A Closer Look - Outside

Out of the box, the Pure Base 500 looks very similar to the Pure Base 600 when it comes to the design language. 45° angled corners with soft edges dominate the look, which leaves quite a bit of space for air vents on the side of the chassis.


The front is made out of plastic, but be quiet! created a brushed feel which really helps make it look so much nicer. You may pry the whole cover off, which is lined with sound dampening material and comes with dust filters on the air vents on its sides. Behind it, you will find a retail-grade 140 mm fan with the space to install one more of the same size or opt for three 120 mm units instead. If you are into liquid cooling, the Pure Base 500 can hold a radiator of up to 360 mm here as well.


Looking at the rear, the layout is quite traditional with the PSU bay on the very bottom. Due to the internal shroud, be quiet! has opted for a frame for you to slide the power supply in through the back of the enclosure. Above that are the seven expansion slots, each protected by a reusable cover that is held in place by a thumb screw. A plate on the side allows you to further secure these with two more thumb screws. In the very top, you will find another 140 mm retail-grade fan. This one is set to push air out the back of the Pure Base 500. It is great to see that a mass-market case like this comes equipped with two 140 mm units out of the box!


The main side is made of glass, which in turn is secured with four thumb screws. The glass itself is framed nicely in black, so it covers the bare frame of the Pure Base 500 nicely. Turning the enclosure around, it is completely solid and held in place by two thumb screws of its own.


In the top, you will find a solid cover that is held in place by magnetic strips. Underneath it are offset mounting holes for two 120 mm fans or a radiator of up to 240 mm. However, you may also opt to install a single 140 mm unit here if you like. Thanks to the additional dust-filter-equipped cover, those who have active cooling in the ceiling of the Pure Base 500 won't have to worry about dirt and grime entering through this part o the chassis, either. The I/O embedded in the front edge is basic but functional, with two USB 3.0 ports and a pair of audio plugs. Interestingly enough, be quiet! eliminated the reset button as well as the HDD activity LED. I for one am a proponent of that LED as it could be quite the useful indicator of whether a system is just hard at work loading an application or actually frozen.


On the underside of the chassis is another dust filter that stretches across the entire underside. Thankfully, you may just pull it out through the front for cleaning, making that task super convenient and painless.