be quiet! has announced its Light Base PC case, taking the fish tank idea and turning it around. You get it all: support for air and liquid cooling, RGB lighting, a heap of fan placements, plus a hidden PSU compartment.
First spotted during Computex, the Light Base chassis is the brand’s first attempt at a panoramic design. It comes in two sizes and in black or white colours to suit most builds. The smaller Light Base 600 measures 450mm (L) x 305mm (W) x 435mm (H), whereas the bigger Light Base 900 takes 532mm (L) x 327mm (W) x 484mm (H). All four combinations come with or without fans in the event you prefer using different ones. Note that three of the included fans have reversed blades to keep a nice look.
Regarding compatibility, the Light Base 600 supports up to ATX motherboards, six 2.5/3.5in drives (three bays included), 170mm high CPU coolers, 200mm PSUs, and 400mm graphics cards. You also get room for up to two 360mm, one 240mm, plus one 120mm radiator, not to forget ten 120mm or four 140mm fans to push air through.
The Light Base 900, as you expect, gives you much more space to play with. Here, you have support for up to E-ATX boards, eight drives (five bays included), 190mm CPU coolers, 225mm PSUs, and 495mm graphics cards. Same for cooling, with room for up to two 420mm, one 360mm, and one 140mm radiator. You can top or replace these with up to ten 120/140mm fans.
For I/O, both get one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C, two USB 3.2 Type A, plus a 3.5mm combo jack. If you like RGB, you will be pleased to find two ARGB fan hubs with 12 connections in total.
In addition to being easily turned over from a vertical to a horizontal position, the Light Base chassis also includes holes for back-side connector motherboards, making your build as clean as possible.
I don’t know about you, but the Light Base reminds me of those fancy vinyl record players that have transparent covers when it lies flat. The only difference is that now you can store your entire music collection inside a 30mm M.2 SSD. And you can play games too, in case that’s your thing.
I can already imagine a build with three fans on each side pushing air across the graphics card, followed by the radiator cooling the CPU. A non-stop straight line may help refresh air faster while cooling other components in the way. Better yet, the ability to put the Light Base flat on a desk should reduce the strain on the PCIe slot and CPU socket, as both the graphics card and CPU heatsink will be positioned perpendicular to the motherboard’s PCB. That said, I feel this chassis begs to be hooked into a wall with the I/O pointing up so you can see all your hardware without any obstruction.
If, like me, you appreciate what you see, the Light Base will become available for sale on October 10 at the following prices, backed by a three-year warranty. You can pre-order starting today
| Model | Included fans | MSRP |
| Light Base 900 FX Black | 4x 140mm | $229.90 €219.90 |
| Light Base 900 FX White | 4x 140mm | $239.90 €229.90 |
| Light Base 900 DX Black | NA | $179.90 €169.90 |
| Light Base 900 DX White | NA | $187.90 €179.90 |
| Light Base 600 LX Black | 4x 120mm | $184.90 €174.90 |
| Light Base 600 LX White | 4x 120mm | $194.90 €184.90 |
| Light Base 600 DX Black | NA | $149.90 €139.90 |
| Light Base 600 DX White | NA | $159.90 €149.90 |
