Reviewstash.com : August 2008

"You'd have to be crazy to pass up this deal if you're into extreme air cooling, or water cooling. Cooler Master has very carefully thought out this case, and has made it extremely easy to setup, even though we would like to see a removable motherboard tray."

Positives:
Price
Elegant and clean design
HDD Mounting
Tool-less compatibility
Supports large graphics cards easily

Neutral Ground:
Thin steel
Rounded edges
Drive mounting (DVD/CD) could be a little easier
It would be cool to see a window included
Mounting can be flimsy
$50 would be a much more logical price

ninjalane.com : August 2008

"It doesn’t take much investigation to realize that the Centurion 590 is a trimmed down version of the CM690.  Both are amazing cases.  If you are after a little more style the CM690 is an easy choice however if you want to save a few bucks the Centurion 590 with similar cooling schemes and less body work might be the better one.

One of the great things about this case is the stacker bay configuration that features 9x 5.25" drive bays all with direct access to the front of the case.  If you’re more of a storage nut these 5.25” drive bays can easily be converted into 3.5” with traditional drive rails or by using the included, and removable, HDD rack.  The drive rack supports up to 4 drives and features a lighted cooling fan and rubber drive mounts. The best part is you can choose where to place the HDD rack and not worry about how it will fit or if your cables will reach.

In terms of modding the Centurion 590 is a great starting point for any project.  While we don’t have many cooling related enhancements the case material and construction will support just about anything you have a desire to do whether it be a custom watercooler or an insane amount of windows and lights, the Cooler Master Centurion will likely hold up to the task."

Good Things

Solid Construction
SECC metal used throughout
“Stacker” drive bay configuration
Removable 4 drive HDD rack
Great Cooling Options

ocia.net : August 2008

From the moment I removed the Centurion 590 from the box, I  noticed striking similarities to another case I recently reviewed, the ThermaltakeM9. Both are black mid-tower designs without side panel windows, a nine-bay mesh front bezel, removable hard drive cage at the bottom with blue LED fan and all I/O controls at the top front of the case. After working with both of them however I can honestly say that I feel the Cooler Master is the better of the two.

The Centurion 590 has much more cooling potential, although it comes with only two 120mm fans, just as the M9. But it has room to fit four more fans up to 140mm in size whereas the M9 can ' t add any. The 590 has that option as well, in addition to the possibility for a cooling fan on the reverse side of the motherboard. The top fan positions would be perfect for throwing in a double size radiator, and the two side fans give additional cooling for the CPU and GPU.

Another area where the Centurion 590 shines is the tool-less riser clips which are far superior to the sliding things on the M9. The M9 ' s bay locks weren ' t bad, but the 590 ' s are unique and even more simple to use. The Cooler Master case puts the power supply at the bottom, rather than the usual position at the top as it is on the M9. This may or may not be advantageous to you, but certainly being able to fit four hard drives in the cage rather than the M9 ' s three will be a big help to some.

The fit and finish on the Centurion 590 is just as good as that of the M9, and is an excellent representation of what we have come to expect from Cooler Master. There are also a number of added refinements, such as rubber grommets for the hard drive mounts, thumb screws used on both side panels and additional holes and zip ties for wire management.

I don ' t know if it was Cooler Master ' s intent to design the 590 to be an M9 competitor, but in my opinion it comes out on top in every way.

overclockercafe.com : August 2008

The Cooler Master Centurion 590 is a true winner of a case.  It is a surprisingly lightweight case given that it is made of steel but retains a solid sturdy feel.  The freedom of moving the HDD rack anywhere I wanted within the nine 5.25" bays was also nice.  After playing around with several set ups, I went with a mounting that had the intake fan on the rack blowing directly at the rear exhaust fan.  Not that the case needed any ventilation help with four fan mounting points that took everything up to and including a 140mm fan.  Ventilation is something certainly not wanting here.  Every side of this case, all six, had a vent area.

If this case was priced at $150 I would pop it for not having a removable mainboard tray and having its drive bays filtered but not the fan mount areas.  But this case is $70.  All the features we found and workmanship seem really out of place at this price point.  We applaud Cooler Master for its ability to release this fine a case for the value segment of the market.  The Cooler Master Centurion 590 is a killer piece of hardware that is a top pick in the sub $150 case market let alone half that.

Pros:

• Fantastic looks
• More fan mounting points than anyone could ever practically use
• Takes 80, 90, 120 or 140mm fans
• Tool free drive
• Rubber mounting for hard drives installed in HDD rack
• Tool free card stays
• Water cooling hose outlets cut in rear wall
• Lightweight
• Sturdy
• Two year warranty
• Great pricing

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