My friend who I previously helped build a white-themed computer was suffering from hard drive vibration noise and power supply fan noise. The hard drive noise was somewhat tolerable, but the power supply seemed defective, with the fan running at full speed constantly, making it extremely loud.
After enduring it for some time, my friend decided to purchase a be quiet! Pure Base 500 case. Along with it, he bought the same power supply model I use, the Micronics Classic II 800W.
Here is the packaging box. Being a high-end German product, even the box looks premium.
Unlike other companies that simply put their brand on OEM products, be quiet! manufactures its own cases, and the box is filled with various features and specifications.
This is the previous Daven FT301 case. It looks nice on the outside, but…
My friend tried everything, including placing foam under the hard drive to reduce vibration, but after a week of struggling, he still couldn’t eliminate the noise. If you’re going to use this case, you should stick to SSDs only. If you must use a hard drive, consider a more expensive case. Cheaper cases tend to have significant hard drive vibration noise.
Here’s the Pure Base 500. Just by looking at it, you can tell it’s designed to be extremely quiet. The paint job and overall finish are far superior to cheaper Chinese-made products. There is a reason people are willing to pay more for German engineering, though I don’t mean to imply all Chinese products are inferior—many offer great value. However, there’s a clear reason why premium products still sell well.
My friend, who had a week-long ordeal with noise, chose the version with a solid, soundproof side panel. If you still want RGB lighting, there is a tempered glass version available.
There is a noticeable difference in these small details compared to mediocre Chinese products.
When you’re assembling or disassembling a computer, side panel screws often roll away and get lost easily, but this user-friendly design really deserves praise.
These subtle details highlight the difference in price.
The top dust filter panel allows you to choose between using the solid soundproof panel for noise reduction or the mesh panel for better cooling.
The cable management Velcro straps on the side are a nice touch.
Here’s the motherboard set removed from the FT301 and ready for installation.
I used to spend a lot of time removing standoff screws with pliers, but be quiet! includes a screwdriver adapter. This is my first time using it, and it’s very handy.
The middle standoff on the motherboard tray is not screwed in but serves as a guide pin. This makes it easier to align the motherboard initially.
Although these features are not essential, they show that be quiet! pays attention to details that improve the assembly experience.
The motherboard set is now installed in its new home.
Next up is the new Micronics Classic II 800W power supply. The previous power supply was a Greatwall B650h, which I chose for its bronze rating and positive community reviews, but it turned out to be defective with an uncontrollable fan. The importer, FreeFlow, was slow to respond and rarely answered calls, but they did agree to a replacement by the end of February.
This case uniquely installs the power supply from the back.
Like this.
Here’s the hard drive bay.
You can install the hard drive like this.
With the graphics card installed and cable management completed, it looks neat and tidy.
Even though the cables won’t be visible once the side panel is on, I still did a thorough job with cable management.
Just for show, here’s a shot with the front panel removed.
And one with the panel on.
be quiet!
Here’s a shot after swapping the top panel.
Finally, everything is set up and ready to go!
After all that hard work, it’s time to treat ourselves to something delicious. Chicken is always good, and Bburinkle is always tasty. Pizza is expensive, but definitely worth it. Writing this post makes me want to eat it again.
That’s all for now. Time to order some Bburinkle for dinner.