Innovative: be quiet! Light Base 600 Case Review & Benchmarks Leave a comment
The Light Base 600 is a dual-chamber with 4 SKUs, starting from $150 to $195 in value. Our variant is $195 as a result of it’s white and comes with case followers. The Light Base 900 is a bigger variation on this. We’re reviewing the 600 since testing for these critiques is a giant dedication, however the basic ideas apply to each, simply scaled up on the 900.
Light Base 600 Specs
| Motherboard compatibility | ATX, M-ATX, Mini-ITX |
| Case Type | Midi-Tower |
| PSU | PS2 ATX (not included) |
| Dimensions (L x W x H in mm) | 450 x 305 x 435 |
| Material | Steel (SGCC), ABS, Glass |
| Light Base 600 LX Weight (kg) | 12.1 (web) / 14.6 (gross) |
| Light Base 600 DX Weight (kg) | 11.5 (web) / 14.0 (gross) |
| I/O Panel | 1x USB 3.2 Gen. 2 Type C, 2x USB 3.2 Type A, HD Audio (mixed), ARGB controller, Reset button, Power button |
| PCI Slots | 7 |
| Drive Bays | as much as 4x 2.5″ (2 included)up to 2x 3.5″ (1 included) |
| Light Base 600 LX Preinstalled followers (mm) / (rpm) | Side: 3x Light Wings LX Reversed 120mm PWM Rear: 1x Light Wings LX 120mm PWM |
| Light Base 600 DX Preinstalled followers (mm) / (rpm) | — |
| Maximum followers (mm) | Top: 2x 140 / 3x 120 Side: 3x 120 Bottom: 2x 140 / 3x 120 Rear: 1x 120 |
| Optional radiators (mm) | Top: 120 / 140 / 240 / 280 / 360 Side: 120 / 240 Bottom: 120 / 140 / 240 / 280 / 360 Rear: 120 |
| Maximum Dimensions (mm) | CPU cooler: as much as 170 PSU: as much as 200 GPU: 400 |
| ARGB connector | 3-pin |
| MSRP | Light Base 600 DX (Black): $150 Light Base 600 DX (White): $160 Light Base 600 LX (Black): $185 Light Base 600 LX (White): $195 |
Specs copied from producer supplies, please learn evaluation for our personal measurements and opinions
Light Base 600 Alternatives
be quiet!’s key rivals for this embrace principally everybody, since dual-chamber circumstances have been so widespread lately. If you’re considering of shopping for this case, different circumstances it’s best to learn about embrace this fast record:
- Lian Li’s O11 sequence, together with the Vision, Evo sequence (watch our evaluation), and different variants, which jump-started this complete case archetype within the present era
- Hyte Y60 & Y70, which give a brand new tackle the idea with a cut-corner entrance that has been picked up by NZXT
- NZXT’s H5 (watch our evaluation), H7 (watch our evaluation), and H9 sequence of circumstances fluctuate of their similarities, however share some ideas
- Montech’s King 95 and King 65 sequence, however particularly the 95, for inexpensive dual-chamber choices
- Antec’s C8 circumstances, which we’ve discovered to be comparatively good thermal performers for the worth
- Corsair’s 6500 Series circumstances, which we wouldn’t suggest total (learn our evaluation)
And tons of others. We’ve left lots out, however you get the thought: This is a crowded section. A number of these circumstances are within the $150 to $220 value vary. A couple of are cheaper, just like the empty Montech King 95 circumstances at $90 to $120 and the empty Antec C8, equally priced.
It’ll be a giant struggle, however be quiet! does at the least instantly differentiate itself with some distinctive options, one among which is their large mild bar that wraps the case. It was carried out this manner so be quiet! might obtain the rotation with out dropping symmetry whenever you transfer the case round. In truth, all of this case needed to be designed with symmetry in thoughts. That’s what offers the cheaper flexibility than extra mechanically-intensive inversion processes from different circumstances — however it’s additionally limiting in some areas.
Light Base 600 Basics
For the fundamentals: Our model of this case consists of 4x 120mm followers pre-installed as aspect consumption and rear exhaust when it is in its conventional configuration. You might additionally shift these to the underside as consumption in a standard orientation or, if rotated flat, they might be used as a side-to-side movement path. This by itself is fairly attention-grabbing and is among the checks we ran.
Other small fit-and-finish points embrace a panel hole between the glass entrance and aspect, which is giant sufficient that you simply’d want a taxi to get from one aspect to the opposite… The glass panels additionally diverge as they strategy the underside, with the underside edge protruding barely regardless of a flush prime edge. We’ll come again to the fit-and-finish element later although.
Getting into the large particulars:
The Build
We’ve criticized be quiet! prior to now for its difficult case inversion processes. When we reviewed the Dark Base Pro 900, it took about 45 minutes to determine disassembling and reassembling the case and sorting by way of the ridiculous selection and quantity of screws and {hardware}. be quiet! will need to have taken that criticism to coronary heart (even when 7 years later), as a result of the Light Base 600 can be inverted in below ten seconds with no actual screws in any respect (the design doc says 30 seconds, however that is with a system inside).
The case ft can be pulled off by rotating them 90 levels, then both positioned on the highest panel to invert the case or on the aspect panel to flip it on its aspect. It’s not excellent: the ft do not lock and so they go crooked as you slide the case round. They additionally really feel fragile sufficient to break by hand if positioned within the flawed spot. The ease of use outweighs the downsides, however the downsides had been avoidable in design. Either method, as soon as it’s carried out, these considerations go away.
This case additionally consists of one of many easiest vertical GPU conversion techniques we have seen. You take out all of the horizontal slot covers, screw a bar throughout the again of the case, and modify the built-in GPU help down a few notches.
The horizontal orientation is probably the most distinctive within the present period of computing, although it undoubtedly used to be the usual. This previous type is so favored within the retro scene that SilverStone made an April Fool’s case that by accident grew to become widespread sufficient that there’s some actual demand to make it.
The draw back is that the Light Base 600 is not a very small case, and due to its dual-chamber design, it is greater than 32cm tall on its aspect. The 900 has even bigger dimensions.
Backed towards a wall, the case requires a minimal of 50cm as much as the entrance fringe of the case, requiring a deeper desk to comfortably accommodate a keyboard and mouse if positioned straight in entrance of the case.
The dimensions make it impractical to make use of within the previous IBM PC structure, however if you wish to attempt it anyway, we suggest utilizing a monitor arm somewhat than resting weight on the glass panel. We wouldn’t suggest setting it up with a monitor straight on it, particularly since tempered glass can shatter with out affect in some conditions.
With the entire monitor arm and monitor configuration, the setup might be made to look fairly distinctive — we just like the idea like this. Most of our desks are both 24” or 30” deep, with a couple of at 36” for filming. With that old-school setup with the pc proper in entrance of the consumer, the 30” deep desks would solely have 10” (or 25 cm) to spare for the keyboard and mouse. Plan your desk sizing appropriately. It’d clearly not be an issue if the system is off to the aspect of the keyboard and mouse.
The desk within the picture above is 30” deep and the bottom monitor can battle with the highest of the case, however this provides you an thought for sizing. You might undoubtedly construct a handsome retro setup with the best coloration lighting and furnishings, not that the 600 is confined to that type, however it will look good. You would simply want a deep desk.
Fittingly for a case referred to as the Light Base, there are twin LED and fan hubs within the again chamber. These have a complete of 12x 4-pin fan and 12x 3-pin ARGB connections. The 600 LX’s 4 inventory followers occupy 4 of every sort of plug (no daisy-chaining), however that also leaves eight unused pairs. Each hub has its personal energy and management inputs, permitting for 2 separate zones.
Our key focus is efficiency, however when LEDs are carried out, we nonetheless search for high quality. We assume the lighting is executed excellently; the diffuser bars work nicely and the LED animations are easy. It seems good in a night-time or lights-out setup.
Out of the field, all LEDs are set to be quiet! orange. The guide gives a full desk of built-in lighting results and directions for syncing with exterior enter. We thought the guide was well-written right here. The cabling for the inventory ARGB followers is somewhat overwhelming, however the mild bars and their related wires are tucked utterly out of the way in which.
Our one grievance is that the LED button and the reset button are precisely the identical measurement and haven’t any labels – although you’d in all probability solely make that mistake as soon as.
The Light Base 600 is one other case with out a help pillar between its two glass panels, giving us a prime panel that would theoretically bend down. In observe, the highest and backside panels are interlocked with the entrance panel, protecting it strong so long as the case is assembled.
The metal aspect panel is totally ventilated, though the aspect consumption vent and the PSU are the one areas the place that is crucial. The aspect filter is detachable for cleansing or further airflow, which is a bonus over associated designs just like the HS 420 (learn our evaluation) and HYTE Y70 (learn our evaluation) the place the aspect filters are glued in place. We’re comfortable to see that flexibility from be quiet!. Unfortunately, the highest and backside filters aren’t as versatile and are constructed into their respective panels: in the event you arrange a horizontal construct, some followers will exhaust by way of a filter that isn’t meant to be eliminated, which can create pointless impedance.
Primary radiator help within the case’s conventional orientation is on the prime and backside of the case, which each help as much as 360mm sizes. 360mm radiators aren’t formally supported within the aspect mount and most will not match in any respect with the 39.6cm of clearance between the highest and backside of the case.
The Light Base 600 has cutouts for back-connect boards, however regular ATX boards overlap all of the cutouts alongside the underside edge. Small fan and I/O cables can be snaked by way of the back-connect holes anyway, however we anticipate clear, premeditated cable routes. The storage behind the motherboard is deep, as is typical for dual-chamber circumstances, however it may be tough to work in as soon as that house is occupied by cables. The cable tie factors are onerous to succeed in as soon as PSU cables are in the way in which, with the cable cowl, HDD bracket, and fan and lighting hubs contributing to a cramped feeling. We ended up simply wadding all of the cables into the channel and snapping the cable cowl shut on prime. It’s nonetheless simpler than the Lancool 207, at the least (learn our evaluation).
We’d prefer to see a approach to screw the duvet down, however the cable channel is deep sufficient that it is unlikely to be crucial.
Drive storage is a complicating issue for cable administration. The inventory Light Base 600 solely helps 2x 2.5″ drives and 1x 3.5″ drive, with the 2 smaller drives mounted to the cable cowl, which requires leaving sufficient slack to open it. The inventory backside bracket can solely mount a single 3.5″ drive, but it has room for a be quiet! HDD Cage 2 (purchased separately) which fits either an additional 3.5″ drive or two 2.5″ drives. Using the bottom bracket at all reduces access to cable cutouts and one of the two fan and lighting hubs.
There’s a spot between the 2 glass panes; it is a matter of non-public style as as to if that is an issue, however it’s undoubtedly intentional and recognized because the case shipped with a strip of cardboard in that hole.
The gaps where light bars meet (top and bottom) definitely aren’t intentional, though, and be quiet! didn’t do anything to minimize that.
This is the most brightly-lit, attention-grabbing area of the case, and it needs to look perfect. The gaps don’t belong on a $195 case the way our case is set up, and the deviation at the top and bottom edges of the glass makes for a messy execution where other areas are done to a higher standard. The panel gap isn’t great for looks, but could contribute to dust ingress, especially in a horizontal orientation where it would be exposed directly up. We all know how dust collects on glass surfaces.
Some smaller factors we wish be quiet! to deal with in future iterations: First, the PSU fitment was unnecessarily tight, to the purpose that we had a tougher time than crucial getting it put in.
Second, though the GPU help nonetheless works when the case is inverted, it might be weaker since it may’t be flipped.
Light Base 600 Thermal Benchmarks
Our model came with 3 reverse blade fans on the side and a traditional fan on the back.
We have a few key configurations of the Light Base 600 that we’re testing:
- Stock, which is standing in its traditional orientation with the included fans where they come
- Stock without a side filter
- Inverted, which is self-evident
- Flat with the fans left where they were, which becomes bottom intake. For the horizontal case testing, we removed the rubber bumpers in the side panel and we installed the feet in those slots. If we were testing the case without the feet there and just on the rubber bumpers then the bottom intake would be completely suffocated and far worse than what you’re going to see in our tests
- Flat with left intake and right exhaust
CPU Thermals: Full Speed (Light Base Only)
We’ll start with a chart of just the Light Base results.
With all case fans at full speed, the Light Base 600 LX averaged 48 degrees Celsius above ambient all-core and 52 on the P-Cores in its default configuration. Removing the optional side filter reduced the all-core temperature by 1.7 degrees, which is a large drop for a side filter only. It’s relatively restrictive.
Fully inverting the case didn’t change temperatures enough to exit the margin of error, which is encouraging since, for the most part, it shouldn’t. The GPU would be most prone to change here.
Flipping the case on its side definitely hurt CPU thermal performance, with an all-core average of 51 and P-Core average of 55. Left in their stock positions, the three intake fans are obstructed by the desk surface when the case is put on its side. We intended to fix that with the left intake/right exhaust horizontal configuration, but with a focus on GPU thermals, so CPU thermals didn’t change significantly versus the first horizontal result. You can see that here.
Flipping the case on its side with the intake fans against the desk surface also raised the noise level up to 32.1 dBA, versus 30.9 dBA in the stock or inverted configurations. This is actually noticeable. It’s also really cool: Previously, our less precise testing approach to acoustics would not have been able to surface this difference in numbers even though you’d be able to hear it. That’s because we were limited by the noise floor and measurement tools. Now, with our hemi-anechoic chamber that the audience has helped us build, we can actually detect with tools what the human ear can already hear. That’s why we have this chamber. People forget that ears are incredible at their job and that representing it with a microphone is very difficult, so when they ask why we’d build such a chamber, this is exactly the reason. We can get closer to measuring what you actually perceive.
CPU Thermals: Full Speed (Competitive)
Here’s the total chart.
It’s becoming that be quiet!’s case is among the many quietest on the chart when at 100% velocity, bracketed by the HYTE Y60 at 30.1 dBA and Fractal Pop Air (watch our review) at 31.3 dBA, but there are no obvious noise-damping features other than the use of Light Wings fans.
The Y60 (watch our review) may be equally quiet, but it’s also much hotter with just its stock fans, averaging 51 degrees all-core versus the 600 LX’s 48, so that is an advantage for the LX. We know based on past experience that the Antec C8 is the dual-chamber case to beat in terms of overall thermals, 46 degrees in this particular test (albeit with a higher noise level of 37.1 dBA), while the (glass-fronted) King 95 Pro (read our coverage) averaged 43 degrees (at 36.8 dBA). We’ll get to noise-normalized thermals in a moment.
GPU Thermals: Full Speed (Be Quiet!)
GPU full speed is up now:
The Light Base 600 LX kept our GPU at 52 degrees Celsius above ambient with the memory temperature at 60 and hotspot at 68. Removing the side filter improved temperatures by 2.2 degrees for the GPU, which is a huge climb for just a filter. be quiet! has room to improve this area.
Inversion had a mildly negative effect, raising the GPU average to 54 degrees. The horizontal configuration was worse still at 55 degrees for the GPU, 63 for the memory, and 71 for the hotspot. Keeping the case horizontal but shifting to the left intake/right exhaust configuration dramatically lowered temperatures, down to 41 GPU, 44 memory, and 53 hotspot. This is the equivalent of a bottom-intake configuration in a case that’s oriented normally, but with unobstructed intake.
GPU Thermals: Full Speed (Competitive)
Here’s the competitive chart. All of the results with the fans in their stock locations are among the weakest on the chart, with the baseline out-of-the-box result falling behind even the Y60. The left intake/right exhaust configuration performed significantly better, tying the C8 ARGB’s 41 degree GPU average and significantly outperforming the King 95 Pro’s 46 degree average. As a reminder, this was done with just the included fans. All we did was move them. We didn’t want to add fans because it starts to become arbitrary and potentially unfair, but moving them really helped here. The horizontal configuration has the greatest potential for cooling, since a clear unidirectional airflow path can be created without obstruction. You’re not dealing with angled intake from the side, so there is a huge amount of potential here.
CPU Thermals: Noise-Normalized
The Light Base 600 LX’s low noise at full velocity means it has a shot in our noise normalized take a look at, the place all case followers are tuned right down to hit our 27 dBA threshold. We normalize these in our hemi-anechoic chamber to get the granularity wanted for a good take a look at.
50 levels Celsius above ambient all-core and 54 P-Core ties the Antec C8 ARGB (learn our evaluation), however the King 95 Pro averaged 47 all-core, and circumstances with easy entrance consumption just like the Antec Flux Pro (learn our evaluation) and Lian Li Lancool 207 continue to dominate the top of the chart.
GPU Thermals: Noise-Normalized
GPU thermal efficiency was already weak with the case followers at full velocity, and with decreased fan speeds, the 600 LX is the most popular case on this chart aside from the King 65 Pro. This is a strong argument for the horizontal left-to-right airflow configuration. These were all at the same noise levels. We’ve normalized them for this test. This is not a good result for be quiet!.
Standardized Fans: GPU Thermals
Because we had been pressured to mount the 140mm followers within the backside of the case for our standardized fan take a look at, we’ve a possibility to see the case’s backside consumption efficiency.
An average GPU temperature of 44 degrees Celsius above ambient is more competitive than the other GPU thermal results we’ve seen from the 600 LX so far, close to the King 95 Pro and C8 ARGB’s tied 43 degree averages, but that still only places the LX in the middle of the chart. This is also effectively a test of the Light Base 600 DX, since we would have performed all tests on that case using our standardized set of fans.
VRM Thermals: Noise-Normalized
Finishing off with VRM and system memory thermals during the noise normalized test, the 600 LX’s performance is again unimpressive. 35 degrees above ambient for the VRM is warmer than the C8 ARGB’s 33 degrees and the King 95 Pro’s 31 degrees, and although the stack is ordered differently for memory temperatures, both the C8 ARGB and King 95 Pro were cooler than the 600 LX’s 27 degrees. We also know from our full speed results that these sensors didn’t respond strongly to the horizontal left intake/right exhaust reconfiguration.
Light Base 600 Conclusion
The Light Base 600 LX is on the expensive end of dual-chamber cases with included fans, especially when taking into account the thermal performance of the Antec C8 ARGB and King 95 Pro. Both of those cases also have fanless SKUs that are cheaper than the Light Base 600’s fanless SKUs.
The main cause for getting the Light Base 600 over any of these different choices (together with the NZXT H9 Flow, which we haven’t tested) is the wraparound light bar, so we’re at least happy to see that the light bar looks good in person, with bright, evenly-diffused LEDs. It was critical that they executed on this feature well and they did do a good job on it. There were a couple caveats surrounding the fit and finish, like the panel flushness.
The horizontal option is also a unique selling point, but it’s one that few people have the desk space to try. But this is a well-liked presentation layout, it ends up looking better than you might expect when looking at it vertically, and it’s a unique feature that is also executed overall well. It’s also mechanically simple. You’ll just have to plan your furniture more than typical, which isn’t so bad once you’re aware of the sizing.
If you do buy a Light Base 600 and you want to maximize thermal performance, we suggest using the horizontal configuration with side intake fans pushing directly into the GPU and exhaust fan(s) pulling hot air out of the opposite side.
A few things to be careful of: If using a closed-loop liquid cooler, or “AIO,” with a pump in the block, you wouldn’t want to bottom mount it when the case is on its side. You should never bottom-mount a liquid cooler with the pump at the highest point in the loop, which that would do. Mounting the radiator to the side — which was the “top” before going flat — would be best. This will still put one side of the radiator tank at the highest point, which can create some bubbling noises in loops with less liquid or as they permeate over a 5-year period, but wouldn’t lead to catastrophic failure like a bottom-mount will.
All of this changes if you have the pump somewhere else in the loop, like the radiator.
It’s good to see some movement from be quiet!, but although back-connect compatibility is fairly new, dual-chamber cases and ARGB LEDs are years-old trends. It’ll take some time for the company to become a leader in cases again, rather than a follower. The company has also deviated from some of be quiet!’s expectations, which isn’t a bad thing. Fractal deviated as well and it worked out well for them.
We like the case overall for its unique presentation. It is mechanically simple and it works well. Aside from that, there are no revolutionary changes to the build process or features.
But once cases clear a bar for acceptable performance and for functionality, what matters most is that you like the way it looks. This case clears those bars. If you’re a big fan of the layout, we’re not seeing any major detractors to advise against a purchase.