A Closer Look - Outside

Out of the box, the be quiet! Pure Base 501 DX manages to present an evolved design that still revolves around the pair of ARGB LED strips, which can be considered a signature element of this series. In this version, these are a bit more elaborate and the be quiet! logo has moved to the bottom of the chassis.


From the front, the 501 DX is mostly mesh, with the LED strips acting as a line between the solid elements of the chassis. While the 500 DX had gentle bends to give the front some depth, the be quiet 501 DX goes for curves closer to the sides instead. Looking at the rear, the layout is quite traditional with the PSU bay on the very bottom.


The main side is made out of glass, which is in turn secured with two thumb screws in a clean fashion through the rear of the frame. This is a definitive and expected change in comparison to its predecessor, as big thumbscrews through the glass are no longer considered appropriate for modern enclosures - in fact, it was even a bit outdated on the 500 DX in 2020. The glass itself is framed nicely in black, so it covers the bare frame of the Pure Base 501 DX well. Turning the enclosure around, it is completely solid and held in place by two thumb screws of its own.


You may pry the whole front cover off to reveal a magnetic dust filter that may simply be taken off to gain access to a Pure Wings 3 140 mm, retail-grade PWM 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 501 DX can hold a radiator of up to 360 mm here. To power the embedded lighting elements, a clean PCB with pins connects the cover to the front perfectly.


At the bottom, there is the PSU bay with two sets of mounting holes, so that you have complete flexibility on where the fan of the unit should face. That said, you will likely want it pointing downward due to the metal shroud. Above that are the seven expansion slots, each protected by a reusable cover that is held in place by a thumb screw. These are now bridgeless, so that you can rotate the setup with the included accessories as we will see later on. A plate on the side allows you to further secure these with two more thumb screws. In the very top is another Pure Wings 3 140 mm fan. This one is set to push air out the back of the Pure Base 501 DX.


In the ceiling there is a magnetic shroud to reveal mounting holes for two 120 or two 140 mm fans. This is where be quiet! has placed the third and final Pure Wings 3 140 mm fan, also set to pull hot air out of the chassis. Alternatively, a radiator of up to 240 mm should fit here as well. While this was fine in 2020, now, five years later, this falls short of what most modern mid-towers are capable. The majority can easily handle 280 and 360 mm variants in the ceiling. The IO of the be quiet! Pure Base 501 DX has been updated to include a single USB Type-C connector alongside two USB 3.0 ports. Furthermore, you get both a dedicated ARGB toggle button and the reset button has made a comeback, whereas it was missing on the 500 DX.


There 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.