Printer comparison
ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 Combo vs QIDI X-Max 3
Compare hardware, build volume, printing specifications, dated prices and sources.
2 selected · all documented properties
Open these two in the interactive comparisonMore ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 Combo comparisonsMore QIDI X-Max 3 comparisons
| Property | ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 ComboCOREXY | QIDI X-Max 3COREXY |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | ||
| Brand | ELEGOO | QIDI |
| Class | COREXY | COREXY |
| Identity & Market | ||
| Manufacturer & exact marketed model name (verify the exact product identity first) | ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 Combo[1] | QIDI X-Max 3, listed by QIDI as "Qidi Tech X-Max 3 3D Printer" and in navigation as X-Max3[2][3] |
| Release date (announcement and actual shipping) | Listed on the ELEGOO US store from 9 August 2026 (Shopify publish date)[4] | Not published by QIDI; the product page carries a discontinuation notice rather than a launch date (checked Aug 2026)[2] |
| Street price (USD; dated snapshot per entry) | $399.00 on us.elegoo.com, Aug 2026, against a compare-at price of $449.00[4] | $899.00 (from a $999.00 sale reference) on us.qidi3d.com but marked Sold Out and discontinued, checked Aug 2026. 3D Printers Online Store lists $1,099 USD, also out of stock[2][5] |
| Variants & sibling models — and how to tell them apart (spec-contamination risk) | 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[1][6][7][8] | Same-generation siblings X-Plus 3 (280x280x270, 500 mm/s, 800 W) and X-Smart 3 (175x180x170, no chamber heating, 300 °C, 350 W). All three share the Cortex-A53 1.5 GHz / 1 GB DDR3 / 8 GB eMMC control board, so shared-board specs are not evidence of shared print specs. Replaced by the Max4[3][9][10][11] |
| Market position: superseded? successor announced? | Not documented | Discontinued and out of production; QIDI directs buyers to the Max4[2] |
| Physical & Frame | ||
| Build volume X×Y×Z (mm) — advertised vs actually usable | 256 x 256 x 256 mm; printing platform 260 x 260 mm[1] | 325 x 325 x 315 mm advertised[2][3][5] |
| Machine footprint (mm) & clearance needed (cable/spool overhang) | 500 x 480 x 743 mm with the CANVAS unit fitted[1] | 553 x 553 x 601 mm[3][5] |
| Net weight (kg) | 19.35 kg net, 23.8 kg gross[1] | 30.2 kg net[3][5] |
| Frame construction & material | Integrated die-cast aluminium construction (Centauri Carbon platform)[7] | Enclosed CoreXY chassis, fully assembled from the factory. QIDI does not publish a frame-material breakdown[3] |
| Enclosure: open / enclosed; panel material; door/lid | 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[6][7] | Fully enclosed, with a chamber circulation blower and activated-carbon air filter[3] |
| Passive chamber temperature reached (if enclosed; measured values preferred) | Not documented | 65 °C maximum, independent chamber heating (manufacturer claim)[2][3] |
| Kinematics & Motion Hardware | ||
| Kinematics (bedslinger i3 / CoreXY / other) | CoreXY[1] | CoreXY[3] |
| X-axis guide type (rods / linear rails / V-wheels; size) | Not documented | Linear optical axis (polished steel rod) of high-strength steel[3] |
| Z-axis: leadscrew count & type, sync mechanism, anti-backlash | Three lead screws with three linear guide rods[1] | Double Z axis[3] |
| Stepper drivers (exact model e.g. TMC2209; UART/SPI; sensorless homing?) | "Silent Drive (All Axes)"; no driver part number published[1] | Not documented |
| Speed & Acceleration | ||
| Max print speed (claimed, mm/s) | 500 mm/s or less, with 250 mm/s given as the recommended speed[1] | <=600 mm/s (manufacturer claim)[2][3][5] |
| Recommended/typical print speed | 250 mm/s recommended printing speed (manufacturer figure)[1] | Not documented |
| Max acceleration (claimed, mm/s²) | 20000 mm/s2 maximum acceleration; default 10000 mm/s2[1] | 20,000 mm/s2 (manufacturer claim)[2] |
| Max volumetric flow claimed (mm³/s) | Not documented | 35 mm3/s extruder flow (manufacturer claim)[3] |
| Extruder | ||
| Type (direct drive / bowden) & design name | Dual-gear direct extruder with one fan[1] | High-flow direct-drive extruder; QIDI states a 9.5:1 gear ratio for this model[2][3] |
| Gear ratio & drive gear material | Not documented | 9.5:1[2] |
| Hotend & Nozzle | ||
| Hotend design (proprietary/standard; quick-swap mechanism?) | Brass-hardened steel nozzle, 0.4 mm, titanium-alloy heat break[1] | Ceramic heating core. Two interchangeable nozzle-head sets shipped: copper alloy for standard materials, hardened steel for abrasives. 0.4 mm stock, 0.2/0.6/0.8 mm optional[2][3] |
| Max nozzle temp claimed AND firmware max temp limit (both values) | 350 C claimed max nozzle temperature - 30 C above the first-generation Centauri Carbon[1][7] | <=350 °C claimed[2][3][5] |
| Heated Bed & Surface | ||
| Max bed temp claimed AND firmware limit | 110 C max heated bed temperature at 25 C ambient[1] | <=120 °C claimed[3][5] |
| Bed surface (material, texture, coating), single/double-sided | Dual-sided spring steel sheet, textured PEI plus a PLA-specific surface[1] | Double-sided flexible magnetic plate (QIDI's "HF" plate)[2][3] |
| Leveling & Z-Offset | ||
| Auto bed leveling: probe technology (inductive / strain gauge / load cell / touch probe) | 121-point auto-levelling with full-auto calibration[1] | Automatic levelling via Klipper adaptive meshing; probe technology not named by QIDI[2] |
| Filament Handling & Detection | ||
| Filament runout sensor (type, location) | Filament run-out sensor, clog detection, auto filament unloading and power-loss recovery[1] | Filament detection fitted; type and location not published[3] |
| Multi-material/multi-color capability or official upgrade path | CANVAS multi-material capability included - the defining difference from the bare Centauri Carbon 2[1] | Not documented |
| Cooling & Air Handling | ||
| Auxiliary part-cooling fan? | Not documented | Additional (auxiliary) cooling fan fitted[3] |
| Chamber/exhaust fan & filtration (activated carbon / HEPA) | Not documented | Chamber circulation blower with activated-carbon air filter[3] |
| Electronics & Power | ||
| Mainboard model & MCU (exact chip markings if teardowns exist) | "Powerful Self-Developed Motherboard" is all ELEGOO publishes[1] | Not documented |
| Host computer (SoC, RAM, storage) if firmware runs on embedded Linux | Not documented | Cortex-A53 64-bit at 1.5 GHz, 1 GB DDR3, 8 GB eMMC[2][3] |
| Input voltage (110/220 V, switch or auto) | Not documented | 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz[3] |
| Total rated power draw | 1100 W at 220 V, 350 W at 110 V rated; 24 V output[1] | 900 W rated[3][5] |
| Firmware & Openness | ||
| Firmware base & current version (Klipper fork / Marlin fork / proprietary) | ELEGOO OS; ElegooSlicer recommended, Orca and Cura supported[1] | Klipper with the Fluidd web console. Fork and version not published[2] |
| Connectivity, UI & Camera | ||
| Display: size, type, touch? | 5-inch colour capacitive touch screen (the first-generation Centauri Carbon used a 4.3-inch panel)[1][7] | 5-inch touchscreen, 800 x 480[3] |
| On-device UI capabilities (model preview, per-object controls, etc.) | Colour touch UI; LED lighting fitted; STL, OBJ, 3MF and STEP input[1] | Not documented |
| WiFi (band/standard), Ethernet, USB ports, SD/flash-drive | USB and Wi-Fi[1] | Wi-Fi (QIDI states 150M 2.4G), Ethernet, USB flash drive[3] |
| Camera: built-in / optional? Resolution & framerate (verify — marketing often omits real fps) | Camera fitted[1] | Not documented |
| Materials Support | ||
| Officially supported filament list | Ideal: PLA, PETG, ABS, ASA. Capable: TPU, PC, PA, PET and fibre-reinforced filaments[1] | ABS, PLA, PETG, TPU, nylon, carbon fibre, PC[5] |
| Noise & Power Consumption | ||
| Noise: claimed dB and independently measured dB (distance/method) | Operating 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[1][7] | Not documented |
| Reliability, Support & Ecosystem | ||
| Warranty length & support reputation (evidence, not vibes) | 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[12] | 1-year coverage[2] |
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
- 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
- QIDI X-Max 3 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech X-Max 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 Combo Shopify product JSON (price and store publish date) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- Qidi Tech X-Max 3 FDM 3D Printer listing 3dprintersonlinestore.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Centauri Carbon 2 product page (Centauri Carbon 2 vs Centauri Carbon side-by-side table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Centauri Carbon product page (full specification table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO US store 3D printers collection (current line-up, Aug 2026) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech X-Plus 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Tech X-Smart 3 technical data table 3djake.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- QIDI Max4 product page (US store) us.qidi3d.com · 2026-08 · vendor
- ELEGOO Refund & Warranty policy (warranty period table) us.elegoo.com · 2026-08 · vendor