be quiet Pure Base 500 Review

 

Conclusion

In a PC case review world dominated by tempered glass side panels, it was genuinely refreshing to look at a case with a pair of solid metal, and indeed sound deadening lined side panels.  The Pure base 500 from be quiet also boasts interchangeable top panels, and a whole world of opportunities when it comes to internal layouts. Not bad when all of this comes for a smidge under £70.  If though, like us, you really like the look of the 500, but still have hankerings for the full length tempered glass side panel and are perhaps feeling a little excluded, then perspire no more, as the 500 is available as a windowed version, as well as in white, and metallic Grey.  The Black version being available with tinted glass and the white and Metallic silver with a clear panel.

From a functionality standpoint, we have seen in the review that the 500 lacks for nothing when it comes to PSU depth, CPU Cooler height or GPU length.  What might not be immediately obvious is that the 500 has significant chops when it comes to water cooling.  Granted, the singular 140mm fan up front, and a similar unit in the rear might not seem overly generous, as is the lack of any rubber cable grommeting, but when we want to get things wet, the 500 doesn’t disappoint.  For starters, there’s up to 90mm of room in the front of the case, and with the front fans excluded from this measurement, that whole 90mm is on tap for rads and additional fans.  Up in the roof, things are slightly less impressive, but let’s remember the size, and more importantly the price of this case, and in doing so appreciate that 240mm rads will fit just fine up here, with the offsets provided and the proviso that you don’t have anything taller than 50mm in that area.

And finally the aesthetics, something we always like to talk about.  Let’s face it, aesthetics are important. kind off.  We think we may have come up with a new way of gauging cases with regards to looks and performance, and this is aimed at both our male, female, and non-binary readers.  Bear with us please, this could be important.  Let’s put it this way.  Imagine you had a partner that was stunningly beautiful but failed to perform where it mattered, no fizz and very little spark.  You’d be delighted for your friends to meet them, but a little dead inside knowing that there was very little under the bonnet.  Now imagine that you have an average looking partner who was as good as you could want for in the bedroom.  Again, how does this make you feel?  A little let down in the looks? or maybe a little let down in the performance?  If this was an ice cream, it would be vanilla.  Now imagine that you’ve landed a plain Jane, nothing to write home about, and at least she doesn’t want to make you vomit when you see here.  She is though more than a handful when it comes to adult entertainment.  And finally, a total munter, Freddy Kruger reincarnate if you will.  You wouldn’t want your friends to see them, you don’t necessarily like the look of them yourself, but my God do they go like the privy door when the plague’s in town.

So where does the Pure base 500 fall into this new mode of categorization?  well, we think she’s somewhere above the “Plain Jane”.  Not everyone will be able to appreciate her beauty the way we do, but my god, does she perform.

We hope you get the gist of our thoughts on the 500, for a full download, best you take the time to peruse the whole review, but for now, let’s just say we’re more than a little pleased with the 500, and we really love the front panel lines.

As to awards, well there’s a lot of competition at this price point, but when you bring to the table the varying options that the 500 offers couple with the brilliant performance even at low fan speeds it thoroughly deserves the OC3D Silence award.

  

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