Endorfy Arx 500 ARGB – Reaching for the Stars

Endorfy recently introduced the Arx 500 ARGB case, which promises excellent cooling right out of the box thanks to its four 140x140mm fans. The Arx 500, like its larger counterpart the Arx 700, is the first line of cases designed and manufactured by Endorfy – their first in-house cases.

Endorfy Arx 500 ARGB - Introduction and Specifications

The Endorfy Arx 500 is available in two versions: without illuminated fans or with ARGB fans. Both versions are available only in black, with a white variant not yet offered by Endorfy. We’ll see if this color will be added in the future.

The Arx 500 is suitable for motherboards with a maximum ATX format, and despite this format, the case is relatively compact, which many will find appealing – it appears to be somewhere between a Mini ITX and a standard ATX case.

Specifications

Endorfy Arx 500 ARGB - Exterior

Recently, the focus has been on airflow, and like the previously tested ASUS GT302 case, the Endorfy Arx has made this its primary goal. The front of the case is equipped with three 140mm fans, which are visible to the naked eye – airflow is a priority here.

Design-wise, the case is “standard,” with the only slight difference being the front panel, which is extended to the right side along the side panel. The material of the case is typical for Endorfy (even though this is now their own production) – meaning slightly thinner sheets than what is usually found in more “premium” cases. This is most noticeable in the solid side panel, which is made of relatively thin metal. Overall, however, the case gives a fairly solid impression.

Endorfy Arx 500 ARGB - Interior

The internal layout of the case is well designed to meet today’s PC building needs. The main cable openings are protected by rubber, and this also applies to the GPU opening, which is not necessarily required but was certainly aesthetically pleasing in my test setup.

So, everything is in the right place, and everything is easily accessible (even if you place the cables in the wrong order…). However, when you turn the case around, there are two things that weren’t designed very well.

The hub for fans and LED connections is mounted on top of each other and simply screwed in – both move to the touch, giving an overall cheaper feel. But it works.

The second thing that puzzled me is the placement of all the case cables plus zip ties through the cable openings. The zip ties even go through the middle of each opening, which is honestly quite annoying.

Endorfy Arx 500 ARGB - Installation, test setup

Continuing from the previous section, the only thing that bothered me during installation was the zip ties, which unnecessarily complicated cable management.

The rest of the installation was straightforward without major issues. Installing the motherboard, graphics card, and connecting cables at the end was trouble-free.

Endorfy Arx 500 ARGB - Performance

The Endorfy Arx 500 is the first case to undergo new testing (CPU cooling test, GPU cooling test, noise measurement, and airflow measurement inside the case) – the new CPU cooler used is the Endorfy Fera 5, while the graphics card remains from the last test – Sapphire Pure RX 7700 XT. The chart might be sparse, but more cases are waiting for testing, like the Silverstone Fera 511 and Corsair 6500.

The methodology for measuring CPU and GPU temperatures will be as follows:

Case fan speeds will be set to 700 RPM

CPU cooler fan speed will be set to 1000 RPM

GPU fan speeds will also be set to 1000 RPM

The methodology for measuring noise levels will be as follows:

Case noise test (only the case fans at 12V) will be measured from a distance of 1 meter.

The methodology for measuring airflow speed will be as follows:

Airflow speed from the fans will be measured at the level of the CPU cooler (although not 100% accurate, this measurement will provide an idea of the filter restrictions).

Prime95 will be used for the CPU cooling test, and Furmark for the GPU test.

Endorfy Arx 500 ARGB - Conclusion

The Endorfy Arx 500 ARGB is quite a successful case. Despite coming with four 140mm fans, I have a reservation about its price. It’s still Endorfy (and I don’t mean this in a bad way), and the price averages around 107 Euros, while the standard Arx 500 without ARGB fans averages 95 Euros. For 80 Euros, you can buy the NZXT H5 Flow case (2x120mm fans), for approximately 95 Euros you have the Fractal Design Pop Air (3x120mm fans), and for around 100 Euros the Be Quiet Pure Base 500 (3x140mm fans).

Considering the slightly lower quality of the metal and comparing it to the competition, Endorfy should slightly adjust the price towards 100 Euros. I think the Arx 500 would achieve more success at that price.