Silent Base 601 Review – Test |Specs| Hashrate | Profitability

Today we will be looking at the Silent Base 601 to evaluate and test the specifiations listed, hashrate, cpu performance, profitability and payback period.

It has been a few months since we had any products from be quiet! to be tested by the editorial staff, from the brand’s latest Dark Rock 4 cooler. Today we are changing the register, with the latest Silent Base 601 box, supposed to replace its little brother Silent Base 600. On the program a model at a recommended price of 120 € for the version with full panel against 130 € for the version with tempered glass window! Let’s see if the fans of silence will be satisfied!

Specification – Silent BASE 601

As you can see the be quiet! Silent Base 601 is rather imposing for a medium tower case, with a depth of 53.2 cm for 51.4 high and 24 wide, all weighing 10.49 kg, in the average of a case oriented for silence . Program the possibility of installing 3 3.5 ″ devices (2.5 ″ compatible) via 2 supplied cages (including an individual to be installed in the upper part), as well as 6 2.53 peripherals, so there should be no problem as long as you do not don’t plan to turn it into a file server.
Ventilation is provided by 2 original fans, 140 mm Pure Wings 2 rotating at a speed of 1000 RPM (one at the front and one at the rear), enough to ensure silence in all circumstances, but performance should not be high level (normal for a silent box). In total it is possible to install up to 8 fans, all of 12 or 14 cm, three at the front, three above, one at the rear and one last on the power supply cover. Basically, if you want to turn it into a wind tunnel, you can!

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The compatibility with the different components is rather wide, with no less than 44.9 cm for the graphics card (without cage, 28.7 cm once installed) and 18.5 cm for the cooler, it will be difficult to find something that will get stuck 😉 The Silent Base 601 is available between 120 and 130 € depending on the model, you also have the choice between three colors (the borders on the front), black, gray or orange!

Unpacking and presentation

The cardboard could not be more classic, with a diagram of the case as well as the name of the model on the front face. An exploded view is available at the rear, highlighting the modularity of the assembly.

The bundle is rather small, apart from the individual cage for a 3.5 ″ device and its rubber there is not much to eat. The manual, screws and scratches are present in addition to this cage, the minimum union.

Here is the beast! It is clear that be quiet! is not there to offer us extravagant products! Sobriety is essential for the happiness of the fans, the manufacturing quality is clearly not left out either, in fact the black paint is perfectly applied, the elements fit together without the slightest harm and nothing sticks out. Steel is widely present, which gives a solid case that does not scare the slightest manipulation. Even if we can find plastic, in front especially on the sides of the frontage it is not majority.

The front could not be more sober, with only two edging on the sides, this is the only touch of color to be found on the case (black, gray or orange depending on the version). The central part is made of metal, placed on plastic and equipped with a thick foam at the back, in order to limit the noise level to the maximum. Below we find a dust filter, the whole covering the slots for fans (only one delivered as standard).

Above we remain sober, with a steel plate, equipped with openings at the back to allow the possible flow of air from the fans installed below.

The front connection is rather complete, with two USB 3.0 ports, a 2UB 2.0 port as well as the eternal 3.5 mm jacks. In addition to this, a three-speed rheobus is present, thus making it possible to control the two installed fans, plus a third if necessary. However, it is a shame that you can only control three fans, especially when you can install eight 😉

Underneath there is not much to say, 4 plastic feet equipped with rubber pads and a large dust filter crossing the entire length of the Silent Base 601.

At the rear there are some honeycomb ventilation grilles, behind the 14 cm fan but also below at the level of the fans that can be installed as an option. We also note the presence of two expansion slots placed vertically, to install a graphics card if you feel like it. Note that the riser allowing to connect the possible graphics card to the motherboard is not present, it will therefore have to be purchased separately. Also, with the absence of a window on the full panel version the usefulness of this sort of thing is very limited.

On the sides once again difficult to be more sober, with solid black panels that won’t show you anything from inside your machine! To remove these panels, nothing could be simpler, just press the buttons at the top of the back of the case, then lift the panel, you’re done! It is very pleasant to do without any screws, we will not complain about it 😀

Interior presentation

Inside you can clearly see that be quiet! did everything to have as much space as possible. Here, the case is split into two parts, at the bottom for everything related to power supply and HDDs cage, and above you have understood everything that is motherboard, graphics card etc. Note that the cover is made of steel , which gives a more upscale aspect to the thing. Let’s take a closer look at all of this.

Two fans are present, models that we know well now, Pure Wings 2 14 cm rotating at a speed of 1000 RPM maximum. Too bad not to have used Silent Wings, more high-end models of the brand.

Above, a removable plate is available, allowing the installation of fans or water-cooling radiator if necessary. Once again foam is present here, everything is done so that vibrations are not a problem.

The power supply cover is equipped with a large honeycomb grille on the power supply side, as well as 2 other covers (plastic this time) for the optional fan and the front radiator installation.

Five slots are available for 3.5 ″ peripherals, only one cage is delivered in the bundle, so you will have to buy a separate one if you ever run out. Note here that there is no cover for these empty slots, as can be found on the Dark Base 700 and Dark Base Pro 900. Only the windowed version is provided, a saving of candles if you want my notice.

The connection is complete in the Silent Base 601, but only a 3-pin connector is available, a pity not to have more for the rheobus.

At the rear there is not much to reproach the new case from be quiet! The space between the back plate of the motherboard and the side panel is about 2.6 cm, enough to put cables there without worrying too much when closing. Rubber grommets are of course there to facilitate installation. A plate allowing the installation of two 2.5 ″ SSDs is located just behind the processor slot on the motherboard.

A cage allowing the installation of two 3.5 ″ hard drives is located below the power supply cover, it is removable and each drive is entitled to its four rubber pads.

The power supply also gets special treatment, with four rubber pads, so vibration shouldn’t be a problem.

The test config

The configuration used during the tests is as follows:

A rather bulky configuration therefore due to its huge cooler and the three slots taken by the graphics card. The be quiet! Silent Base 601 has been tested once with only an SSD installed and another time with a Western Digital Raptor hard drive which will undermine the ability to absorb vibrations of the case. The fans will be set to minimum once with the SSD and once with the mechanical hard drive, then another test will take place with the fans set to maximum.

Mounting

There is nothing wrong with the Silent Base 601 during assembly. Thanks to the space available there is no difficulty in installing even the largest components. Unless you have an atypical configuration there is no chance of being with a component that does not fit 😉

At the back there is enough space to place all the cables without hindrance, whether it is at the back of the motherboard or behind the power supply. As usual, the goal is not to make a work of art, almost no one will see this side of your configuration 😉

The tests

In order to test the box, we carried out a test of a 100% load of the graphics card as well as the processor for 30 minutes and then record the temperatures of the main components such as the processor (average of the 4 cores), the motherboard , the graphics card as well as the hard drive.
Regarding the sound level, we proceed as in the file on silent PCs namely a statement in front, right, left, rear and above.

The be quiet! Silent Base 601 has been tested against be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900, be quiet! Dark Base 700, as well as the Fractal Design Define R5. This choice is clearly not random, here we only find boxes designed for silence, even if the Dark Base 700, Dark Base Pro 900 and NZXT H700i do not play in the same price category.

Repos

At rest, the temperatures observed with the Silent Base 601 are good, despite the presence of only two fans. With 34 ° for the processor, 33 ° for the graphics card and 36 ° for the motherboard when the fans are set to minimum, there is nothing wrong with it. Here the case is better than its competitor Fractal Design Define R5, which is hardly surprising given that the latter is smaller and less well ventilated.
Once the fans are at their maximum, the temperatures hardly change, we only lose 1 ° on the processor and the graphics card against 2 ° for the motherboard.

Ambient sound level: 31dB

The noise level is the point at which be quiet! can not be crashed, indeed it is the same name of the manufacturer! There is not much to reproach him with at this level, still happy! With fans at a minimum the be quiet! Silent Base 601 does not exceed 34 dB, even with the Western Digital Raptor hard drive, which is however hell in terms of vibrations. Despite the small difference that we can hear in the ear with and without the hard drive, it does much better than the majority of boxes on the market, thank you for the effort made by be quiet! to isolate the parts from each other.
Once the fans are set to maximum the box will be heard, reaching a maximum of 38 dB at the rear, which is quite normal given that this is the part most likely to be noisy (the exhaust fan being there!). Although this is audible at this level, you will have to be a fan of silence to be bothered by it.

Charge

En charge, les résultats sont plus que corrects. En effet, il faut différencier les boitiers étudiés pour le silence et les autres, vous n’aurez jamais les mêmes performances avec des ventilateurs tournant lentement, il faut trouver le juste milieu. Avec 72° pour la carte graphique et 66° pour le processeur lorsque les ventilateurs tournent au minimum, les résultats sont très proches de ce que l’on trouve chez son grand frère Dark Base 700, ou Fractal Design Define R5. Une fois au maximum les température passent de 66° à 63° pour le processeur contre 72° à 70° pour la carte graphique.
Pour résumer, le be quiet! Silent Base 601 refroidira parfaitement une configuration une configuration mono-GPU, tant que les composants installés ne sont pas des gouffres à Watts.

Niveau sonore ambiant: 31dB

Le niveau sonore en charge n’est pas vraiment différent de ce que l’on observe au repos. En effet, avec les composants triés sur le volet pour être les plus silencieux possibles (Noctua NH-D15, radiateur changé sur la carte graphique), on peut arriver à d’excellentes performances tout en restant à un faible niveau sonore. Avec un maximum de 38 dB à l’arrière quelle que soit la vitesse des ventilateurs, le Silent Base 601 fait attention à nos oreilles. Seuls les Dark base 700 et Dark base pro 900 font mieux, mais le prix est en conséquence 😉

Conclusion

Here we are at the end of this test, what about be quiet! Silent Base 601?
be quiet! returns with an update to its Silent Base 600 which is clearly welcome. The build quality is simply excellent, the different elements fit together perfectly and the case is robust.
The manufacturer has made a point of doing everything possible to improve the sound level as much as possible, with thick foams behind all the panels, rubber between all the removable parts as well as a rheobus to regulate the fans. The resulting noise level is very low, even under load, as long as the installed components are designed for, it will not be possible to have a quiet PC if you install turbines in it 😉
The cooling performance is average for silent boxes, the Silent Base 601 allows a single-GPU configuration to be kept in quite acceptable temperatures. However, do not expect miracles if you install a configuration equipped with a processor and a power-hungry graphics card, for this, other fans will have to be installed.
As nothing is ever perfect, we still have a few small complaints to make, nothing really bad though. Indeed, even if a rheobus is available, which is a good thing, there are however only three connectors (for three fans therefore!). It would have been nice for those who would like to add more fans to have the connectors for, without having to go through adapters. In addition, the windowed version is delivered with five 3.5 ″ covers, which allow in addition to plugging the holes on the upper part, to have more places at the back to pass the cables. Even if we will not see the inside of the PC with a solid panel, it saves a little money.

Offered at a price of € 120 for the version equipped with a solid panel and € 130 with a tempered glass panel, the be quiet! Silent Base 601 is an excellent case. Even though the competition is fierce it is a great alternative to the Fractal Design Define R5, which until then was the perfect choice for a quiet setup.

As always if you are looking to build a Gaming or office PC, do not hesitate to come and ask me on the forum, it is there for that!

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