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Cooler Master CM 690 III reviewed and tested
In this article we review the Cooler Master CM 690 III chassis, a new upgrade over the popular CM 690 II mid-towers. The looks might be the same, but every little mishap of the previous series has been upgraded and fixed including the interior as the HDD/SSD combo cage can be switched between 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch drives by adjustable trays without any screw.
Check out the full review here.
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Chillin
Ancient Guru
Posts: 6444
Joined: 2006-01-18
Ancient Guru
Posts: 6444
Joined: 2006-01-18
#4668688 Posted on: 10/04/2013 12:30 AM
Actually, as an owner of a CM 690 II Advanced for the last few years, I can safely say that they hit all the right buttons.
My biggest problem with the II version was the lack of cabling room in the side of the case. I've had to come with some pretty creative cabling in order to get around the insanely small clearance. That, and the internal dust filters which are impossible to clean. There is also the matter of the CPU cutout being all but pointless. Finally, being limited in the front to a single 120mm fan was also annoying.
This case fixes nearly every single issue I have with the CM 690 II Advanced bar the following:
-No X-Dock = It has proven to be insanely useful.
-No side filter = Really? They put filters everywhere else.
-Rear grommet holes = Get rid of them. Only three people in the last five years have used an external water cooling solution... I mean seriously.
-No case lock and/or Kensington lock for the case = Having recently lived in a college dorm, it was a major shortcoming not having this.
I hope the Advanced version rectifies these shortcomings.
Actually, as an owner of a CM 690 II Advanced for the last few years, I can safely say that they hit all the right buttons.
My biggest problem with the II version was the lack of cabling room in the side of the case. I've had to come with some pretty creative cabling in order to get around the insanely small clearance. That, and the internal dust filters which are impossible to clean. There is also the matter of the CPU cutout being all but pointless. Finally, being limited in the front to a single 120mm fan was also annoying.
This case fixes nearly every single issue I have with the CM 690 II Advanced bar the following:
-No X-Dock = It has proven to be insanely useful.
-No side filter = Really? They put filters everywhere else.
-Rear grommet holes = Get rid of them. Only three people in the last five years have used an external water cooling solution... I mean seriously.
-No case lock and/or Kensington lock for the case = Having recently lived in a college dorm, it was a major shortcoming not having this.
I hope the Advanced version rectifies these shortcomings.
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Member Guru
Posts: 67
Joined: 2013-02-15
I'm glad a windowed version of this case is available.
It's amazing how a mesh side panel can make an entire case look cheap and tacky.
The rest of the mesh looks very nice. But, it sure lets in a lot of dust making frequent cleanings of the interior absolutely necessary.
A major hassle if you live in a dusty area like I do, here at the beach.
The dust here is so fine, through millenia of wind, waves and sun, that filters really don't do a whole helluva lot. Unless, of course, they're so dense that airflow is impeded.
Those 6 plastic clips that hold the front fascia on look very breakable as they were on a couple of other CM cases I used to own.
A few dots, strips or squares of Velcro will fix that when they eventually break off.
2 or 3 fans, allowing a radiator up front, would be much more useful than another of these 200mm fans.
Unless there's room for an actual 200mm rad, like a Phobya Extreme 200mm radiator, with the 240x199x45mm dimensions.
This is just another typical CM case where form tops actual function, without some serious modding. You can do better at this price point.