bit-tech Shopping: Cooler Master CM 690 Black Midsize Tower

• Front Earphone Jack
• Front Firewire Ports
• Front Microphone Jack
• Front SATA Port
• Front USB Ports
• No-Tool Assembly
• Side Mounted Hard Drive Bay

• ATX
• Micro BTX

• 3.5"
• 5.25"

Rating: 10

Time with product: 1

Strengths: Airflow, space, sound, easy to use, SPARE SCREWS in the perfect place. cable routing. tool free design, with option to use screws.

Weaknesses: Doesn't play well with IDE, The side panels like to fight. The power button is a bit odd. Not enough room for 38 mm high fans.

Summary: I bought this case to alleviate some problems with my Antec TX 1050.. This (CM690) case has good hard drive air flow for 6hdds, and the hard drives don't block the video card. The drives fit in, but the side panel needed some slight coaxing to close up the back side. While I was able to install a 38 x 120 mm fan on top of the case, it obstructed the 4 pin mobo power connector. The 38mm fan was too bulky to fit in to bottom intake spot as the PS cords were all pushing against it. The 4 pin power was able to reach to reach the motherboard plug, but it was tight, so I added an extension. The HDD screws are in the case screwed into a holder, where they are hardest to lose. The power supply was mountable in two orientations. The tool-less mounting works well. This has reduced HDD noise by a considerable amount. The case lets sound out easily.. However with quiet parts this case becomes quiet as well (fan-less CPU cooler and graphics cooler).If fans aren't screwed all the way down this case amplifies the fan rattle.The top connections are easy to deal with. with removable cablesIf you use the bottom IO card slot for a NIC, removing the cable can be a trick (possible physical obstruction depending on the nic cable lock orientation).

Rating: 10

Time with product: 3 Months

Strengths: Great airflow, good cooling

Weaknesses: Little bit difficult to install the motherboard, powerswitch is easy to break

Summary: Despite of the little bit difficulty in installing the motherboard, CM690 has very good cooling with great airflow. You can even install extra cooling fans to cool the system further down, you can install up to seven fans. This is a good case at a very reasonable price, people who interested in overclocking shall take a look at this case. I like this case and will recommend it to other people.

Rating: 8

Time with product: 2 Months

Strengths: 10 drive bays, mounting for many large fans, attractive design.

Weaknesses: Thin, somewhat flimsy door panels that don't slide on easily. Bad pushbutton design for power and reset.

Summary: This case is roomy and can hold many drives (10 total, 5 exposed). Hard drives mount in plastic carrier/rails that help reduce noise/vibration but may not be durable long term. The power supply is located at the bottom of the case which requires long cables for some motherboards. There are many places to mount large fans (which is good) but side panel mounts may not be ideal due to thin panels that may vibrate. Another minor complaint are the power and reset buttons that operate via a poorly designed lever action that makes the buttons feel awkward.

Rating: 10

Time with product: 2

Strengths: Affordable, Great cooling, Plenty of space

Weaknesses: None yet

Summary: This is a really great case than can be had for a cheap price with the available Cooler Master rebates. I picked up mine for $19.99 after rebate. This case has several fans and has the option of adding more. Just make sure you select quiet fans or the noise can become significant. With all the cooling, this is a great choice for a gamers case or someone who wants to overclock. Overall this is a great case at a great price.

Rating: 8

Time with product:

Strengths: Value

Weaknesses: None

Summary: This case is a solid VALUE. If you shop around and time it right, you can get this case for under twenty bucks. It's well built and allows quick swapping of internal components with mostly no tools required. The included blue led fan is a nice touch. The ability to hold seven fans allows for plenty of cooling for a gaming PC or a server.