be quiet! Light Base 500 LX White Review

Epilogue

The Light Base 500 LX White is another classic from be quiet!. The brand’s trademark qualities are all present here: excellent build quality, careful attention to detail, and a distinct yet purposeful design.

The dual-chamber market is clearly expanding, and for good reason. People enjoy having clean builds with good airflow and don’t mind the extra width. To set its latest offering apart from the competition, be quiet! has included a unique design element: the side intake fans are rotated to draw air from both the front and the side of the chassis. In contrast to NZXT’s H6, the 500 retains a boxy design and keeps the I/O on a column located on the right side of the front panel.

Beyond the design, there are several other noteworthy features: four included RGB fans, an integrated fan hub, and two easily removable dust filters, the bottom one even slides out from the front! The storage options are surprisingly generous, especially considering that a flat steel panel is designed to hold up to four drives. If you choose the RGB-fan version, note that the fan hub occupies one of the 3.5-inch drive bays.

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It’s pretty challenging to find areas for improvement, which is generally a positive sign for a case. However, it would have been nice to have a bit more space for the side intake fan cables to accommodate standard connectors. We’d also like to see rubber grommets, at least for the cable passthroughs on the motherboard’s side.

Competitors in the dual-chamber $100–$150 range are plentiful. Besides those we’ve reviewed, such as the Ocypus Iota C70, Montech King 95 Pro, and NZXT H6, there are others like the Thermaltake View 380 XL TG ARGB and Antec C5 ARGB, which are both competitively priced and well-equipped. So, who is the 500 LX for? It’s for those who appreciate a unique design you won’t find on any other case, high-quality fans (both in airflow and lighting), easy maintenance, and an overall compact layout for a dual-chamber chassis.

This chassis earns our Recommended badge for combining excellent build quality with a long list of features. It’s a compact dual-chamber design that still offers plenty of space for long GPUs, tall CPU coolers, or even a 360 mm AIO. Storage is strong, with support for up to four traditional drives and a modular PSU and HDD mounting system. Add to that multiple magnetic dust filters, solid front I/O, and commendable noise performance, and you have a case that’s both practical and well-engineered. The inclusion of four high-quality fans out of the box further adds to its value. For those who prefer a stealthier look, the all-black version delivers the same great features, minus the fan controller, at just $119, making it an excellent option overall.