We've already seen what be quiet!'s mantra of continuous improvement can do in the form of the Dark Base Pro 900, and now the company is bringing a round of refinements to its Silent Base 601 mid-tower.
Like many be quiet! cases, the Silent Base starts its noise-reducing formula off with layers of sound-dampening foam on its side and front panels. This case also boasts redesigned vents that the company says are intended to allow plenty of air into the case while also deadening the transmission of internal sounds from the components within.
A quiet case is no good if it can't stay cool, but the Silent Base 601 seems to have those bases covered, as well. The top panel of the case has a slide-out mount to make installing radiators or fans easier. That mount can accept radiators as long as 360 mm or as many as three 120-mm or 140-mm fans. The front panel can accept as many as three 120-mm or 140-mm fans, or radiators as large as 280 mm or 360 mm.
be quiet! pre-installs one of its Pure Wings 2 140-mm fans on the front panel and another such spinner at the rear of the case. A pop-off panel on the case's PSU shroud allows builders to vent the bottom chamber with another 120-mm or 140-mm fan. CPU coolers as tall as 7.3″ (18.5 cm) can fit inside, as can graphics cards as long as 17.7″ (44.9 cm), or 11.3″ (28.7 cm) with a cage in the way. An integrated three-speed fan controller can tame three-pin (DC) fans.
Under its PSU shroud, the Silent Base 601 has a preinstalled cage for a pair of 3.5″ drives . Another 3.5″ cage comes pre-installed on one of five hardpoints. Builders can add more 3.5″ cages later if needed. The case has two dedicated mounting points for 2.5″ storage behind its motherboard tray, and each hard-drive cage can be used to hold two 2.5″ devices for up to 14 more.
The Silent Base 601 will be available in two versions: one with a solid left-side panel and one with a tempered-glass left side panel. The tempered-glass version includes pop-out covers for each hard-drive hardpoint to make for a cleaner-looking interior. Both versions of the case will be available in orange, black, and silver trims to match builders' preferences.
be quiet! says the Silent Base 601 is up for pre-order now and will be available at retail over the next few weeks. The solid-side-panel version will run $129, while the tempered-glass version will go for $139.