Creality Ender 3 V3
- Price
- $289
- Score
- 8.4/10
- Wins
- 2/5
Creality Ender 3 V3 vs Elegoo Centauri Carbon
- The Creality Ender 3 V3 wins, 8.4 vs 8.2 out of 10.
- Centauri Carbon prints 1.4× the volume (256³ ÷ 220×220×250 = 1.39) for $10 ($299 − $289) more.
- Ender 3 V3 is faster, 600 vs 500 mm/s.
- Pick the Ender 3 V3 if your prints fit in 25 cm.
Specs and US prices from the PrintPick catalog, checked 2026-09-29. Scores are PrintPick ratings out of 10.
Elegoo Centauri Carbon
- Price
- $299
- Score
- 8.2/10
- Wins
- 1/5
The verdict
Buy the Ender 3 V3.
8.4/10 vs Centauri Carbon's 8.2/10, and it wins 2 of 5 categories. If you want real speed on a real budget and you're not precious about WiFi or a camera, this is the answer. It's a meaningful step up from the V3 SE and doesn't cost much more.
Specs, side by side
Teal wins the row.
Ender 3 V3Creality · FDM
vsCentauri CarbonElegoo · FDM
| Ender 3 V3 | Spec | Centauri Carbon |
|---|---|---|
| $289 (wins) | Price | $299 |
| 12.1 L | Build volume | 16.8 L (wins) |
| 600 mm/s (wins) | Top speed | 500 mm/s |
| 0.05 mm (wins) | Finest layer | 0.1 mm |
| 8.6 kg | Weight | 17.5 kg |
Features
| Ender 3 V3 | Feature | Centauri Carbon |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | CoreXZ | No |
| Yes | Auto bed leveling | No |
| Yes | Direct drive | No |
| Yes | PEI build plate | No |
| Yes | Klipper firmware | No |
| No | Enclosed CoreXY | Yes |
| No | Auto bed leveling (4 pressure sensors) | Yes |
| No | Chamber camera monitoring | Yes |
| No | 320C all-metal hotend | Yes |
| No | Pre-assembled and calibrated | Yes |
| No | Steel + aluminum + glass enclosure | Yes |
Value math
$289 ÷ 12.1 L and $299 ÷ 16.8 L. Lower is more printer for the money.
| Ender 3 V3 | Spec | Centauri Carbon |
|---|---|---|
| $23.88 | $ per liter | $17.82 (wins) |
| $0.48 (wins) | $ per mm/s | $0.60 |
Scores out of 10
| Ender 3 V3 | Spec | Centauri Carbon |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Value | 10 (wins) |
| 9 (wins) | Beginner Friendliness | 8 |
| 8 | Print Quality | 8 |
| 8 | Speed | 8 |
| 8 (wins) | Reliability | 7 |
| 8.4 (wins) | Overall | 8.2 |
Build space, front view, to one scale
- 220 × 220 × 250 mm
- 256 × 256 × 256 mm
What owners say
Klipper at this price point is a game changer. This is what the Ender 3 should have always been.
Ender 3 V3 owner, Modbot (YouTube)Huge upgrade from my V3 SE. Speed difference alone is worth it.
Ender 3 V3 owner, r/CrealityThere's no reason to buy anything else at this price. It would be excellent at twice the cost.
Centauri Carbon owner, How-To GeekFinally an affordable CoreXY. The Centauri Carbon changes what you should expect for under $300.
Centauri Carbon owner, Tom's HardwareBuy two of these instead of one fancier printer at twice the price. Seriously.
Centauri Carbon owner, r/3Dprinting
Pros & Cons
Ender 3 V3
- +CoreXZ architecture at $289 is genuinely absurd value
- +Klipper comes pre-installed, no flashing required
- +600mm/s keeps up with machines twice the price
- −No WiFi means you're walking to the printer with a USB stick
- −No enclosure: ABS will warp, ABS will warp, ABS will warp
Centauri Carbon
- +Enclosed CoreXY at $299. Yes, really.
- +PLA, PETG, ABS: all print well out of the box
- +Pre-assembled, printing within minutes of opening the box
- −Firmware needs attention after unboxing
- −Heat creep shows up on long prints above 270C
Buy these with it
A printer does nothing without these. Grab them in the same order.
- ELEGOO PLA filament, 1kgThe easy filament to start on. Prints at low temperatures and warps less.
- ELEGOO PETG filament, 1kgTougher and more heat tolerant than PLA, for parts that get handled or sit in the sun.
- SUNLU filament dryer S1 PlusWet filament causes stringing and rough surfaces. A dryer fixes that before you blame the printer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Creality Ender 3 V3 better than the Elegoo Centauri Carbon?
By the numbers, the Creality Ender 3 V3 scores higher (8.4/10). But "better" depends on your use case, the Elegoo Centauri Carbon may be the smarter buy if you need budget.
Which is better for beginners, Creality Ender 3 V3 or Elegoo Centauri Carbon?
The Creality Ender 3 V3 is more beginner-friendly (9/10 vs 8/10) with easier setup and a gentler learning curve.
Is the Elegoo Centauri Carbon worth $10 more than the Creality Ender 3 V3?
The Creality Ender 3 V3 actually scores higher (8.4/10) despite costing $10 less. The Elegoo Centauri Carbon only makes sense if you specifically need budget.
What's the main difference between Creality Ender 3 V3 and Elegoo Centauri Carbon?
Build volume (220x220x250mm vs 256x256x256mm) and print speed (600 vs 500 mm/s). The Creality Ender 3 V3 is best for beginners; the Elegoo Centauri Carbon targets budget.