• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Cooler Master Centurion 530 $48.99 AR

C

cr0ssfire

Senior member
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811119076

Looks like Newegg's got both "instant savings" and a $20 mail-in rebate on the Centurion 530. Personally, I thought that this case was a bargain at $78.99 but at $48.99 after the rebate this deal is unbelievable for what you get. Abso-freakin'-lutely unbelievable.

You know, I've done a lot of research on this case - and those who know me know that when I do research I leave absolutely no stone unturned. I'm actually thinking about returning my P180 (or selling it) and going with this Centurion. The poor GPU cooling in the P180 worries me. Heresy, I know. But this is way I see it, you get all this for $48.99 (plus shipping, I guess):

*Cool metal posts on the front
*Good, sturdy build quality (it is definitely of good quality from what I can tell)
*Stealthed drive bays
*Well-ventilated non-stealthed drive bays that are capable of housing a Cooler Master 4-in-3 device; that's another 120mm intake fan!
*120mm intake fan
*120mm exhaust fan (to be added)
*VGA/PCI area ventilation slits (with a little bit of effort I could probably stick a fan here)
*92mm CPU duct - and if the duct doesn't go over the CPU, you can take it off and put a 92mm fan on
*Tool-less PCI clips

I think that there's a hell of a lot of room for great cooling in this case. Right off the bat, there's room for an intake and exhaust 120mm fan. Since the CPU duct doesn't align properly with an AMD processor - and what gamer in their right mind doesn't use AMD - you can just take it off and put a 92mm intake on it for a little extra cooling. With a little elbow grease you can put a CM 4-in-3 device in the three non-stealthed drive bays to give you another 120mm front intake fan. Doing all of that should give you quite a lot of cooling, but if you wanted to go for some more you could drill a blowhole on the top and stick a 120mm fan up there as well as put a fan near the PCI/VGA areas to round everything off. Man, I think this case could be my very first mod project! 🙂

So, anyone interested in my brand-new, unopened P180? I think I can get great cooling for a lot less than what I paid for it... 😀
 
Well, from what I can tell the internal layout is similar to the Antec SLK-3000b's. Not identical, mind you, but the two share a lot of similarities - there's a 120mm intake and exhaust fan, a CPU duct and VGA slots and I also believe the HD cage on both of them faces the same way. The big-time silence guys at SPCR seem to have plenty of good things to say about the 3000b's silence and cooling ability, so I would expect the Centurion 530 to be much on the same level. I've seen a few people who own the case say that it's nice and quiet, but I have yet to see anyone actually complain about its noise - probably because there's so much room for improvisation in this particular case. And that's definitely cool.

To me, the Centurion 530 looks like a SLK-3000b on steroids. 😀
 
It certainly does seem nice, especially at that price.. and I sure am getting tired of the poor air flow in my Sonata... hmm I'll have to sleep on this one. Thanks for posting it!
 
Originally posted by: supafly
It certainly does seem nice, especially at that price.. and I sure am getting tired of the poor air flow in my Sonata... hmm I'll have to sleep on this one. Thanks for posting it!
Click to expand...

Check SPCR's site for Sonata airflow mods. I did them to mine when I had it and they can significantly improve airflow and are very simple to do.
 
Originally posted by: cr0ssfire
Well, from what I can tell the internal layout is similar to the Antec SLK-3000b's. Not identical, mind you, but the two share a lot of similarities - there's a 120mm intake and exhaust fan, a CPU duct and VGA slots and I also believe the HD cage on both of them faces the same way. The big-time silence guys at SPCR seem to have plenty of good things to say about the 3000b's silence and cooling ability, so I would expect the Centurion 530 to be much on the same level. I've seen a few people who own the case say that it's nice and quiet, but I have yet to see anyone actually complain about its noise - probably because there's so much room for improvisation in this particular case. And that's definitely cool.

To me, the Centurion 530 looks like a SLK-3000b on steroids. 😀
Click to expand...

But the fact that the front is open mesh doesn't necessarily conclude that it would be a silencer's case 😛
 
$15.99 shipping kind of kills the deal. Not to thread crap but the Antec 3000B can be had for <$50 shipped . Still a very good price for this case.
 
Man, if this thing was only 2-3 5.25 bays, it'd be perfect for my htpc. Buttons on the top, black to go with my other equipment, 120mm fans to keep quiet...
 
These are awesome cases. I just built 2 PC's with these (before the rebate was offered, I'm wishing I kept the boxes/UPC's now) and the construction is AS GOOD AS IT GETS.

The cooling capacity is excellent. They are loud(er) than most cases because the whole front face is a vent, but it's a moot point. The trade-off for the additional heat disipation provided by the ventilated face more than makes up for the few dB noise increase.
 
Originally posted by: Ricemarine
Originally posted by: cr0ssfire
Well, from what I can tell the internal layout is similar to the Antec SLK-3000b's. Not identical, mind you, but the two share a lot of similarities - there's a 120mm intake and exhaust fan, a CPU duct and VGA slots and I also believe the HD cage on both of them faces the same way. The big-time silence guys at SPCR seem to have plenty of good things to say about the 3000b's silence and cooling ability, so I would expect the Centurion 530 to be much on the same level. I've seen a few people who own the case say that it's nice and quiet, but I have yet to see anyone actually complain about its noise - probably because there's so much room for improvisation in this particular case. And that's definitely cool.

To me, the Centurion 530 looks like a SLK-3000b on steroids. 😀
Click to expand...

But the fact that the front is open mesh doesn't necessarily conclude that it would be a silencer's case 😛
Click to expand...

Well, no, of course it wouldn't be a silence nut's case. That's why they make cases like the P180. But while it may not be the absolute quietest case in the world, I can imagine that with the installation of some good fans it would be reasonably quiet while giving exceptional cooling performance. The vented front, the ventilation on the side, and quite a bit of room for customization could make this one of the best case deals I've seen in some time.

My personal opinions aside, silence - although it's a plus - never kept anybody's hardware cool.
 
I love coolermaster products. I have a wavemaster and i love it. Its been sturdy and works very. This is a good deal..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top