For the longest time, airflow and performance have been the main concerns when it comes to PC cases. Whether to go for a case with higher airflow or a case with more consistent performance can be quite tricky. Choosing can be tough, but with our Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX review, you’ll find out what makes this PC case stick out.
Be Quiet is a brand that specialises in computer hardware. They have been around for over 20 years in product development, focusing on silent type PC cases. They are the leading brand in PSU manufacturing in Germany.
Alright, now let’s head on to see what we’ve got.
Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX Packaging
When it comes to PC cases, a large item is always a challenge, especially when it comes to shipping. With Be Quiet!, they assure intensive care in their products through protective measures.
When the package arrived, we were thrilled. It came in a grand and loaded cardboard box. Due to its size and weight, the company was sure enough to keep the case safe and secure.
The package holds the common brown cardboard box look. At the front, you’ll find the image of the product model. At the lower portion you’ll see the name of the item and at the top right, the company name.
On the side of the box, there are several descriptions regarding the features and functions. There are also two QR codes that you can scan that lead to the Be Quiet! website. Just in case you have a hard time setting things up, you can always check the website for further details.
You’ll also find at the back of the box details of its design, as well as some key features to it. There is a diagram as well to show the user the different intricate parts of the product.
As we move on, we’ll now check the contents of our package In our Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX review.
Looking inside, it comes with two large pieces of styrofoam at the side. This keeps the chassis in place. It also prevents the case from sliding around the cardboard box, guaranteeing its protection.
The PC case is wrapped in plastic to avoid any dust or substance from getting inside. Just in case the cardboard box gets wet or dusty, neither of the substances would be able to get in.
It also comes with a small booklet manual. This provides the user with the necessary information regarding the product. It teaches the user how to set up and add any additional parts to the PC case.
Once unwrapped, you’ll find a small box inside the case that says “Accessories”. Here, you will find your zip ties and insulated screws. The PC case also has tempered glass and a soundboard.
With this, Be Quiet! truly caters to the safety and security of their products.
Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX Review – Design and Functionality
Now we’ll discuss its design and functionality in our Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX review.
The Pure Base 500DX comes in two colours: white and black. The case retains a similar design as the Pure Base 500, but it has more finesse to its touch. With its sleek underlook, it brings a stronger modernistic vibe to it. As Be Quiet! suggests, their goal is to provide PC cases with silent but powerful dynamics.
If we take a look at the front of the case, you will find two LED strips. This can be reconfigured within the software provided.
There is also the outer black mesh which is at the sides of the LED strips. A button is placed beside the power button on top, which you can use to control the LED strips.
You may remove the front cover by pulling at the bottom. The front cover has little plastic pieces on it that makes it easy to come off. There is no need to screw or unscrew anything.
Removing the front cover reveals the filter. The filter acts as a last line of defence when it comes to protecting the chassis. This blocks any dust debris from coming into your case and damaging it. The filter has magnets around the outline which help keep it in place.
By removing the filter, you will find the 140mm cooling fan. There are empty spaces at the top and bottom of the fan. You may want to add an additional fan at the bottom to maximise your space.
Additionally, there is also a filter at the bottom for your power supply. To remove, just look for the small handle at the bottom of the front and slide it out. This makes it easy to clean and keep your PC case neat and spotless.
While checking up top, you will find the main power button, LED button, microphone port, earphone port, a USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 Type C.
There isn’t any physical reset button, so just reset the computer standardly through the PC software.
With the USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 Type C, you can plug a variety of phones into the computer, whether it be to transfer or exchange files and media, or just to simply charge your phone. As long as your motherboard can accommodate both USB ports, it would work just fine.
On the top, you will find yet another filter. This is a black magnetic mesh that prevents any dust particles from entering the case. You can remove it by simply lifting the small handle space.
You have the option to keep the top filter out to increase the airflow; but it is better if it stays, as it protects your PC from dust seeping into your hardware wiring.
There is also a 140mm fan directed at the top. This acts as an exhaust fan which helps remove any trapped heat inside the case. Within the top, there is room to put an additional fan. You may even switch the fan with a 240mm radiator boost airflow and performance.
At the left side, you will see the tempered glass which houses the interior of the PC case. This operates as a window that allows the user to check their hardware wiring and components within the computer without having to open it up.
It can be removed by simply turning the screws of each corner. The screws are quite long, which hold the tempered glass in place. This prevents the tempered glass from falling or sliding off when being taken apart.
To the right, you will notice two loose screws—one at the top and one at the bottom. Just twist the two screws and slide the cover out. On the cover, there is the sound insulating panel. This adds the signature silent feature Be Quiet! is known for.
When looking at the case from the right side, you will find the skeleton of the case inside. There, you will see the cables, which are already neatly tied up together. This is the section where you will be handling most of the wiring and cable managing.
The skeleton not only holds the cables together but keeps the motherboard and other extra components in place such as the hard drive case. Be Quiet! made sure to keep its design effective and efficient.
At the back, you will notice the last 140mm fan. This fan provides the cooling of the motherboard, wiring, RAM sticks and other computer parts within the PC case.
Observing the back, there are a total of seven slots for your PCIe (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express) equipment. This is utilised for GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), SSDs (Solid-State Device), RAID cards and Wi-fi cards.
This provides additional ports when your motherboard has no open slots for them. It makes it easier for gamers to set up their computer components. This alleviates the need to buy a high-end motherboard with limited slots.
At the bottom, you will find a space. This is for your power supply. Just slide it in, put your cables through the holes and you’re good to go.
When we take a look inside the case, you may not notice at first, but there is also an ARGB cable. This ARGB cable is for the ARGB strip inside the case.
This ARGB strip illuminates the interior of the case. Just like the LED strip in the front of the case, you may alter the colour of the lights within the software.
Several shutes within the frame help guide the cables to the different computer components, along with a standoff for your motherboard. This helps keep it in place and prevents it from moving around.
At the lower end, there are some openings for the wires near the power supply mesh. You can directly connect your power supply and hard drive here along with the fans. Among other things, there are some tie-downs which help hold the computer parts together.
As one can tell, Be Quiet! has outdone themselves again with another exceptional PC case. With all things considered, let’s now head on to the next part of our Be Quiet! Pure Base 500 DX review.
Key Features of the Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX
As we move forward, we’ll be discussing the key features in this part of our Be Quiet! Pure Base 500 DX review.
High Airflow
For many years, gaming industries always had to deal with overheating problems. It’s not an easy feat to achieve. With higher performances, it also comes with higher requirements for cooling systems.
Be Quiet!, which is Germany’s leading PSU manufacturer, puts this in focus. Their goal is to eliminate trapped heat, which damages computer hardware easily. With multiple openings surrounding the case, it grants considerable gateways for heat to escape.
Not only high airflow, but proper protection is given. With multiple filtration systems which are already built-in the case, it provides the user adequate maintenance capabilities—allowing hygienic practices for users to utilise. This keeps your PC safe.
Maximum Performance
Innovations today aren’t the same as what they were 20 years ago. With the rise of gaming, industries alike have been competing against each other. They are developing new ways to boost performance rates of PCs everywhere.
In terms of hardware, Be Quiet! balances out performance with airflow. As stated, with high performance comes with high cooling systems. With the increase in airflow within the case, this provides room for boosting the performance rate of the PC.
The case interior is spacious, granting the user to allocate more components for their PC. With the seven additional PCIe at the back and a hard drive bay, you won’t need to worry about where and how to fit it all.
Whisper-Quiet Operation
The case comes with three Pure Wings 2 140mm cooling fans. These have airflow-optimised fan blades that secure excellent cooling and airflow. They are sound-engineered to stay silent as they work.
With silence comes tranquillity, and you will find that with these fans. Sometimes, when using our computer, we can get distracted easily by any unwanted noise from our surroundings. That is why Be Quiet! has provided only the best to help when it comes to performance.
Impressive Illumination
The ARGB LEDs function as a light source. This helps the user to see inside the case through the tempered glass. It helps the user check if there are any misplacements or fault issues within the PC itself.
Not only functionality, but the style is displayed with this case. Obviously, we care about how it performs and runs, but having the choice to choose our style is also important. Humans always want to display their creativity and originality.
With the ARGB LEDs offered, you can customise the look of how you want your lights to work both inside and outside the case. This grants the user to show their creative side, and it harmonises well with other customisable computer referrals.
So if you have a backlit keyboard, mouse, mouse pad or even a backlit monitor, you can simply match them up and sync their lights, creating a gaming style that suits you the best.
Smart I/O Port
With 2 USB ports for both USB 3.0 and USB 3.2 Type C, it allows the PC to adapt to the latest devices and hardware alike. Having 2 USB ports from different generations brings more connections to the table.
Eye-Catching Features
Be Quiet! has designed their case to grant optimal cable routing possibilities. The Pure Base 500DX proposes a variety of options for installations. This offers a neat and clean interior in the case for wiring and component management.
With the PSU shroud that perfectly acts as a shelter for the cables and PSU, it keeps it fastened and durable. The hard drive bay can also be demounted. This makes room within the PSU space for a more significant top tier power supply.
Be Quiet! has brought equilibrium to cases when it comes to balancing high airflow and maximising performance. This is to keep the intensity of a high output based component mixed in together with free airflow gateways to keep parts from overheating.
Specifications
In this part of our Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX review, we’ll now discuss the specific components of our case.
The Pure Base 500DX comes in two colours, black and white, with a PSU for a factor of ATX PS/2. It also comes with motherboard compatibility of the known: ATX, M-ATX and Mini-ITX.
The case size excl. stands a 450mm x 232mm x 443mm in length, width and height. The incl. stands a 450mm x 232mm x 463mm in length, width and height. The dimensions for the side panel window are 400mm x 431.3mm which are length and width respectively.
Its total weight is 7.8 kilograms with one USB 3.2 Gen. 1 and one USB 3.2 Gen. 2 Type C. It comes with a Microphone and Audio port as well. Also included are seven expansion slots for your PCIe and a total of 6 fan mounting locations.
With that, let’s now try the product in the next part of our Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX review.
Hands-on with the Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX
When we first got the product, we were surprised. We expected it to be large, but it wasn’t as the Pure Base 500DX is a medium sized PC tower. So it wasn’t as heavy as expected.
Due to its size, it was able to allocate our components adequately. It provided room for our different GPUs and motherboards. We also tried swapping out the front 140mm Pure Wings 2 fan with a 240mm radiator. It fit nicely and was accurately measured.
When setting up the cable routing, we found this to be painless with the tie downs and other cable ties that help sufficiently keep it together. The case provided proper management within the opening towards the sides and bottom so that the wiring wouldn’t tangle up.
Moving on, we tested the fan speeds and checked if the noise levels were up to their standards. Surprisingly, the Pure Base 500DX kept noise levels to a minimum. This is also due to the insulated soundboard across the tempered glass. This acts as a noise absorption to reduce noise levels.
The fans’ speeds were efficient enough to keep our components cool and free. They helped remove the trapped heat within the case. This is done by exhausting the air and providing multiple gateways for the air to travel in and out of the case.
One thing to note was the rubber standoffs placed all over the case. They kept the friction between the computer components from squeezing between themselves. This greatly helped prevent an increase in noise levels when running.
The Pure Base 500DX had efficient results overall. It stabilised the temperature of the case interior as well as the computer components themselves. This led to better overall performance. Be Quiet! has outdone themselves yet again.
Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX Review – Summary
The Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX has shown us a flawless display of efficiency. It provides a diverse range for all types, especially in gaming. By focusing on high airflow, Be Quiet! has established a sense of tranquillity. Reducing trapped heat alleviates the possibility of computer components from getting damaged along with a boost in performance due to the proper cooling ecosystem that is placed internally.
To finish our Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX review, the case was astounding, ranking top tier among its predecessor and the Dark Base Pro 900 Rev 2. With that, we highly recommend the Be Quiet! Pure Base 500DX.
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