Cooler Master 690 II Advanced [Review]

With its unique features and a market price of around Rs. 5,833, it is a good option for those looking for a base to build their new system, and a great option for those investing at least Rs. 50,000 on a decent mid-range gaming system. Existing 690 users will not find reason enough to upgrade to this new version though.

With the success of the 690, Cooler Master has come up with the new version mid-tower cabinet named the "CM 690 II". The CM 690 II Advanced variant is available in two options - one with and one without the transparent side window. Gaming enthusiasts need a chassis that can hold more than two or more graphic cards, a powerful SMPS, and several hard drives to store their games and media. Cooling is an also an important factor especially for overclocker. Money is the next important factor. Considering all of these factors, Cooler Master has designed this new cabinet. Remember that the older 690 was a very popular case among people all around the world and even here in India.

Package Contents:

VGA card bracket

Mesh dust filter

Different sized screws

Small motherboard speaker and plastic bolts.

User manual.

Look and Feel

The CM 690 II Advanced like the old 690 is stylish and has retained its tough look. The chassis comes in all black color with chrome lining running along the edges. The front face is made of steel and is easily detachable for plugging in DVD drives. The older CM 690 had some problems with the power button which has been overcome in this model. The buttons are now located at the top of the cabinet. SATA drives can be connected externally to the X-dock port provides on top. The case has huge rubber feet which raise the chassis from the ground.

The top panel contains two USB 2.0 ports, an eSATA connector and two audio jacks which support HD audio. There is also a LED on/off button to control the front fan LED lights. The rear end of the cabinet has two water cooling outlets and eight expansion slots. There’s also space for a graphics card support arm.

The interiors are clean and spacious. The cabinet comes with three fans attached to the front, top and rear. The front and top fan are 140 mm and rear is a 120 mm. The drive bays are well designed with simple locks and sliding trays for installation. The top drive bay has provision for two drives which can include 2.5-inch and 1.8-inch drives. The expansion slots are held in place by thumb screw. The maximum CPU cooler height is 6.96-inch which should suffice for any cooler. The maximum length allowed for graphic card is 11.96-inch, so the monstrous 12.2-inch Radeon HD 5970 is going to be too long to fit.

Features

The CM 690 II Advanced comes with the unique features like SATA X-dock. SATA X-dock allows connecting the SATA drive externally by simply placing SATA drives in dock, just like you would an iPod in an iPod dock. We tried installing 3.5-inch and 2.5-inch drives on the SATA X-dock and we faced no problems. It supports up to 10 fans varying from 80 mm to 140 mm in size. It supports up to five 140 mm fans, four for exhaust and one for intake. The VGA holder arm helps in providing support if you set up multiple graphic cards in a CrossFire or SLI setup. The chassis is well ventilated with a net which helps keep away dust. Rear holes for water cooling outlet make it ideal for those going in for water cooling solutions. Gaps inside the cabinet allow the user to channel cables from behind the case and reduce congestion.

Pros:

Stylish and sturdy

External SATA X-dock

VGA card racket

Good cable management

Good air flow

Provision for 120 x 240 mm radiator

Dust control filters

Cons:

Somewhat thin side panel

Not enough length for cards like the Radeon HD 5970

Conclusion:

The overall build quality of the chassis is good. The design and quality of the trays used ensures that noise and vibrations are reduced. The side door panels are somewhat thin and so is the meshed top. Cables used are also of average quality.

At a market price of around Rs. 5,833, it’s a good option for those looking for a base to build their new system. It is more expensive than the old 690 though. We feel existing 690 users won’t find a reason enough to upgrade to this new version. Features such as the SATA X-dock are unique. This chassis is a great option for those investing in at least Rs. 50,000 on a decent mid-range gaming system.



Ratings

Features: 7.5

Performance: 7.5

Build Quality: 7.5

Value for Money: 7

Overall: 7.5

Contact: Sanket Naik

Phone: +91-98204 65067

Web site: www.coolermaster.co.in

Price:

• Rs. 7,250 (Without transparent side panel)


• Rs. 7,550 (With transparent side panel)