INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Every time a new PC case finds its way to our doorstep for us to review we always mention the number of PC cases available currently in the market and although we talk about all the different shapes, sizes and features rarely do we ever talk about noise levels. Overall dressing the interior of any PC case with sound-insulating material is not exactly good for temperatures (far from it really) but it does lower noise considerably and since there are many consumers out there who're looking for something like that we see more and more manufacturers release such models in the market (if i recall correctly it was Fractal Design that released the first ones followed by Nanoxia). Be Quiet! released the Silent Base 800 a while back which offered a large list of features (noise-absorbing material included) but at the end of the day because of its size they also needed something smaller. The Silent Base 600 was released a few months back and is aimed towards people who just don't have the spaced needed for the larger model and it's here with us today.

   be quiet! is a premium brand manufacturer of power supplies and cooling solutions for your desktop PC. be quiet! products are convincing which is proved by reaching and defending the market leadership in PSU business in Germany for five consecutive years *. This is validated and accompanied by numerous awards for both power supplies and cooling solutions. be quiet! is awarded for five times in a row as manufacturer of the year in the power supply category by the readers of the well-known German hardware magazine PC Games Hardware. Another first and second rank in the categories “fans” and “cooler” underline the high acceptance of our products. be quiet! sticks to its name: Ten years’ experience in the field of noise reduction and silence make be quiet! products probably the most silent one on the market. Undoubted fans have a large impact of the noise levels of be quiet! products. Due we are using our specially developed Silent Wings fans in nearly all of our range. They are equipped with various noise reducing features. Thanks to these we ensure a really silent operation - our products reach the best balance between cooling performance and a virtually inaudible operation. If you choose be quiet! you can be sure to get premium quality and second to none silent operation from the quietness experts.

   The Silent Base 600 mid-tower is basically a cut down version of the larger Silent Base 800 model (and the recently released Silent Base 900) so as expected these towers don't share the same interior space and number of features. Still the Silent Base 600 shares the same high-quality build and can hold its own thanks to its support for ATX/micro-ATX/mini-ITX mainboards, noise-insulated side panels, room for up to 6 drives, tool-less drive mounting, mounting spots for up to 7 fans and/or 3 radiators (it comes fitted with 2 Pure Wings 2 fans), removable dust filters and enough space for 167mm tall CPU coolers and 413mm long graphics cards. Be quiet! currently has the Silent Base 600 available in two different versions (side window or side panel with fan vent) and three color combinations (black and orange, black and silver and all black) so consumers interested in it should be able to find a variant fit for them.

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We received the Silent Base 600 inside a plain cardboard box that has a large product drawing at the front and the main product features listed right beneath it.

 

 

The technical data table and the color selection box are both printed on the left side.

 

 

Again the main product features are also placed on the right side of the box in 3 different languages.

 

 

A large drawing of the Silent Base 600 dismantled is placed at the rear and used to showcase the product features.

 

 

Typically the case is wrapped inside a cloth cover and "squeezed" between two foam spacers.

 

 

Inside the box you will find 6 rubber 3.5" drive mounts, 4 cable ties, cable holder, user manual and 8 small plastic bags with screws and standoffs.

 

 

THE SILENT BASE 600 EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Measuring 495mm in depth, 230mm in width and 493mm in height the 7.84kg heavy Silent Base 600 looks very sturdy and elegant.

 

 

Almost 90% of the left side is taken by a clear acrylic window.

 

 

The fascia is made out of plastic but it does look a lot like brushed aluminum.

 

 

Be quiet! has placed a total of three 5.25" optical bays at the front of the Silent Base 600 and as you can see the door is also dressed with noise-insulating material.

 

 

A three-step fan controller is placed just over the 5.25" bays and can be used with up to 3 fans.

 

 

Right beneath the 5.25" bays be quiet! has placed a 140mm 900RPM Pure Wings 2 fan and a removable air filter.

 

 

The I/O is placed at the top and aside the large power button and LED it also includes two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, HDD activity LED and the usual microphone and headphones 3.5mm plugs.

 

 

According to be quiet! the 6 air ducts found at the top are designed in such a way to channel cooling airflow.

 

 

Looking at the rear we see 7 PCI expansion slots and 3 rubber grommets.

 

 

We also see the pre-installed 120mm Pure Wings 2 1200RPM fan.

 

 

There's a vent on the right side panel behind which you can install a 120mm fan.

 

 

Underneath the Silent Base 600 we see 4 tall feet and a removable air-filter.

 

 

THE SILENT BASE 600 INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The interior of the Silent Base 600 may not match that of its larger brother but it's still quite spacious.

 

 

All three 5.25" optical bays feature tool-free lock mechanisms.

 

 

There are holes for an extra 2.5" installation at the bottom of the 5.25" cage.

 

 

There's an empty area right beneath the 5.25" cage which allows for installation of graphics cards up to 413mm long.

 

 

The 3.5" drive cage is placed at the bottom of the tower and can hold up to 3 drives.

 

 

You can move the 3.5" cage at the empty area right above (you will need to remove a couple of thumbscrews placed at the front and rear) or place it inside the 5.25" cage by using the 2.5" holes we talked about earlier (thus allowing for the installation of a 140mm radiator at the front).

 

 

Designed in Germany, Assembled in China (has a nice ring to it right?).

 

 

Be quiet! has also placed two 2.5" drive trays vertically on the other side of the mainboard tray.

 

 

These trays are very convenient and although it's not the first time we've seen something like that not many manufacturers have them in their cases.

 

 

Aside having a mounting spot for a 120mm fan the right side panel is also dressed with noise-insulating material.

 

 

There are 4 rubber grommets on the mainboard tray which can be used for cable management.

 

 

All 7 PCI expansion slots are secured in place via regular thumbscrews.

 

 

You can install yet another 120/140mm fan or radiator at the bottom of the Silent Base 600 just as long as your PSU is not over 160mm.

 

 

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always the purpose of this section is not to build a functional system but rather to showcase what you can expect from the case at hand in terms of interior space.

Using a standard ATX mainboard will leave a good amount of space around it.

 

 

Since you can install CPU coolers up to 167mm in height you shouldn't have a problem with even the largest ones in the market today.

 

 

By "ditching" the center drive cage be quiet! has made it possible for people to use graphics cards up to 413mm long (not that it's needed however since even the GTX 590 would fit even with a cage next to it).

 

 

If you use a standard sized PSU at the bottom of the Silent Base 600 then you will be able to use both rubber grommets and install a 120/140mm fan.

 

 

NOISE LEVEL TEST

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After giving it much thought we decided on performing noise tests with each PC Case we receive by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically ontop of each case to measure the noise levels emanating from the pre-installed fans at both 50% and 100% with the help of a fan controller (if the case doesn't have one we use our own).

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   As expected the Silent Base 600 can’t really compete with its larger brother the Silent Base 800 model in terms of interior space and available features but at the same time it may just be what people with space restrictions have been looking for. This is not only due to its very good build quality and looks but also because although it may be roughly 65mm shorter and 36mm thinner it still has enough space for ATX sized mainboards, 7 fans and/or 4 radiators, six 3.5”/2.5” drives, three 5.25” drives, 167mm tall CPU coolers, 413mm long graphics cards and 260mm long power supply units. Of course I’d still keep the center drive cage if I was be quiet! since that way consumers would still have the ability to add three more 3.5” drives and if they didn’t want that they’d still be able to remove it but once again i guess we can't have it all.

   So what about price? Well at this exact moment the Silent Base 600 Window by be quiet! retails for USD119.90 inside the USA (Newegg.com) and for 109.85Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) so it’s roughly 20% cheaper compared to the larger Silent Base 800 Window. Of course this doesn’t matter to people with space restrictions but if you’re not among them and you’re looking for a new midi tower then the Silent Base 800 Window is a more “complete” solution. That being said the Silent Base 600 Window is a great little tower with very good noise-insulation and since it’s also priced quite well it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Noise-Dampening Coating
- Low Noise Levels
- Radiator Space (Top 240/280mm – Front/Bottom 140mm)
- Room For 3x3.5" and 3x2.5" Drives
- Removable Drive Cage
- Space For 167mm Tall CPU Coolers and 413mm Long Graphics Cards
- Fan Controller (3-Step)

 

CONS

- Only 20% Cheaper Compared To The Silent Base 800 Window