Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced review

Earlier this year Cooler Master introduced the CM 690 II series at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. This new lineup succeeds the roughly 2.5 years old CM 690, which was a popular mid tower case due to its high bang-per-buck ratio. Just like the original CM 690 the new model features a mesh design for plenty of ventilation, but now with an all-black interior, more room, support for enthusiast-class cooling solutions and various other improvements.

Cooler Master introduced the CM 690 II and CM 690 II Advanced, the difference between these two models is that the Advanced edition has several additional features, such as an external HDD dock, a GPU retention bracket, and a drive cage for 1.8" and 2.5" solid state disks. In this review I'm taking a closer look at the CM 690 II Advanced, the model I received is the RC-692-KKN2 but there's also a RC-692-KWN2 variant with side window.

The case ships in a nicely decorated box, well protected by Styrofoam and a plastic bag.





Before taking a closer look at the exterior of the case, here are the specifications of the Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced:

Available Color Black
Material Steel body / Plastic + Mesh bezel
Dimension (W / H / D) 214.5 x 511.8 x 528.8 mm / 8.4 x 20.1 x 20.8 inch
Weight Net Weight: 9.56 kg / 21.08 lbs
Gross Weight: 11.56 kg / 25.49 lbs
M/B Type Micro - ATX / ATX / Mini-ITX(supports)
5.25" Drive Bay 4 (without the use of exposed 3.5"drive bay)
3.5" Drive Bay 6 Hidden
1 Exposed (converted from one 5.25" drive bay)
I/O Panel USB 2.0 x 2 , eSATA x 1 , MIC x 1 , Audio x 1 (supports HD / AC97 audio)
Expansion Slots 7 + 1
Cooling System Front: 140 x 25 mm Blue LED fan x 1 / 1200 RPM / 19 dBA
Rear: 120 mm fan x 1 / 1200 RPM / 17 dBA
Top: 140 x 25 mm fan x 1 / 1200 RPM / 19 dBA (supports 120 / 140 mm fan x 2)
Bottom: 120 mm fan x 2 (optional)
Right side: 120 / 140 mm fan x 2 (optional)
Left side: 80 x 15 mm x 1 (optional)
HDD cage: 120 mm fan x 1 (optional)
VGA holder: 80 x 15 mm fan x 1 (optional)
Power Supply Standard ATX PS2 / EPS 12V (optional)


Features:
  • Oversized front and top mesh design for superb ventilation
  • Accommodates 120 x 240 mm radiator inside the top or bottom
  • Dust-control filters for all meshed areas
  • Air cooling support for up to 10 fans (with support for up to 5 x 140mm fans)
  • External SATA X-dock
  • Front blue LED fan on/off switch
  • Rear retaining holes for water cooling kit
  • Includes 1.8" & 2.5" HDD and SSD adapter
  • Cable management and CPU retaining hole for easy maintenance
  • Includes VGA card bracket (supports triple GPU card)






  • Added: April 10th 2010
    Product reviewed: Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced
    Reviewer: Thomas De Maesschalck
    Score: 9/10
    Page: 1/4



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    About the Author

    Thomas De Maesschalck

    Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



    Loading Comments

    Comment #1 posted by Anonymous on 2010-04-13 17:23:36
    I bought it last week, great bang for your buck and pretty quiet. Feels very roomy to work in and there's easy access to everything. The only downside is that the included fans don't push a lot of air, but my temperatures are OK.


    Comment #2 posted by Anonymous on 2010-04-13 10:30:10
    Nice review, looks like a nice budget case for my next Core i7 + Radeon HD 5870 rig.