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Keep Your Cool

CoolerMaster or CM as it’s commonly referred to, enjoys the patronage of enthusiasts thanks largely to their attractive STACKER and COSMOS cabinets, which fall in the upper echelon of the desktop cabinets. The CM690, on the other hand promises the performance and designer looks of the higher end at a reasonable price.  

A thin chrome strips runs across the entire length of the mess and it contrasts nicely with the black mesh. The chunky rubber feet with slanting cuts give the case a sporty stance. 

The front panel connectors have been moved to the top and consist of two USBs, one Firewire and one eSATA port. Thumb screws mean opening the case requires no tools. The side panel comes out with minimum effort. Except for the motherboard, all other components can be installed without screws.

Near the front, there are five 5.25-inch bays and another five 3.5-inch bays for connecting optical drives and hard drives, respectively. A large 120-mm fan ensures the hard drives are kept cool. The cabling can be routed within the case using the sturdy clamps provided inside. The case comes with three 120-mm fans installed and additional 3 fans can be installed to cool the components.     

Everything from the side panels and power supply housing, to the HDD trays and the fan mounts have silent, (read rubber), treatment to keep the dBs down. There are two rubber lined holes for passing liquid cooling pipes too. The side panel has a stylish cut and displays your wares in their full glory. 

The CM690 performs well and handles even a Core 2 Duo X6800 and GeForce 8800GTX with a RAID 0 hard drive array without breaking a sweat. This along with three 120-mm fans—one at the rear (exhaust), one in the front (intake) and another exhaust on the side panel.

The CM690 retails for some 4,000 odd bucks and for that price it’s a steal. In case you are planning to build a gaming PC, then the CM690 should be on your must have list. Though a tad expensive than the normal beige boxes, the CM690 makes up for it in every conceivable way.

Specifications
Form factor—Mid Tower, 3.5-inch bays—5, 5.25-inch bays—5, No of fans—3x120 mm, side panel cut (acrylic) tool less design.

Contact : Coolermaster India
Phone : +91-9833870302
E-mail : tanmay_l@coolermaster.com
Web site : www.coolermaster.com