2
Input current (A): 0.32 / 0.1
Connector: 4-pin PWM
Lifespan (h / 25°C): 60,000
Fan controller: 2x 12 ports
Maximum fan installation
Maximum fans: 10
Top (mm): 2x 140 / 3x 120
Front (mm): -
Side (mm): 3x 120
Rear (mm): 1x 120
Bottom (mm): 2x 140 / 3x 120
PSU shroud: -
Optional radiator installation
Top (mm): 120 / 240 / 360
Front (mm): -
Side (mm): 120 / 240
Rear (mm): 120
Bottom (mm): 120 / 240 / 360
PSU compatibility
Maximum dimensions excl. bottom fan (mm): <200
Maximum dimensions incl. bottom fan (mm): <200
Graphics card
HDD cage (in height of graphics card) installed (mm): 400
HDD cage (in height of graphics card) removed (mm): 400
Maximum PCIe slots with vertical graphics card (pcs.): 4
Drive bay capacity
5.25 bays (pcs.): -
3.5 slots (scope of delivery): 1
3.5 slots (max.): 2
2.5 slots (scope of delivery): 2
2.5 slots (max.): 4
Cooling
Max. construction height of CPU cooler unit (mm): 170
Airflow channel: -
Lighting
LED illumination: ✓
LEDs (pcs.): 77
LED type: ARGB - 5V
LEDs synchronizable with controller/motherboard: ✓
I/O Panel
USB 3.2 Gen. 2 Type C: 1
USB 3.2 Type A: 2
USB 2.0: -
HD Audio I/O: Mic + Audio
Qi charger / Quick Charging Option (W): -
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: -
Scope of delivery
Screw set (Drives/Motherboard): ✓
Additional standoffs (pcs.): 1
SSD bracket for PSU shroud: -
LED strips (pcs.): -
Cable ties (pcs.): 12
Screw box: -
VGA holder: ✓
VGA holder for inverted layout: ✓
Mesh Front Panel: -
ODD Bracket: -
Fan / Radiator bracket for multi mounting panel: -
Removeable dust filters
Top: -
Front: -
Side: 1
Bottom: -
Material
Top cover: Steel
Front panel: Glass
Side panel: Steel
Side panel window: Glass
Stands: ABS
Safety certification
Approvals: CE, UKCA
Environmental directives
RoHS: ✓
Reach: -
WEEE: ✓
Triman: ✓
Service
Warranty (Years): 3
International hotline / free of charge: ✓ / DE, FR
Logistics data and RRP
Article number: BGW67
EAN code: 4260052191736
Dimensions, package (L x W x H), (mm): 523 x 390 x 554
Gross weight, package (kg): 14.6
Pieces per packaging unit: 1
RRP (€): 174.90
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
