Computer Case be quiet! Silent Base 600 Overview (Part II)

Internal structure

The motherboard compartment is located above the power supply unit. In this regard, everything is quite standard for a Mid Tower class. A large cutout is made in a tray behind a CPU socket, to allow installation of a CPU cooling system directly into the case; a backplate mount (thrust-pad located on the back side of the motherboard) is used for this purpose.

The four large slots in a tray, equipped with the silicone membrane, are designed for proper cable management which looks very promising here. Plugs of expansion slots are attached by thumbscrews. The front part holds a hard disks’ basket for three drives.

At the back side a slot in a tray can be clearly seen to access cable management system slot. Also, the rear side contains two tool kits for installation of solid-state drives and size 2.5" hard disks.

The side cover is made of 0.7 mm steel, and from the inside has a thick vibration and noise absorbing coating. The recess in the center with the manufacturer's logo is a removable cover which can be replaced with a 120 mm fan.

One of this case features is a three-way computer fan control chip, which allows to change the input voltage of the fans (5, 7 and 12). It connects to the power supply through the socket for SATA drives, and has 3 three-pin sockets for connecting turntables on the output. And the number of slots here is insufficient, because the two are occupied by regular fans, and only one more can be connected. And for the rest the adapters or other options have to be used.

Main Features

The case can accommodate large-sized components: graphics cards up to 413 mm, CPU cooler up to 167 mm high and power supply up to 290 mm long. If you install an additional fan at the base, the maximum length of a power supply is reduced to 160 mm.

A motherboard to be quiet! Silent Base 600 is set not to the standard six-millimeter racks, but to the extruded tray’s threaded convexities. This can be attributed to shortcomings, as in the case of thread damage it is impossible to replace the rack. In the middle, a pin that allows centering the board is installed instead of one of the fastening. The thumbscrews for mounting the motherboard are not included.

Installing the hard drives is simple: rubber carriers are attached to the HDD using the thumbscrews. The hard drive with the attached carriers simply slides into the basket and fits quite reliably there.

In the age of digital distribution, the optical disc drive is not so relevant already, so let’s skip its installation features. But it should be said that, if necessary, installing the optical drive, computer fan controller or other 5.25" device, no problems are expected to appear. There are also no surprises when installing the power supply.

The next ones to install are the expansion boards which are mounted on thumbscrews. Now, that all the components are in place, it is necessary to deal with cables. All the cables go out of the tray though large slots and are wonderfully laid.

It is worth noting, that in many cases’ models the silicone membranes are weakly kept in their places strive to fall out. There are no suchlike problems in this case, the membrane is securely fastened, and it pleases.

The front panel of be quiet! Silent base 600 looks perfect in terms of cable “management”. In general, the quality of this case construction is at a very high level.

Cooling System

The cooling system of be quiet! Silent Base 600 consists of two branded fans: be quiet! PureWings 2 with aerodynamic-shaped blades, 140 and 120 mm in diameter.

Both models are made of black plastic. One of them, 120 mm of size is placed aback, behind the processor socket, the second one (140 mm) – in the front.

The rear fan speed is 1200 rev/min and is responsible for removing heated air from the case. The front one rotates at 900 rev/min and delivers cool air from the outside.

Taking into consideration the installation of the graphics accelerator blowing air out of a PC system unit, it is possible to ascertain the reduced pressure within the case, which can lead to tightening the dust through the gaps. However, this is easily remedied by installing an additional fan or even several of them.

Fortunately the developers have provided such an opportunity. The case cooling system can be supplemented with an additional fan of 140 mm on the front panel, a pair of 140 or 120 mm on the upper side, one 140 mm or 120 at the base, and one 120 mm at the side lead.

The system works fairly quiet, throughout the whole fan operating range the noise from the fans is almost inaudible. The aerodynamic impeller turntables and a massive case with thick walls, as well as noise and vibration-absorbing coating add to this fact. A rubber drive carriers also perfectly isolate from vibrations.

Conclusion

The be quite! company has made a solid case. A very low noise level should be once again mentioned. All the advantages and disadvantages of the model are summarized and listed below, but, of course, the be quiet! Silent Base 600 deserves attention.

Perhaps, the Silent Base 600 case has nothing peculiar, but this is the highest-quality solution sold at a reasonable price. And it’s exactly what most users actually need.

The be quiet! Silent Base 600 advantages are as follows:

• • good compatibility with all the components of a PC;
• • high manufacturing quality;
• • low noise level;
• • excellent cable management system;
• • high efficiency of the cooling system and its extensibility;
• • secure mounting of silicone membranes in the cable management system;
• • removable dust filters;
• • four USB ports on the top panel.

The case actually has only one visible shortcoming in its construction: the motherboard is mounted to the tray’s extruded convexity.