Coolermaster Centurion 534 Computer Case Review

Former staff writer - April 16, 2006

Specifications

Available Color	Silver / Black
Dimensions	L480 x W202 x H435 mm
Weight	9.7kg
Material	Aluminum & Mesh bezel, SECC chassis
M/B Type	ATX , m-ATX
5.25 inch	5 (Exposed)
3.5 inch	1 (Exposed); 4 (Hidden)
Cooling System	One 120x120x25mm front Blue LED fan(Intake); One 120x120x25mm rear fan (Exhaust) (Option)
I/O Panel	USB2.0 x 2; MIC x 1; SPK x 1; IEEE1394 x 1 ( Support Intel HD Audio)
Power Supply	Standard ATX PS2 (option)

Installation
The first thing I wanted to see is exactly how "tool less" the installation of components would be, since Cooler Master advertised it to be simple and effortless. I proceeded to remove a 5.25" bay cover to fit the CD-Rom drive. The downside to their retention system for the bay covers is that I had to reach in the back and bend a clip outwards to remove it. The CD-Rom drive was pushed in from the front, and when the screw holes aligned, all that had to be done was slide the plastic mechanism forward and then move a smaller piece downward to lock it in place. Simple? I sure thought so.

The hard drive mounting was just as easy; all that needed to be done was push two plastic rails that were included by Cooler Master in the small brown box on each side, and then slide it into the cage.

Installing the motherboard and power supply obviously required screws and standoffs. Once it was all secured in, I proceeded to install a PCI card. Doing this was just as easy as installing the hard drive; all that needed to be done was release the clip, push it down into the motherboard slot and then lock the clip back in place.

Once I attached all the required cables, it was time to boot the PC up. Once it was powered on, the fan emitted a bright blue glow, and started moving a decent amount of air across the hard drive. The front power LED turned on, also glowing blue. The HDD light flashed on and off, also of the same blue light. Combined with the case's brushed aluminum front, it provided a pleasing overall look.