be quiet!, a well-known PC case manufacturer, in 2023 released the top-of-the-line Dark Base 901 and the Dark Base 701 series PC cases, which we have already reviewed in depth. Both of those cases were introduced in Black colour and while both are stunning products, be quiet! to honor white color PC cases lovers, introduced recently at the market their white versions as well. Today we will examine both products to see their main features and how well the white color looks to our eyes.

- Dark Base 701 series

This is a middle-to-high category PC case that has both performance and aesthetics, with a full mesh top and front, including be quiet! Silent Wings 4-fans and ARGB effect. The Dark Base 701 series is built for high airflow and performance. The inclusion of fully perforated mesh panels is ideal either for case fans or water-cooling lovers. The Dark Base 701 series includes three Silent Wings 4 140mm PWM high-speed fans (maximum 1900 rpm) in White colour, and users can install five 120mm or 140mm fans.

Apart from the spaceness of the internal users can install drives, fans, and radiators. HDDs and SSDs tool-less. The front panel that hosts the front Fans and radiators (up to 360mm) can be taken out of the case while the top frame slides out to the side from underneath the fixed mesh top. Both the Dark Base 901 and 701 series can invert the motherboard tray (be quiet! has related video instructions) and be quiet! also offers a white color (optional) GPU riser cable for vertical installations. The Dark Base 701 is also compatible with HDD Cage 2 (optional in white color) for additional HDD and SSD support.

As with the black series, the White version includes two ARGB LED strips that run down the front panel and are connected to a combined ARGB and fan hub for up to 8 PWM fans and 2 additional ARGB devices. The front I/O includes dedicated buttons for the ARGB and fan controller, one USB type C port, and two type A ports, as well as audio input and output. At the internal side, users will find cable routing channels that can be used to keep internal cables neat and tidy and of course, at the side area, you will find a tempered glass side window. Lastly, be quiet! offers a full 3-year manufacturer’s warranty at a suggested retail price of $229.90 / €229.00 / £229.99, while optional HDD Cage 2 drive cages and a Riser Cable for vertical GPU installation are offered for €9.90 / $9.90 / £9.99 and €59.90 / $54.90 / £59.99 respectively.

- Features

• Open mesh design for high airflow and performance
• 3 pre-installed White color Silent Wings 4 140mm PWM high-speed fans
• Fan controller with PWM motherboard sync option
• PWM and ARGB Hub for up to 8 PWM fans and 2 ARGB components 
• ARGB lighting with integrated ARGB controller
• Versatile motherboard tray enables an inverted layout
• Tempered glass side window

The be quiet! Dark Base 701 White color has retail box dimensions of 594x343x670mm (L x W x H) and a weight of 14.6kg. The PC case has 565x249x523mm (L x W x H) dimensions and weighs 12.8kg. It can support E-ATX (30.5 x 27.5cm), ATX, M-ATX, and Mini-ITX motherboards and packs an internal volume of 69.64L.

Inside the case, there is a box that includes several screws for drivers/motherboards, standoffs for the E-ATX motherboard, and velcro cable ties.

The build material is steel for the top, front, and side panels, ABS for feet stands, and a 4mm tempered glass for the left panel. be quiet! packs the Dark Base 701 with a left-side panel insulation mat, anti-vibration pads for HDD, fans, PSU, and motherboard tray as well. The front I/O panel includes 1x USB 3.2 Gen. 2 Type C, 2x USB 3.2 Type A, HD Audio I/O (1x Mic + 1x Audio) and of course, there is a big power button with LED around it to glow at night. There are also two touch buttons for fan control and ARGB lighting. With the hardware button, you can cycle between three fan modes, 600/1200 and 1900rpm speeds. You can also adjust the ARGB lighting by pressing the RGB button, pressing it once you rotate between colors and modes, while by pressing 3 seconds you sync with system ARGB and by pressing 5 seconds you shut down ARGB totally.

Removable air filters are also present at the top front and bottom. Removing the front panel is easy, we will find the front dust filter that is held by magnets. The front fan panel is secured via four thumb screws. The included fans are the best that be quiet! offers now for increased air flow and overall performance, the Silent Wings 4 140mm High-Speed PWM fans White version. Users will find one fan at the front, one at the back, and one at the top/CPU area for better airflow. We feel at this price range, be quiet! should have included one more Silent Wings 4 fan, even power users will possibly install the 360AIO system, so one front or top can be moved to another location. The top panel can be removed with two thumb screws. There is a lot of space at the top area to work either with fans or AIO coolers.

At the back, you will find mesh for all exhaust ports and space for a three-slot vertical GPU installation.

At the back, you will find a pre-installed white board 8 4-pin fan and an ARGB controller that can be used to control all installed fans of the PC case.

An exploded view can be found below as well, the right foam panel has black color.

Inside the PC case, you can remove the pre-installed plastic cover, between the two HDD bay trays, and install a WCS cylinder water tank for those custom water-cooling lovers. Users can install in total 8 fans (3 at the front, 3 top, 1 at the back, and 1 at the bottom). At the left panel area, you will find many pre-routed cables with many pre-defined drills to secure HDDs. be quiet! has added several anti-vibration pads to eliminate noise from the internal of the case. What about radiators? According to the official specs, users can install at the top and front 120 / 140 / 240 / 280 / 360 AIO radiators, while at the rear 120mm. At the top, you can install up to 37mm thick radiators, while at the front up to 32mm so keep that in mind. Big power supplies aren't a real issue as well, since you can use up to 260mm at the bottom area. Big VGA cards are a must with today's high-end models, and be quiet! have you covered as well. You can install up to 415mm length graphics cards. be quiet! also sells a vertical GPU stand/cable riser for PCIe 4.0 at ~60 Euros.

How about the installation process? The front plastic cover can be removed and have plenty of access to the PSU / HDD area. While NVME drives are very cheap nowadays, users still need storage slots and the Dark Base 701 can pack up to three 3.5" and two 2.5" HDDs, while with an additional HDD cage, you can install two more 3.5"HDDs and one more 2.5" HDD as well. At the front panel inside the motherboard you can install, two 2.5" drives, at the back panel two 3.5" HDDs, and another 2.5" drive can be put at the back of the motherboard tray next to the fan controller. HDD and SSD installation is completely tool-less. CPU cooler compatibility is high, due to its internal 185mm clearance for getting the latest be quiet! Dark Pro Elite CPU cooler installed.

Inverted motherboard solution