Cooler Master CM690 III chassis: a spacious classic

Cooler Master has announced the return of a personal all-time favourite of mine, the CM690 mid-tower chassis.

Third time’s the charm with this chassis, as its design has been around for ages. The first CM690 found almost instant appeal with enthusiasts thanks to its generous proportions and internal space that belied its mid-tower frame.

Cooler Master says the CM690 III will be available in the United States, Canada and Europe in August 2013. We are waiting on confirmation of price and SA availability.

The CM690 III updates the original design with an all-mesh front meant to mimic the front panels of the new N-series that have been silently replacing the Elite lineup. The launch version ships with a side panel window and doesn’t have any ventilation holes for a side panel fan, while a slightly cheaper version will ship with an all-metal panel with space for two 120mm fans or one huge 200mm unit.

The mesh front extends to the top and makes room for a top-mounted 240mm radiator. The mesh panel on the top snaps off for easy maintenance and also to access the dust filters. There is also an extra-long filter in the bottom of the chassis to service the PSU and optional bottom-placed 120mm fan. Speaking of fans, there’s a standard 120mm exhaust at the rear and a massive 200mm front intake. Removing that opens up space for an extra 240mm radiator in the front.

A nice feature is the adjustable top half of the hard drive cage. You can snap it open fully to accommodate four 3.5-inch drives or slide it back in to shrink that to 2.5-inch form factors. When shrunk, video cards up to 420mm long may be installed without any hassles. Removing it completely is also an option, opening up some space for an extra 120mm fan to create a push-pull setup for the top half of a radiator.

The top of the chassis also plays host to two USB 3.0 and two USB 2.0 ports along with the headphone and microphone ports. There’s also a storage compartment for your small odds and ends and this may be changed in the future to accommodate a top-mounted SATA hard drive dock. Cooler Master has left so many options for expansion here that the CM690 III may be with us for quite some time.