Features
Upon opening the case you'll notice a box that contains a baggy with plastic push pins for the various optional fans you may wish to install and a single cable tie for you neat freaks out there. The actual user manual is clear and contains well-written English with diagrams showing how to install components inside the case. This all may seem minuscule, but a little adds up to a lot with the 690. From the inside you now see where the 80x15mm fan truly resides in regards to the motherboard placement and just how big the interior really is. The case accommodates both standard ATX and Mini-ATX motherboard designs, but if you'll notice there's a series of clips lining the right side of the motherboard tray. No it isn't some type of removable motherboard tray mechanism, there's no need; there's plenty of space inside the 690 to work with and those are actually cable clips designed to route the massive clutter of cables from your PSU to your devices. For the most part they work well, we just wished that the actual clips would lock together because when you've filled them to the brim with fatty cables they tend to open easily. We also wish that they were slightly farther from the motherboard since systems with right-angled IDE and SATA connectors could get blocked. The good thing is, you can remove any or all of these clips by simply twisting them like you would a normal screw and voila, they're out!


Although there is no PSU included with the case, you're probably better off getting your own anyway. This way you can choose the perfect sized PSU with long enough cables for your particular motherboard. If you're stuck with your existing PSU and the cables don't reach, then you're simply out of luck and will either have to pass up on this case or buy an extender. We suggest you get the extender otherwise you'll be missing out on some sweet features. Forget that the PSU area is insulated for noise, the motherboard tray beside it has an opening ready for you radical cable management freaks out there. This along with the routing clips should really help keep the air moving in your case. Around the right side of the case the hard drive bay is designed so that the rear end of your disks are facing this side. Many enthusiasts have been doing this on purpose for years on cases such as the Antec Super LANBOY for aesthetic and wire lassoing purposes, and so too does the 690. Don't mistake this for your average monotonous HDD mounting chore. The HDD mounting procedure is actually pretty special. Unfortunately it is also one of the biggest misfires we've ever seen in an enclosure here at FPSLabs. More on that on the next page.


While there isn't much room on the right side of the case, you don't really need to use it unless you plan on taking your dremel and performing some über cable management. Note the extremely useful screw holder built right into the case. This built-in screw holder is ingenious and gives you no excuse to ever lose a screw again. It's really nice to be able to unscrew what you need and screw it straight into your devices. The funny thing is, for the most part you won't be using the screws very much besides mounting your motherboard and your PCI devices. This is a real man's (or woman's) workhorse case, no doubt about that. The reason we say you won't be using screws much is due to the included 5.25" and 3.25" drive bay latches. They really do work well. We wish we could say the same for the PCI retention device, but alas, you can't always have your cake and eat it too. We recommend most users purchase an additional fan and set it up in the spot at the bottom. Warm air rises so forcing this natural phenomena to occur while being protected from dust by the included filter is another nice touch as you can see below.


Of course if you really want to rock the heat out of your system you can install either a 120mm or 140mm fan up top to keep the air moving. This is a tall case compared to some others we've reviewed, so if you're running a monster setup it might be wise to keep the case free of any potential dead zones where hot air might get stuck. The additional cooling will increase the noise factor so keep that mind. The way the HDD bay is placed inside the case will restrict airflow to your video cards and surrounding components. That's why the orifices above the PCI device area are still present and why you have the bottom fan bracket in the first place. It also should work pretty well unless you are a stinking pig and have an incredibly dirty desk. The case feet are tall enough to bring in enough air and not create an empty suck vacuum. Note how nice and neat the routing clips are compared to the final fully built system and you'll understand why a lock for the clips would really have been nice.


Before we tear up the inside any further we still have to go over the marvelously designed exterior face plates. Sure it might not be as simple as swinging a door open, but all you have to do is reach down under the front, insert your fingers and pull. The front of the case should come off presto no problems. You'll have to tilt it back a good 25 degrees in order to do this, so throw in last semesters chemistry textbook underneath to prop it up, then go rinse off the dust. Yes, you read that correctly, there is nothing preventing you from ripping off the front and givin' it a good rinse with your garden hose. There are no electronic parts on this piece and you can still press the power and reset buttons to your hearts desire, so nice forward thinking from Cooler Master on this end. This exposes the 120mm blue LED fan that runs at around 1200 RPM and claims to exude 21dBA. Whether or not this is true we are unable to confirm, but simply staring at the rotation and seeing the pattern of blue lets you know it isn't going extremely fast, so it sure isn't making that much noise either. You can unscrew the grill that holds it up and replace it with your own fan if you want. Having a moist paper towel and wiping down the grill (or rinsing it too) would probably be a good idea once every few months.


One thing we don't understand are the steel guards that case manufacturers keep inside their cases. These dangerous things are extremely sharp and can cause some pretty gnarly cuts if you aren't careful. We tried using the screw and twist method but we ended up using the blunt end of the screwdriver to bash the whole damn thing out. Note to Cooler Master and every other manufacturer in existence: get rid of this crap. It might be helpful in some way on your end, but it doesn't block a damn thing worth blocking except enthusiasts trying to build their system, kapeesh? Because of how easy air can come into the case through the 5.25" area, users who are going way overboard in terms of hard drives can use the 5.25" drive bay area to install their own HDD drive adapters. Whatever type of HDD enclosure or bracket you choose you'll rest assured knowing that you're getting cool air that is actually being fed in through a mini-dust filter on every single 5.25" drive bay cover, straight to your hard drives. Talk about Cooler Master...