Elegoo Centauri Carbon
- Price
- $299
- Score
- 8.2/10
- Wins
- 3/5
Elegoo Centauri Carbon vs Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra
- The Elegoo Centauri Carbon takes the crown with 8.2/10 vs 7.8/10.
- It pulls ahead in Value, Beginner Friendliness, Speed.
- The Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra still puts up a fight in Print Quality and Reliability.
Specs and US prices from the PrintPick catalog, checked 2026-09-29. Scores are PrintPick ratings out of 10.
Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra
- Price
- $459
- Score
- 7.8/10
- Wins
- 2/5
The verdict
Buy the Centauri Carbon.
8.2/10 vs Saturn 4 Ultra's 7.8/10, and it wins 3 of 5 categories. Best value in 3D printing right now, full stop. Firmware is rough around the edges but nothing that kills the deal. If this is your budget, buy it.
Specs, side by side
Teal wins the row.
Centauri CarbonElegoo · FDM
vsSaturn 4 UltraElegoo · RESIN
| Centauri Carbon | Spec | Saturn 4 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| $299 (wins) | Price | $459 |
| 16.8 L (wins) | Build volume | 5.9 L |
| 500 mm/s | Top speed | 150 mm/s |
| 0.1 mm | Finest layer | 0.01 mm (wins) |
| 17.5 kg | Weight | 11 kg |
Features
| Centauri Carbon | Feature | Saturn 4 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | Enclosed CoreXY | No |
| Yes | Auto bed leveling (4 pressure sensors) | No |
| Yes | Chamber camera monitoring | No |
| Yes | 320C all-metal hotend | No |
| Yes | Pre-assembled and calibrated | No |
| Yes | Steel + aluminum + glass enclosure | No |
| No | 12K mono LCD | Yes |
| No | Tilt release | Yes |
| No | Air purifier | Yes |
| No | WiFi | Yes |
| No | Larger build plate | Yes |
Value math
$299 ÷ 16.8 L and $459 ÷ 5.9 L. Lower is more printer for the money.
| Centauri Carbon | Spec | Saturn 4 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| $17.82 (wins) | $ per liter | $77.81 |
Scores out of 10
| Centauri Carbon | Spec | Saturn 4 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| 10 (wins) | Value | 8 |
| 8 (wins) | Beginner Friendliness | 6 |
| 8 | Print Quality | 10 (wins) |
| 8 (wins) | Speed | 7 |
| 7 | Reliability | 8 (wins) |
| 8.2 (wins) | Overall | 7.8 |
Build space, front view, to one scale
- 256 × 256 × 256 mm
- 218 × 123 × 220 mm
What owners say
There'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/3DprintingBatch-printing a full Warhammer army on this thing is a dream come true.
Saturn 4 Ultra owner, r/resinprintingIf you've outgrown the Mars, the Saturn is the obvious next step.
Saturn 4 Ultra owner, 3D Printing Nerd (YouTube)
Pros & Cons
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
Saturn 4 Ultra
- +218x123mm plate fits a full Warhammer squad in one run, not two
- +12K resolution holds up just as well as the Mars at 14K for most print sizes
- +Tilt release is worth it at this plate size: peel forces on large prints are brutal without it
- −Resin consumption goes up fast when you're filling a plate this size
- −Post-processing for a full plate run takes 45-60 minutes minimum
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.
Buy these with it
A printer does nothing without these. Grab them in the same order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Elegoo Centauri Carbon better than the Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra?
By the numbers, the Elegoo Centauri Carbon scores higher (8.2/10). But "better" depends on your use case, the Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra may be the smarter buy if you need resin.
Which is better for beginners, Elegoo Centauri Carbon or Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra?
The Elegoo Centauri Carbon is more beginner-friendly (8/10 vs 6/10) with easier setup and a gentler learning curve.
Is the Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra worth $160 more than the Elegoo Centauri Carbon?
The Elegoo Centauri Carbon actually scores higher (8.2/10) despite costing $160 less. The Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra only makes sense if you specifically need resin.
What's the main difference between Elegoo Centauri Carbon and Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra?
Technology: the Elegoo Centauri Carbon is FDM (filament) and the Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra is RESIN (resin). FDM prints bigger functional parts; resin delivers finer surface detail.