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Summary

The new Centurion 530 enclosure from Cooler Master is a mid-tower version of their popular Stacker case.  The Centurion 530 features elegant styling and quality construction similar to the full-sized Stacker.  To help conserve drive bay space, the front I/O panel is built into the top of the 530’s front bezel and the two top 5.25â€� drive bays even come fitted with stealth faceplates.

 

The Centurion 530 is targeted towards the price conscious consumer and uses an elegant front bezel design married to a standard steel chassis.  This hybrid construction has become very popular and offers a good balance between, aesthetics, structural soundness, weight, and cost.

Key Features

·         Stylish design, simple yet elegant

·         Excellent thermal management (case cooling)

·         Open mesh front panels and side vents provide superior airflow

·         120mm case fan openings, front and back (one fan included)

·         Two integrated stealth faceplates for CD-ROM drives

·         Top mounted controls and I/O panel for easy access

·         Very affordable, good value

The Centurion 530 case is finished in matte black and trimmed with silver side posts.  The build quality appears to be very good for an economy case – just what we have come to expect from Cooler Master.  The Centurion 530 enclosure feels sturdy and relatively lightweight for a mostly steel case.

The Cooler Master Centurion 530 incorporates an all steel chassis including the perforated metal mesh front.  Black plastic trim pieces are used at the top and bottom of the front panel and the two side-posts are aluminum.  Cooler Master claims the side posts provide added structural support but distinctive styling appears to be their main purpose.  The plastic front panel can be easily removed by releasing four tabs from inside, to gain access to the drive bays and front fan filter.

The external I/O panel is located at an angle on the top edge of the front panel.  This location provides easy access for both desktop and under desk placement.

·         USB 2.0 (2)

·         Microphone In

·         Headphones out

·         IEEE 1394 Firewire

·         Power-On

·         Power and HDD lights

·         Reset button

The two top 5.25â€� drive bays come with stealth faceplates installed.  Each faceplate is designed to be pushed open as the drive tray extends and automatically close when the tray retracts.  A small, silver eject button is located to the right of each faceplate, which offers some horizontal adjustment to help in aligning it to the optical drive’s eject button.  Near the bottom of the front panel, behind the silver Centurion logo, is a 120mm fan, which includes blue LED lights.  

Both the front and rear 120mm case fan stamped grills in the Centurion 530 use an open honey comb pattern that is better than most for allowing good airflow.

The layout is a standard ATX format with all the drive bays located down the front and the power supply at the top-rear.

Cable management is good inside the Centurion 530 as most of the cables are routed across the top of the case in a neat bundle.  The only other wires present are the speaker cable and front case fan cable, which comes fitted with a 3-pin to 4-pin adapter cable.

The Centurion 530 uses a removable hard disc drive (HDD) cage, which can mount up to three drives using the provided plastic rails.

The rails incorporate metal pins that engage the mounting holes in the sides of standard 3.5â€� HDDs.  The rails made installing and removing drives very easy and securely held each drive in place.  The front edge of the HDD cage unfortunately blocks some of the air being drawn in by the front case fan but still allows air to provide cooling to the drives.

The Cooler Master Centurion 530 exhibits elegant styling and good build quality for a case targeted towards price conscious consumers.  With a typical street price of under $80 USD, the Cooler Master Centurion 530 mid-tower enclosure offers a lot of value and is a good buy.  Check one out at your favorite Cooler Master reseller.  Be sure to use our price-checking engine to find the best prices on the Centurion 530, and anything else you may want to buy!  I would like to thank our friends at Cooler Master for sending us the Centurion 530 enclosure to review – thanks!

To read the complete Centurion 530 review with more detailed information and pictures, please click on the link below.

Click here for the Detailed Review