Time to review a case for those of you who wants a clean look and functionality before LEDs and flashy details. The case is Centurion 5 which is made by Cooler Master which has been around for some time and has released a lot of high quality cases before.

Time to review a case for those of you who want a clean look and functionality before LEDs and flashy details. The case is Centurion 5, made by Cooler Master which has been around for some time and has released a lot of high quality cases before. This is a rather new case from their Centurion series which costs a little less. As it also comes with a power supply it’s a complete case with a lot of nice features but still has a very attractive price.

CM Centurion 5 Black 350W : Specifications
Form factor :
ATX Miditower
Side panel :
Fan holder and ventilation holes
Measurements:
202.0 mm ( W ) x 435.0 mm ( D ) x 480.0 mm ( H )
Mainboards:
12″ x 9.6″ (ATX),

9.6″ x 9.6″ (Micro ATX) ,

12″ x 13″ (Extend ATX)
Cooling:
120*120 mm rear fan
80*80*25 mm front fan
Fan can also installed on the side panel
Color:
Black
Material:
Steel and Aluminium
Internal units:
4 x 3.5″
External units:
5 x 5.25″, 1 x 3.5″
Power supply :
350W
+3.3V – 18A
+5V – 25A
+12V – 16A
-12V – 1.0A
+5Vsb – 2.0A
Max load: 350W
Max load 3.3V & 5V: 160W
Other:
Ventilation holes in the front
Screwless design
Price:

800 SEK (Exchange rates)

This is a case of the clean genre where the manufacturer has gone for a stylish design trying to make it unique with ”less is more”, a working concept in my humble opinion. The case is made of steel, except from the front which is of aluminium. The case follows the ATX standard with lots of room for a regular ATX-mainboard.

You also get two fans and a power supply with the case making it a pretty complete purchase. There are rather few 3,5″ slots but enough if you don’t have exceptionally many harddrives.

The price is below $100 making it a very good option for those with a tight budget.

The looks of this case is very appealing and the least to say clean and I don’t think you have to be ashamed to leave put the case where someone can see it. The front is made from aluminium to make it easier to remove it when you want to install devices as it has preinstalled filters inside of the perforated piece of steel in the front to reduce the amount of dust inside the case.

The side panel is pretty standard with some holes for better ventilation and a place to install a 80*80*25 mm fan right above the processor. On this side you use thumb screws but on the other side the manufacturer has chosen to use regular screws for some reason.

On the rear you don’t see much out of the ordinary except that you can use both 80*80, 90*90 and 120*120 mm fans, however you get a quiet 120*120 mm fan but if you want to get some extra draft you can easily change it. The front is in fact so clean you actually hesitate before installing a CD/DVD-burner as it will drag down the looks, more or less depending on the burner. The case is equipped with USB, Firewire and audio outputs down on the front but hides them to fit in with the design, nicely done. The blue LEDs on the front suits the case very well and they have chosen to not use a lot of extra lighting but have kept a strict design.

With this case Cooler Master has gone for functionality. All expansion card-slots have screwless design with snap-on but you can use screws if you’re not satisified, so you don’t have to worry if it won’t fit perfectly. The harddrives uses a screwless design too and when installed the harddrives sits very firm and tight. You can also install a fan in front of the harddrives for better cooling. In the rear we find a 120*120 mm fan that will do the best it can to keep the environment inside the case cool. The 350W power supply has sleeved cables for the mainboard which makes the cable installatin much easier.

The 5,25″ slots are plenty, there are five of them, which also uses the screwless design, however you can use regular screws too if the screwless design won’t work. To install a 5,25″ unit or a floppy drive you have to remove the front and loosen the grid on the front with all the dust filters. The manual will show you very well how to do this and it is not at all difficult.

When it comes to the cooling this case comes with all you need, the two fans will be enough. The system with a grid in the front and a big fan in the rear works very well even though you might want to exchange the rear fan for something more powerful if your going to push your system hard. There is also an intake and a fan place on the side panel which might be useful, and you can also install a fan in the lower intake if you want to. The design in the front is made for letting air pass through the small holes in the front panel (perforeated plates) with dust filters. The only negative we can think of is that sound might leave the case the same way.

The Centurion 5 is very clean, and as the manufacturer has filled the case with functionality, they has also managed to make it a really good case. The power supply is no monster but 350W is more than enough to most users.

The chassie is very easy to use with its screwless design, a big pro is that you can still use regular screws if you want to. The fact that it ships with the two most important fans also shows what good value this case is.

The case is very quiet when using the fans included and as it is a 120*120 mm fan in the rear the airflow is still ok, but if you want some better coolig I would recommend switching to a fan with higher RPM. The entire front has a fine pore grid which lets through enough air and the dust filter stops the dust from getting inside the case.

As we simply can’t find a ny real cons with this chassie we have to consider this a really good purchase, and if you like the clean design this case is even more of a given choice. As you can find this case for sub $80 including a power supply we can really recommend this case.

Cooler Master Centurion 5 is one of the better cases we have reviewed here at NH. It can do anything a regular case can do and it does it well, and if Centurion 5 had offered anything exceptional we would have granted it an Editor’s choice award, but it does not.

Cooler Master Centurion 5 Black 350W

Pros:
+ Clean design
+ Power supply
+ Functional
+ Screwless design
+ Quiet
+ Dust filters
+ Cheap

Cons:
– Any 5.25″ units will disrupt the design

RELATERADE ARTIKLARMER FRÅN SKRIBENTEN

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