At the technikPR Industry party, which took place one day before the official opening of Computex, we had the chance to take a good look at the new be quiet! products including its new Silent Base 600 case, along with the SilentWings 3 and Pure Wings 2 fan series.
Silent Base 600
The Silent Base 600, according to be quiet!, aims for high performance and increased usability at the same time, which are two features that don't always get along. Good performance in this case is translated to low system and component temperatures, and besides that, be quiet! also promises very silent operation, thanks to the special design that keeps the sound waves inside the chassis.
The side panel vents are adjustable, and an extra fan can be mounted on them as well. In addition, the u-shape edge side panels provide increased stability, and thus reduced vibration, which can be the source for annoying sounds. In order to keep the noise inside the internals of the chassis, be quiet! equipped the side panels with sound insulation material; on the other hand, that can negatively affect internal temperatures. For the same reason (noise reduction), the HDD cage exploits a silicone rubber mounting.
The Silent Base 600 comes with two pre-installed Pure Wings fans, with one 140 mm fan at the front and a smaller 120 mm fan at the back. The above fans are decoupled with rubber mountings to avoid vibration noise. In total, the case can take up to seven fans (120 mm or 140 mm). There is also an option for an extra fan controller that can handle up to three fans.
In comparison to the flagship of the line, the Silent Base 800, this model is five centimeters smaller. Despite the decrease in dimensions, the Silent Base 600 still has lots of space to accommodate a high-end system along with a watercooling setup. It can take up to 400 mm-long graphics cards and CPU coolers up to 170 mm in height, while all HDDs and SSDs feature tool-free mounting. There is of course dust protection, and the corresponding filters are removable. The Silent Base 600 will be available in September 2015 in orange, black and silver colors, with an MSRP of $100 USD (or 110 euros).
A windowed version of the same chassis will also be launching. All other features remain the same with the exception of the total number of fans, which in this case comes down to six. The windowed panel is sound insulated, and there is a 9 mm air buffer between the windows in an effort to keep as much noise as possible inside the case. The window is made of scratchproof polycarbonate, and the market launch is September 2015. This version has the same colors as the basic version (orange, black and silver), but it costs a little more at $115 USD (or 120 euros).
be quiet! SilentWings 3 Fan
The SilentWings series reached its third generation, which promises higher performance than the previous one, but with noise output remaining at the same low levels. The fan's motor has six stator coils, whereas most consumer fans nowadays have four. Actually, be quiet! stated that this is the only consumer fan available on the market with a six-pole motor.
The increased number of stator coils leads to a smoother operation and lower noise levels. In addition, with the use of more filtering capacitors on the fan's PCB, the commutation or switching noise has been decreased, providing increased balance to the fan's shaft.
The airflow has been increased thanks to the funnel shaped intake and the improved fan blade design. Moreover, the new anti-vibration mounting works better, and the mounting kits of the fan can be switched between S and L, with "S" meaning flat on the case and "L" providing a 1 mm gap between case and fan.
The new SilentWings fans have a low stating voltage (4V), and according to their maker, they are ideal for watercooling setups. Their launch is expected in October 2015 at 21 and 22,90 euro MSRP for the 120 mm and 140 mm PWM models, respectively. The non-PWM versions will cost one euro less than their PWM counterparts.
be quiet! Pure Wings 2 PWM
The third new release from be quiet! at Computex was the Pure Wings 2 PWM fan series, which, as its name implies, features PWM operation. The fan's PCB features more filtering capacitors for lower switching noise, and the better IC controller results in higher efficiency, thanks to the lower power consumption. The fans will launch in September 2015. So far we don't have any official information on their prices.
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