General |
|
+ |
- |
We were pleasantly surprised with how the
manufacturer has managed to create a product so good while maintaining a
low price. The CM 690 III is well made, the steel frame is solid and the
finish is above average compared to competitors in the same price range. There
is plenty of interior space, which may satisfy the need of almost any
user. However, we have found a couple of downsides, for example, the
panel that covers the I/O connectors and power/reset buttons is poorly designed
and feels very cheap. Other than that we can't understand why Cooler
Master got ride of the SATA how-swap bay, which has been one of the best
features with the CM 690! Other than that the fans included are good but only
feature 3-pin headers.
|
|
-
Design
|
-
Fans
-Top panel |
|
|
|
|
Manufacturing quality / Ergonomics |
|
+ |
- |
Cooler Master has not been saving
money on the materials used. Quality of plastics and steel is the way it
should be like. Installing the components inside the CM 690 III is quite simple, there
is plenty of space available and in comparison with the old version
there is quite a bit more room inside. One reason for that is, that the
CM 690 III is a bit wider than the CM 690 II. Also on the backside of
the motherboard tray there is quite a lot of space to route lots of
cables. 27 millimeter depth is really decent.
|
|
- Build
quality
- Interior
Space |
|
|
|
|
|
Design |
|
+ |
- |
The design is similar to the old models and
it's timeless. There have been some minor changes but you'll notice that
it's a CM 690 case at first sight. We would even go to the point to say, that installing a 5.25 inch drive would ruin the looks of the front. Internally we haven't found
issues. All the features are well sorted and the basic design is highly
practical. For example, the carriages for HDDs/SSDs are interchangeable and really easy to use. Mounting and unmounting
can be done quickly and is very simple at the same time. |
|
- HDD/SSD |
|
|
|
|
|
Recommendation |
|
+ |
- |
The Cooler Master CM 690 III is currently
listed on Geizhals for 80 Euro. The price is great as is the quality of this product. If you are looking for a mid-tower that offers
a lot of interior space, then you will definitely do everything right choosing this case. |
|
- Gaming-PC
- Enthusiast build |
|
|
Rating |
The Cooler Master CM 690 III gets
very good 4.5 out of five
stars. The case comes at a price point of est. CHF 99.- (est EUR
80.-). |
|