Be Quiet! Pure Base 500 FX Review

Introduction and technical specifications of the Be Quiet! Pure Base 500FX

Be Quiet! it’s anniversary, the company turns 20 and to celebrate it has launched a special series of products equipped with ARGB lighting. we have the box Pure Base 500FX, “all in one” liquid cooling Pure Loop 2 FX and the Pure Rock 2 FX tower cooler.

Today we bring you the Review of the Be Quiet! Pure Base 500FXa revision of the Pure Base 500 DX equipped with different Addressable RGB lighting zones together with a new ARGB and fan controller that allows synchronizing and centralizing all lighting and ventilation options.

Technical characteristics of the Be Quiet! Pure Base 500FX:

• Semi-Tower format in black
• Support for ATX, Micro ATX and Mini ITX motherboards
• Measures 450 x 232 x 463mm
• 8KG weight
• 7 expansion ports
• Space for 369 mm GPUs.
• Space for 190mm heatsinks.
• Space for 258 mm sources (225 if we move the HDDs to the rear).
• 1 x USB-A 3.0.
• 1 x USB-C 3.1 (3.2 Gen 2).
• 2 x 3.5 mm minijack (headphones/microphone).
• 5 x 2.5″ bays.
• 2 x 3.5″ bays.
• ARGB lighting on the front and interior area.
• Integrated ARGB and fan controller.
• Support for heatsinks up to 190 mm.
• Support for sources up to 258 mm (225 with the HDD cage).
• Support for graphics up to 369 mm.
• Support for radiators:

  • Front: 120, 140, 240, 280 and 360 mm.
  • Upper: 120 and 240 mm.
  • Rear: 120 and 140 mm.

• Support for 6 fans.
• 3 x 120mm 1700RPM Light Wings PWM fans.
• 1 x 140mm 1500RPM Light Wings PWM fan.
• Air filters in each and every one of the entrances.
• Acoustic insulation on the right side cover.
• Tempered glass on the left side cover.
• Price: 149.90 euros (119.90 euros during the anniversary promotion in August and September)

Design and Connectivity

We will find few novelties in this Be Quiet! Pure Base 500 FX compared to its sisters, the Pure Base 500 and, above all, the Pure Base 500 DX. While the first model had a smooth front, the DX introduced a grille front that prioritized more cooling, and this Pure Base 500FX It is based on that design.

We still have that front with two curved grilles located between a central column equipped with RGB lighting. One of the new features that the FX introduces is that instead of a single Silent Wings fan on the front, we now have three 120mm Light Wings with ARGB lighting, which makes it look much more striking when they are turned on. In addition, it is combined with another 140mm rear fan from the same range and with the same type of Addressable RGB lighting.

The front can be removed and reveals an ingenious three-pin system for lighting that avoids having to walk with cables.

All fans are now controlled from a HUB and ARGB/PWM controller which we didn’t have in previous versions. Beyond those changes, the tower is practically identical, although this time the finish is black and there is no white variant.

We have a large tempered glass panel on the left side, it is fixed by four large screws with a rubber stopper. This anchoring system has the advantage of having a fairly elegant finish, but in return, placing and removing the glass is a more cumbersome task than if we had a sliding or hinged panel.

The internal distribution of Be Quiet! Pure Base 500FX it is also the same as the other Pure Base 500 models. Therefore, it has a dual-chamber system, with a main chamber where the board and directly connected components go, and inside, a compartment to place the power supply and hard drives 3.5 in. This compartment is inside the tempered glass and does not form the outer structure of the box.

In terms of connectivity, we repeat the USB-C 3.1 port, now also known as USB-C 3.2 gen 2, along with a USB-A 3.0 (3.2 Gen 1), and two audio connectors, one for output to headphones or speakers, and one for the microphone. In addition, we have a power button and a dedicated button to switch between the different lighting modes of the controller. Additionally, the controller can be connected via its own 3-pin connector to a motherboard with RGB synchronization system to be able to manage it from there.

At the back, the source goes in the lower area, above we have 7 PCI slots.

Cooling Capabilities of the Be Quiet! Pure Base 500FX

Although the cooling capabilities of the Pure Base 500 FX are the same as the Pure Base 500 DX, it does have more fans as standard and eliminates the need to add extra fans, unless we have very specific needs.

Therefore, we still have room for 6 fans: three in the front 120mm (or two 140mm), two 120 or 140mm in the upper area, and one in the rear, also 120 or 140mm. . So we have room for liquid cooling radiators 360mm, 280mm and smaller in the front, 280mm and smaller in the top, and 140mm or 120mm in the rear.

All the main air inlets and outlets have their own washable filter, either at the front with one integrated behind the grille, at the top with a magnetized filter, or at the bottom for the fountain inlet, where there is a filter in a two-lane system.

As standard, the Be Quiet! Pure Base 500 FX comes with three Be Quiet! fans. 120mm Light Wings with PWM and a maximum rotation speed of 1,700 RPM, while in the rear, taking the air out, we have a 140mm Light Wings PWM and a maximum speed of 1,500 RPM. All of them are connected to the PWM controller integrated in the rear area.

With the mesh front, the top and rear openings, in addition to the air intake in the lower area, the Be Quiet! Pure Base 500 FW creates more than enough airflow to cool components with high cooling needs.

However, despite the sound-insulated rear panel, having so many air intake and exhaust areas makes it more difficult to mask the sound of the components.

Mounting and Storage Options

The first thing we usually mount on a computer is the source. Be Quiet! uses its typical back plate system, a piece that we screw to the source and that allows us to insert it from behind, facilitating assembly. The space for the source is more than enough, but we can always remove the mechanical hard drive module and have much more area to leave cables or large format sources.

Now we can mount the motherboard in the main chamber, there is plenty of room widthwise, in fact larger E-ATX boards fit and we have some margin lengthwise, especially at the top. There are areas to pass the cables both above, slightly hidden vertically, and below and on the side thanks to a vertical column with an opening towards the rear tray.

To place a 2.5-inch SSD or HDD we have several options. One of them is in the tray where the ARGB and fan controller is. The problem is that all the cables come already fixed, and we cannot easily open it without disconnecting them. The easiest way would have been to put the SSD/HDD before putting the motherboard, so that we would have access to the screw holes from the inside.

We have another tray placed vertically that allows us to place two 2.5″ drives in the main chamber. To do this, you just have to remove a thumb screw and take out the tray, place the SSDs / HDD and screw it back on. A small plate of be quiet!, removable in plastic allows to hide the cables.

We can also place them in the module for 2.5 and 3.5″ hard drives. If we want to place 3.5″ we have special screws that are fixed in the rubber bumpers.

There’s plenty of room for graphics cards of virtually any size, leaving a clean, unobstructed build.

The rear cable management is a bit limited, having that controller in the rear area and little space between the cover and the tray, means that if we have a cable that is not flat, such as the 24-pin cable, we have to close it by pressure the lid, leaving marks on the acoustic insulation.

Analysis and Conclusion

The Be Quiet! Pure Base 500FX part of a good base such as the Pure Base 500 DX, which in turn already started from an excellent box on which to enhance its cooling.

In this new model we have a nod to lovers of RGB lighting, who will be able to build a computer with an explosion of color and manageable from its own controller or from its motherboard together with the 4 RGB fans. The more pragmatic will find the same cooling possibilities, but now with four pre-installed fans that are more than enough to cool high-performance equipment without the need for more additions.

The combined ARGB and PWM fan controller allows direct control of all the fans without having to occupy different ports on the motherboard, it was something that we missed in the 500 DX and that this 500 FX has been able to solve. Its only handicap is that it occupies a 2.5″ tray and makes it difficult for us to access another, in addition to limiting the space for cable management on the back a little more.

Beyond those details, the Be Quiet! Pure Base 500FX It is a box with a fairly compact size that allows a high-performance computer to be mounted easily and widely, with excellent ventilation and good finishes.

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