Hey everyone, I'm in the process of building a new PC primarily for design and photo editing, with some gaming on the side. I'm aiming for a budget of around 2000 euros, and the i9-12900K seems to be a great option for my needs. However, I'm concerned about cooling, specifically regarding the Be Quiet Pure Base 501 case I'm considering. I want a quiet, solid, and closed case with no RGB lighting, but I'm unsure if the two fans in this case will be sufficient for heat management with the i9-12900K. I've got a couple of cooling options in mind: the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE and the Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 Black. While the Thermalright isn't too loud and performs well, I'm not sure if it would be better than the AIO in a dampened case. Would it be better to consider other cases like the Be Quiet Silent Base 802 or stick with the Pure Base 501? Here are the rest of my specs: PSU Deepcool PN1000M, Asus TUF GAMING Z790-PRO WIFI motherboard, G.SKILL Trident Z5 Black 64GB RAM, MSI GeForce RTX 5070, and a Lexar NM790 4TB SSD.
1 Answer
Honestly, I'd steer clear of the base version of the Pure Base 501. With its 2 fans and solid front panel, it might struggle to keep things cool. Upgrading to the 501 Airflow or 501 LX with mesh fronts is a better option for airflow. Closed front cases can get pretty loud because fans have to work harder when there's no airflow. For cooling, the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 is solid for price and performance, but the AIO isn't significantly better unless you're pushing the limits. If you're doing design work, you might even want to consider the AMD 9700X instead; it performs well for that kind of task and runs cooler. Definitely lean towards airflow for your GPU too!
Thanks for the tip! I did notice there's a closed Airflow version for the 501, but it's only available in white. I’m also looking into the Silent Base 802 and Fractal Design Meshify 3 XL, but they're a bit pricier. I would prefer having a closed front, but I’m not sure how I’d feel about the transparent panels.