Is there a clear VALUE winner? :bounce:

If you like the 690, get it. It looks nice. One of the nicer cases for the price.

The 690 is surely a nice case and good bang for the buck.. However, you can't compare it with something more pricier such as the Storm Sniper which has got more space and a better airflow setup.. At the end of it, it depends on what hardware you need to fit in (current and future)..

I'm not a gamer, so not big on big-$ or multi vid-cards. But I do like to overclock on air to a reasonable (IMHO) extent. Not RAIDing yet, but that might change.

I've actually inspected these cases recently at a local retailer. Somebody (nicely) correct me if I'm wrong on the following:

HAF 912 left side fan (if used) is low, over vid card and should not interfere w/ CPU cooler. CM says 175mm Cooler clearance. This case internally should fit all air-coolers including ARCHON, NH-D14 & others cleanly. Note both side panels must be removed (add 2 thumb screws) to get to the filter underneath the front bezel. Compared to the HAF 922, the squeeze is mainly in the case depth.

The HAF 912 ADVANCED ditto. It might be the quieter one? as the OEM fans are generally the larger ones at 200mm front & top and bigger fans tend to run lower RPM for the same CFM. (Obviously all fans - 120mm, 140mm & 200mm etc. -- could be RPM controlled for sound.) Like the 690IIA, there is a USB 3.0 port.

CM says the 690 II Advanced can fit 177mm CPU coolers, but this looks like that assumes only the lower of the 2 left side fans is utilized. It looks like the upper side fan would be over the CPU cooler and would reduce the available height by 1+ inch (1in = 25.4mm) and would preclude even the 160mm height coolers. However, this fan hole need not be used. It is the only case with the HD dock built in (although I already have an external one, but used together a dual dock!).

CM says the HAF922 can fit 160mm CPU coolers (sorry no Archon per CM). However, this might assume use of the large (200mm) side fan. If so, maybe the larger coolers would fit. However, a high airflow case where it's an even bigger PITA to clean the filters (get out your screw driver) doesn't make sense to me.

So on the face of it, for me it appears to come down to the higher cost but possibly quieter HAF 912 Advanced vs. the cheaper, fuller featured (easier to clean filters & dock) & more flexible (W-C rad room, should I ever want it???) but possibly noisier (lots of 120mm fans in addition to the 140mm fan options) without fan control 690 II Advanced.

Close. Does this appear to weigh in for the 690 II Advanced to you?  

I am not sure. I would just get the one that is most quite, looks best, and you like the most.

Here's a little extra push if you need it for the CM690II Advanced...

review from legitreviews where it got a value award

I really like that case too. It sounds like it's what you really want. Go for it!  

I have a CM690II and there's no way you can fit a cpu cooler over 161mm in it.
I have a 212+ in mine with not much room to spare.
The 922 (10") is wider then the 912 (9.10").
Where are you getting you're info from?
The CM690II doesn't have USB 3.0 and is 8.4" wide.
I have an Antec 902 which is quieter and wider then the CM 690II btw.
Value wise the ANTEC 300 Illusion is hard to beat.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
The CM690II is still a very good case and i recommend them.
I bought my 690II and 902 cuz i don't like the HAF series look.

Hi there, is this with or without the side fan?

On the coolermaster site:
http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6649...
it says that the CM 690 II has:



I have the CM 690 (max compatibility 176.7mm), and was planning on getting the thermalright archon ~ 170.25mm in height. But if what you said was correct , then I have no hope of fitting it into my case :S

This is a 2 month old thread.

sorry >< i misread the date.
i saw that the last post was on "04-06-2011", and thought that was the 4th of june.
my mistake  

Make sure you can get a refund on your HSF so if it doesn't fit you can get your money back. If CM says you can, I think you could.