diff --git a/cabal-install/Distribution/Client/Dependency/Modular/Preference.hs b/cabal-install/Distribution/Client/Dependency/Modular/Preference.hs
index 64b10ae9b7bb780f8de7010b503aa4ea88d49fcb..c3d3bc980ba4ee8d59fb7bbfc97bf095b931bb6d 100644
--- a/cabal-install/Distribution/Client/Dependency/Modular/Preference.hs
+++ b/cabal-install/Distribution/Client/Dependency/Modular/Preference.hs
@@ -230,9 +230,9 @@ preferBaseGoalChoice = trav go
     go x                = x
 
     preferBase :: OpenGoal -> OpenGoal -> Ordering
-    preferBase (OpenGoal (Simple (Dep (Q [] pn) _)) _) _ | unPN pn == "base" = LT
-    preferBase _ (OpenGoal (Simple (Dep (Q [] pn) _)) _) | unPN pn == "base" = GT
-    preferBase _ _                                                           = EQ
+    preferBase (OpenGoal (Simple (Dep (Q _pp pn) _)) _) _ | unPN pn == "base" = LT
+    preferBase _ (OpenGoal (Simple (Dep (Q _pp pn) _)) _) | unPN pn == "base" = GT
+    preferBase _ _                                                            = EQ
 
 -- | Transformation that sorts choice nodes so that
 -- child nodes with a small branching degree are preferred. As a