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BeQuiet Dark Base Pro 901

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Specifications

• Model: Dark Base Pro 901
• Color option: Black
• Motherboard compatibility: E-ATX / XL-ATX / ATX / M-ATX / Mini-ATX
• PSU form factor: ATX PS/2
• Weight (kg): 16.3
• Expansion slots: 8
• Max. construction height of CPU cooler unit: 190 mm
• Pre-installed fans: 3x Silent Wings 4 140mm PWM
• Optional radiator installation:
• Top: 120 / 240 / 360
• Front: 120 / 140 / 240 / 280 / 360 / 420
• Page: 120 / 240 / 360
• Rear: 120 / 140
• LED illumination: Yes
• LED type: ARGB - 5V
• USB 3.2 Gen. 2 Type C: 1
• USB 3.2 Type A: 4
• HD Audio I/O: Mic + Audio
• Qi charger / Quick Charging Option: 15W

I have cut a little in the rather long list of specifications from BeQuiet, and looked at the most central ones. As we can see, it is a large cabinet with room for plenty of cooling.

A walk around the BeQuiet Dark Base Pro 901

On the size of the box alone, there can be little doubt that this is a large cabinet. The box with cabinet and all accessories weighs just under 21 kilos.

Out of the box we get the cabinet itself and two boxes with accessories. One is attached to the cabinet, while the other was in the box with the cabinet.

The design of the Dark Base Pro 901 clearly continues with the same design style that we know from BeQuiet and the previous cabinets in the Dark Base Pro series.

The materials are a combination of plastic, steel, aluminum and glass. The frame itself in the cabinet is steel, while the panels outside are plastic and aluminum and, of course, a side panel in tempered glass.

BeQuiet continues with the brushed aluminum look on their aluminum parts. It's a look that I personally would have liked to see them update with something else. It's getting a bit old and so quite susceptible to fingerprints and generally difficult to clean.

Dark Bare Pro 901 fits well on the table with dimensions of 604 x 275 x 569 mm. Both side panels are attached with thumb screws and are therefore quick to unscrew and remove.

The back panel is made with ventilation on one side, as it is possible to mount fans on the back of the cabinet, which we will look at in more detail later.

The inside of the back panel is also fitted with BeQuiet's soundproofing foam.

The front is out of the box made in a closed design, but it is possible to change the panel in the middle so that you can get a mesh instead if you want to improve airflow. Even with the closed front, there are quite good ventilation options with mesh openings in the side.

Below that part of the panel is an RGB light strip. It can be connected to your motherboard and controlled from there or controlled via the RGB control on the cabinet.

As a small special detail, there is a small limb at the bottom of the front panel. Behind it, it is possible to mount an optical drive or other accessories in the same form factor. If you choose to do so, however, it is at the expense of the two hard drive cages, which are mounted behind as standard.

The entire front panel can be easily removed. Behind it, you get access to a dust filter and the option to mount fans or radiators in the front. There is room for up to a 420 mm radiator in the front. The whole thing can be mounted on a frame that can be taken out so that it can all be done outside the cabinet for ease of installation.

As a small extra feature, BeQuiet has made a built-in fan hub on the frame. Three PWM fan connectors can be connected here. Via pogo pins, they then connect to the case's fan hub when the frame is reassembled. It almost couldn't be easier.

When you have removed the front, you can also access the dust filter at the bottom of the cabinet. It covers the entire length of the cabinet and is pulled out from the front.

At the top of the front we have the power button along with four USB USB 3.2 Type A and a single USB 3.2 Gen. 2 Type C. There are also audio connectors and then touch buttons that can be used to control the fan speed of connected fans and another to control RGB lights in the cabinet.

At the very top of the cabinet we get a 15W Qi wireless charger, which receives power via a SATA connector.

At the top there is also an open mesh panel which can be easily removed. As standard, two cover plates are fitted under the panel, which close off the top. Both panels are also fitted with BeQuiet's soundproofing foam. However, they can be easily removed if you would rather install fans or radiators at the top.

All of it can be mounted on a frame that can be removed from the case by loosening four thumb screws. That way, you can easily mount the whole thing outside the cabinet and then place it together at the top again.

In the same way as in the front, there is also a small fan hub here, which via pogo pins connects to the cabinet's fan hub.

If we look at the back of the cabinet, there are a total of eight expansion slots for graphics cards and similar accessories.

It is possible to remove that panel and rotate it if you want a vertically mounted graphics card. However, that installation requires that you get a PCIe Riser cable, as this is not included.

If we look at the main chamber of the Dark Base Pro 901, you get plenty of space. There is support up to E-ATX motherboards, and there is support for coolers with a height of up to 190mm.

By removing a few screws, you can take the entire motherboard assembly and back out of the cabinet. That way, you can mount the whole thing outside the cabinet if you want.

However, it is also possible to turn it all around, so that you can get an inverted build. It requires a little adjustment of several panels in the cabinet, but it provides a high degree of flexibility.

There is a compartment division where the power supply and cables can be easily hidden away in the lower compartment. In the front of the chamber separation there is a panel that can be removed if you want to use the front for a radiator.

It can also be replaced with an included alternative which allows a bit more airflow. It is possible to mount a 120/140mm fan at the bottom of the cabinet. However, this requires that you do not have to use the two hard drive cages that can be mounted in the front.

In total, there is room for a 360 mm radiator at the top, 420 mm at the front, 360 mm at the side and 120/140 mm at the back or equivalent fans. Three 140mm BeQuiet Silent Wings 4 PWM fans come with the case, with two mounted in the front and a single in the back.

The space for fans or radiator in the side is set up as standard to be used as spaces for five additional hard disk cages. Two are included with the cabinet, which are mounted at the bottom in the chamber with the power supply.

The spaces are covered with plastic covers which can be easily removed if you want to use the space for hard drives instead.

If you want to use the space for cooling, you can replace the bracket with one that has space for up to three 120 mm fans, two 140 mm or similar radiators.

If we jump over to the back, we can see that there is plenty of room for cable routing on the back. There are pre-assembled brackets for easy cable routing and fastening all around. As you can see in the picture, it can quickly become a full table when you start to take things apart.

We find the two hard drive cages at the bottom of the front. Each can hold a 3.5” mechanical hard drive or two 2.5” SSDs. However, it can all be removed if you would rather use the space for a radiator in the front or a fan at the bottom.

There are two slots for mounting SSDs on the back behind the motherboard. It can be easily unscrewed so that you can mount it outside the cabinet.

In general, modularity and flexibility are the code words for the Dark Base Pro 901. Virtually all parts of the cabinet are screwed on, and not assembled with pop rivets, and can therefore be taken apart if you want.

There are customization options and included accessories that make it possible to turn the Dark Base Pro 901 into anything from a quiet build, max out on airflow, inverted build, super large storage space, space for huge custom water cooling or a host of other things.

If you are looking to make super custom builds, virtually all parts of the cabinet can be taken apart. So if you go with plans to paint or otherwise adapt parts, it is easy to get space.

Installation of hardware

Although my fingers were itching to throw myself on a super custom build of some kind, unfortunately, due to time pressure, I had to limit myself a bit this time.

However, my review of the cabinet showed that there would be an option for pretty much anything you could think of.

The very modular approach also means that even if you choose a more standard build, mounting hardware is really easy.

The good space means that things are not cramped and it is easy to get to all places. When, on top of that, it is possible to remove both the motherboard frame and frames for radiators or fans, and mount the whole thing outside the case, the process only becomes even easier.

In my build I didn't use any other than the pre-mounted fans that came with the case. If you were to mount more or use an AIO or other cooling, then the built-in fan hubs, together with the removable frames for mounting, would definitely make the task easier.

Just mount the fans, connect them to the built-in fan hub and then screw the frame back on. The practical pogo-pins then connect things to the fan control on the front, where it is easy to control.

Overall, it didn't take me more than about 45 minutes to get my ATX motherboard, power supply and graphics card in place in the case.

With the good cable routing channels and plenty of space on the back, I didn't have to spend many minutes dealing with the cables. Despite that, I got a nice and tidy system out of it.

The cabinet also comes with a combined graphics card holder and cable cover. It can be used if you want to give the card a little extra support and/or hide the cables. It takes up a bit of space in the landscape, but is very practical and can help give a tidier look.

The size covers the graphics card a bit, but hides the cables in the internal channel very well for them. It can be adjusted to fit most graphics cards and has magnets on the bottom to secure it to the bottom of the case.

With all the hardware in place in the case with a full size ATX motherboard and a fairly large AORUS RX 7900XTX Elite graphics card, it became clear how much space there is in the case.

There is plenty of space both below, above and in front of the motherboard, so if you want to go for custom water cooling, for example, there would be plenty of space.

The thing that I was really happy about, after everything was in place, was the built-in RGB and fan control in the front. Here it is easy to control the fan speed on the fans connected to the internal fan hub. There you can choose the speed in five steps from 400 rpm up to 1900 rpm. However, you can also choose to let the speed be controlled by the motherboard.

In the same way, the RGB light in the two RGB zones or other connected RGB light can be controlled in eight different colors and four different effects. Finally, here too, you can let the motherboard control the light.

Price

I can currently find Dark Base Pro 901 with an online price of just under 400$. That places it at the very high end of the overall cabinet market. If we look at the prices of other similar cabinets, in this size and with features that are only slightly comparable, the price matches very well.

Conclusion

BeQuiet does not hide the fact that they have made the Dark Base Pro 901 as the top of their lineup. It calls itself "the ultimate goal of flexibility" and it is a claim that, after my time with the cabinet, I am inclined to agree with.

I can't remember the last time I've worked with a cabinet with so many possibilities for customization, adjustment and flexibility.

The ability to take everything apart and put it together in several different ways means that you can make almost anything with the Dark Base Pro 901.

However, this also means that it is a cabinet for enthusiasts who want or need something more with their system. A cabinet of this type will be overkill for most people, and the options will be a bit wasted on a standard system.

If you want something extra with your system or need plenty of space for cooling, hard drives or the like, it is difficult to find such a well-executed and flexible offer as the Dark Base Pro 901.

I wish BeQuiet had chosen to update their brushed aluminum look, but otherwise I'm happy with the updates to the Dark Base series.

We land with a final score of 9 and an Enthusiast Only Award for a cabinet that is flexible like few others and full of space and possibilities.

Pros:

Lots of space

Good materials

Solid build quality

Plenty of included accessories

Cons:

The brushed aluminum look needs an update