Published in Reviews

Cooler Master 690 Advanced reviewed

by on19 March 2010

Index








Cooler Master 690 Advanced is not the case that will draw attention with futuristic looks and alien-like masks, but the case features modern design and sleek lines which will surely make it a favorite with many. CoolerMaster used metal and plastic as well as wire mesh grill, which keeps the dust out. The case is painted black with chrome contours. As you’ll soon see, the inside of the case is black as well, meaning that the CM 690 Advanced follows the latest trends.

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The metal isn’t brushed but rather matte and although the case is already sturdy enough, the finishing touches reinforce the impression of the case being as tough as they get. The CM 690 Advanced is 49.5cm tall and the rubber feet will make sure that the case is stable that there is no noise due to vibrations. The front and top panels are made of plastic, but will require some serious beating to get damaged.

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The front panel is made of two layers of mesh grill which, naturally, filter the incoming air. The inner layer is a finer mesh with tiny holes which can be detached and cleaned. 

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The upper part of the front panel is reserved for four 5.25’’ optical drives, whereas the lower CoolerMaster branded part hides a 140mm Blue LED fan (1200RPM 19dBA), which cools the disks. One 5.25’’ optical drive bay can be made into a 3.5’’ drive bay via the provided metal bracket.

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Compared to the CM 690 PURE, the On/Off and reset keys have been relocated to the upper panel with accessibility in mind. The upper panel holds 2 x USB, eSATA, Mic and headphone jacks as well as front fan’s LED control key (on and off).

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Cooler master had to equip the 690 Advanced with new features so the I/O panel not only features the standard connectors, but the company included an HDD/SSD docking station. We salute this move as it will surely be a welcome addition to users, especially the more (CM) advanced ones.

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Many of you have a few hard disks that they don’t use every day (we know we do), but which hold plenty of valuable data. In such scenarios, the docking station will be a godsend as there’s no need to tear the case open and mess with cables. The docking station is easily accessible, and it only takes a few seconds to get your disk up and running.

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The following photo shows the docking station from another perspective, where you’ll see SATA power and data connectors for 3.5’’ or 2.55 HDD or SSD devices.

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The rest of the upper panel is made of aforementioned double grill, underneath of which you can place two 120mm or 140mm fans. The upper panel can be taken off via the latches but only after you take the sides off. CoolerMaster equipped the upper panel with one 140mm fan (1200RPM, 19dBA).

The width of the case at the widest point on the upper panel is 21.2cm and the CPU will take a cooling solution up to 17.7cm high.

The right side can be equipped with two 120/140/92mm fans, as you can see from the picture below.

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About 0.7mm thick sides can be taken off by removing two screws and pulling the panels back. Note that CoolerMaster also offers windowed right side panels.

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The CM 690 Advanced version without the side window, which is our today’s sample, comes with three preinstalled fans, but the case can hold up to 11 fans.

The left side has room for one of the optional fans. In this case, we're talking about an 80x15mm fan.

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The rear side of the case (bottom) holds the PSU, a preinstalled 120mm fan on the top (1200RPM, 17dBA) and two holes for external water cooling.

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The case is some 2cm above the floor so airflow and/or air intake/outtake will not be an issue. You can equip the right side with additional two 140mm fans or, if you choose so, a water cooling radiator.

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The wire mesh grill is here to prevent dust from entering the case. It’s removable so you can easily take it off and clean it.

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There’s no wire mesh below the PSU, but we found one in the box. It is advised to mount it before mounting the PSU.



Last modified on 19 March 2010
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