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Mid-Tower Mega Roundup

 by Joshua Buss on September 8, 2005 12:05 AM EST
48 Comments | Add A Comment
48 Comments
CoolerMaster Centurion 530

As an update to the Centurion 5 reviewed by us in September, the 530 has a number of improvements and makes a solid appearance in this price range, with a cost as low as $70 without a power supply.


Click to enlarge.

One of the nicer aspects of the CoolerMaster case is its ability to house five 5¼” drives, two of which have stealthy covers to mask any off-color bezels. The entire front of the case is perforated black steel and is flanked by two aluminum cylinders for both looks and a small amount of protection.


Click to enlarge.

The port cluster on the Centurian 530 is located on the top of the case, towards the very front - a placement that many users who like to keep their computers on the ground next to them will prefer, as there is much chance of accidentally kicking or just stepping on attached peripherals or cables. The power and reset buttons, along with power and HDD LEDs are also located here.

Removing the front of the 530 isn't too terribly difficult, and once it's pulled off, we can get at the removable filters. Each bay over is lined with foam, and the only other place that air can come in is through the 120mm-sized removable filter.


Click to enlarge.

Let's take a look at the back before opening the side of the 530.


Click to enlarge.

The honeycomb pattern of the 120/92/ 80mm fan grill will allow for plenty of air to move through, and we can also see that the case implements tool-less expansion card holders.

Sunbeam Trio (cont’d) CoolerMaster Centurion 530 (cont’d)
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  • xsilver - Thursday, September 8, 2005 - link

    just because you like the "stealth" look it doesnt mean everybody else does
    why is there a market for car neons?
    why is there a market for phone covers and ringtones?

    but good god, that thermalrock case needs to DIAF! :P

  • smn198 - Thursday, September 8, 2005 - link

    quote:
    why is there a market for car neons?
    quote:
    why is there a market for phone covers and ringtones?
    http://www.chavscum.co.uk">Chavs

  • imaheadcase - Thursday, September 8, 2005 - link

    Well its evident there is a market, but your comparing apples to oranges. Its computer part not something everyone builds themselves. If you have people buying power ranger cases that built computers, then they need a new hobbie..

  • xsilver - Thursday, September 8, 2005 - link

    who says you have to build a system yourself?
    dont your local pc store (not best buy etc) stock their cases from somewhere?
    if some 10 year old (or some tryhard that doesnt know how to build his own) wants a pc, what case is he going to choose, crappy bling neons or real aluminium?

    dont get me wrong -- I prefer stealth too - but I do realize that there is a market for crappy neons :P

  • raildogg - Thursday, September 8, 2005 - link

    ThermalRock Eclipse looks sweet, although I'd still get a P-180.

    why would you pay that much for the V1000? rather get a cheaper case like a P-180

    oh and primo posto! :)

  • OvErHeAtInG - Thursday, September 8, 2005 - link

    I was going to to correct you with "primer poste" until I realized you typed the Italian... a race fan should know... *hits himself...*

  • ksherman - Thursday, September 8, 2005 - link

    I personally dont think any case should be worth so much... unless it was the MOST amazing theng ever to hit the world... which I dont think the V1000 lives up to. I personally dont like the look of the Eclipse... to flashy, and it actually looks kind of cheap. But it might look different in person. I am a big fan of the Sonata 1 so, I would guess the #2 would be better, but it doesnt seem to include a PSU from what I have seen...

  • Furen - Thursday, September 8, 2005 - link

    The Sonata 2 does include a PS: a SmartPower 2.0 450w. The problem with it is the fact that it's quite a bit louder than the original TruePower and the TruePower2 of the newer Sonatas.
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