be quiet! adds another elegant mid-tower chassis to the Dark Base portfolio, boasting aluminium and tempered glass!
Product on Review: Dark Base 700
Manufacturer & Sponsor: be quiet!
Street Price: £174 GBP / $179 USD
be quiet! has always been associated to maintaining a degree of functionality. Their very name endorses this fact and for a number of years regardless of temperature performance figures, their cooling products have always been about achieving low-noise emission. Today’s product review sees us considering another elegant addition to the Dark Base portfolio as be quiet! vehemently side-step the kind of gimmicks other cases fully indulge in.
Today be quiet! unveils the Dark Base 700, a mid-tower chassis which combines steel, plastic, aluminium and tempered glass. On top of the premium materials list, be quiet! are also keen to highlight how many features they’ve engineered – including innovation via USB 3.1 Gen2 and a useful RGB/PWM fan hub.
be quiet! On their Dark Base 700
Following the successful 2016 release of the highly acclaimed Dark Base 900 and Dark Base Pro 900 full-tower chassis, be quiet! is expanding its high-end line-up by introducing the mid-tower sized Dark Base 700. This new model borrows and improves on many of its larger predecessors’ features, while also sharing the Dark Base 900 family’s extensive flexibility, impeccable cooling and silent operation. As usual, be quiet! developed and designed the Dark Base 700 entirely in Germany, with enthusiasts and system builders in mind.
Technical Specifications
Below are the technical specifications surrounding the Dark Base 700 supplied by be quiet!.
Exterior
DB 700 arrives in an eco-friendly, double reinforced cardboard box. Details surrounding the case are found on the front and reverse and inside, the case is covered in a fabric sheet and held in place with dual polystyrene pillars.
Removing DB 700 from its packaging we have a very elegant and stylish computer chassis. be quiet! has opted for a “black out” on this case, avoiding the use of colour altogether – except for the use of LED strips on the outer edges.
PB 700 makes use of some transparency on the prominent side. be quiet! has equipped this case with a thick sheet of tempered glass. This allows for a complete overview of the system installed within the chassis and will certainly be ideal if you’re planning to deck the configuration out with RGB lighting.
Over on the reverse, we have a solid steel panel with no distinguishing features except on the inside, be quiet! has placed a thin layer of noise damping material to minimise noise emission.
At the very front of DB 700 we have a flat, aluminium panel with no 5.25” drive bay covers, or any other features for that matter. The only notable inclusion is that of the be quiet! logo in the lower quarter. This panel is detachable and behind it we have a single 140mm PWM fan – Silent Wings 3 (more on that later).
Around the back, we have an opening at the bottom for installing the PSU, seven PCI expansion slot covers, two vertically aligned covers and a 140mm rear exhaust cooling fan – again a Silent Wings 3 PWM fan.
All of the essential front panel connectivity options are located at the very top and they include some exciting features:
• Four stage fan controller (PWM included)
• 1x USB 3.1 Gen2 port
• Headphone and microphone jacks
• Power button
• Reset button
• LED button
• Two USB 3.0 ports
So far, this is the first case we’ve come across that has included USB 3.1 and since a lot of Intel X299 and Intel Z370 motherboards are now arriving with this connectivity for the front panel, we commend be quiet! for seizing the opportunity. The option for PWM functionality on the fan controller is also a novel idea – this front panel conveys a generous assortment of new technology that is sure to break away from the current norm in computer case design.
While at the top there are no perforated mesh panels for ventilation, we do have some incisions which will help to allow the circulation of air for any devise that might be attached to the upper section of DB 700. This top panel is again aluminium – showcasing a superior level of engineering.
Interior
The side panels on DB 700 are fixed onto the chassis using thumbscrews – the difference with the tempered glass panel is that we have four low-profile versions. After removing these panels we’re met by a spacious internal layout and design. The motherboard tray can entertain E-ATX, ATX, M-ATX and Mini-ITX motherboards and there are an assortment of tool-free mechanisms for installing hardware.
Inside, we’ve installed our ATX test system and you can see how spacious and tidy the internal layout is. The motherboard tray features a multitude of cable grommets to ensure good cable management and the lower section where the PSU is installed is completely concealed with a plastic cover to present a clean finish on the visible side. The top of the PSU shroud also allows for the installation of a single 120/140mm fan which is a handy feature to have access to.
The motherboard tray inside DB 700 can actually be inverted so that its accessible from the alternate side. (A series of screws just need to be loosened to achieve this). This is quite an innovative idea as it means if you are constrained to having your case on the desk and on the left side, you can still benefit from viewing the internal components. Additionally, we can remove the motherboard tray altogether and use it as a test bench if desired.
Routed from the front panel controls, there are quite a large bundle of cables which require attention. SATA power is needed for the PWM/LED functionality and there is a 12V RGB connection for lighting strips. The fan controller allows you to manage up to six fans across two channels – so there are additional cables designated for this also.
There are up to seven PCI expansion slot covers in DB 700 and two vertically aligned slots for those wanting to have their graphics card top-facing (though a riser cable would need to be purchased separately). A Pure Wings 3 cooling fan comes pre-installed as a rear exhaust fan.
Around the back is the location for installing storage drives. DB 700 can house up to 7x 3.5” drives or 14x 2.5” (SSDs).
Behind the motherboard tray there is space to attach SSDs – the trays just need removing and screws applied to the underside to fix the drive into place; though having a storage drive attached to the underside of the CPU socket may not be the most ideal of places since this area does generation heat.
For larger drives like a 3.5” mechanical, there is space immediately next to the PSU for attaching two drives. Trays are supplied (pictured above) and the drive simply fits into this tray and screws are attached to the sides for fixture.
The hub which is fixed to the reverse of the motherboard tray is able to accommodate up to six fans and there are switches allowing the user to use performance or silent mode. As you can see above there are two rails which each supply three fans – these switches allow you to control either of the three fans. Additionally, this hub supports RGB functionality for those wanting to add in extra lighting and have the chassis and its RGB button on the front panel control the effects.
Clearance – CPU Cooler, GPU, Cable Management, WC
The clearance options inside a chassis are imperative to establishing whether specific hardware will fit or not. In this part of the review we go to significant areas of the case to discover what the limitations are.
CPU Cooler
There is a maximum of 180mm for the maximum height on the CPU cooler inside DB 700. Installed within the case we’ve used the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO which is 159mm in height and there is plenty of space beyond this before the heatpipes touch the side panel.
Graphics Card
In the graphics card department, there is 430mm of clearance without any HDDs attached. The way in which be quiet! has designed this case means that storage can be repositioned or entirely removed to make way for a large graphics card and this also presents us with the option to install multi-GPUs if you have an AMD CrossfireX or NVIDIA SLI set up.
Cable Management
The area behind the motherboard tray allows redundant cables to be routed and can affect the tidiness inside a chassis. So, we have approximately 2-2.5cm behind the motherboard tray which is sufficient for basic control over those unruly cables. We do however need to bear in mind there is material on the inside of the side panel which will take off some of that measurement and users will likely want to avoid damaging the material also – with this in mind we’d estimate you have 1.8-2cm of clearance which can make the job of tucking away cables quite tricky, especially if you have braided extenders like we do (Supplied by DMODZ).
However, there are plenty of places to hide redundant cables – extra time will need to be used to present a clean and tidy arrangement.
Water Cooling
It’ll come as no surprise that DB 700 can handle closed loop coolers of different sizes and in different locations. At the top, we have support for 120, 240, 280 and 360mm radiators, at the front there is support for 120, 240, 280 and 360mm radiators and the rear can also house a 120, 140mm options.
Thermal Performance Testing
Inside DB 700 we have just two cooling fans, both of which are 140mm PWM – a rear exhaust and front intake, both are Pure Wings 3. This traditional method of cooling in a push-pull configuration usually yields good results.
To discover the thermal performance of DB 700 we will record idle temperatures after 20 minutes from a cold boot. We will then stress the system and temperatures will again be monitored after 30 minutes have elapsed. The fan controller will be set to “high”.
For the purpose of accurate analysis, the idle and load temperatures for CPU will be recorded and the range between idle and load will be calculated to determine how efficient cooling is.
NOTE: Ambient temperature is 20C
System Components
CPU Intel Pentium K G3258 @ 4GHz
Motherboard GIGABYTE Z87X-D3H
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Graphics NVIDIA GTX 760
Memory 4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3
HDD Samsung Spinpoint 500GB SATA-II
PSU DeepCool DQ750
Braided Cables DMODZ
Motherboard GIGABYTE Z87X-D3H
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Graphics NVIDIA GTX 760
Memory 4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3
HDD Samsung Spinpoint 500GB SATA-II
PSU DeepCool DQ750
Braided Cables DMODZ
Noise
Noise is definitely not an issue with DB 700. The thick panels and option to modify the speed of the fans help to minimise any noise emission – even with the fan controller set to “high” this can be regarded as undisruptive.
Conclusion
Following in the footsteps of the previously released Dark Base 900/Pro, the Dark Base 700 is clearly an extension of this chassis, albeit in a smaller enclosure. While DB 700 does adopt some features, it also introduces a wave of new and innovative options for enthusiasts and system builders.
Elegance tends to be an integral part of how be quiet! operate and DB 700 is no exception. This new chassis is all about class and elegance, boasting aluminium and tempered glass is a huge indicator as to the direction in which the German manufacturer is going with this release. The styling opts for a minimalist approach and yet we’re treated to a huge array of features within.
Many system builders are likely to leave the internal design in its default orientation but there is an option to remove the motherboard tray and invert the design for those wanting to switch things up. This type of modular engineering is a common thread throughout this case as we have different features which have dual-purpose. The PSU shroud is obviously there to disguise unsightly cables, but the top section can also entertain a cooling fan should extra cooling be desired.
Features which definitely make DB 700 stand out are things like the inclusion of USB 3.1 Gen2 and the PWM fan/RGB hub. USB 3.1 Gen2 is now being actively employed on front panel headers for Intel X299/Z370 motherboards and this is the first time we’ve seen such a port make an appearance on a computer chassis and so this adds plenty of appeal.
Regardless of the component being installed, DB 700 can accommodate the larger CPU coolers and flagship graphics cards. Stepping into the world of liquid coolers doesn’t involve any compromises either – this case allows you to install all sizes and in multiple positions – so it offers plenty of flexibility.
DB 700 launches with a price of: £174 GBP / $179 USD, the bag full of features and high-quality materials push the price up beyond what a case of this size would usually cost but if the feature-set and design appeal then it won’t disappoint.
Dark Base 700 is another stellar offering by be quiet! it pushes the boundaries for features and technology and is a delight to build inside.
Pros
+ Classy & elegant design
+ Exceptional build quality
+ Features fan controller with PWM mode
+ Features USB 3.1 Gen2 port
+ Lots of storage options
+ Can host high-end kit
+ Good support for radiators
+ Low-noise operation
+ Extended RGB lighting
Cons
– Heavy
– Expensive
+ Classy & elegant design
+ Exceptional build quality
+ Features fan controller with PWM mode
+ Features USB 3.1 Gen2 port
+ Lots of storage options
+ Can host high-end kit
+ Good support for radiators
+ Low-noise operation
+ Extended RGB lighting
Cons
– Heavy
– Expensive
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