Be Quiet! Silent Base 601

A case study in combating successful Swedish design

- Zak Storey

WITH REGARD to system building, it almost always comes down to two trains of thought. The first is about showcasing. Presenting your components in a chassis that fits the bill, with LED lighting, tempered glass, reflections, you name it. The second is about sophistication and elegance. It means keeping things out of the way and—more importantly— minimizing noise. More often than not, the latter ethos is associated with workstations in noise-sensitive environments, or for people who simply prefer to enjoy their PC in silence. Fractal Design was the one to look out for as far as that was concerned, with its Define series of chassis being legendary for encapsulating those principles.

For the longest time, the Swedish designer had no competition, because although there was no lack of manufacturers developing quiet components, few had attempted to build a case capable of fulfilling the same noise-reducing remit. Enter Be Quiet!