i just re-read what I just wrote (what you're about to read) for editing/condensing reasons. My apologies if it too much in any way. I hope this is helps you to decide on a good case for yourself.
First off i don't care WHAT it is - if it is cooler master - it is good stuff. very reliable products and they do as advertised
and intended.
i am assuming this is the
CM690 II Advanced you're talking about?
Next i don't know what your immediate or future planed intentions are for your system.
Depending if you are you going to overclock, run 2 GPU's, speed of RAM, and will you be running an AMD chipset or nForce chipset. all of these things factor in heat and heat is yours and mines enemy.
if you're running stock for the most part; a single mid ranged-lower GPU no overclock and some 1333 RAM, this case will do you fine with no other investments required.
The case is top notch in it's category, and if you want to read on I can explain why some of the below mentioned points are key in shopping for a good chassis.
1] it has what appears to be an 80mm fan for exhaust behind the motherboard plate where the CPU will be which creates a cross draft which is something usually costs quite a bit more for a feature like this. Great choice on that!
2] It looks to have the ability to cable route and with the thickness of an 80mm fan setting the minimum width in this case, there is a good idea of what kind of room you will be able to work with. Again great choice.
3] 140mm intake fan @ the front is a VERY good place to start for serious air intake, plus the option for 2 more 120 or 140mm fans on the side to help with GPU cooling is always a nice feature to have at your disposal. Another great choice whether you use 120's or 140's. with 120's you'll get a little but of a mesh effect for venting with the 140's just pure outside air in.
4] Bottom mounted PSU gives the top 140's directly above the CPU is a big plus for removing heat efficiently. Plus you have a 120 at the back for helping dissipate heat or to help pull big amounts of heat off pretty much any after market heatsink.
5] the PSU can be mounted in either way. Use the PSU to allow for more removal of heat from withing the case (which I would recommend if you decide to not get any extra fans your first fly by) or you can mount it so it pulls fresh air from the underside of the chassis if you're gonna go for the overclock, big bad GPU or 2, or some hot running 1600+ RAM.
and the
6th good reason this case is a great choice is it's
BLACK! Not ONLY black, but black on the inside which is a plus because there is no bare metal if ever there is to be a naked wire of any kind to create a short on your system.
To utilize all the fans in this case, you will need to buy 3 more
120mm fans or on the hotter end, 3 more
140mm fans. That will range you from $21
-$30 more out of pocket either now or in the future, again depending on intentions and that just pushed the price from $80 to $100-110 investment overall or in the long run. What else could you get in this price range that will come fully equipped, or better yet better cooling.
Here's a few chassis I found that are great deals with many favored features such as cable management, black interiors, SSD drive bays, large/long GPU support and my personal favorite; dual 120-140mm front intake fans. These are the best cases in the price range you are interested in. I hope I don't come off as too much here, but I just got done for the last month building a new rig for myself, and I found these cases to be of the highest and featured quality at newegg.com.
RAIDMAX ICEBERG ATX-012WS 3mm Aluminum Mid Tower
$29.99 after mail-in rebate (unfortunatly out of stock @ the moment - I have seen this exact case on the net for $200)
This is a KILLER deal for a 3mm all aluminum case.
Cooling: (@ this price you could put 2x120mm fans w/ meshing on the side in replace of the clear acrylic!)
3 x 120mm Blue LED fan (1 front, 2 top)
1 x 120mm exhaust fan
PSU: Is top mount
Sentey Black Box Series BX2-4291 Mid Tower
$44.99
I can't BELIEVE newegg removed the description of this chassis!!! a month and a 1/2 ago when I started my current build this was going to be the case I was going to get. It was $69 reduced to $54.
Sentey make some very good products. Check out their
website.
Cooling: (I remember it by heart - you can pack 7 x 120mm fans in this chassis; 4 x intake, 3 x exhaust)
3 x 120mm blue LED's (1 front, 2 side)
1 x 120mm (1 of 2 available 120mm slots @ top has fan)
1 x 120mm (1 rear)
1 x 120mm (optional 1 bottom)
Here's a couple more Sentey's;
HERE and
HERE for $49.99 each ALL having the same cooling as the above one - one has fan speed controls on it.
RAIDMAX Helios ATX-819WB
$69.99 after mail-in rebate
Toolless
16.9 inches interior depth for long GPU
Cooling:
2 x 120 mm Blue LED Front Fans
1 x 120 mm Rear Fan
2 x 120 mm Top Fans
1 x 120 mm Side (
optional)
Antec Nine Hundred Mid Tower
$79.99 after mail-in rebate
Cooling:
1 x 120mm TriCool rear fan + 3-speed control switch
2 x 120mm TriCool blue LED front fans + 3-speed control switch
1 x 200mm top fan
Other features:
Perforated front bezel
Two front loaded HDD cages for up to 6 hard disk
9 Drive Bays
ENERMAX SPINEREX ECA5010M-B-B Black on Black Full Tower
$79.99 after mail-in rebate card
Front Ports: USB 3.0 x 1, USB 2.0 x 3, eSATA x 1, HD / AC'97 Audio
Dust Filters: All around
Cooling:
2 x 120mm Front Blue/Red combo-LED VEGAS fans
1 x 250mm Side Blue/Red combo-LED fan
2 x 140 or 120mm exhaust fan (
optional) + has adjustable vent
1 x 120mm rear exhaust fan (
optional)
AZZA Solano 1000R Black on Red Full Tower
$94.99 after mail-in rebate
Cooling: (a little better than the one above + 3-speed fan switch control)
1 x 120mm Fan In Rear
2 x 140mm red LED silent fans (19DBA) in front
1 x 230mm red LED silent fan (24DBA) on top
1 x 230mm red LED silent fan (24DBA) on the side
LIAN LI Lancool PC-K63 Mid Tower
$99.99 (was $149.99)
Lian-Li is a high quality Taiwanese company that specializes in aluminum chassis - this ine is one of their steel chassis models.
Front Ports: USB 3.0 x 1 / USB 2.0 x 1 / e-SATA x 1 / HD Audio
Cooling:
1 x 120mm Blue LED Rear Fan
2 x 140mm Blue LED Front Fans
2 x 140mm Top Fans
HERE is another great Lian-Li chassis for $99.99
Thermaltake Armor A60 AMD LEO Edition
$99.99
Cooling: (7 max fans - 3 included; 2 LED)
1 x 120mm Red LED fan, 1300rpm, 17dBA (Front) (
+ extra 1 x 120mm optional)
1 x 120mm TurboFan, 1000rpm, 16dBA (Rear)
1 x 200mm Red LED fan, 800rpm, 15dBA (Top) (
1 x 120mm or 1 x 200mm optional)
1 x 120mm (
Bottom - optional)
1 x 120mm (
Side - optional)
Other Features:
Front Ports: USB3.0 x 1, USB2.0 x 1, eSATA connector x 1 MIC & Speaker (support AC'97 & HD Audio)
SideClick EasySwap features a hot-swappable HDD tray
CPU cooler height limitation: 180mm
Graphic card length limitation: 305mm (30.5 cm)
AZZA Solano 1000 Full Tower
$101.99 after mail-in rebate
Cooling:
1 x 120mm fan in rear
2 x 140mm blue LED silent fan (19DBA) in front
1 x 230mm blue LED silent fan (24DBA) on top
1 x 230mm blue LED silent fan (24DBA) on the side
1 x 129mm fan at bottom (
optional)
Hope you've enjoyed the show!