External Impressions

With the CM690 II unpacked we can get a good look at it. It has all steel mesh front, top, and bottom, so the case should have good air flow.

Looking at the front we can make out the rear fan and I/O port opening. The CM690 has four 5.25�bays; one can be converted to an external 3.5�bay with included face plate and drive rail adapter.

Looking closer at the top of the case we can see the front panel. The front panel consists of (left to right) the Fan LED Switch, ESATA port, USB port, Audio ports, a second USB port, reset, and power. Just behind the front panel buttons is a cover. This cover is for the hard drive dock.

Looking under the cover we can see the hard drive dock. The sticker says that the dock will not support hot swap; well, yes and no. This mainly depends on your motherboard's setup and if it supports true hot swap. So consult your motherboard manual.

Looking at the left side of the case we can see that the side panel has mounting spots for two fans, 80mm to 140mm. Other than that there is not much else to look at.

Around on the right side of the case there is a spot for an 80mm fan that is in line with the CPU socket.

Around back we can see there are 7 expansion slots, with an 8th on the right and turned 90 degrees. This is where the Storm Guard is on the Sniper and Scout cases. At the top of the case just above the rear 120mm fan are two water cooling tube grommets.

On the bottom of the case there is more mesh. One thing that got my attention was that there is a screen filter for the two forward fan mounting areas. There is a screen for the PSU area, but it does not come preinstalled. Instead, it is in the accessories box. The rear case feet are big and made of rubber and the front feet are rubber pads set into plastic.