Cooler Master 690

At first glance, a computer case would seem like an inessential part of the computer as a whole. But this would fail to take into account some very crucial aspects of computer cases that help to maximize overall computer performance. This article will look at the 690 from Cooler Master, one of the top of the line case makers. Read on to see how this version will impact the case industry.

  

The computer case is an interesting part of the computer. Its job has nothing to do with the performance of the computer and is pretty much the only part of the computer you see. This leads to the conclusion that it's all about looks, which isn't true. The looks are important, but the functionality and the airflow in the case are both vital parts to consider.
My first case was from Raidmax and it looked cool. That was about where the positives ended for that case. It was a hell hole to work with and seemed to collect dust bunnies like no other.
Today we get to take a look at the Cooler Master CM 690. Cooler Master is one of the better known companies in the computer case industry. They are in the PSU and cooling markets as well. Being in these other areas is a huge advantage to making a case. There are huge potential problems with cooling inside the case; Cooler Master knows this and have incorporated their knowledge of those industries into their cases. Time to take a look into and outside this case.
What You Get

The case comes in the product box shipped to you. No need to put it in your standard brown box. It does take away a little security as people that handle the package now know what is in the box. All in all, the package got to me in one piece and in perfect condition. Inside the case you get a big white box of stuff, nothing exciting, mostly just your normal case hardware stuff. A Closer Look

The first thing that interested me was that it was SLI certified. Now what does this mean? We know SLI certified motherboards can run SLI, and there is SLI RAM that has some benefit over regular memory, but what does a case do? It provides no performance to the PC, so what makes some cases SLI certified? Googling around and visiting nVidia's website, I found the official definition and reasoning for SLI certified cases:

NVIDIA SLI certification ensures a quality user experience by doing both a full thermal qualification test and a mechanical fit test on each SLI-Ready case to ensure that it's ready for all of your SLI-Ready components.

Only cases that pass NVIDIA SLI certification can be called "NVIDIA SLI-Ready certified." Be sure to look for the NVIDIA SLI-Ready badge when you buy your next case.

Here is a shot of the externals of the case. It's a rather plain black case, but don't let that set you the wrong way; it has lots to offer. It is a mid-sized ATX case with the ability to accept mATX motherboards as well.

The front is almost entirely mesh. This is great for airflow and I think excellent for the optical drives and hard drives on the other side. While neither of these devices would require active cooling, they do warm up, and the constant air coming in will keep them nice and cool, not to mention allow more air into the rest of the case. Don't worry about all that dust that might be coming in your case. The mesh is all filtered to keep only air coming through.

On the right side we find the power and reset buttons along with the power LED and HD activity LED. It's very sleek and subtle in the whole design of the case. This is either a hit or miss spot. People with the case on their left will love this as the buttons are right there in easy access. For people that have the computer on their right, this is an annoyance, as they are lunging over the case to turn on the computer.

On the left side of the case we find two fan mesh spots. They are perfectly placed over the traditional spot of the CPU and also around the GPUs. This case is "SLI certified" so I guess this is one of those perks for having a case made for SLI. This should really help get air into the coolers of the GPUs and also bring cooler air into the case.
The case doesn't ship with a side window. This bums me out some. I enjoy having a window so I can see my hardware hard at work, but I think it still looks good without one. If you really must have a side window, you can buy one from Cooler Master. The window side still gives you a 120mm fan for GPU cooling. You will, however, lose the fan by the CPU.

The back is a little different from traditional cases. The spot for the power supply is on the bottom of the case, and the motherboard I/O area is pushed up to the top. It's a newer design that originally debuted a few years ago. There is a 120mm fan sucking air out of the case. Something interesting here: two holes for tubing, specifically for water cooled computers. This certainly beats my attempt when I tried making holes in my old case by removing PCI slots. It isn't big enough for ½" tubing, however. 

On the bottom we have some big feet on this case. This is to help lift the case off the ground and allow air into the case from the bottom. We also have air intakes for a 120 or 140 mm fan and also one for the fan on the PSU, which is sitting on the bottom of the case.

Cooler Master 690 - A Closer Look continued

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The top is very interesting too. We have another big mesh area with some places for some fans. This looks like a very nice place to put a radiator for your water-cooling system. We also have our front panel of goodies. We have USB, firewire, audio in and out, and also an eSATA. eSATA is a new way of connecting external hard drives to your computer. The performance is on the same path as regular SATA. Very few cases have these; even some higher end Cooler Master cases do not have these. I think it's a bit premature for this, but in the coming years I think it will become the new standard for external hard drives.
In the white box we find a manual, motherboard standoffs, and a 2.5" adapter for a floppy drive. Where are the screws? Did Cooler Master not ship screws with their cases?

Here they are! They are actually screwed inside the case. This makes access to the screws easier and more convenient. It's hard to lose screws when you have spots for them on the case.

The back of the case is uneventful. This is where people typically hide the extra cables. There is a mesh hole where the CPU underside would be to help create airflow around this area and on the underside of the motherboard.

The drive bays were built with a lot of thought. The bay covers are all covered with filters to keep the dust out. Even the little 3.5" drive adapter has the filter around it.

Installing optical drives is very simple and tool free. Lift up the hands-free mounting device, insert the drive, and then pop down the harness and you're done.

Installing hard drives is very simple too. They supply you with cages that can be easily removed and reinstalled with a hard drive. It did throw me a little at first; I was looking to put the hard drive in connectors closest to the side panel, but it wouldn't fit. You have to install the drive with the connectors facing the other way. This is the first I have seen of this, but it makes sense. You can hide all the cables for the hard drives on the other side of the case
Installation
Installing the hardware was very simple. I already discussed the optical and hard drives, but the rest went smoothly as well. The case doesn't have a removable motherboard tray, but it was still simple to install the motherboard.
Moving the PSU to the bottom has its perks and disadvantages. It seems that there is more room in the case with it on the bottom, but it also makes that 4/8 pin connector harder to deal with. It's hard to find a way to hide it or reroute it anywhere. I have yet to find anything other than running it from the PSU straight to the connector.
Conclusion
This is a really nice case in design and functionality. I was very impressed with it. The looks are exactly what I wanted. It's a really nice looking case, but not overly elegant.
Cases can't make your computer faster, but will keep away headaches with the right design. One could spend 10 minutes installing hardware, or an hour. It all depends on the design of the case.
There aren't many downfalls for this case. The only one I can think of is I wish there was a little more room between the top of the case and the top of the motherboard. The positives of this case heavily outweigh that fault.
The design allows for great air flow in every direction while also keeping the dust outside the case. The tool free design is perfect and easy to use. The Cooler Master 690 is a mid tower case with what feels like a full sized interior with all the features you would expect from the best cases in the world. I would highly recommend this case for anyone running hot hardware who desires a stylish case with all the features you would want.

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