After spending some time with the be quiet! Dark Base Pro 901 case, we realized that this product is clearly very well designed and aims for power users who wish to have total control over their case and most importantly have the freedom to install all internal components with ease. By default, this new case includes so many sound-dampening panels either at the front/top/bottom or even power supply area, which means that be quiet! is serious about reducing the case's internal noise. Of course, if you wish to have maximum airflow, be quiet! has also you covered since it includes replacement panels for the front and top areas. Around the case, there are many small vends for air to get in.

be quiet! also with this case, included fan and radiator brackets with integrated fan hub in front and top make installation a breeze, this is something that you particularly enjoy if you install additional fans, since you have only to route only one cable to the motherboard, all installed fans will be powered via a single cable. The Dark Base Pro 901 also includes three (3) be quiet! Silent Wings 4 PWM fans, which is the best you can buy for this case. The total black theme follows here, no love for RGB.

On the other hand, you can have RGB either at the PSU Shroud or at the front, which we found to be very district and of course, you can easily turn it off (remove the corresponding cable). We liked the fact that the PSU area, has a lot of free space, you can get even 1300-1500watt power supplies without any problem, and have a lot of space also for cable management.

The front I/O panel includes many different ports, and it's touch sensitive. It includes the front fan control operation and the front/side ARGB lighting control. After we installed the ATX motherboard with an Nvidia 4090 graphics cars, we can say that there is also enough space to fit radiators up to 420mm at the front, 360mm at the back, and 360mm at the top (and 420mm if you remove the phone wireless pad).

This case has an important feature that will help you out when building a new system, the motherboard tray/cage and be entirely removed and you can build the system outside the case and then simply insert and secure it. That made a huge difference when testing the case since all the hard work was done outside on a table. The removable motherboard tray also serves a second cause, you can invert the case layout, which may take some steps but it's possible, as be quiet! has demonstrated.

Inverted System

The overall build quality of the Dark Base Pro 901 is top and without any questions. The case weighs around 17kg without anything installed and after building our setup, you really need some strength to move it around. The included manual includes many different pictures for installing things around, even power users will find easily their way. Overall we feel that this case is a step up and current move from be quiet! since it offers what enthusiasts need, great build quality, easy installation, and options...

The retail price of this product can be expected around €319.90 / $299.90 / £319.99 and really should be considered if you want a solid case that will house your system for many many years.

Positive
+ Excellent build quality and materials
+ Excellent sound-dampening design/materials
+ Excellent airflow around the case due to case design and included case vents
+ Users can choose between airflow or sound isolation
+ Mobile Phone 15watt Qi charger / Quick Charging Option wireless pad is included at the top of the case (!)
+ Includes three (3) Silent Wings 4 140mm PWM fans
+ Includes two removable air dust filters
+ Includes fan hub to easily control/install fans
+ Removable motherboard tray allows for easy installation and reverted layout
+ District side and front ARGB lighting
+ Lot of choices for adding additional fans/radiators
+ Lot of ways at the back motherboard tray to make proper cable management
+ Retail package includes additional grills/panels and GPU holder
+ Front I/O panel is touch sensitive with many USB-A ports
+ Option to install one 5.25" optical drive (!)
+ be quiet! will also offer a "dark" GPU mount and additional HDD Cages for a resonable price
+ 3-year warranty

Neutral
- Printed manual aims mostly at power users
- be quiet! could also offer an extra, solid right panel for total sound dampening
- Installation for 5.25" requires removing bottom HDD tray

Negative
- Retail price is high due to the used materials
- Retail package could include one more Silent Wings 4 140mm PWM fan