Bounce to: Specification | Construct Course of | Conclusion
It’s full steam forward at be quiet!. After a comparatively quiet 2022 (excuse the pun), the German producer’s manufacturing traces are in full swing, with new coolers, energy provides and circumstances all headed our approach.
Scorching off the press is the Shadow Base 800, a high-airflow case aimed squarely at customers eager to take cooling to the following stage. We’ll get to that shortly, however firstly, let’s speak variations.
The Shadow Base 800 Collection is out there in 5 distinctive flavours:
- Shadow Base 800, which comes solely in black and features a trio of Pure Wings 3 140mm PWM followers.
- Shadow Base 800 DX, obtainable in black or white with black highlights and contains the identical three Pure Wings 3 140mm PWM followers in addition to ARGB LEDs lining the entrance panel.
- Shadow Base 800 FX, obtainable in black or full-white (pictured), swaps the three Pure Wings 3 for a quartet of Gentle Wings 140mm ARGB followers alongside an eight-way hub.
All the time good to see loads of alternative, however there may be an inevitable premium for these added niceties. The bottom mannequin will fetch £145, DX begins at £160, and for those who occur to fancy the RGB goodness of an all-white FX, put together to stump up £205 of your hard-earned.
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That’s a sizeable sum, however hey, it’s 2023, and we’re all used to paying extra for our purchases. be quiet! will argue, rightly so, {that a} Fractal Design Torrent can set you again £220, whereas a Corsair 5000D prices as much as £230. Undercutting each of these places Shadow Base 800 FX in a snug spot, and there’s no doubting the extent of high-end part compatibility on provide.
Room to Breathe
Measuring a sizeable 550mm x 247mm x 503mm, the case straddles the road between mid- and full-tower options and is among the largest enclosures in its class. Not an issue when you’ve got the area, and be quiet! actually put a 63l quantity to good use.
Motherboard compatibility stretches to E-ATX with ease, graphics playing cards can measure as much as 430mm in size, there’s a large 180mm clearance for CPU cooling, and it doesn’t actually matter how lengthy your energy provide is – the devoted compartment has room to spare.
Cooling alternatives are plentiful, too. The truth that 4 high-quality Gentle Wings 4 140mm PWM followers are included is a bonus – the RGB contrasts splendidly with the white body – however it’s the flexibility to develop that can attraction to hardened fans.
The highest and entrance of the case can accommodate three 120/140s, along with a rear 120/140 and one other on the underside ground. Spacing is such that there’s provision for not one however two 420mm liquid coolers in tandem. The entrance radiator will should be lower than 40mm thick in a dual-420 setup, however for those who choose in opposition to the highest radiator, entrance clearance extends to 66mm, leaving ample scope for a push-pull configuration.
As you’d count on from a be quiet! resolution, there’s first rate filtration and sound-dampening proper out of the field. The highest has a full-size magnetic filter, a mesh filter lining the bottom of the case pulls out from the entrance, and the trio of 140s protruding behind the bevelled fascia is roofed with a magnetic filter that clips neatly into place. Sound dampening on a mesh-laden, airflow-optimised case is all the time tough to implement, but be quiet! covers the fundamentals with a sheet of sound-absorbing materials on the rear aspect panel, and bundled rubberised standoffs for hard-disk set up.
Talking of which, with optical drives having fallen by the wayside, 3.5in HDDs may very well be subsequent within the firing line. Somewhat than litter the tip of the PSU compartment with a drive cage few are probably to make use of, be quiet! leaves the area open to make cabling as straightforward as attainable. Concern not, for those who’re reluctant to retire spinners simply but, there may be an HDD bracket included within the field to revive these customary two bays. For many customers, we suspect the twin 2.5in mounting slots behind the motherboard tray will suffice in tandem with M.2, and we like the actual fact there are cutouts to place drives on present.
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Easy Construct
An enormous glass aspect panel ensures a transparent view of all {hardware}, however it’s a disgrace be quiet! continues to make use of notches and captive thumb screws versus push-to-lock latches and a quick-release mechanism. I’ve misplaced rely of what number of occasions such notches have warped or damaged underneath my watch, and on panels of this measurement, it’s a little bit of a faff having to get every part completely aligned so as to slide securely into place.
That apart, Shadow Base 800 FX is an absolute breeze to construct into on account of there being a lot room to manoeuvre. Cable-routing holes, whereas not grommeted, are in plentiful provide – together with an extended void atop the PSU shroud – and there’s over 30mm clearance for cable litter round again. All of the provided followers are pre-wired to an eight-way ARGB/PWM hub connected to the rear of the motherboard tray, taking all the effort out of wiring. Merely connect the SATA energy connector and four-pin fan header and also you’re good to go. Higher nonetheless, be quiet! makes use of a block entrance panel connector, so there’s no want to succeed in for the motherboard guide to recall the place P LED and POWER SW are alleged to go. Hallelujah.
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There’s a satisfaction in seeing elements slot in with minimal fuss, however there’s a flip aspect to that coin. Even with a Core i9-13900K and GeForce RTX 4070, our check construct seems extremely barren. A daily ATX board is made to look puny inside Shadow Base 800’s cavernous inside. You’d actually need an E-ATX board and a liquid-cooled radiator, or two, to make such a construct appear full.
As for the white paintwork, that has execs and cons, too. be quiet!’s end could be very tidy – there’s minimal variation between shades – however, as you may need guessed, the case is so pale that something darkish stands out like a sore thumb. Our energy provide’s black cables are misplaced alongside the chassis’ all-white wiring, and if, like me, you undergo from OCD, black thumb screws on an alabaster case will go away you stressed at night time.
The excellent news for people who’ve been dreaming themed builds is that snow-white elements are extra available than ever earlier than, and infrequently with little in the best way of further premiums. Whether or not it’s PSU, motherboard, graphics card, reminiscence or cooler, you’ll haven’t any drawback discovering it in white, and it’ll be definitely worth the effort. I’m not an enormous fan of RGB, however will admit that Shadow Base 800 FX does a tremendous job of including lush color and synchronised results. The sunshine bars operating down the entrance sides have sufficient LEDs for clean illumination freed from hotspots, and that is no doubt a frontrunner for an attention-grabbing, all-white rig.
Construct high quality is as much as be quiet!’s ordinary excessive requirements, and there are numerous user-friendly perks all through. The plastic entrance panel pulls away with a agency yank and a spring-loaded RGB contact level means no pesky cables to undo. The cable cowl alongside the motherboard tray might be relocated additional proper when utilizing an E-ATX board, and the seven enlargement slots rotate 90° to make approach for a vertical graphics card association. Useful to know, however bear in mind the required riser cable isn’t included within the field.
I/O, in the meantime, is according to what you’d count on from a 2023 chassis. That’s to say two USB 3.2 Sort-A, a single USB 3.2 Gen 2 Sort-C and a pair of audio jacks flanking the backlit energy button. The latter solely illuminates in white, and if we’re nitpicking, it’s a disgrace the color can’t be matched to the general RGB impact. Finishing the highest I/O association is an RGB management button for the followers and light-weight bars; press it to cycle via a smorgasbord of pre-defined results, or maintain for 3 seconds to modify to motherboard synchronisation.
As for cooling, triple 140 intakes and near-full-mesh entrance and prime covers guarantee airflow is in plentiful provide. Our Core i9-13900K processor is a notoriously sizzling buyer, but is stored just below 90°C throughout extended all-core load. That’s according to our expectations of a high-end air cooler on this specific chip, and the extremely environment friendly GeForce RTX 4070, in the meantime, barely tickled 65°C when gaming.
Conclusion
Regardless of its hefty footprint, there’s a minimalist really feel in regards to the Shadow Base 800 FX that contributes to a streamlined construct course of. You gained’t discover a number of interchangeable panels, wood accents or myriad storage bays, but in stripping away that extra, you’re left with a tidy, well-built body whose cavernous inside permits you to assemble all of the high-end elements you may dream of.
However the emphasis right here could be very a lot on high-end. At these proportions, an ATX board, air cooling and dual-slot graphics is made to seem insignificant. You’re going to desire a liquid-cooled E-ATX setup and a vertical graphics card to indicate the case at its greatest, and goes with out saying, all these elements actually should be in white.
There’s scope to plan massive, and limitations are few and much between. 4 bundled followers are about nearly as good because it will get for out-the-box cooling, but whereas airflow is order of the day, it could be remiss of be quiet! not to concentrate to acoustics. Fan noise stage is rated at a mere 23.3dB at most pace (1,500rpm), and through on a regular basis use, Shadow Base 800 FX lives as much as its billing as a refined, high-airflow monster that hardly makes a peep.
be quiet! Shadow Base 800 FX
Verdict: massive on airflow and RGB, a tremendous basis for a gaming rig filled with excessive elements.
Professionals
4 Gentle Wings 140 followers
Obtainable in black or white
Will home twin 420 rads
Big area to construct into
RGB hub for eight gadgets
Cons
On the massive aspect
Not suited to many HDDs
Purchase
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