Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced review



The sturdy front panel is easily removed, on the picture below you can see the 140mm blue LED fan and the drive bays.



You may want to take it off every once in a while to clean the dust filters.



The case ships with one 140mm top fan and if desired you can mount an additional 120mm or 140mm fan. Alternatively, it's also possible to use this area to mount a 240mm radiator for your watercooling kit. The CM 690 II is one of the only mid-tower cases that supports two 240mm radiators out of the box!



Conclusion
Cooler Master has done a great job at revising the aging CM 690 into an exciting new product. The new case doesn't only look a lot better but also adds great new features like the external HDD docking station and a bracket for installing solid state disk. The spacious CM 690 II Advanced will satisfy you, it provides enough working room and enables you to tuck away cables to create a clean look.

The stock cooling fans are very quiet and the case offers plenty of options to enhance cooling. There's support for a total of 10 fans and it's not often that we come across a case that supports two 240mm radiators without having to make any modifications, water cooling users have the option to install a 240mm radiator in the top and bottom of the case! Despite some minor details the overall build quality of the CM 690 II Advanced is excellent, it's a very capable case that will please you for many years to come.

The Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced ships for around $100 (80EUR), which is a right price for such a feature-rich case. If you don't require the X-Dock, GPU retention bracket and SSD adapter you can get the standard CM 690 II, that model should be available for around $80.



The Good Stuff
  • Lots of working room
  • Good tool-free installation options
  • Plenty of cooling options
  • External HDD bay
  • Stylish design with all-black interior
  • Enough cable management features
  • No sharp edges inside
  • Support for 240mm radiator in top and/or bottom
  • Overall build quality is very good
  • Stock fans are very quiet
  • Bottom half of HDD cage can be removed
  • LED fan light can be turned off

    The Bad Stuff
  • The 1200RPM stock cooling may be a bit lacking for more demanding users
  • You can't use standard 80mm fans in the right-side panel and VGA bracket, they have to be slim 15mm models.
  • Side panels require a lot of force to be removed
  • Not enough dust filters

    I give the Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced a rating of 9/10 and our Seal of Approval award.



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



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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.



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