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be quiet! Pure Base 500DX Review: Straying from Tradition

If silence under load isn’t your primary concern, the Pure Base 500DX is an excellent choice.

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be quiet! Pure Base 500DX
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

With the be quiet! Pure Base 500DX, we’re switching to a new test bench in a different location. This system consists of the following specifications: 

CPUIntel Core i9-9900K
MotherboardAsus Maximus XI Hero WiFi
MemoryCorsair Vengeance LPX 3000 MHz, 16 GB (2x 8GB)
GraphicsNvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super Founder's Edition
CPU CoolingNoctua NH-U12S Chromax Black
Thermal PasteNoctua NT-H2 Thermal Paste
StorageCorsair Force Series MP510 NVMe SSD, 480GB
Power SupplyCorsair HX750i

With the motherboard standoffs pre-installed, installation of the motherboard was swift and easy. We did run into an issue where a few of the standoff screws did not line up well with our Asus Maximus XI Hero WiFi motherboard, though that appeared to be down to the motherboard’s integrated I/O shield. 

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be quiet! Pure Base 500DX

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
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be quiet! Pure Base 500DX

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)
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be quiet! Pure Base 500DX

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Installing the power supply was also a breeze. Because our Corsair HX750i is quite large, we always choose to pre-select the cables we need for the system and connect those to the PSU before installation, as even in larger cases it can be a pain to hook up the cables afterwards. To install the power supply, you need to attach it to a bracket and then slide it into the system from behind, tightening the thumb screws to secure it. PSU installation here is extremely easy.

Even though we’re not using it for the tests, two 3.5-inch drives installed easily into the HDD caddy with the included screws and anti-vibration grommets.

Cable Management

The rear of the motherboard has 23 mm (0.9 inches) between itself and the side panel, which is a nice amount of room to work with. For cable management, be quiet! has included several Velcro straps and cable guides, making it easy to keep things tidy.  

be quiet! Pure Base 500DX

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Even with the large power supply installed, there was enough room left over between the HDD cage and the PSU to shove all the excess cables. 

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20 Comments Comment from the forums
  • PapaCrazy 28 April 2020 20:29
    BeQuiet -> BeTrendy
    Reply
  • velocityg4 28 April 2020 21:50
    Yea... People buy the BeQuiet! brand because they want their computer to be quiet. Having a niche separates them out from the chaff. I expect they're going to get hammered with bad customer reviews. As loyal customers of the brand buy this case for their next build. Then blast it for being loud.
    Reply
  • kep55 28 April 2020 22:35
    I have a 2007 MacPro with twin Xeon processors, 16GBRAM, multiple fans etc. When my main PC crapped out we swapped in the Mac.We'd have to look at the power light to make sure it was on it was so quiet. We got the PC back from the shop and we thought the local jet port was next to us. So why is an "ancient" Mac so much quieter than the latest & greatest PC.
    Reply
  • Mr5oh 28 April 2020 22:50
    velocityg4 said:
    Yea... People buy the BeQuiet! brand because they want their computer to be quiet. Having a niche separates them out from the chaff. I expect they're going to get hammered with bad customer reviews. As loyal customers of the brand buy this case for their next build. Then blast it for being loud.

    Perhaps, or perhaps they are trying to expand into other market segments? They still make quiet cases as well. Most people looking for the quiet cases should be able to look at this and realize it doesn't have any of those qualities, it's minus the insulation and many of the other things many "quiet" BeQuiet cases have. Niche markets are nice, but in general even if you have die hard fanatic customers, they won't support a company.

    I'd like to see this with an optical drive. However it still checks a lot of other boxes, like plenty of room for a large air cooler. I like it.
    Reply
  • nofanneeded 28 April 2020 23:24
    Your noise high levels are not from the case fans , they are from your GPU and CPU cooling solution.

    correct this fake review.
    Reply
  • islandwalker 29 April 2020 00:05
    nofanneeded said:
    Your noise high levels are not from the case fans , they are from your GPU and CPU cooling solution.

    correct this fake review.
    "Your noise high levels are not from the case fans , they are from your GPU and CPU cooling solution."

    That is what the review says. Unlike most be quiet! cases, this one doesn't dampen noise levels from internal components.
    Reply
  • derekullo 29 April 2020 00:28
    Mr5oh said:
    Perhaps, or perhaps they are trying to expand into other market segments? They still make quiet cases as well. Most people looking for the quiet cases should be able to look at this and realize it doesn't have any of those qualities, it's minus the insulation and many of the other things many "quiet" BeQuiet cases have. Niche markets are nice, but in general even if you have die hard fanatic customers, they won't support a company.

    I'd like to see this with an optical drive. However it still checks a lot of other boxes, like plenty of room for a large air cooler. I like it.
    You can't fault them for trying to expand into different market segments.

    But you don't need to be an expert in advertising to realize that naming your company Be Quiet! pigeonholes you into creating a certain kind of product.

    There is no law saying they can't make loud products, but all of the marketing and advertising thus far has gone into reinforcing that belief.

    For example, Chik-fil-A could sell beef burgers, but they already have Chicken in the name.

    Other companies with too specific or unfortunate wording have changed their name to better represent what they sell.

    Best Buy was originally named Sound of Music.
    Shoppers may not intuitively link you with buying refrigerators and televisions.

    Google was originally named Backrub.
    Actually I have no issue with Backrub ... everyone likes backrubs.
    Reply
  • Co BIY 29 April 2020 01:29
    "For cooling, the chassis comes with three 900 RPM Pure Wings 2 fans that use voltage control for regulation (3-pin). Although we’d prefer to see PWM control, at this price point the latter is far from expected. "

    I think you meant former instead of latter.

    I wouldn't bother except that reviews like this are long lived.

    This case probably deserves a separate line that breaks it a bit apart from the be quiet! tradition.

    "light case!" by be quiet! Real marketers could probably do better (or much much worse).
    Reply
  • deesider 29 April 2020 01:40
    kep55 said:
    I have a 2007 MacPro with twin Xeon processors, 16GBRAM, multiple fans etc. When my main PC crapped out we swapped in the Mac.We'd have to look at the power light to make sure it was on it was so quiet. We got the PC back from the shop and we thought the local jet port was next to us. So why is an "ancient" Mac so much quieter than the latest & greatest PC.
    Latest doesn't always mean greatest
    Reply
  • PapaCrazy 29 April 2020 01:41
    kep55 said:
    I have a 2007 MacPro with twin Xeon processors, 16GBRAM, multiple fans etc. When my main PC crapped out we swapped in the Mac.We'd have to look at the power light to make sure it was on it was so quiet. We got the PC back from the shop and we thought the local jet port was next to us. So why is an "ancient" Mac so much quieter than the latest & greatest PC.

    You didn't hear the latest and greatest then. Or atleast not the greatest. The PC market is larger, with plenty of poor examples. But when done right, PCs are hard to beat for silence because of the selection of components available. I have a 2010 MacPro and a PC in a Silverstone FT-02 (a 10 year old case) and the PC is quieter. The Mac has a slight ambient hum from anywhere in the room. The only sound from the PC is air moving, which becomes silent at 3ft. There's also the temp differences... much of the reason Macs run quietly is simply because Apple decided to sacrifice thermals when setting the fan curves.
    Reply