3D Printing Info

Printer comparison

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE vs ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 Combo

Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.

2 selected · all documented properties

Creality Ender-3 V3 SE vs ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 Combo — documented properties and sources
PropertyCreality Ender-3 V3 SEBEDSLINGERELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 ComboCOREXY
Identity
BrandCrealityELEGOO
ClassBEDSLINGERCOREXY
Identity & Market
Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first)Creality Ender-3 V3 SE[1]ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 Combo[2]
Release date (announcement and actual shipping)Not documentedListed on the ELEGOO US store from 9 August 2026 (Shopify publish date)[3]
Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry)$186.00 on store.creality.com, Aug 2026; Creality's own product page shows $199.00 for the same machine on the same day, so the two Creality properties disagree[4][1]$399.00 on us.elegoo.com, Aug 2026, against a compare-at price of $449.00[3]
Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk)The cheapest of the Ender-3 V3 family and mechanically the most conservative: it keeps a conventional i3 bed-slinger layout, while the Ender-3 V3 and V3 Plus use CoreXZ and the V3 KE keeps the bed-slinger layout but adds an X-axis linear rail, a 60 W ceramic hotend and Klipper-based Creality OS. Speed ceilings differ sharply - 250 mm/s and 2500 mm/s2 on the SE against 500 mm/s on the KE and 600 mm/s on the V3/V3 Plus. The SE also stops at a 260 C nozzle where the others reach 300 C[1][5][6][7][8]The Centauri Carbon 2 sold with the CANVAS multicolour unit. Every printing figure matches the bare Centauri Carbon 2; what changes is the body - 500 x 480 x 743 mm and 19.35 kg with CANVAS fitted - and CANVAS capability being listed Yes. Against the first-generation Centauri Carbon: 350 C nozzle rather than 320 C, clog detection added, and a HEPA plus coconut-shell carbon filter stack rather than the nano mineral crystal filter. An ELEGOO x emoji collaboration edition of the same machine is also listed[2][9][10][11]
Physical & Frame
Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable220 x 220 x 250 mm[7]256 x 256 x 256 mm; printing platform 260 x 260 mm[2]
Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang)349 x 364 x 490 mm (Tom's Hardware measurement of the machine footprint)[7]500 x 480 x 743 mm with the CANVAS unit fitted[2]
Net weight (kg)7.12 kg[7]19.35 kg net, 23.8 kg gross[2]
Frame construction & materialNot documentedIntegrated die-cast aluminium construction (Centauri Carbon platform)[10]
Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lidOpen frame, no enclosure[1]Fully enclosed; the Centauri Carbon 2 uses a HEPA plus granulated coconut-shell activated-carbon filter stack rather than the first generation's nano mineral crystal filter, and adds a smart exhaust grille[9][10]
Kinematics & Motion Hardware
Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other)Cartesian i3 bed-slinger - Creality describes "neat X, Y, Z-axis, smooth T-shaped profiles" with a rigid dual Z-axis and a moving build platform on the Y axis[1]CoreXY[2]
Y-axis guide typeY axis runs on a pair of 8 mm steel linear shafts carrying the build platform[1]Not documented
Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlashRigid dual Z-axis, which Creality says reduces Z wobble[1]Three lead screws with three linear guide rods[2]
Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?)Not documented"Silent Drive (All Axes)"; no driver part number published[2]
Speed & Acceleration
Max print speed (claimed, mm/s)250 mm/s max printing speed (manufacturer claim, Creality Lab figure)[1]500 mm/s or less, with 250 mm/s given as the recommended speed[2]
Recommended/typical print speedNot documented250 mm/s recommended printing speed (manufacturer figure)[2]
Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²)2500 mm/s2 max acceleration (manufacturer claim). Tom's Hardware attributes the modest Benchy time directly to this acceleration cap[1][7]20000 mm/s2 maximum acceleration; default 10000 mm/s2[2]
Extruder
Type (direct drive / bowden) & design nameCreality "Sprite" direct-drive extruder, which Creality says works with PLA, PETG and flexible TPU and had shipped over 500,000 units as of June 2023[1]Dual-gear direct extruder with one fan[2]
Hotend & Nozzle
Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?)Direct-drive hotend with a 0.4 mm high-flow nozzle (Tom's Hardware description); Creality does not describe an all-metal path for the SE[7]Brass-hardened steel nozzle, 0.4 mm, titanium-alloy heat break[2]
Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values)260 C maximum nozzle temperature per Tom's Hardware's spec box - the lowest of the Ender-3 V3 family, where the V3, V3 Plus and KE all reach 300 C[7][6]350 C claimed max nozzle temperature - 30 C above the first-generation Centauri Carbon[2][10]
Heated Bed & Surface
Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limitNot documented110 C max heated bed temperature at 25 C ambient[2]
Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sidedPC-coated spring steel sheet, heated, removable[7]Dual-sided spring steel sheet, textured PEI plus a PLA-specific surface[2]
Leveling & Z-Offset
Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe)CR Touch inductive/mechanical probe for auto bed levelling plus a separate strain sensor for automatic Z offset - Creality's pitch is no levelling screws and no paper method[1]121-point auto-levelling with full-auto calibration[2]
Filament Handling & Detection
Filament runout sensor (type, location)Filament run-out sensor fitted[7]Filament run-out sensor, clog detection, auto filament unloading and power-loss recovery[2]
Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade pathNot documentedCANVAS multi-material capability included - the defining difference from the bare Centauri Carbon 2[2]
Cooling & Air Handling
Part-cooling fan(s): count, size, ducting designTwo fans on the printhead: a front-mounted fan onto the hotend heatsink and a second fan in the shroud with twin ducts aimed at the nozzle (Tom's Hardware teardown description)[7]Not documented
Electronics & Power
Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist)Not documented"Powerful Self-Developed Motherboard" is all ELEGOO publishes[2]
Total rated power drawNot documented1100 W at 220 V, 350 W at 110 V rated; 24 V output[2]
Firmware & Openness
Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary)Creality publishes an open-source firmware repository for this model, CrealityOfficial/Ender-3V3-SE on GitHub under GPL-3.0 (last pushed July 2024). Unlike the KE, K1 and K2 repositories, it is not described as a Klipper clone, and Creality does not call the SE a Creality OS machine on its product page[12][13][5]ELEGOO OS; ElegooSlicer recommended, Orca and Cura supported[2]
Connectivity, UI & Camera
Display: size, type, touch?3.2-inch colour screen with a control knob - not a touchscreen, unlike the KE and V3[7]5-inch colour capacitive touch screen (the first-generation Centauri Carbon used a 4.3-inch panel)[2][10]
On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.)Knob-driven colour UI using motion graphics to show levelling progress and print parameters; auto filament load/unload from the menu[1]Colour touch UI; LED lighting fitted; STL, OBJ, 3MF and STEP input[2]
WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-driveSD card only - no Wi-Fi and no USB host, in contrast to the Wi-Fi-equipped KE and V3[7]USB and Wi-Fi[2]
Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps)Not documentedCamera fitted[2]
Calibration Routines & QoL
Assembly level & time from unbox to first printKit-style assembly from a small number of pre-built sections; Creality claims printing within 20 minutes of unboxing[1]Not documented
Materials Support
Officially supported filament listPLA, PETG and TPU (Tom's Hardware); Creality's own copy names PLA, PETG and flexible TPU for the Sprite extruder[7]Ideal: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA. Capable: TPU, PC, PA, PET and fibre-reinforced filaments[2]
Noise & Power Consumption
Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method)Not documentedOperating sound published as 45 dB or less - a manufacturer figure with no distance or method stated, and 10 dB below the first-generation Centauri Carbon's published figure[2][10]
Reliability, Support & Ecosystem
Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes)Creality's US store states "Up to 12-Month Warranty", a 14-day return and refund window and "Lifetime Customer Support" on its printer product pages. The "up to" wording means the term is not uniform across parts[14]12 months on brand-new machines and parts, but ELEGOO's own table excludes a long list of parts from that: PEI plate / build plate / nozzle kit / PTFE tube / heater / thermistor / hot end / packaging / manual / tools carry no warranty at all, and the extruder, extruder kit and printhead kit get 6 months. Certified pre-owned machines carry no warranty[15]
Independently Measured Performance
Benchmark print times (source + settings)Benchy in 41 minutes under Speed Boat Rules (2 walls, 3 top/bottom layers, 10% grid infill, 0.25 mm layer height, 0.5 mm width) in ordinary grey PLA - independently measured by Tom's Hardware, not a manufacturer figure[7]Not documented
Review scores from major outlets (list outlet + score + date)Tom's Hardware rating 4.5 out of 5 in the page's structured data[7]Not documented

Manufacturer claims, independent measurements, packages and test conditions retain their source wording. FDM linear speed and resin vertical speed use different units and are not directly comparable. Unknown values are marked “Not documented”. Prices and source dates remain historical snapshots; check the linked guide for product details. Differences highlight text, not a universal winner.

Sources for this comparison

  1. Creality Ender-3 V3 SE product page creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  2. ELEGOO compare-products page, which embeds the full per-model specification JSON for every Neptune, Centauri and OrangeStorm machine us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  3. ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 Combo Shopify product JSON (price and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  4. Creality US store - Ender-3 V3 SE 3D Printer product page (live price) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  5. Creality Ender-3 V3 KE product page creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  6. Creality Ender-3 V3 product page (full specification table) creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  7. Tom's Hardware - Creality Ender 3 V3 SE Review (spec box and Speed Boat Rules Benchy time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  8. Tom's Hardware - Creality Ender 3 V3 KE Review (spec box and Speed Boat Rules Benchy time) tomshardware.com · 2026-08 · review
  9. ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 product page (Centauri Carbon 2 vs Centauri Carbon side-by-side table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  10. ELEGOO Centauri Carbon product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  11. ELEGOO US store 3D printers collection (current line-up, Aug 2026) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  12. GitHub API - CrealityOfficial/Ender-3V3-SE repository metadata ("Open source for Ender-3V3 SE", GPL-3.0) api.github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  13. GitHub - CrealityOfficial organisation repositories (per-model firmware sources) github.com · 2026-08 · doc
  14. Creality US store - K1 3D Printer product page (live price, warranty and returns banner) store.creality.com · 2026-08 · vendor
  15. ELEGOO Refund & Warranty policy (warranty period table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor