be quiet! Pure Base 500FX: An honest review

We would like to thank be quiet! for providing us the review sample

Some words by JimCKD

This happens to be my first case review. I would like to write some things before I proceed with the product’s review. First, I must mention that I am a full-tower fan. Yes, that’s just me. I want my Hardware to have plenty of space and options. But that doesn’t mean I would misjudge a case if it really deserves better. Still, I might be a bit over-the-top strict with some features or not. So please, don’t hate and just read my honest review. Thank you in advance.

Be quiet! Pure Base 500FX

Be quiet! celebrated its 20 years recently and offered a wide variety of products for this reason. The company, whose range features many quality products, is more than 20 years old now! This is great news, apparently. One of its best Chassis, Pure Base 500DX, gets a lift and some lightning FX, and voila: Pure Base 500FX, was born! For those who might not know it, Pure Base 500dx is one of the top Cases out there. At least for the Mid-Tower category. But as I discovered, it doesn’t offer much less, at least in the comfy zone. I was really amazed by how a Mid-Tower was so well-engineered and managed to catch my attention.

Sure, being built upon the successful 500dx was a wise decision. As I already mentioned, 500FX is just a 500DX with a breath of RGB air. So, it would be quite difficult to disappoint me. But enough talking. Let’s proceed to the main menu and see what it has or not, to offer.

Packaging

Pure Base 500FX comes in plain carton packaging that doesn’t impress. It still seems enough to protect the case, which is all we should expect of.

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Packout1

The Case, accessories, and manual

After unboxing Be quiet!’s packaging, we would see simple foam protective around the Case and a quite comprehensive, but I feel a bit not complete, manual. Still, someone with good PC building experience won’t have any trouble. The chassis speaks for itself. After unpackaging it, we will find inside the case a cart box with only the necessary accessories. Won’t let you down, but it won’t be the best. What you might need is there, and that’s all we ask for.

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The chassis

Now, the best part and what we all waiting for. The star of this article. Just enjoy.

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Top and bottom of 500FX

What the heading says. Nothing to add here. Let the pictures speak for themselves.

One USB port 3.0 type A, one USB port 3.2 Type C, one 3.5 jack for audio, one mic port, one Power button, and one lightning RGB selection button

The air grills on top

The bottom with a useful removable dust filter

As we see, the Chassis offers what we should expect of a quality product. Still, I would like to see more USB ports, but I can’t complain. Most of the cases of this type offer 2-3 ports. What is a foul to me is the no-reset button option. Most of you might find it unnecessary, but to me is important. I can’t complain enough either, of course. The top and bottom dust filters are removable and of exceptional quality.

Top dust filter, side one.

Top dust filter, side back.

Pure Base 500FX: Showdown

As I said, 500FX is nothing more than a 500dx with RGB effects. That means you get excellent build quality, space, a toolless structure, and an A-RGB controller hub. Moreover, you get exceptional and plenty of cable management options and airflow. Of course, you get three 120mm quality Light Wings fans (instead of Silent Wings of 500dx) at the front panel and one 140mm of the same line at the rear. 4 quality fans in one Case. Jack of all trades.

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A closer look

Have I mentioned that this is an excellent Chassis? Yes, sure, I did. But I can’t mention it enough. So, here is why, as seen in the following photos. It should be noted that there are also important cables except for the A-RGB-controlled fans. USB 3.1, USB 3.0, HD Audio, Power Sw, +/-, and a 3-pin female header come preinstalled, as in any case, of course.

The front

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The Front, but naked

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Front dust filter

Some extras

Here I would like to post all these little things that you may never notice, but I would like to show you be quiet!’s aspect in details. It is important.

HDD cage

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be quiet! SSD bracket with and without logo add-on

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And now, the real deal

This is where I started to test and check the Chassis. Cable management was a piece of cake. Though I must mention that you might need to remove the logo bracket or even all the SSD brackets if you won’t use it. It would save you some extra space for better cable routing. You also might move the HDD Cage (2 HDDs or 1 2,5″ SATA SSD/ HDD and one 3,5″ HDD) to the next two holes out of three if you choose to install an AIO on the front.

I actually recommend doing so if you go with the water-cooling option. That’s because the top only offers a 240mm AIO option, which is not ideal for newer power-hungry processors. Actually, this is one caveat of the Case. Although it offers top airflow, ideal for beasty hardware, it offers only 240 option on top. And why I say 240, although be quiet! it mentions 280 on top.

Because it seems impossible to me for a 280mm AIO to fit there. 240 is your best bet. Moreover, RAM clearance seems enough, but there are might be some issues with huge RAM heatsinks. But it offers enough room, in order not to. So I suggest 360 AIO in the front and 2x120mm air fans on top. If you go with air cooling, even the largest coolers won’t have a problem with 500FX. Maybe 3x120mm fans on the front, 2×120 fans on top, and a good air cooler is the best option. At least, in my humble and objective opinion.

Now about the graphics cards option. It would fit a wide variety of cards, maybe not the largest out there, such as an RTX 4090, but not in vertical mount orientation. That’s not important to me, but for some of you might be. Note that the rear brackets are screwy, and you can remove and replace them without hassle. In terms of cable and hardware management won’t meet any problems. Thermals-wise, it manages quite well. This Chassis is well known for its top thermal and noiseless behavior.

What about PSU and Motherboard? It would fit any ATX PSU and Motherboard combination that exists, but e-ATX. I tested it with a TX550M, and it fit perfectly. Only when you move the HDD cage might have less space, but still not an issue, as I observed. I would like to suggest you choose either a Semi-Modular or a Fully-Modular unit. That could be a breath for your System. May I should note it as important, too?

One tip is to mount the Case’s PSU bracket in the unit and then mount it to the Case. Believe me, it would come in handy. The A-RGB controller hub is more than enough and works as it should. I have to note that the mainboard’s rear I/O won’t have any problem aligning perfectly. This is one of the best features I noticed, as well, that it is easy to remove the front grilled panel. Just push it from down to up. The led button is magnetic, so you won’t have to be afraid that you might break something unattended. Well done, be quiet! Honestly, I don’t have something more to add. Just let the photos tell the whole story.

The looking side

The hidden but important side

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The rear side

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Inside the rear panel, noise-dampening material does its job well. Is the name (be quiet!) just a coincidence?

At work

Here comes the hard part. As much as I tried to photoshoot the best way I could, I couldn’t captivate the exceptional beauty of the lightning. So, I prefer to post some third-party material to appreciate it in the best possible way. I have to apologize sincerely for it, but I couldn’t stand anything less. It is just me.

Images Source: be quiet!

Product specifications

• Name: Pure Base 500FX
• Brand: be quiet!
• Form factor: Mid-Tower
• Weight: 8-9kg
• Dimensions: 450 x 232 x 443mm
• Motherboard support: mATX, MATX, ATX
• CPU Cooler compatibility: 190mm
• GPU compatibility: 369mm (depends on the optional front radiator dimensions)
• PSU compatibility: 225-258mm (depends on where and if you would mount the HDD bracket)
• Front cooling support: 240/280/360mm AIO, 2 x 140/3 x 120mm fans (preinstalled 3x Light Wings PWM 120 mm, 1700 RPM)
• Rear cooling support: 1 x 120/140 mm fan (preinstalled 1x Light Wings PWM 140 mm, 1500 RPM)
• Top cooling support: 240/280mm AIO (the latter doesn’t seem possible), 2 x120/ 2x 140mm fans
• Drive support: 7 (2x Internal 3.5″
  5x Internal 2.5″)
• Material: ABS plastic, Steel, Tempered Glass
• Case ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen2 Type-C,
  1x USB 3.0,
  1x Headphone,
  1x Microphone
• Extras: ARGB controller & fan hub PCB
• Guarantee: 1 year

Pros and Cons

Final Thoughts

The be quiet! Pure Base 500FX is an excellent option for those who seek what really matters for a case. Exceptional room and space, airflow, and cable management. As a person who frequently deals with Repairing/ Troubleshooting staff, this Case really saved my day. It is a handy tool! The RGB is impressive but still not distracting at the same time. It is only as much as it should be. The case’s quality is above the rest of the competition. Following the great 500dx, I knew this case won’t disappoint me. Some caveats are what might hold some of us back from buying it. Maybe, be quiet! should really think of a 500XL case with better radiator support. Still, if you are looking for an excellent Chassis and the aforementioned cons aren’t on your list, 500FX is the way to go.

Hardware Busters approve!

Score: 8½/10

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