The German hardware manufacturer be quiet! has become known worldwide primarily for its high-quality and particularly quiet power supply units. However, be quiet! has also been a major player in the CPU cooler and case segment for many years and has already won one or two awards with products from the “Dark Base”, “Silent Base” and “Pure Base” series. In February 2025, be quiet! updated the Pure Base 500 series. The new Pure Base 501 is available in a version with a closed or perforated front panel as well as in white or black. The manufacturer also offers variants with side windows and/or RGB elements. Today we have the be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow in white with side window in our test.
Technical details
| Model: | be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow |
| Case type: | Midi-Tower |
| Dimensions: | 231 mm (W) x 449 mm (H) x 450 mm (D) |
| Weight: | 7.2 kg |
| Material: | Steel, plastic |
| Color: White | White |
| Front connections: | 1x USB 3.1 Type-C, 2x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1x headphone/microphone |
| Drive bays: | 1x 3,5″/ 2,5″ 1x 3,5″ 4x 2,5″ |
| Expansion slots: | 7x horizontal |
| Form factors: | ATX, µATX, ITX |
| Ventilation: | Front: 3x 120/ 140 mm Rear: 1x 120/ 140 mm Top: 2x 120 / 2x 140 mm |
| Radiators: | Front: 1x 240/ 280/ 360 mm Rear: 1x 140 mm Lid: 1x 240 mm |
| Max. CPU cooler height: | 178 mm |
| Max. Graphics card length: | 368 mm |
| Max. Power supply length: | 250 mm (without HDD cage), 180 mm (with HDD cage) |
| Space for cable management: | 25 mm |
| Price: | € 87.10 * |
| Special features: | Dust filter, cable management, tempered glass, bracket for vertical GPU mounting |
be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow Test: The scope of delivery
be quiet! packs the Pure Base 501 Airflow in a simple brown cardboard box. In addition to two pictures of the midi tower, a list of the most important features and a table with the technical data are printed on the cardboard. The color of the case can also be identified by a colored sticker.
Inside the box, the manufacturer wraps the Pure Base 501 in three blocks of polystyrene and a plastic film. The third block was placed in front of the front panel. The accessories are housed in the HDD cage and therefore inside the case. In a small, brown box we find a bag with all the necessary mounting screws, six cable ties, four Velcro strips and a mounting frame for vertical GPU mounting. Last but not least, a detailed and color-printed assembly manual is also included.
Exterior impression
From the outside, it’s easy to see that the Pure Base 501 is the successor to the Pure Base 500. However, the front panel of the Airflow version is not closed, but consists of a continuous mesh grille. The grille has no special shapes and is attached to a sturdy plastic frame. If you pull this frame forward, we discover a fine and easily removable fabric dust filter and the first pre-installed 140 mm fan behind it. Two more 140 mm or alternatively three 120 mm fans could be mounted here.
be quiet! also prepares everything for a good airflow in the lid. Underneath a magnetic mesh filter, which is enclosed in a plastic frame, be quiet! has installed a rail system for two 140 mm or two 120 mm fans. Unfortunately, there is no space for a 360 mm radiator due to the shallow depth of the case.
The I/O panel is once again positioned at an angle between the front panel and the lid section and is equipped with three USB ports (1x USB-C, 2x USB-A), an HD audio port as well as a white illuminated power button, a reset button and an HDD activity LED.
On the left side of the Pure Base 501, be quiet! has installed a side panel made of tempered glass, which is attached to a steel frame. In the white version, the glass is untinted, whereas in the black version it is slightly darkened. The right side panel, on the other hand, is made of steel and has an insulating mat on the inside. This makes the panel heavier and significantly more torsion-resistant. Finally, both side panels have a recessed grip and two knurled screws each for fastening.
The design of the rear of this midi tower corresponds to the current standard. In the upper area we find the second pre-installed 140 mm fan and below it seven perforated and reusable slot covers. The scope of delivery also includes all the necessary components, excluding the riser cable for horizontal GPU mounting. Finally, the mounting position for the power supply unit can be seen at the bottom of the base.
Finally, let’s take a look under the midi tower. This is dominated by a large ventilation opening for the power supply unit and a fine fabric dust filter that spans the entire base and can simply be pulled out to the front for cleaning. Four plastic feet with glued-on rubber surfaces give the Pure Base 501 a secure stand. These protect the surface and help to reduce vibrations.
Interior impression
The interior features a classic layout in the form of a large main chamber and a significantly smaller power supply chamber, which are separated from each other by a cover. The main chamber has an open design and offers space for an ATX mainboard, a large CPU cooler or two radiators and a long graphics card. Several cable management openings can be seen around the mainboard tray.
In favor of the airflow, no HDD sleds or other obstacles were placed behind the pre-installed front fan. Although the cable cover for the 24-pin ATX cable protrudes relatively far, it is perforated and can be removed completely if necessary. The heated air then disappears passively via the lid or actively through the pre-installed fan at the rear. The slot covers are also perforated for additional fresh air.
As already mentioned, the two chambers are separated by a power supply cover, which has a small and a large opening for cables. In addition, a large section has been cut out behind the front, allowing the installation of large radiators if the HDD cage is removed or moved.
There is up to 25 millimeters of space for cables on the back of the motherboard tray and plenty of eyelets for attaching cable ties. In addition, the white cables of the I/O panel have been neatly pre-routed with four Velcro strips. However, it is somewhat incomprehensible that only the HD audio cable has colored wires flashing through.
The power supply unit is obviously located underneath the power supply cover and rests decoupled on four thin rubber strips. To the left, we can see the modular HDD cage, which can be screwed into two different positions or removed completely.
The be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow offers sufficient options for data carriers. Two 3.5″ or one 3.5″ and one 2.5″ hard disk can be installed in the large HDD cage. The 3.5″ HDDs are additionally decoupled by pre-installed rubber buffers and despite being screwed in. This midi tower also has two SSD mounting frames, each with space for two 2.5″ SSDs. A screwdriver is always required to attach all data carriers.
Processing
The be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow leaves no room for criticism in terms of workmanship. With a total weight of 7.2 kilograms and a volume of around 48 liters, you can already imagine that the thickness of the material is decent at every point. No element of the midi tower rattles and everything sits where it should. Sharp edges are also nowhere to be found on the Pure Base 501 Airflow. The same applies to paint defects.
be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow test: Installation of the components
Now we come to the system installation in the be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow test. As hardware we use an AMD Ryzen 5 1400* on an ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus* with 16GB Crucial Ballistix Sport LT gray DDR4-2666*. The Ryzen is cooled by an Alpenföhn Brocken 4* and is overclocked to 3.8 GHz (1.175 V). A Gigabyte AORUS GTX 1060 6GB is responsible for the image output. The power supply is provided by the fully modular LC-Power LC550 V2.31 Platinum*.
The installation of our test system in the be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow was very quick and easy. All spacers were pre-installed in the correct positions and there is more than enough space both in front of and behind the motherboard tray, as well as sufficient holding points and Velcro strips for neat cable routing. We found the large cable cover next to the mainboard tray to be somewhat impractical. Although this covers the cables very well, it also makes it quite difficult to plug the cables in properly.
We would describe the interior of the be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow as spacious overall. CPU coolers can be up to 178 millimeters high and graphics cards up to 368 millimeters long, which is just about enough for even the largest high-end cards without a front radiator. With a radiator, the choice of GPU has to be limited accordingly. However, this is a good keyword, as a 280 mm or 360 mm radiator can be mounted in the front if the HDD cage is removed. A 240 mm radiator also fits in the lid. The power supply should not be longer than 180 millimeters in the Pure Base 501 Airflow with HDD cage.
be quiet! installs two 140 mm Pure Wings 3 fans in the Pure Base 501 Airflow ex works. The fans are completely white in color and have seven fan blades as well as a completely white 4-pin PWM cable. The speed range of the fans is between 300 and 1200 revolutions per minute. Unfortunately, mechanisms for decoupling have not been implemented in these fans.
Load test
Finally, we come to the temperatures reached in the be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow test. During the stress test, Prime95 and FurMark were run at a room temperature of 20 °C for 30 minutes. In addition, the stress test was carried out in the standard fan configuration with three speeds (minimum speed, 50% PWM and 100% PWM). The results are listed in the table below.
Scenario |
Temperature |
| CPU: 50% PWM (1220 rpm) GPU: 50% PWM (1650 rpm) Front: 1x 140 mm minimum speed (280 rpm) Rear: 1x 140 mm minimum speed (330 rpm) without side panels/ without lid |
CPU: 55.0 °C GPU: 59.0 °C |
| CPU: 50% PWM (1220 rpm) GPU: 50% PWM (1650 rpm) Front: 1x 140 mm minimum speed (280 rpm) Rear: 1x 140 mm minimum speed (330 rpm) |
CPU: 67.6 °C GPU: 71.2°C |
| CPU: 50% PWM (1220 rpm) GPU: 50% PWM (1650 rpm) Front: 1x 140 mm 50% PWM (670 rpm) Rear: 1x 140 mm 50% PWM (680 rpm) |
CPU: 59.8 °C GPU: 65.9 °C |
| CPU: 50% PWM (1220 rpm) GPU: 50% PWM (1650 rpm) Front: 1x 140 mm 100% PWM (1200 rpm) Rear: 1x 140 mm 100% PWM (1220 rpm) |
CPU: 55.0 °C GPU: 62.5 °C |
The cooling performance of the be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow is already excellent ex works and our test system remains well within the green range. This midi tower therefore offers sufficient scope for cooling more power-hungry components. The pre-installed Pure Wings 3 fans also make a good impression. They operate very quietly up to a speed of 900 revolutions per minute and we couldn’t hear any disturbing background noise.
be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow test: Conclusion
Now we come to the conclusion of the be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow test. Overall, this midi tower leaves us with a very good impression. It is cleanly finished, offers a lot of space for hardware thanks to the spacious interior and can convince with excellent cooling. Furthermore, be quiet! installs two high-quality Pure Wings 3 fans ex works and relies on easy-to-clean dust filters at all relevant points. Finally, the Pure Base 501 Airflow has a modern I/O panel and allows the installation of up to six data carriers.
The negative aspects of the Pure Base 501 Airflow are actually limited. Due to the reduced case depth, the space for graphics cards quickly shrinks if you decide to install a front radiator. It is also somewhat incomprehensible to us why the manufacturer has designed all cables completely white and then lets the colored wires of the HD audio cable shine through. We also found the cable cover on the side of the mainboard to be somewhat impractical for cabling and all data carriers require tools for installation.
If you don’t like the look of the white version with side window, you’re spoiled for choice. The Pure Base 501 is available in black or white, with or without Windows and with or without RGB. The manufacturer also offers a classic silent version without a mesh front panel. There should be something for every taste and budget. The € 87.10 * expensive Pure Base 501 Airflow definitely gets a buy recommendation from us.
- Spacious interior
- Excellent cooling
- Very good workmanship
- Quality of the pre-installed fans
- Space for six data carriers
- Three high-quality dust filters
- Modern I/O panel
- Extensive accessories
- HDD decoupling for 3.5″ HDDs
- Limited space for GPUs when mounting a front radiator
- Colored wires on the HD audio cable
- Partially impractical cable cover
- No tool-free HDD mounting
be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow
Processing
Structure
Equipment
Cooling
Price-performance ratio
91/100
The be quiet! Pure Base 501 Airflow is a very good midi tower with plenty of space, good workmanship and features and can impress with its excellent cooling performance. There are only a few weaknesses.
