be quiet! Pure Base 500DX Review

be quiet! Pure Base 500DX Review

Conclusion

We already loved be quiet’s Pure Base 500, and much of that love extends to its 500DX variant. It offers users the same level of radiator support as before, the same internal layout and all of the design features that makes the Pure Base series an incredible case for its cost. 

With the Pure Base 500DX, be quiet! has altered its original Pure Base 500 design to offer its users more airflow, addressable RGB lighting and a tempered glass side panel in its stock configuration. This is a deluxe variant of the Pure Base 500, and all of be quiet’s additions have worked to make the case a lot better suited to modern gamers, while not sacrificing anything in terms of noise levels and value for money. 

This is an airflow-focused design, but that doesn’t mean that the Pure Base 500DX is loud. Remember that this is a be quiet! chassis, and that name rings true when it comes to acoustics. If a PC within this case is loud, it’s not the fault of the case, it’s the fault of the components within and their fan profiles. 

For £89.99, the 500DX offers consumers a lot of value for that money, you are getting a full-ATX enclosure with external and internal addressable RGB lighting, and extra Pure Wings 2 140mm fan and a Tempered glass window out of the box. When it comes to lighting, the Pure Base 500DX is one of the best cases that we have seen at this price point, especially the white model. All of the LEDs that ship with this case is positioned in the exact places where they are needed, making this case’s integrated lighting amongst the best we have seen in a “stock” enclosure. 

Liquid cooling wise, the Pure Base 500DX supports up to a 360/280mm radiator in the front and up to a 240mm radiator in the roof. While the top of this case features dual 140mm fan mounts, there isn’t enough space to guarantee 140mm fan support, especially for motherboards with large VRM heatsinks. 

When it comes to liquid cooling, it is also clear that be quiet has placed a lot of thought into their case’s stock fan configuration. If you add a radiator to the top or front of the Pure base 500DX, you can then add your space 140mm fan to the area where you haven’t mounted a radiator. That will then give users of this case a full allotment of fans while allowing all of the case’s airflow fans to remain as be quiet! models. 

Moving on to RGB, we will note that this case features a lot of RGB lighting options out of the box, be it static colour options, rainbow colour effects or blinking and moving light setups in-between. This can be done without RGB software running on your PC, though adding this case to your motherboard’s RGB control setup and your options then become limitless. The only limit will be your chosen RGB control software and your imagination. 

be quiet’s original Pure Base 500 was a bit of a Plain Jane, but it performed where it counted and did so without making a sound. With the Pure Base 500DX, be quiet! has managed to maintain their low noise levels while offering users more airflow, RGB lighting and tempered glass out of the box. With these changes, be quiet! has turned its Pure Base 500 from a plain Jane and into a gorgeous PC enclosure. 

There is little that’s worth complaining about when it comes to the Pure Base 500DX. Yes, the airflow offered by be quiet’s 140mm Pure Wings 2 fans aren’t as great as other manufacturers, but those fans typically offer higher noise levels and other downsides. This case is a be quiet!, not a BE LOUD!, and this should be seen as an advantage. 

With the Pure Base 500DX, be quiet! offers its users a tonne of new features and useful design changes without breaking the bank. For £89.99, this case offers consumers a lot of value for money, especially if you want a great software-free RGB lighting setup. For these reasons, we will be giving the be quiet! Pure Base 500DX our Silence Award and our Value for Money Award. 

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You can join the discussion on be quiet’s Pure Base 500DX chassis on the OC3D Forums. 

Video Review

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