Final Thoughts

As I stated early on, the CM690 from Cooler Master is a pleasant mixture of solid features and new gadgets. With the entire front and top panels being used as airflow, cooling is rock solid. While our test box had only three fans installed, there are mounts for four additional 120mm fans so you can see that it will be more than up to the task of cooling even the most hardcore enthusiast rigs. Add to this the rubber grommet protected water ports and we have everything we need for high-end cooling.

I am also very appreciative to those who have such a head for details. The grommets mentioned above, the cushioning provided for the power supply, the flex drive trays and a nearly tool-free installation of the entire system speaks volumes for the designers of this enclosure.

You may remember that I also mentioned that price was not too bad, either. A quick look through some major online retailers shows this case to be readily available for about $80US. This is a good deal lower than many similar enclosures with this type of feature set, so you won't have to rob a bank to get set up with this gem. Cooler Master also notes on their website that this is the first case sold for less than $100US that is SLI Certified.

While this is a very solid product, there are a couple of items that I would like to see improved. The main concept is that each and every intake port should be filtered. Something that is sturdy, easy to clean and easier to remove is preferable, but filtration is just too important to ignore, especially on a quality enclosure like this one. The other item is the use of steel for the overall construction but the use of plastic on things like the PCI retention latches. Great concept, but I really think that the plastic will die long before the rest of the case does. Just some things to consider, but overall the CM690 is a very solid product that I would have no reservations about recommending.