Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced review
Front
The CM 690 II Advanced weighs 9.56kg, it's largely made out of SECC steel but the front and top feature plastic edges with rounded corners. One of the prominent design features of the case is the meshed metal front panel that enables a lot of air to pass through.
This midi-tower case features four external 5.25" bays, there's no external 3.5" bay but tools are provided to convert a 5.25" drive bay if you want to install a 3.5" device.
The front also features a Cooler Master logo, some plastic ridges and a chrome-like metallic strip that runs along the edge of the front and upper bezel. The strip on the upper bezel is properly attached but the one on the front panel feels a bit too loose, it's just a small detail but this is a minor build quality issue for me.
Top
One of the first things I found while unboxing the case was the cover of the X-Dock. I guess Cooler Master didn't preinstall this piece of plastic because it comes off quite easily and also because it easily attracts dust.
On top of the case is the I/O panel and the X-Dock, on the picture below you can see the following things: a button to disable the case fan LEDs, (unpowered) eSATA port, two USB ports, audio ports, reset button, power button and activity LEDs. The buttons are all pretty small, personally I like to see bigger ones like the massive power button and fan dial + LED button on the Cooler Master Sniper case. Above the I/O panel is the X-Dock and the rest of the top panel has a meshed design so the hot air can rise freely.
The X-Dock is one of the special features of the CM 690 II Advanced, it enables you to connect a 2.5/3.5-inch SATA HDD/SSD to your rig without having to open your case. This can be quite convenient but one complaint I have about the X-Dock is that the plastic cover comes off too easily. If you plan on going to LAN parties it may be a good idea to leave this piece at home or secure it with some pieces of tape because otherwise, chances are high that the cover will fall when you're handling the case.
Sides
The left side panel supports two fans to provide extra cooling to your processor and graphics card(s), holes have been drilled to support 80mm, 92mm, 120mm and 140mm fans. However, if you're using a big CPU cooler there's likely not going to be enough room to install a second fan on the side panel.
(Note: Cooler Master also sells a windowed version of the CM 690 II Advanced)
The right side panel of a computer case is usually pretty bland but that's not the case with this case as Cooler Master enables you to install one 80mm fan to enhance cooling of the CPU area on your motherboard. The motherboard plate has a cutout, so the air flows directly against the back side of your motherboard. The only disadvantage is that it has to be a slim 80mm fan with a thickness of 15mm, and these aren't as easy to find as the regular models.
The case has an all-black design and the rear panel is no exception.
On top are two pre-drilled holes for 5/8" watercooling tubes with rubber grommets for protection, and right under these holes is a 120mm exhaust fan.
Besides the usual seven PCI expansion slots this case also features a horizontal slot, this is useful for installing devices that don't require a PCI connection, like PCI bracket fan controllers that ship with some CPU coolers.
The bottom features rubber feet which raise the case a bit to enable some airflow. There's a honeycomb-shaped grill under the PSU area and there's also a mesh under the area that supports an internal 240mm radiator.
Accessories
Located inside the case is a cardboard box with all the accessories plus the (very short) manuals. Included are a 5.25" to 3.5" conversion kit, a metal dust filter for the PSU, a GPU retention bracket and a plastic bag with the usual screws and motherboard standoffs, an optional case speaker and 12 cable ties for cable management.
The GPU retention bracket is a special feature of the CM 690 II Advanced, it's designed to reduce strain on your motherboard and provide extra cooling via an optional 80mm fan. The only drawback is that it has to be a 15mm slim 80mm fan, not many people have those lying around.
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Added: April 10th 2010
Product reviewed: Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced
Reviewer: Thomas De Maesschalck
Score: 9/10
Page: 2/4
