Product Listing

Cooler Master CM 690 II Plus - Back with More Fans

By Kenny Yeo - 28 May 2010

Overdose of Fans - Interior

Overdose of Fans

Peering inside, the design and overall feel is unmistakably Cooler Master. Most of the components utilize a tool-free installation design, so installing components was mostly a hassle-free process.

Despite the casings size, the internals was surprisingly less spacious than we expected. The casing will easily accommodate a large Radeon HD 5870 graphics card, but we wished there were more space, since that that will make cable management easier and free up the internals for optimal air circulation.

And as we've mentioned, the CM 690 II Plus boasts one of the most over the top ventilation systems we've seen. The casing comes with three fans as standard, two exhausts fans at the rear and top and a single intake fan at the front. And for those who need a really cool system, they'll be happy to know that the casing can accommodate a grand total of 10 fans (9 in our case because of the side window). The three fans that came as standard were sufficiently quiet in our experience, but we cannot imagine how 10 fans spinning in unison can match that same kind of tranquillity.

The all-black interior of the CM 690 II Plus means business.

The 5.25-inch drive bays make use of a simple latch system to install components.

Hard disks are easy to use and install with these tool-free installation racks.

Simply attach the rack onto the hard disk like so and slide it into place and you're done. Also, the CM 690 II Plus comes with a handy adapter for smaller 2.5-inch SSD drives.

The PSU bay is located at the bottom and there's handily placed rubber padding to help reduce noise and vibration.

Motherboards have to be installed using traditional spacers and screws. Fortunately, the correct positions on the motherboard tray have been clearly labelled.

It's a tad cramped inside for a casing this big and heavy. Note the left over space after installing a Radeon HD 5870.

The expansion slots make use of thumb screws to secure components.

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8.0
  • Aesthetics 8
  • Functionality 8.5
  • Usability 8.5
  • Value 8
The Good
Easy to install
Comprehensive ventilation system
External hard disk dock a nice touch
The Bad
Slightly cramped interior
Some parts difficult to remove
Heavy
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