Customer Reviews

Cooler Master Centurion 5 ATX Mid Tower Case Blue- (CAC-T05-UB)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am VERY impressed with this case. I managed to move all of my components to this new case, and I found that I haven't even used half of the bays.

What I like:
- I didn't cut my fingers during installation. I found all edges to be de-burred and easy on the hands.
- The blue part is metal, NOT plastic. Infact, ONLY the buttons are plastic!
- Accepts ATX AND Micro-ATX motherboards.
- The wiring for the front panel (pwr, reset, speaker, USB...) are labeled and in common configuration with the pins on my ASUS mobo. VERY easy.
- The case stays very cool.
- Front fan blows across the harddrive bays.
- Only one small blue LED on the front. So, if you like lights, buy 'em.
- Front panel can be pried off with a flat-head screwdriver WITHOUT removing the side panel.
- It's HUGE inside!

Improvements:
- Front fan could be slightly bigger, but not totally necessary.
- USB, Firewire and audio jacks should be near the top of the front.
- The audio jacks are not as smooth as I would expect; you really have to force the plug in. But they work.
- Only one 3.5" Drive Bay is external; the others are only for internal devices. So, if you want a floppy AND a 6-in-1 card reader you have to choose between the two or get an adapter for the larger bay. The grill does not allow for access to more than one small bay.
- Short wire for the rear fan. Why so short? Another 2 inches and we'd be able to route it better.
- Comes with a 2-inch iron ring, and no mention of what to do with it in the instructions. Their website shows that you route the front panel wiring through and around the ring for EMI purposes.
- In fact, the installation guide is poorly written and borderline useless. Some experience is expected here, even though installing the components should be fairly straightforward and easy.

Other things I noticed:
- It weighs only 16 pounds (empty)
- has four plastic-rubber feet on the bottom.
- Comes with screws, one wire tie-back, a CoolerMaster decal, generic I/O panel and instruction book.
- Fans were installed.
- The packaging is shippable and biodegradable (no Styrofoam here!) Sturdy box, too.
- Easily stackable.

Anyway, this case is awesome! I feel as though a grown man (of average weight) could stand on top of this thing with no problem. Maybe not the best idea, but the thing feels like it would stand up to it.

Should be a vast improvement over any case you are currently using.

This is the finest case I've owned in 20 years in the computer business. The front panel is perforated to allow better cooling, and it pops right off for assembly but the panels for the drives are bolted in for security which I liked because there's no way they can dislodge themselves in transit or in the office, and my 550W power supply and motherboard installed with no problems, and there are adjustable plastic clips to hold the drives in place, not screws. Just slide them in and lock them into place.

This chassis comes in silver, blue, and red highlights. The silver is gorgeous, cant speak for the other colors and there is an option available for a see-thru side panel. A bargoon at under $60.

For around fifty bucks with free shipping from Amazon, this is the best deal I've experienced this year in buying computer components. The case is built like the proverbial brick **** house with its comparatively thick, steel sheet metal construction and aluminum bezel. For a micro-ATX motherboard, this case is ideal with plenty of room to work around in. It might be a little tight with a full-size ATX MB.
Like all computer cases I have bought over the years for custom builds, I've had to make some changes here and there in order to make it just right. This one is no exception.
First, my components: MB - Intel DQ45CB (micro ATX), processor - Intel Q6600, RAM - Kingston KHX6400D2K/4G (four sticks), hard drives - Seagate 1T x 2, PSU - Nexus Extreme 630W, CPU cooler - Nexus HOC-9000, GPU - Sapphire 5770, Sound card - Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio, DVD drives - Asus DRW-1612BL & Plextor PX-B310SA.
These are all carefully chosen components that are working perfectly together in this setup.
In a lot of these reviews, people are having problems with the hard drive placement intruding upon the SATA connectors on their motherboards (especially if they are using full-size ATX MB's). I solved this problem by putting my two hard drives in the 5-1/4" bays using 5-1/4" to 3-1/2 adapters, thus putting them out of the way of the anything on the lower right side of a motherboard. With the two DVD drives occupying the top two bays and the hard drives in the next two, you still have one bay left for other stuff (and nothing in the hard drive bays).
In the empty hard drive bays, I've installed a fan housing that I custom-made to hold the 80mm fan that I removed from the front of the case. It's in a much better position here because it is free of the restrictions from the case opening for the fan.
The worst aspect of this case, though sort of minor is the situation with the PCI card clamps. They are totally useless and hinder the installation of a card, even when you break off the part that is supposed to hold the card securely. My procedure was to break off the front part of the clamp and remove the outside part just to get the cards in to be secured with screws. For aesthetic purposes, you can put the outside part of the clamp back in place to fill the holes.
Another problem is the so-called drive holders in both bays. I've found these to be inadequate--all drives still slide around even when the slides are locked into place. What I did was take off the right side panel and secure each drive with screws.
Other than these problems, I have no qualms about having purchased this case. I'd definitely buy one again.
One last thought. If you feel the need for a flash card reader since neither the case nor most motherboards provide for them, buy yourself a Siig USB 2.0 Bay Media Card Reader (available from Amazon)that will fit perfectly in the floppy bay. The only connection it has is for an available motherboard USB terminal. It reads every card I've put in it, including the latest Sandisk SD cards.

Pros: I like it, it's one of several that I've bought. Easy to access and add or change components and the important part it keeps things cool. I'm running MSI dka790gx Platinum w/amd 9950 quad cpu, stock AMD fan. Dual scsi 15k drives, 4meg oz ram. I've pushed it pretty hard and OC's some, nothing fancy. Ive gotten it to 48.0C and that's about it. If I OC more I really need a bigger fan or liquid. Another point that is specific to me is free shipping. I live in Alaska and most everyone tries to "get" us on the cost of shipping and even though UPS offers ground rates about half of the companies say tough "sh-t". Amazon doesn't, if it says free shipping they mean it.

Cons: Could only find one on the box. The plastic catches that they use to hold the cards in is too flimsy, they can be used gently about twice then break.

Overall I'm impressed with the ease of use and cooling capability of this box. And yes I will buy another. I build computers and networks. It takes a fair amount to please me. It's a good box at a good price.

Like a few people mentioned in the reviews, there are a few things left to be improved for this case:

1. Noise of the front fan is too loud. After some investigation, the excessive noise is caused by airflow of the fan and the front metal grating. My solution is to cut off the metal grating in front of the fan using the metal cutting scissor. The result is excellent and the noise becomes the normal fan noise after the grating is removed.

2. The no-tool design of the PCI slot in the back needs improvement. After putting in a PCI card, it can only be fixed by a piece of cheap plastic and the card still has a degree of freedom to move around.

3. The front panel can be removed easily. However if a DVD drive is in a 5.25 slot, the front panel will be difficult to be put back in after removed. Like the other reviewer found out, it's because of 4 raised pieces of plastic on the front panel.

In general, I'm happy with the case. But I'm also quite picky about whatever I buy. This case still has a lot of room for improvement.

I have built two (general use, non-gaming) systems using this case now and I have to say that I think that they are an excellent buy. The cases feel well built, and the tool-less design is excellent and secure (I like the drive bay retainers more than I like the add-on card retainers, but I'm plenty happy with both retaining systems). The instructions are of course, vague to the point of being useless, so someone with limited building experience might find it a little difficult to figure out how everything works. Not sure that I'd use this for a gaming rig as I tend to prefer full tower cases for those, but I'm sure that you'd be fine doing so, especially with a single card, non sli/crossfire-x, air cooled system. Overall, this is a nicely built case for the money, and you can't beat the free super saver shipping option!

The overall design is good, with the cooling ventilation extending across the front of the PC case from top to bottom with drives being the only restriction.
I suggest using a vacuum cleaner to clean the front vent filters as needed.
It is an excellent case for a warm environment.
Concerns and praises:
- watch out for the sharp edge on the back of the motherboard plate.
-The rear 120mm fan is quiet. The front 80mm fan is quiet when out of the case. However, it is the source of excessive noise when installed due to air restriction caused by the case design.
My solution was to disconnect the front fan and install a quiet Thermaltake HDD cooler fan A2476.
- the rear I/O connector plate did not match up with my MSI K8N Neo4 motherboard connections. I had to replace it.
Otherwise, the other features, cabling, mounting hardware worked as designed.

I have used this case for my personal machine as well as for three builds for my place of employment. It is a well built case that is easy to work in and offers great air flow. The only thing keeping it from 5 stars is that the documentation is sparse and the use screw in motherboard standoff screws (Lian Li last I knew uses clips so you can't unscrew the standoffs when trying to just unscrew the screws).

I built two PC's with this case and ran into enough trouble that I don't recommend them. Here's the list of issues I've found:
(1) A standard 5.25" component, like DVD burners, doesn't fit into the drive bay because of four protruding plastics ridges on the front cover. I had to pull out the Dremel tool to mill away some of the plastic in the openings.
(2) The fans are noisy. I ended up replacing both fans The front one is the worst offender and is by far the loudest fan in my system. One thing I didn't try is to use vibration isolating silicone mounts.
(3) The lack of any instructions. All they have was a line about "Here are some screws. Install your motherboard". No kidding, it's almost that bad. And you need to be careful since many of the screws are close in size and there are at least three types of brass stand-offs.
(4) screws holding the side panel on are not captive.
(5) no instructions on how to use the plastic retaining clips for the internal PCI cards. Ended up breaking the first one.
(6) Front panel USB ports are low so that if this is on a floor, USB cables plugged in may get stepped on especially if you have little ones around.

The pluses include a nice looking case and fairly solid feel.

In short, skip this case and look elsewhere.

I purchased this case on Nov. 24, 2010. By the summer of 2011 (end of August or beginning of September), I started having performance problems with the computer. All attempts to diagnose the problem led nowhere for weeks. Eventually, the case fan started making a high pitched sound. I sent an e-mail about this to Cooler Master, but received no response. So much for the warranty! I purchased a new fan at Fry's and installed it. To my surprise, this not only eliminated the noise, but also solved the performance problems.