Final words and conclusion
Attn: This article is mostly an update to the original review - we merely swapped out the photos replacing it with the see-through side-panel photos and made a few extra comments /alterations here and there.
Final words and conclusion
Be Quiet! has an interesting product at hand with the Silent Base 800 and with a double-glazed polycarbonate side window it looks even better. The primary three features of space, aesthetics and being a silent product will be well achieved albeit we have not had the chance to test that ourselces just yet. Based on the previous model we tested (closed withouth see through side-panel) the included fans are drop-dead silent. It would have been nice to have seen some sort of fan controller though, three settings low/mid/high would always get my preference. But the default offers decent enough airflow and it remains a very silent chassis.
Aesthetics
You can choose black, black-gun / metal siver and this black-orange version. My bet is that the black/orange version will sell the best. This chassis series has been praised a lot, and it is well deserved. Admittedly, it's a lot of plastic, but it's done right. And over time, you'll slowly appreciate it more and more. The all black design is nice, the colored version looks better though. Aesthetics wise things are kept simple. On the more simple side of things, added benefits are of course the two USB 3.0 ports, the mainboard cutout on the motherboard tray and the overall tool free design.
The work space inside is decent of course, but mind you the biggest motherboard you choose will have to conform with the ATX form factor as a maximum as the chassis can house ATX, Micro-ATX and mini-ITX motherboards. There's also decent space for routing cables and, well, hiding them of course. With good access to pretty much everything and with 7 expansion slots there is plenty of room for two or three graphics cards. Bear in mind though that some restrictions do apply when it comes to length of the graphics cards, especially when using more than one of them. This definitely needs to be checked out before installing multiple graphics cards. The all black interior, cool looks, the CPU backplate cutout for easy installation/replacement of CPU-coolers and overall features that belong in the mainstream to high-end segment all add value.
Final words
The SilentBase 800 was the first ever chassis Be Quiet made, now updated with a side window (which you can optionally purchase as well). I'll keep saying it, I think that Be Quiet! has done a very nice job with the Silent Base 800 overall. It's a well designed product with nice aesthetics and a good feature set. But most important is the factor mentioned in the naming, it is a very silent product. The low RPM fans are of good quality. Then there is sound dampening insulation inside the chassis combined with rubber elements everywhere to keep your PC whisper silent. Interesting with the see-through side-panel is the double-glazed polycarbonate. It allows for better noise isolation and should also help against scratch and impact resistance. There is enough room behind the motherboard for cable management, and then there are the three fans in the case, factory installed, offering very nice airflow at very low noise levels. In this price range (120 EURO) we do miss a real fan controller though as I like to alter RPM on the fly. But sure, the overall well thought through design, the nice quality and a sufficient enough feature set definitely make this chassis interesting. The finished product looks quite lovely, though taste differs per person of course. Though the chassis is not perfect it remains a very good one. But if I had to rate it I'd give it an 8 out of 10 and considering the Silent Base 800 Window is the first chassis from Be Quiet!, now updated. The price is steep though, as in the EU you will need to pay 149 EURO for this model. Regardless, we can recommend the Silent Base 800 Window edition very much.
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