CoolerMaster CM 690 III Review

 CoolerMaster CM 690 III Review  

 

Introduction

The word Icon is banded around with somewhat gay abandon these days.  Strictly speaking it refers to Christian religious imagery depicting figures of worship as an aid to devotion.  In more recent times the term has been attached to pretty much any-one or anything you care to mention, whether it be a pop group, a football player or even the “Iconic” chocolate hob-nob.  In overuse, the term then becomes somewhat diluted, losses it’s meaning and drifts of into meaningless obscurity.  That is until something comes along that is truly worthy of the word.  In hushed tones we speak not of the second coming, for that was some years ago, but of the third coming (we should be so lucky), for CoolerMaster have seen fit to grace us with an update to the “Iconic” CM 690 class of cases.  Ladies and Gentlefolk, we’re no experts at Roman Numerals, but pray silence as we bring you the CM 690 Eye Eye Eye.

The build up we’ve given this case should allude to our expectations of it.  You see the previous iterations of the 690 have been mightily impressive, and whether or not you consider them iconic it’s hard to deny that they have had it where it counts.  So what of the 690 III then?  Well it’s a fraction bigger, allowing more flexibility on the inside, but not so much as you’d notice from the outside, it has more than ample storage with room for endless configuration between 3.5″ and 2.5″ drives as well as room for tall coolers and long GPUs.  Throw in battleship build quality, native water cooling support for up to two 240mm radiators, a price tag of £85 and you might be starting to see why we’re getting so worked up.

 

Technical Specification

Model Number

CMS-693-KKN1 | KWN1

Available Colour

Midnight Black

Materials

Polymer, mesh front bezel

Dimensions (W x H x D)

230 x 507 x 502 mm / 9.1 x 20.0 x 19.8 inch

Net Weight

8.7 kg / 19.2 lbs

M/B Type

microATX, ATX

5.25″ Drive Bays

3 (exposed)

3.5″ Drive Bays

7 (hidden)

2.5″ Drive Bays

10 (hidden; 7 from the HDD/SSD combo cages, 1 under the ODD cage, 1 behind the M/B tray,1 at the bottom)

I/O Panel

USB 3.0 x 2, USB 2.0 x 2, Audio In & Out (supports AC97 / HD Audio)

Expansion Slots

7+1

Cooling System

Top: 120/140mm fan x 2, or 200mm fan x 1 (optional)
Front: 200mm fan x 1 (installed), or 120/140mm fan x 2 , 180mm fan x   1(optional)
Rear: 120mm fan x 1 (installed)
Side: 120mm fan x 2 or 180/200mm fan x 1(optional)
Bottom: 120mm fan x 1 (optional)
HDD cage: 120mm fan x 1 (optional)

Power Supply Type

Standard ATX PS2 (not included)

Maximum Compatibility

VGA card length: 423 mm / 16.6 inch
CPU cooler height: 171mm / 6.7 inch

 

Features

  • Full mesh on the front panel and top with large vents on the side panel for superior cooling
  • 3 designated places for radiators: 240mm: roof and front; 120mm: rear
  • Supports up to three 200mm large fans for extreme airflow with support for up to 9 total fans (KKN1: 9 fans, KWN1: 7 fans)
  • New ODD tool-less design “EZ tray” for quick installation
  • Supports up to 10 SSDs (4 in the removable HDD/SSD combo cage, 1 behind the M/B tray) and 7 HDDs with HDD/SSD combo trays
  • Dual Super Speed USB 3.0
  • High-end component support – long graphics cards up to 423mm and tall CPU coolers up to 171mm
  • Multiple removable dust filters (top, front, PSU) for improved system maintenance

Top compartment with cover to place personal belongings

 

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