INTRODUCTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   For me the ideal PC case needs to have three things, plenty of interior space for even the largest hardware components, very good build quality (a sturdy build also means less noise coming from it) and looks (even though i have to admit that I’m not very picky when it comes to this). After reviewing PC cases for well over a decade now (and using them for almost 3) however i know that most people out there also care a lot about something else, size. So even though size was never really an issue for me i understand all too well why people have it on top of their lists and that's also why manufacturers tend to focus in the development of such models. Be quiet! really needs no introductions and today with me i have their latest Pure Base 500DX Midi-Tower.

   be quiet! is a premium brand of power supplies, PC cases and cooling solutions for desktop PCs. The products of be quiet! offer legendary quiet operation and first-class performance thanks the passion for quality and precision. Attention to detail is the key to perfection. Which is why our very own experts lead product conception, design and quality control from our headquarters in Germany. be quiet! sticks to its name: More than 15 years experience in the field of noise reduction and silence make be quiet! products probably the most silent ones on the market.

   As clearly revealed by its name the Pure Base 500DX is basically a slightly improved version of the award winning Pure Base 500 be quiet! released last year (review here). This time over the Pure Base 500DX is available in two colors (black and white) and features a tempered glass left side panel, noise dampening material on the right side panel, dual-zone ARGB LEDs (top/front), removable drive cage and trays, three pre-mounted Pure Wings 2 140mm fans (900RPM) and removable air filters (front/top/bottom). As for interior space the latest Pure Base 500DX has enough room for up to two 3.5" and five 2.5" drives, up to six 120mm fans (or 4x140mm & 1x120mm) and/or two 240/280/360mm radiators (the bottom drive cage needs to be removed for thick 360mm models), 190mm tall CPU coolers, 369mm long graphics cards and 258mm long power supply units (225mm if you decide to mount an regular 360mm radiator at the front and keep the drive cage at the same time).

 

 

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PACKACING AND CONTENTS

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always at the front of the plain cardboard box we find a product drawing over its name and beneath the company logo.

 

 

The specifications table is placed on the right side right above the color selection and a sticker with the product serial number and barcode.

 

 

Two 2D barcodes are located on the left side of the box (these should redirect you to the product page).

 

 

At the rear of the box we see an exposed drawing of the Pure Base 500DX.

 

 

Once again, the tower is wrapped inside a plastic bag and placed between two foam spacers.

 

 

Along with the Pure Base 500DX be quiet! packs 6 cable ties, 3 small plastic bags with screws and spacers and the user manual.

 

 

THE PURE BASE 500DX EXTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pure Base 500DX weighs a total of 7.83Kg and measures 501mm in height, 510mm in length and 285mm in width.

 

 

Just like with the Pure Base 500 the 500DX features an left side panel made entirely by tempered glass.

 

 

One of the features i really like about the Pure Base 500DX is its mesh fascia which is divided in left and right by an ARGB LED strip.

 

 

You can always remove the fascia just by pulling it outwards as seen above.

 

 

Here we find a removable air-filter and one of the three Pure Wings 2 140mm fans (there's enough room here for either a second 140mm fan, three 120mm fans and/or a single 240/280/360mm radiator).

 

 

The I/O is once again located on top of the fascia and includes a single USB 3.1 type-C port, USB 3.0 port, on/off power button and LED, ARGB LED button and the usual microphone and headphone ports.

 

 

At the top we find a removable magnetic air filter and right beneath it the 2nd pre-mounted Pure Wings 2 140mm fan (here you can mount up to two 120/140mm fans or a single 240/280mm slim radiator).

 

 

Taking a look at the rear we see the second Pure Wings 2 140mm fan, 7 PCI expansion slots and the PSU area at the bottom.

 

 

The case sits on four tall feet and features a slide in/out air-filter that takes up the entire base of the case.

 

 

THE PURE BASE 500DX INTERIOR

 

 

 

 

 

 

The interior of the Pure Base 500DX is almost identical to that of the Pure Base 500 Window.

 

 

At the front there's enough room for an 240/280/360mm radiator but in order to install an 360mm one you will need to remove the drive cage located at the base of the case (on the left, above and beneath the company logo, there's room for two 2.5" drives).

 

 

The PSU cover is made by steel and is perforated at the top.

 

 

Again, the lack of rubber grommets on the mainboard tray is not ideal.

 

 

As mentioned earlier the right side panel is dressed with noise-dampening material on the inside.

 

 

On the other side of the mainboard tray we see the steel tray used to mount the two front 2.5" drives, steel bar used to mount two more 2.5" drives, the bottom drive cage which can accommodate one 2.5" and two 3.5" drives and of course the PSU area.

 

 

The drive cage is held in place via two thumbscrews so removing it to mount an 360mm radiator at the front is easy (as with the Pure Base 500 you can move the drive cage further to the right if you plan on installing a slim 360mm radiator).

 

 

Both the tray and the bar are held in place with thumbscrews and are made out of steel.

 

 

I think it's also worth pointing out that be quiet! has placed an ARGB LED strip at the top of the case.

 

 

BUILDING THE SYSTEM

 

 

 

 

 

 

As always, the purpose of this section is not to build a functional system but rather to showcase what you can expect from the case at hand in terms of interior space.

Just like with the Pure Base 500 the PSU is installed from the rear of the case so you will first need to mount the bracket as seen above.

 

 

Even with a 360mm radiator at the front and the drive cage there's still plenty of room for units up to 1KW.

 

 

Even though the measurements given by be quiet! make the Pure Base 500DX lengthier and wider compared to the Pure Base 500 model interior space looks identical (quite comfy regardless).

 

 

With enough room for 190mm tall CPU coolers you should be able to mount any model in the market.

 

 

As you can see from the above pictures the front can accommodate 240/280mm and 360mm radiators (with the drive cage placed on the far right you can mount 40mm thick 360mm radiators - without the drive cage there are no thickness limitations).

 

 

Without mounting a front radiator, you have enough room for up to 369mm long graphics cards (around 300mm with a thick radiator and 320-330mm with a regular one).

 

 

NOISE LEVEL TEST

 

 

 

 

 

 

After giving it much thought we decided on performing noise tests with each PC Case we receive by placing our ExTech HD600 vertically on top of each case to measure the noise levels emanating from the pre-installed fans at both 50% and 100% with the help of a fan controller (if the case doesn't have one we use our own).

 

 

CONCLUSION

 

 

 

 

 

 

   When i reviewed the Pure Base 500 Midi-Tower late last year one thing stood out, its very good price/performance (or price/features to be more accurate) ratio. For an affordable midi tower it had it all, a tempered glass side panel, noise dampening coating, interchangeable top covers, removable air-filters, two pre-mounted Pure Wings 2 140mm fans, removable drive cage and trays and plenty of room for most hardware components anyone would want to put inside. The brand new Pure Base 500DX improves on the above recipe by adding ARGB lighting (dual-zone) and a third Pure Wings 2 140mm fan. This of course resulted in three things, better looks (if you’re into ARGB lighting that is), increased airflow levels (thus decreased interior temperatures) and slightly increased noise since the noise dampening material dressed top cover is not present in this bundle.

   Be quiet! announced the Pure Base 500DX Mid-Tower model less than a month ago and today it retails for USD131.45 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 107.92Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which puts it roughly 20% higher compared to the Pure Base 500. Whether or not this price increase is worth choosing the 500DX over the 500 comes down to personal preference but I think it does. That being said the Pure Base 500DX is indeed a valid upgrade over the regular Pure Base 500 and for that it also deserves our Golden Award.

PROS

- High Build Quality
- Tempered Glass Side Panel
- ARGB LED Strips (Front/Top)
- Noise Dampening Coating (Right Panel)
- Radiator Space (Top 240/280mm & Front 240/280/360mm)
- Room For 2x3.5" and 4x2.5" Drives
- Removable Drive Cage & Vertical Trays
- Three Pure Wings 2 140mm Fans
- Space For 190mm Tall CPU Coolers, 258mm Long PSUs and 369mm Long Graphics Cards
- Removable Air Filters (front/top/bottom)

CONS

- No Fan Controller
- No Mainboard Rubber Grommets