A Modular Masterpiece
The Dark Base Pro 900 is undoubtedly Be Quiet's best case yet and we're saying that even while still having strong feelings for the Silent Base 800. We'll go as far as saying that this might be the best case of 2016, certainly as far as big cases go anyway. It's truly the full package.
From an aesthetics standpoint the case looks amazing, particularly the all black version, though we don't mind the orange highlights on our review unit. Backing up the Dark Base Pro 900's great looks is its excellent build quality – inside and out. No corners have been cut and there is no evidence of cost savings either.
Starting at $200 for the Dark Base 900 or $250 for the Dark Base Pro 900, this is an expensive case. Considering what you get though, the price seems reasonable and you will find other less equipped cases occupying the same territory.
Apart from the design, build quality and large tempered glass side panel, other features that add value to the Dark Base Pro 900 include its Qi wireless charging pad, fan control and PWM hub, LED light strips, high quality SilentWings 3 140mm fans and sound deadening materials.
The party trick here is the case's ability to switch to an inverted layout. This is an awesome feature and is ideal for those who want to show off their case from the right side. Even if you don't want to take advantage of the inverted design, the case is still highly modular when using the traditional layout.
A big case with so many options certainly seems inviting to install a custom liquid-cooling setup. This is what we found when reviewing the huge Thermaltake Core X9, though granted there isn't nearly the same amount of wasted space inside the Dark Base Pro 900.
A concern we had going into this build was how easy it'd be to keep things looking neat and tidy given that the transparent glass door extends the entire length of the case. But these concerns were quickly squashed once we got into the build. The only hang-up will be making those power supply cables look neat.
The case is extremely quiet, even with those 140mm fans cranked up. The thermals were also good, though we didn't test with our typical system components as I'm in the process of updating the ATX test rig to something more modern.
Shopping shortcuts:
I had a heap of fun customizing our build inside the Be Quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 and expect those who purchase it to have just as much fun. It's the kind of case where I could see myself completely changing the layout once a year during hardware updates.
Pros: From the modular inverted design and wireless charging pad to the tempered glass panel and sound dampening materials, Be Quiet! has outdone itself. Feature-packed is putting it mildly.
Cons: Pricing is getting up there at $200 plus, but you get what you pay for.