With the Dark Base 701, BeQuiet! is launching a new edition of the Dark Base 700, which is intended to seamlessly follow on from the large Dark Base Pro 901 with a fresh look and radically changed airflow design. Read today’s test to find out what the 230-euro behemoth is capable of in practice.
Now the small Dark Base is also being revised. Like its larger siblings, the 701 has been given an open front and an open lid to achieve a more efficient airflow. The dimensions have only changed marginally compared to its predecessor, but the focus on better airflow means that most of the 3.5″ HDD slots have had to make way. The changes to the design are also very subtle, so many customers will have to look twice or three times. I took a lot of photos during the unboxing and will therefore split this into 2 pages again.
Unboxing Part 1
The Dark Base 701 is delivered in a plain cardboard box.
The front is adorned with a picture of the case, the technical data is hidden on the side and an exploded view is printed on the back.
There it is. The relationship with the current BeQuiet! generation is unmistakable.
At the front, the continuous mesh from top to bottom is immediately noticeable. The predecessor was still completely closed at this point.
There are also some noticeable changes on the back. For example, the glass side panel is no longer attached with four screws from the side, but is pushed in like the other side panel and fixed at the back with two screws.
As the case has become slightly wider, there are now 3 slots available for vertical graphics card mounting. Furthermore, the power supply unit must now also be mounted with a frame on the 701.
The cover is back on, but can be removed in the new edition, which makes maintenance and cleaning of the housing easier.
All you have to do is loosen the two knurled screws at the rear.
Underneath the cover is the radiator tray familiar from its predecessors and siblings for accommodating three 120/140mm fans and up to 360mm radiators.
As usual, the mounting frame can be easily removed to allow convenient mounting of the fans/radiators.
Of course, it can also be removed completely, which makes the installation of water cooling systems much easier.
The right-hand side panel is completely closed.
And – typical BeQuiet! – also equipped with a heavy insulating mat.
Behind the side panel we find a well thought-out cable management system with plenty of space and even more lashing points.
The main channel, the aorta of the case so to speak, runs directly behind the passages in the mainboard tray. With a depth of a good 2.5 cm, even the thickest tangle of cables can be stowed away here relatively stress-free.
There is space for HDDs and/or SSDs between the front of the case and the mainboard. The numerous slots for HDD cages on the predecessor are no longer required on the 701. I personally think this development is in keeping with the times, because in my opinion, lame and noisy mechanical HDDs are only good for archiving large amounts of data anyway and should be stored in a NAS in the basement.
Speaking of “basement”. The lower chamber has space for the power supply unit and cables, and a bracket (included) for a hard disk cage (not included) can be mounted at the front.
On page 2, we take a closer look at the main chamber and the front of the housing.
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