Cooler Master CM 690 III Mid Tower Chassis Review

Peter Donnell / 11 years ago

Final Thoughts

Pricing

At time of writing there are not many sources for the 690 III and that will in part be due to the fact it’s fairly new to market. It can typically be found for around £95 here in the UK and customers in the US would expect to pay around $130 once available. This is pretty good given that the 690 II is often around £70 / $100.

Conclusion

Overall I think Cooler Master have made some pretty impressive improvements to the 690 and it is easily the best on the range so far. The only omission I can see in my mind is that they’ve removed the rubber grommets on the chassis interior, but since cable management was still looking great and it in no way affects the performance of our build, I’m not going to hold that again it.

There are many notable improvements, the top panel and front panel have been improved, providing better airflow and easy maintenance, as well as support for water cooling in the top section. A single 5.25″ drive bay has been sacrificed, but this has come with the benefit of adding extra hard drive bays compared to older models.

Build quality is superb through out and its something that shows even in the pictures, there isn’t a rough edge in sight, the paint work is even, the plastics look great, the silver trim adds a little touch of class, the mesh on the front and top panels looks great, the interior is clean and nicely laid out. The whole thing just feels solid and that alone is enough to justify the price tag in my opinion.

Of course, when you combine build quality, style, performance, great component compatibility then you’re on to a winner. I could easily award this our Bang For Buck Award, even near £100 it still feels like good value for money, but since it’s completely won me over with its sleek looks, I’m more than happy to award our Editors Choice Award.

Pros

Sleek design on the exterior and interior
Removable filters and covers for easy maintenance
Flexible and modular storage bays
Spacious interior for long graphics cards
Good cable management
Impressive airflow and high quality fans pre-installed
Durable build quality

Cons

None

“Cooler Master have made big improvements to their popular 690 range, providing us with a product that is competitively priced, while ticking the box of everything you could ask for in a high-end chassis or system build without moving onto more hardcore enthusiast products. It’s easily one of the best sub £100 chassis on the market today and its style wouldn’t look out of place as a gaming rig or an office work station.”