be quiet! PURE BASE 600 Mid-Tower Chassis Review

1. Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing
2. Packaging
3. be quiet! PURE BASE 600 Mid-Tower Chassis
4. Inside the PURE BASE 600
5. Inside the PURE BASE 600 Continued
6. Hardware & Documentation
7. Case Build & Finished Product
8. Final Thoughts

TweakTown's Rating: 98%

The Bottom Line

be quiet!'s Pure Base 600 mid-tower scores high in all aspects! It's sleek, silent, modular, and best of all, affordable. These are all great reasons to grab one for yourself, and enjoy all the hard work put into this design.

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

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To date, this only makes the fourth chassis that we've seen from be quiet! While we saw the top of the line from them with the Dark Base Pro 900 chassis, we were also privy to seeing two cases which were a step down from the Dark Base chassis, and is when be quiet! brought forth the Silent Base 600 and 800 cases. The reason why we have you here today is to introduce one more series of cases from be quiet! at this time.

The latest addition to the be quiet! lineup will fall into the Pure Base series. Keeping with much of what be quiet! is known for in cases, the idea here is to offer a mid-tower that is inclusive of its features, yet is something more affordable for the masses. Sound deadening, and absorption is still a major factor in this chassis, but so is simplicity both externally and internally. The design screams that it is a be quiet! design but is also clean, without much flash about it. On the inside, there is everything you will desire, including a few water cooling locations, modularity in some of the components, and handling wire management with plenty of room and options.

The be quiet! Pure Base 600 is the chassis which we are about to show you over the next few pages. It delivers in features, it is versatile, and modular, and appears to come in two variations. The options at this time are to get the chassis, which is black, with black trim or silver trim. Whatever the choice, the cost is the same, and with everything we are about to see offered in the Pure Base 600 mid-tower chassis, it won't take long to get a feel for the value found in this chassis.

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As far as specifications go, be quiet! tends to offer up anything they can think one might want to know and is why it is so lengthy. We start off with the fact that this chassis takes an ATX PS/2 power supply, and that the chassis will house Mini-ITX, Micro-ATX, or ATX motherboards, and that these motherboards have room for a backplate. The Pure Base 600 stands 492mm tall, it is 220mm wide, and is 470mm from front to back, and does not come with a window option. The chassis is black, and as shipped, it weighs in at 7.44 kg. There are no USB 2.0 ports, but there is a pair of USB 3.0 ports. There are HD Audio connections, the case has seven expansion slots, and seven fan mounting locations.

The top cover is made of plastic, and the side panel is made of solid steel. The front panel is also made of ABS plastic, and so are the feet. Inside of the case, there are two 5.25" bays at the top, and the chassis will also house up to three 3.5" drives or up to eight 2.5" drives. This is done via a trio of modular HDD cages found in the front of the case, as well as a few optional locations for smaller drives.

Cooling is handled by a pair of fans shipped inside of the Pure Base 600. There is a 140mm fan placed in the front of the case, and another one in the back, but the rear fan is 120mm in size. The front fan is shown to spin slower than the rear fan, and the noise level of both is kept to a minimum. There is more airflow and less pressure from the front fan, while the rear is lower in airflow, but higher in pressure. Optionally, three 120mm or two 140mm fans can go in the front of the case, and radiator support matches the fan's capabilities here.

The top of the chassis is made to allow for a trio of 120mm fans or a pair of 140mm fans, and again radiators can be the same as the number of fans that fit. The CPU cooler can be 165mm in height, and the airflow inside of the chassis runs from the front and can be sent out the top cover. The PSU can be 210mm in length, and while we are here, we may as well discuss the 280mm to 425mm of room for the video card.

The last section of the chart covers things like where we find the insulation and noise dampening materials. There are materials found at the top of the chassis, the front, the side panels, the HDD installation, and the PSU installation to either remove vibrations of grab noise that is bouncing around inside. We also see that this chassis comes with a pair of dust filters, one in the front of the case to clean the intake airflow, and one under the PSU for the same reason.

The rest of this section covers the inclusion of HDD mounting screws, and that the Pure Base 600 comes with hook and loop straps to help with wire management. The last thing offered about the chassis, it that for the term of three years after purchase, the Pure Base 600 is covered by be quiet! against any defects or failure.

When it comes to pricing on a mid-tower chassis, we like to applaud those that can stay under the $100 mark, but sometimes the material choices and manufacturing process hikes the price. This is not one of those instances, where you are paying for brand recognition, or fancy glass panels, or anything that would take this Pure Base 600 into an impure state. When it comes to the point of liking this chassis enough to buy it, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Amazon has the case listed at $89, and Newegg has both color options at this time too, and asking just $89.99 for the Pure Base 600 is not only more reasonable to pay but also jacks up the value once you see everything be quiet! has put into this mid-tower chassis.

Chad's Chassis Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD4-B3
• CPU: Intel Core i7 2600K (buy from Amazon)
• Cooler: Corsair H80i GT (buy from Amazon)
• Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL6D-4GBXH
• Video Card: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 970 AMP. Extreme Edition (buy from Amazon)
• Storage: SuperSpeed 128GB SSD
• Power Supply: SilverStone SST-ST85F-G (buy from Amazon)
• OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (buy from Amazon)

Packaging

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Money is not needlessly thrown at the packaging, as a fancy box has nothing to do with the product contained in it. Using plain cardboard with black printing on it, the front of the box offers the company name, a rendering of the chassis, and the Pure Base 600 name below that. Across the bottom, there is a list of features, repeated in three languages.

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The side panel offers the chassis name, a handle, and what we can only guess is a few versions of the text found on the next panel. We also find the companies site address at the bottom.

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On the back, at the top and bottom of the box, we are given statements about the company, and what they hope to provide the user of its products. There is an exploded diagram across the middle, with the ten principal components marked, and they are explained to the right of it.

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The last of the external panels of the box is used to show the customer two things. The first is a condensed specifications chart which is just left of center. On the right, there is a small box which has a silver dot in it, denoting the color of the trim on this chassis.

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Internal packaging is simple, yet effective. There is a plastic bag surrounding the chassis to protect the finishes. To protect against the hazards of shipping, thick Styrofoam caps are used at the top and bottom of the case. As for this particular chassis, its condition is perfect, and it ready for us to look at and take images of.

be quiet! PURE BASE 600 Mid-Tower Chassis

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Even if the name was not so bright and stand out against the brushed black face, the side venting and the angles harken back to other be quiet! cases. The front I/O panel is found at the top, there is a pair of removable panels for 5.25" bay devices, and the look is slick and clean.

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As the front angles back to meet the top of the chassis, we find the full layout in this front I/O panel. Things start on the left with an HDD activity LED, there is a tiny reset button, and then we run into a three stage fan controller switch. In the middle is the backlit power button, and to the right of it are a pair of USB 3.0 ports and the HD Audio jacks.

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Right out of the box, the top of the Pure Base 600 has a plastic cover installed to keep noise inside, yet is vented ever so slightly at the back of the cover.

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The cover can be raised in three stages to allow as much or as little air out of the top of the chassis as needed. The cover is completely removable so that you can run the top open, but it also makes fan or radiator installation possible.

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The left side of the Pire Base 600 is a vast expanse of steel, which has been painted with texture. The body lines meet well at the top and the front of the chassis, and we also see the thumbscrews and handle at the back to remove it.

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The roof of the chassis is extended, and does offer small slits for air to pass through even of the cover is closed. Below that we find the rear I/O opening, and room for a 120mm fan, which is hanging in there now. There are seven expansion slots with passive ventilation off to the side, and a large hole at the bottom for the PSU.

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The right side of the chassis looks just like what we found on the left side. The cool thing about a simple looking case is that if you don't need access inside all of the time, you can set this on the right or the left of you, without any change visually.

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Under the Pure Base 600, we see the use of large ABS plastic legs, and each of them has a rubber pad applied to the bottom to ensure this case does not move about. At the back of the case, there is a long dust filter in place, and it is to be removed out the back for cleaning.

Inside the PURE BASE 600

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After removing the side panels and feeling the heft they had, we flipped them over and found this. Both panels have thick sound absorbing pads applied to the inside of them. This material stretches to where the frame will make contact, as to offer the best results, while not conflicting with how the doors work.

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We popped the front of the chassis off of the frame to have a look around. Inside of the bezel, there is sound absorbing material on the bays as well as the central section, and the mesh can be removed to run it under the sink. Inside of the frame, we find the 140mm fan supplied in this case, and we also see more room for other fans, but the top is currently blocked by bays.

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We have completely removed the plastic cover, and it is now much easier to see what option are here for fans and radiators. The entire section is made of honeycomb mesh and has holes in it to allow for three 120mm fans or a pair of 140mm fans.

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Our first look inside of the case shows us that this mid-tower chassis is open and willing to accept whatever your build may be. The wiring is bundled and held in place near the floor, and we can see the hardware box, which is stuffed in the HDD bay.

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While most cases have eliminated 5.25" bays, the Pure Base 600 is sure to accommodate optical drive users or those who like card readers, bay reservoirs, or additional fan controllers. Notice too, that the bays are stepped down from the top, to allow room for a fan and a thin radiator to fit in the frame above them. The bays can also be removed to allow for additional cooling.

Inside the PURE BASE 600 Continued

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The HDD bays are removable and adjustable into other locations above these three slots. Each tray is capable of having a single 3.5" drive installed into it, or in the case of 2.5" drives, one mounts to the top, and another mounts to the bottom; inside of each bay.

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The motherboard tray comes with a helper standoff in the middle, and all of the other standoffs in place for an ATX motherboard. There is a large opening for the CPU cooler backplate, there are six holes in this image to pass wires through, and tie points are not lacking either.

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The bottom of the motherboard tray has three holes to use to pass wires through from the PSU behind the motherboard tray, and we also see a small rubber pad to isolate the PSU. On the floor of the Pure Base 600, we find four rubber pads which support the PSU over the venting, but there is not a gasket at the back of the chassis.

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The second and last fan shipped inside of the Pure Base 600 is seen here hanging as an exhaust fan. This is a 3-pin powered fan just like that of the one in the front, but rather than using a 140mm fan, the Pure Base 600 only has room for a 120mm fan here. The expansion slots are all ventilated, and they are held into place with thumbscrews, accessed via the removed section in the frame to the left of them.

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Behind the motherboard tray, we are given 25mm at the minimum to wire the chassis. It is easier to see all of the five HDD location from this view, and we also see a pair of 2.5" drive trays hidden behind the motherboard and is how the specs reached eight in total.

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The chassis wiring is black and will blend in with the build quite nicely. There is a ribbon cable which has all of the LEDS and switches from the front I/O panel covered. There is a SATA power lead for the fan controller and a pair of female 3-pin connection to power fans from it. There is a native USB 3.0 connection, and of course, we can't leave out the HD Audio cable.

Hardware & Documentation

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As far as screws are concerned, there are four sets you will need to deal with. There are eight 6-32 screws for the motherboard, and eight M3 screws for mounting 2.5" drives at the top. At the bottom, we see eight thumbscrews for use on the 5.25" bays, and twelve 6-32 screws with large heads for 3.5" drive installation. You will, however, have to dig in the PSU box for mounting screws.

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While there are no rules that say you cannot use wire ties to run the wiring tight against the motherboard tray, it is just that zip ties are not provided with the Pure Base 600. This case comes with hook and loop bands, which can be run through parallel holes in the motherboard tray, to group the wiring and run it down in one large group.

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The manual for the Pure Base 600 starts with an explanation of the hardware and what it is for, then carries on into the build process. Not only does it show how to install all of the components, but it also shows optional locations for everything so there should be no question left without an image or test to help you through.

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In case we were somewhat unclear as to what the cooling options are inside of the case, this pair of pages covers anything on the topic. There is a chart explaining it, there are various layouts shown, and they even address where radiators can be placed, but note that they are all thin radiators.

Case Build & Finished Product

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As expected, nothing about the front of the chassis changed with our system installed. While the lines around the bay covers are noticed, we like the continuation of the brushed finish, rather than to have a device showing through the bezel. However, those who want to use this space have the option to.

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When it came to installing our kit into the Pure Base 600, we found no issues with the motherboard installation, finding holes for various wires, or removing parts we did not need to block the video card from fitting inside. The video card does sag a bit, and we did try to adjust for it, but this is what we ended up with, using a heavy and long video card.

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The dust shield went into place with minimal force, and the thumbscrews gave us no issue when it comes to mounting expansion cards. After digging through some random hardware we had lying around, we opted for thumbscrews to mount the PSU, which is snug and lines up well.

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Using what was given to us, we installed the hook and loop straps in the back of the motherboard tray, and this alone was plenty to maintain the chassis wires. The 8-pin lead stays off to the right by itself and leaves plenty of room to populate the pair of 2.5" drive trays.

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The only complaint about the side panels is their weight, but we also appreciate the measures taken to make this as quiet as possible. Getting the panels back on is a piece of cake, and from this angle, the Pure Base 600 is tightly wrapped to contain noise, and just awaiting the power cable for testing.

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Once powered, the power button is glowing from the white LED under it. We did miss the flicker of the HDD activity light, but it is white also. With very few places to exhaust air in this configuration, our components were comfortable and cool inside, and we had to go to the back of the case to get any sound reading, which was 23 dB a foot away from the exhaust fan.

Final Thoughts

The Pure Base 600 may look ordinary on the outside at first glance, but in this instance, looks are deceiving. Every aspect of the design is easy to figure out why it is there, externally. The vents are on the side of the bezel so that sound deadening material can be used behind it. There is not a window on the left side panel, as plastic will not absorb sound, and the point here is to be silent in operation. The top cover, while adjustable and removable, we appreciate the thin slits at the back of the cover and the back of the case, to route noise away from you went it is left in place.

We also like the addition of the silver rings around the mesh of the bezel. Had they been black, we feel much of the styling this case does offer will get lost. All of this to talk about, and we are chatting up a case that aside from a brushed finish on the front, a quick glance at this chassis leaves you with a feeling that there is not much going on.

Inside, things get even better. Of course, one may be able to complain and say there were no grommets on the inside of the case, and while we saw it, but there is no view into the Pure Base 600, so it has less merit. The ability to use 5.25" drive bays again, or remove them to accommodate water cooling, we liked that. The fact that there are five locations for the three adjustable and removable HDD bays, the fact that they can each house two 2.5" drives, and can easily be kept out of the way of the video cards, which is another huge with for this case. Plenty of room for the power supply and all of the wiring reaches where it needs to go, more than enough room behind the motherboard tray, and offering a pair of hidden 2.5" drive trays keeps the Pure Base 600 in the mix when it comes to comparisons against other mid-tower options.

To top it all off, we still haven't gotten to the fan controller which is built in, and while it is intended for the stock fans, you could use splitters and power groups of fans on it as well. In position one or meter would not show a reading, in position two, we were teetering in the 19 to 20dB range, and at full speed, we had to work to get the reading we did there. Aside from a bit of excess video card sag with our components, there is not anything else to keep us from pointing you in the direction of this chassis.

Considering what we have just gone over in fine detail will only set you back $89.99 at this time, it is easy to appreciate the value that the Pure Base 600 provides. Nothing too aggressive on the outside with a slick and elegant aesthetic, contrasted by the silver moldings and the be quiet! logo on it. Inside of the chassis, we find a well thought out design with many options. Whether air cooling or water cooling, the modularity of this chassis will cover all of your needs.

Without breaking the bank, we feel that the Pure Base 600 from be quiet! is well worth the investment, and with nearly anything you can put inside of it, you will likely not hear a peep from this chassis as it rides shotgun in your office, keeping your parts cool and collected.

Chad's Chassis Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD4-B3
• CPU: Intel Core i7 2600K (buy from Amazon)
• Cooler: Corsair H80i GT (buy from Amazon)
• Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws F3-12800CL6D-4GBXH
• Video Card: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 970 AMP. Extreme Edition (buy from Amazon)
• Storage: SuperSpeed 128GB SSD
• Power Supply: SilverStone SST-ST85F-G (buy from Amazon)
• OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (buy from Amazon)