Be quiet! recently refreshed the Dark Base Pro 900 case. Rev. 2 includes some interesting solutions that were missing in the previous version. Has the manufacturer made this model perfect now?
Appearance
We get the housing in a huge, black cardboard box. It has been wrapped in a material protection. Together with it, we get the manual, LED strips, a set of screws, three brackets, mounting bracket for the LCS, HDD end caps, mounting bracket for the upper propeller, SSD bracket for the power supply cover and cable ties. As you can see for yourself, the number of accessories is huge and shows how big this design is. The warranty is 3 years.
Be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2 measures 577 mm x 243 mm x 586 mm. It weighs as much as 14.39 kg – it is definitely one of the heavier structures. You can fit motherboards in E-ATX, XL-ATX, ATX, M-ATX or Mini-ITX formats. It is available in orange, black and gray.
The housing looks great. The manufacturer managed to combine elegant design with modernity. The side glass with or without LEDs (it’s up to you to decide) can make an impression. Also the finish of the top or the front is brilliant. Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2 is definitely not to be ashamed of.
At the front there is a door that has been lined with soundproofing material. After opening them (pressing in the upper left corner) you can see two places for 5.25-inch devices, a dust filter (it is very easy to remove) and two 140 mm Silent Wings 3 fans. Their maximum speed is 1600 RPM, volume 28.1 dBA and the airflow was 77.57 CFM. They are connected to a special hub, which I will tell more about later. After removing the 5.25 inch device cage, you can fit another 140mm propeller in the front. At the top there is also a controller that changes the speed of the fans. This is done steplessly, so they can be perfectly adapted to each other.
There is an input / output panel on the cut between the top and front. There are two USB 3.0 connectors, one USB-C, one USB Quick Charging, a microphone input and a headphone output. Above them, on a flat surface, is a Qi wireless charger. Thanks to it, you can easily charge your smartphone – a great solution for a housing. At the very end you can see the ventilation grilles. Up to four 120mm, three 140mm or one 180mm fans can be mounted on the top. There is also a silencing material at the top, but I miss a dust filter there.
The left side is 4 mm tempered glass. It is attached to four screws and looks really great. The right side is a thick metal plate with a soundproof lining and space for two 120 mm fans. It is a rare solution, but sometimes irreplaceable.
Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2 stands on four feet lined with non-slip material. However, you will not find any dust filter, holes or anything – the whole bottom is sheet metal.
The back is also not standard. There is a place for the power supply at the bottom. It should be connected to a special adapter, which certainly distinguishes the Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2. Next, you can see the 8 PCI plugs that are mounted with quick-connect screws. It is a pity, however, that the manufacturer did not add two vertical plugs for the vertical mounting of the graphics. There is a fan at the top, the same model as at the front.
The interior has been divided into two zones. It is a novelty in the Dark Base series, which avoided such solutions. Both zones are separated by a metal housing, which also has plastic parts, it is fully modular and a 120 mm fan or SSD can be mounted on it – all after removing the plugs. The cap can also be removed at the front and thus make room for the radiator.
The motherboard tray is also modular. It can be placed at three different heights or installed along the left panel in an inverted layout. So there is a lot of possibilities to place it. Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2 has an ingenious cable management system. There are many holes that are rubberized. The manufacturer did not forget about a break above the motherboard, thanks to which you can move the CPU cable or cables from the upper fans. There is up to 15mm of free space in the back for cables, so you can easily fit them there. The case has 7 slots for 3.5-inch drives, 5 of which are included. The amount of space for 2.5-inch drives is 14, but in its basic form, the housing allows the installation of 10 of them. Some 2.5-inch drives can fit in baskets for larger drives, and some at least in the back or in the basement. Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2 can accommodate CPU coolers up to 185 mm high and graphics cards up to 472 mm long (323 mm if the HDD cage is installed at the graphics height).
On the back there is a hub for fans and LED strips. You can connect up to 8 propellers to it and set them to silence or performance mode. You can also connect up to two LED strips. The whole thing can be synchronized with the motherboard (RGB) or with the PWM system. The hub is powered from the Sata connector, so you do not have to play with Molexes, which are inconvenient to use.
There is a standard place for the power supply in the basement. It is placed on legs. There is a dust filter between the bottom of the power supply and the bottom of the housing. It is pulled out from the front of the housing. So where is he pulling air from? At the bottom of the back, Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2 there are ventilation grilles that make it possible. The power supply can have a maximum length of 284 mm. Behind it is a special disc cage. Interestingly, you can also mount up to two 120/140 mm fans on the bottom. This results in the need to remove the disk cage and the maximum length of the power supply of 150 mm.
Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2 is also very liquid-cooling friendly. A radiator of 120/140/240/280/360/420 mm can be installed on the front, 120/140/180/240/280/360/420 mm on the top and 120/140 mm on the back. There will also be no problems with hoses, pump or reservoir – everything can be easily fit.
Summary
Be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2 costs about PLN 970 and is worth every zloty. Really, it is a phenomenal housing that will meet your every execution. It is well made – everything fits well and there are no flaws. Thanks to the silencing mats you will be able to know what silence is. It has three fans included, which can be set to suit your requirements. Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2 is filtered and each of these filters can be easily removed and cleaned. The housing will fit a lot of long components. Also, there should be no problems with the installation of huge coolers or liquid cooling systems. Dark Base Pro 900 rev. 2 also looks great – it has attached LEDs that you can use if you want to. Despite this, the housing is still elegant. In my opinion, it is definitely worth every penny and if you are looking for a great housing, it is worth paying attention to.
