A Closer Look - Outside

Out of the box, the be quiet! Silent Base 802 looks very similar to the 801 and 800 in its general design language. One thing you will notice immediately is the lack of a color strip to accent whichever base black or white variant you have picked. As we are reviewing the variant without a window, this version will benefit a wee tiny bit from the steel panels, which lower operating noise.


Looking at the front, it features sturdy plastic as a foundation, but employs a metal cover in its solid variant. You may simply pull it up and away from the case to reveal a removable dust filter and direct access to two 140 mm intake fans in the front. As has always been the case with all be quiet! enclosures, these are naturally of retail quality. In the rear, the Silent Base 802 looks very similar to what you would see in the 801 as well. With the overall layout quite traditional, the PSU bay is on the bottom.


As this is the window-less version, you will find two study steel panels that are bent at a 45° angle at the top, where they are held in place by a spring-loaded mechanism.


Taking a closer look at the rear, the PSU bay on the bottom comes with a mounting frame, which means you would slide the unit in through the back of the enclosure. Above that are the 7+2 expansion slots and another retail-grade 140 mm fan set to push hot air out the back of the enclosure. If you look closely, you will find that pushing a button on each side will release the side panels with ease.


The top of the Silent Base 802 is covered by a solid plastic panel of two parts. You may remove the rear to employ a single fan in the ceiling, which keeps everything else as enclosed as possible. You may also install a radiator of up to 360 mm here, or go for three 120/140 mm fans for active cooling. The I/O of the 802 now includes a USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C interface along with the more traditional dual 3.0 plugs and audio ports. Next to that, you will find a fan controller that offers three manual settings, as well as an AUTO setting that hands the reins for active case cooling over to your motherboard.


Lastly, be quiet! placed a dust filter alongside the entire bottom of the chassis, which you may easily pull out through the front of the case.