Be Quiet Light Base 600 LX: Top-notch design, but is it worth it? 🤔✨

The last fish tank cabinet we have on our testing bench is the Be Quiet Light Base 600 LX, a mid-sized chassis that supports three layout configurations. It also features ARGB lighting strips along the sides, support for motherboards with rear connection and includes two ARGB and PWM hardware hubs already installed. 🎨✨

Will the Light Base 600 LX make it onto our list of best PC casesLet's run through the cabinet specs, straight from Be Quiet, and then review the features to finalize our evaluation with thermal and acoustic testing. 🔍💻

Specs

▶️ Front view

Like other fish tank designs, most of the front of the case is clear glass, but you also have the IO panel in the center, flanked by three ARGB lighting strips. 😎

▶️ IO Panel

Starting from the bottom (or left if configured horizontally), the first button allows a user to quickly change the ARGB settings of any device connected to the pre-installed ARGB/PWM hubs. Next comes an audio input, with two USB-A ports on the sides and the power button between them. You also have a USB-C port and a reset button on the top/right. 🔌

▶️ Rear side view, ARGB and PWM hardware hub for fans, storage and cable management features

There are no pre-installed Velcro straps included, but there are a few places where you could install them to manage your cables. However, Be Quiet includes plastic cable ties for cable management with the case. 🔧

Cables can be routed behind the center plate, which also supports two 2.5-inch drives. You can also install up to two additional 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch drives in the drive bay located in the lower left corner (shown in the previous image, removed in the next image). However, Be Quiet only includes one mount by default, so you'll need to purchase another one if you need to use four drives in this system (or two 3.5-inch drives). 🛒

Two hardware hubs are pre-installed on the top and bottom of the case, each supporting up to six PWM fans and six ARGB lighting connections (a total of up to 12 devices). Lighting settings can be adjusted by pressing the bottom button on the IO panel. 💡

Rear View

▶️ Bottom View (Default Setting) and Three Layout Options

At the bottom of the cabinet, you'll find the vents and four removable legs. 🦶

The legs are removable to support one of the coolest features of this cabinet: the ability to customize the cabinet with three different layout configurations, as shown below. 🔧🛠️

▶️ GPU support included

There's also a GPU mount included with this case, which can be used in all three layout configurations. 🖥️

Thermal Testing, Test Setup and Test Methodology

The measures I have compared with this cabinet focus on

• Maximum cooling performance on the CPU when the fans are set to a moderately low noise level; the GPU is idle for this test. This primarily shows the efficiency of the fans included with a computer case.
• Noise levels of system fans.
• Maximum thermal and cooling performance in a worst-case scenario test that fully stresses both the GPU and CPU. We'll cover the temperature of the motherboard VRMs, CPU and GPU on separate graphics.
• Comparison of CPU and GPU temperatures in a similar working environment Far Cry VThis stresses both the CPU (approximately 150W) and the GPU (275W).