BeQuiet! Pure Base 500DX: Hit the orange bullseye

Elegant acquaintance

You have probably heard of BeQuiet!, whose components are one of the best in the high-end category. The reworked novelty (Pure Base 500DX) of the year-old case (Pure Base 500) was introduced two months ago and finally got to our editorial office for testing. The main improvement over the previous version is very efficient cooling thanks to additional fans in the equipment and added perforation.

Basic specifications

Elegant acquaintance

The content of additional package accessories is at the level of some half cheaper cases. Screws and disposable cable ties are the basics a case needs. For first-timers, there are also instructions on how to assembly the case and what can be customized inside. The manual is fascinating by its design and one will simply open it just out of curiosity, as I did.

After pulling the case out of the box, I stopped for a moment, because it was probably not what I was expecting. The original “wow” effect, which I hoped for, did not come. But the second moment was better. The entire left side is made of tempered glass with a standard thickness of four millimeters. It is attached to the case by 4 screws. Watch out when removing the glass. One wrong move and the glass can end up broken – it is not supported by any step.

Perforations of the front panel give the case a huge advantage. It easily and efficiently pumps cold air through to cool the components. Right in the middle of the panel are two LED RGB strips that can be controlled with a button or through software via the motherboard.

The front part of the case is fully perforated, so it also serves as a dust filter with a thicker particle size. It is possible to completely remove it even though there are LED strips on its surface. This is made possible by the strip power connector which is magnetic. This “cordless” gimmick evoked a sense of innovation in me. I’m definitely not the only one who doesn’t like to open the front panel for cleaning and is afraid to unplug any cable by accident. Either from buttons and connectors located on it or from the LED lighting. With this case, even if it has both, you no longer have to worry.

Behind the first front part is a proper dust filter that we all want. With a fine particle size, it captures even the smallest impurities that the first filter leaks. It holds its place on the case via a magnetic handle and four makeshift hinges. Thanks to this, it can be removed almost immediately.

The upper part disappointed me a bit with its connectivity. When I’m choosing a mid-range case for a hundred euros, I want rich connectivity, at least as in terms of USB connectors. There are two, but one of them is a type C which may not suit everyone. In most households, there are still more USB-A devices than USB-C. The large power button is quite pressure sensitive, so there is no need to push it with great force and it responds almost immediately. The equipment/selection of the front panel then includes another 2× 3.5 mm jack for headphones and microphone and the already mentioned button to change the color and mode of the lighting.

The rest of the upper part is focused on cooling, where one 140 mm Pure wings 2 fan is pre-installed on the inside to remove warm air directly from the processor cooler. Its predecessor does not have one. If that’s not enough for you, you have the option of mounting a water cooling radiator in a 240 mm position. There is also a removable dust filter at the top which is held against the case by four magnets in the corners of the filter, so you don’t have to worry about falling dust.

The left side panel hides a soft cushioning foam on the inside to minimize any possible vibrations that may be transmitted to the panel. There is 2.3 cm of space left for cables which is a decent standard. Fitting the side panel is not a special process. You simply insert it into the grooves and tighten the screws. These come with safety locks and cannot be removed after release, so they will not fall anywhere and you will not lose them.

The last fine dust filter is along the entire bottom of the case. It can be easily removed with a single movement from the bottom of the case, so there is no need to change the stance of the case from vertical to another. The four feet holding the case above the ground have a rubberized surface that prevents slipping on a slippery floor.

You have probably heard of BeQuiet!, whose components are one of the best in the high-end category. The reworked novelty (Pure Base 500DX) of the year-old case (Pure Base 500) was introduced two months ago and finally got to our editorial office for testing. The main improvement over the previous version is very efficient cooling thanks to additional fans in the equipment and added perforation.

Flexible interior

The entire interior is adapted for the best possible cooling of all commercially available components. The case has a volume of just over 48 liters and is compatible with ATX, micro ATX and Mini-ITX motherboard formats. With the Base 500DX, wondering if a large passive of a processor cooler will fit in your case is pointless. Like the cheaper predecessor, the novelty can as well take a passive of an uncompromising size of 190 mm. Mounting a graphics card has also no restrictions. The card can theoretically be up to 369 mm long.

On the right side with the company logo is a cable cover which enhances ”the pureness” of the interior. It is possible to install 2× 2.5″ disks on the cover. Cables are hidden under the cover with the logo. You can make full use of every inch of space.

It is more complicated to mount power supplies that have capacitors in the cables at the motherboard’s power connectors. Such constructions can make life with the Pure Base 500DX uncomfortable, because the thickness of the 24-pin ATX cable is greater than the hole with the cover, so you have to bother a little when connecting. This is, of course, a minus for designers of such power supplies, too.

The main airflow consists of two 140 mm Pure Wings 2 fans from BeQuiet! at the front for air intake and at the rear for exhaustion. These are very quiet even at a maximum of 900 rpm. They are connected via a 3-pin connector, so it is a version of fans without PWM. The manufacturer states the longevity of these fans to be up to 80,000 hours. The third, already mentioned fan is on top of the case, also for exhaustion. It helps the rising heat to leave the case faster through the perforated part. The only thing I can imagine better is the fan mounting. That means, classic with screws. Using an anti-vibration mounting would be top notch.

The back of the case is removable to a great extent, so you can adapt it to your needs. The skeleton on the frame is very handy and thanks to its grip, it is easier to manipulate by connecting two 2.5” disks that it can hold. Bottom drawer is designed for 2× 3.5” discs which are de-vibrated from the inside on the sides with anti-vibration pads. Once removed, mounting the discs is easy.

There is enough space for cables, the already mentioned 23 mm. For better cable management, there are 4 pieces of Velcro strips which bear the company logo. Pre-prepared handles for use of disposable cable ties, which are included in the accessories, go along the bottom part. They also go along the right side panel.

You have probably heard of BeQuiet!, whose components are one of the best in the high-end category. The reworked novelty (Pure Base 500DX) of the year-old case (Pure Base 500) was introduced two months ago and finally got to our editorial office for testing. The main improvement over the previous version is very efficient cooling thanks to additional fans in the equipment and added perforation.

Testing methodology

Not using all the supplied fans would probably be a sin, especially when the maximum noise level that can be produced at the highest speed (900 rpm) is 39 dBA. This means that it is useless to try other alternative layouts or number of fans than what the manufacturer provides us with.

Testing runs in household conditions, where I’m trying to get the most accurate results. During the testing, the air temperature in front of the case is 23 degrees Celsius and the minimum noise that I can measure with the Voltcraft SL-100 sound level meter is 32.8 dBA. The sound level meter sensor is aligned to the center of the top of the case at a distance of 15 cm, for the best possible measurement of the difference of the fan speeds which I control using the motherboard. For easy comparison to other cases, the fan speeds are always regulated to fixed noise levels.

The individual components were being heated up for 10 minutes in FurMark synthetic load tests and in parallel with Prime95 (custom settings). This period is long enough for all components to heat up sufficiently. Between tests, there are then 15-minute cooling breaks during which the temperatures of the components (and also the temperature of the air in the case) return to default.

Noise levels of individual modes:

• 36 dBA
• 38 dBA
• 39 dBA

You have probably heard of BeQuiet!, whose components are one of the best in the high-end category. The reworked novelty (Pure Base 500DX) of the year-old case (Pure Base 500) was introduced two months ago and finally got to our editorial office for testing. The main improvement over the previous version is very efficient cooling thanks to additional fans in the equipment and added perforation.

Tests of cooling the CPU and GPU

You have probably heard of BeQuiet!, whose components are one of the best in the high-end category. The reworked novelty (Pure Base 500DX) of the year-old case (Pure Base 500) was introduced two months ago and finally got to our editorial office for testing. The main improvement over the previous version is very efficient cooling thanks to additional fans in the equipment and added perforation.

Tests of cooling the motherboard

You have probably heard of BeQuiet!, whose components are one of the best in the high-end category. The reworked novelty (Pure Base 500DX) of the year-old case (Pure Base 500) was introduced two months ago and finally got to our editorial office for testing. The main improvement over the previous version is very efficient cooling thanks to additional fans in the equipment and added perforation.

Tests of cooling the SSD

Air heating under top of case

You have probably heard of BeQuiet!, whose components are one of the best in the high-end category. The reworked novelty (Pure Base 500DX) of the year-old case (Pure Base 500) was introduced two months ago and finally got to our editorial office for testing. The main improvement over the previous version is very efficient cooling thanks to additional fans in the equipment and added perforation.

Conclusion

Test results show that you don’t have to spend a large amount of money for a high-end case to reach for the best cooling solutions that exist. A big surprise for me was the results of cooling the graphics card. Where the twice as expensive Sekira ends, the 500DX keeps going and has definitely exceeded expectations. Other values are at a great level, too.

I like products from BeQuiet! and I will not lie to you that I was looking forward to this case. Still, I was a little disappointed with some things. The connectivity of the top panel, to which I can only connect one device with USB-A at a time, was the biggest let-down. It is also a great pity that the designers did not focus a little more on power supplies that have thick ATX power cables. Fortunately, there are more positive qualities to know than negative ones. For avid gamers, the case will please with great cooling which is the biggest plus and the main reason why I would recommend the Pure Base 500DX. The same applies to users who work on their machines and need quality cooling for high computing power. And finally, its decent lighting with a typical orange color will certainly not embarrass any gaming or work corner.

English translation and edit by Lukáš Terényi

• Contents
• Elegant acquaintance
• Flexible interior
• Testing methodology
• Tests of cooling the CPU and GPU
• Tests of cooling the motherboard
• Tests of cooling the SSD and zahrievanie the air heating under top of case
• Conclusion