We NEED More Cases like this Again - Cooler Master 690 II

[@obican]

I'm still using that case right now with a 9900K system. Here are some notes from my use of almost 10 years, in addition to what you've already covered: -I have the black, non-windowed, non-Advanced version and mine does have two extra fan spots on the side panel, more on them later. -Front drive bays are actually partially removeable and that lets you use a 240mm radiator at the bottom of the case. Not that I've ever done that. -The main reason I'm still using the case are those drive bays. It's so hard to find a case today that supports 6 3.5" drives (I have 4x HDDs and an SSD) -CPU cooler support is great if you're into giant air coolers. There's enough space to install pretty much anything made today, another are which most cases struggle these days. -Since mine has a fan slot for 140mm fans on the side panel, I can supply fresh air to the GPU and the NVME which is directly underneath. I prefer this to having a clear tempered glass or acrylic side panel. -I'm about to mod the front optical drive bay and install a 120mm or 140mm, feeding fresh air to the CPU. I have no plans to replace the case anytime soon since it looks great even today and performs just well. Having a hard time that'd support all the drives I have along with the tall cooler I have on the 9900K (Windale 6) also discourages me from looking for an alternative, just to get what? 1C drop in CPU temperature?

[@G-C-G]

I've used the CM 690 II Advanced white for my 9600kf build, and it has not disappointed me! It has plenty of space for 3.5" and 5.25" drives which is essential for me and I actually rather like the looks despite my friends saying it looks like an air-con unit.

[@Timtam99]

I got my NVIDIA edition 690 about 6 years ago with a used old build. Originally had a i7 960 in it. Since then its had 4 different builds of mine. Now it has a 10900k 3080 build in it and it's as glorious as ever

[@drinks_with_dave]

Mine is still going strong, having had 3 builds inside it! Dont ever plan on changing! I use optical drives day to do so this is one of the main reason for it!

[@itrunamok8019]

Just had to replace my 690 case a few weeks ago... after almost 12 years of use. I could have kept it longer but the rattle was getting a bit loud...

[@jamesgunn9056]

No longer using it, still have the 690 in my room. One day I'll do something with it again like a budget build for someone.

[@MarcoGPUtuber]

First watches Hardware Canucks. Now hosts Hardware Canucks. Livin' the dream!

[@slay3rgamingyt]

Day 5 of replying to marco (twice today again)

[@weslenne352]

I thought he owns this channel,,,

[@mhx47]

@@weslenne352 The owner is third person on camera (maybe Mike). But I thought this guy created it

[@vitelliu5]

I still use optical drives, so yes it upsets me they are disappearing. I wish they would at least sneak in a slim ODD slot in some cases. Drive bays are also good for hot swap HDD cages, which I also use.

[@anothersiguy]

Or 5.25” bay reservoirs. Still running a XSPC bay res D5 combo

[@angrysocialjusticewarrior]

The only optical drives worth using in 2020 are BluRay drives. Why wast time and money backing up data on a puny 4.7GB DvD when you can back 50GB-250GB of data on one BluRay disc?

[@theisaacpigg27_32]

@@angrysocialjusticewarrior Could be they just have existing media on DvD's instead of needing to back stuff up on them

[@cee128d]

@@angrysocialjusticewarrior That not why most people use optical drives. They use them to playback pre-recorded media or they have a need to burn a music CD or Video to DVD. Just because you don't see the need for it doesn't mean that the rest of us don't.

[@GhostCow]

Why not just switch to external drives? I'm glad the drive bays are gone for airflow reasons.

[@AnielMinor]

Yup..back in the day. *Looking at my black CM 690II still housing my main pc* Those where the days

[@DanielPereira-vc9ms]

Back in the day I actually enjoyed side panels with acrylic. As a poor guy just starting out in life, it felt good knowing that I could drop the panel by mistake and not have it shatter on me. And boy did I drop those panels more times than I care to admit...

[@PureRushXevus]

I'm using one of the last cases with an acrylic side panel, before they started putting tempered glass everywhere, and also blocking airflow.. really happy with my mastercase 5 pro, and there really haven't been a lot of interesting new cases until recently

[@DanielPereira-vc9ms]

@@PureRushXevus I also had one of them... it's a great case! My first CM case was a Cooler Master Scout... not only it had acrylic on the side panel, it also had 2 fan slots on the acrylic!

[@2muchjpop]

Fuck glass... Glass is glass and glass can break

[@PureRushXevus]

@@2muchjpop And costs more, weighs more.. :p

[@PureRushXevus]

@@DanielPereira-vc9ms The older cases with fans on the side panel were a bit of a mixed bag though, since airflow on some of them were really not thought through :P It was just "more fans = better cooling, right?"

[@DTM1337]

I had the black version also, used this case for over 10 years, fantastic case. I went with a Cooler Master case again for my new build. Great video

[@CarthagoMike]

Only seen the first 10 seconds, but I already like the case. Why? Because it still has 5.25" bays in the front. Perfect for adding extra USB and SD-card slot expansions. It is something I miss on many modern cases, especially with the built-in front IO getting more and more lackluster.

[@moment3380]

Can’t argue with that

[@wannabetechnician7451]

yes exactly, the reason why i just cant have a 'modern' case

[@peterenis4107]

I als love 5.25“ bays in cases. Not only (but also) for more front I/O but especially for 5.25“ ODD‘s like a DVD or Blu Ray burner.

[@unskeptable]

@@peterenis4107 Dvd? What year is it?

[@dylandeklerk9755]

If you looking for a newish case with 5.25 drive bays, have a look at the Deepcool Tesseract. It has a decent amount drive bays of all sizes and they all tool less. Recently rebuilty dads pc in this case and he loves it and it was well priced here in South Africa

[@cmac3530]

So much nostalgia. The CM 690 II was my first case as well. It was used to house a Phenom II x4 955, 8gb of DDR3 and an HD5770.

[@megamanjay1]

Is it bad that I still use my same pc?

[@NoThisIsPatrick.]

10 years ago? My case was the Antec 1200 full tower with up to 9 drives capacity and I still use it to this day. Its being used as a just giant NAS server with 100TB of storage capacity.

[@Cinadel]

cool no one asked

[@NoThisIsPatrick.]

@@Cinadel cool, no one important replied.

[@simoSLJ89]

It was a great big case! And great option the side intake fan, to cool down the gpu. My first case was a Corsair 600t, but it was 2012.

[@brumby92]

Loved my antec 300. The antec series were great

[@kars372]

@@Cinadel no one has to ask for it to be said.

[@kevinh5522]

Hi, I am using the Cooler Master CM690 II Advanced USB3 for about 8 years & it is a great case. The ONLY issue with it in 2022 is that it has a max of 300mm space for a GPU.. I am looking to remove the top 2 3.5" drive bays to make more room... & yes I still use the 5.25" bays for a Blu-ray

[@eustache_dauger]

CM690 (2007) is a legend!

[@ca9inec0mic58]

Gonna put an RX6900XT

[@ky0t0]

That's the one I'm still rocking :) love that case

[@johnboyer144]

I recently retired my original 690

[@anothersiguy]

I had the 590, I wish they made a 590 II that thing was awesome

[@ericortiz202]

Still rocking my CM690 hoping to upgrade my GPU first 🔥

[@therealfirstone]

I built my first dreamer rig in a Cooler Master HAF 922. That was back in 2011 or so, cost me around $2600 back then. Asus P6X58D-E motherboard, i7 950, 24gb ddr3 ... I went all out (almost). 2 years ago I was gonna build a nice gamer and I searched for a nice case but I ended up just refreshing my HAF 922, didn't find anything to my liking to replace it. Case still looks like new, got a BlueRay writer, three hot swap hdd bays, and plenty of space for whatever I wanna throw inside. Of course the insides are kept reasonably up to date, i7 8700k, 32gb ddr4 3600mhz ram, z390 motherboard, Samsung 970pro NVME, a couple Samsung 860 ssds, three 8TB hdds, RTX 2070 Super and the case looks better than ever. Thanks for sharing, I enjoy your videos a lot.

[@speedyblueberry]

I'm still rocking my Antec 900! Cable management is abysmal, but theres plenty of space and tons of airflow! I updated my hardware in March, but still havnt had a need or desire to change cases yet!

[@Phoenix_SW20]

I still have one of these as well. I did a new build 2 years ago but I kept the Antec 900 to use for a home server since it has a good amount of 3.5 inch bays with great airflow for my hard drives. Not much room for cable management but its an older case so I don't really mind.

[@hyperdriverr]

I have one too its the best case for airflow I have seen personally. Mine is an OG model from 2006.

[@randomuser6306]

Dremel the thing. I did to mine. Flipped the psu upside down after I cut a hole in the bottom, drilled a few holes in the side, routed wires... Was perfect. Not a single cable out of place or in sight.

[@MadIIMike]

I think the reason why many like the old cases more than the new ones is because they are made for a purpose. It's kinda like looking at a race car where everything is aimed towards performance rather than a normal sportscar where spoilers etc. are more of a fashion statement. My first self-build/modified PC was using a old Supermicro Server case, basically just a big empty box after removing some proprietary nonsense inside. I still use it today, since it's kinda beat up and wouldn't sell, but it's most likely gonna get turned into a NAS or something, because it's too narrow for GPU power connectors at the front (looking at it from the open panel). For those that found the case interesting, you might also be interested in the "Stacker".

[@davidle7864]

Ah the nostalgia! My first case was the first CM 690, with the bare steel interior. It was such an amazing case. Built like a tank. Wish I still had it

[@felkmane]

I am still actively using my 690 with the bare steel interior, and it needs to be said that the non-metal components of the case have not aged well. Every single drive rack has shattered due to turning brittle with age, and so have all the blue plastic locks on the rear panel. Still using the original fan in the front though, still going strong, and the rest of the case seems to be just fine.

[@ogilvymoreau2171]

I build custom pcs all the time but I still use my cm690 for my personal builds. Best case I ever came across. A bit dated now, but for airflow, large gfx and e-sata it was the best in class. I don't use optical drives any longer but use 2 x 5.25" bays for hot-swapping SSDs and usb 3.0 hub. I'd instantly buy new version of this case that took on some of the modern changes. Specific things they could do - keep the bay space but have modular cages so you can use less than 4 x 5.25" bays if you want - maybe mount radiator or take extra long gfx. - indent mainboard panel for cable running and SSD placements - psu housing and cable management - easy magnetic filter replacement - upgrade the e-sata hotswap to latest version. This is a brilliant design idea and much needed on modern cases that use external SSD caddies which are limited by USB speeds.

[@SrSilverstars]

My HAF X is still going strong. It is getting replaced soon though, I am doing a completely new build in February.

[@whykaytee7226]

Half 912 here. 9 years and still going strong, although the mesh front which is metal has rusted. Airflow and temps are still phenomenal!

[@symz81]

Mine is still going strong since 2012 and running as a Windows 7 retro gaming machine but its a dust vacuum. Bought demciflex dust filters for the front intake which helps and fan controller so that I can turn off the top 2x200mm fans. Added Haf-932 Special Edition side panel window which helped modernized the look.

[@ASKALAPHUS]

I finally replaced my CM Storm Trooper (silly name ik) with a p600s. Even though it's smaller, it has more room somehow XD. I like my new case so much.

[@WyattOShea]

That was my dream case back in 2013 when I was looking for new cases. Eventually went with a Corsair 750d though.

[@ASKALAPHUS]

@@WyattOShea - oh yeah, I remember Corsair were like the fancy cases back then, elegant and with good features.

[@mrcritic5858]

Thanks for this video, Dimitri. I have this case too and the modifications I made have made it up to date with today's standards. Thanks a lot for this review. Most other mainstream tech youtubers are trying to sell us the newer cases with more acrylic glass panels than the windows in my room. Appreciate the video.

[@SvDKILLSWITCH]

I'm still using the successor CM 690 III which I purchased as a result of the Hardware Canucks video review! My dad's PC also finds its home inside a CM 690 II Advanced. Gotta say, I'm still a (200mm) fan of these cases.

[@dyrcosis]

I built my first computer in a rather large Antec SX1030 case sometime in 2001. I won't bore you the specs but when I hit the power button for the first time, blue flame briefly shot out of the back of the power supply! That was a noise I'll never forget. None of the other components were damaged and the computer worked fine after replacing the power supply. The SX1030 was a humongous case which I used for nearly a decade before building a new PC in an Antec Skeleton about a decade later. The SX1030 is still being used by a family member today but will be retired soon while I'm still using the Skeleton.

[@Gx22]

Yooo I'm still reppjng my CM690ii! I was just thinking of upgrading cause all the cool kids have nice cases. This was a nice reminder that it's still solid!

[@1stMusic]

Same here haha!

[@NonoNonaa]

Don't give in to the square rectangle case meme

[@c1p0]

Me too :))))

[@802Garage]

I could have built my new PC and used my 690, but wanted to keep my old build together. Went to a Phanteks P400A which I prefer overall.

[@dominofanatic4649]

Still have my 692 adv II from 2012 though my brother is using it, one of the best case I have ever owned, build like a tank even the USB ports.... Thanks for the great video, appreciate the hard work on this!

[@TheAnoniemo]

I like 5.25" bays, not just for having an optical drive just in case, but also because they can house many other things like watercooling, hot swap bays, fan controllers, and all those great things they made in the early 2000's like ashtrays, speakers, aquariums. Rocking a Corsair 500R myself, bought after HC review of course! (And modded with glass sidepanel and vertical GPU)

[@mudgie0205]

Wait, aquariums??? Where? 🧐

[@SurajGrewal]

Got a 690 ii. Cable management is nightmare but the rest is so good that I think it'll remain with be for,I guess, next 30 years.

[@ReverendMagnificent]

The four 5.25" bays is totally legit from this era. You'd have two optical drivers for making copies of CDs/DVDs. Storage space was still a premium so doing a direct disc-to-disc copy was more common (and faster) than ripping one full image to disk and then writing it back out again. Then fan controller, & card reader make a case for the other two. Also keeping in mind it wasn't uncommon to throw in like a triple slot HDD adapter into those to fit another 5 or so HDD's in.

[@m.saribibrahim3632]

My first build was in 2017 with an bitfenix aegis in red, which I bought used at a pc shop. It came with 4 red led fans. Loved its look, straight outta some sci-fi movie.

[@johngaltline9933]

Coolermaster cases from the mid 2000's were amazing. Not so fancy as now with little extra room, but fantastic air flow and plenty of expansion. I wish I could find a modern case that offered the drive bays(both 5.25 and 3.5) and the no frills full open front, and maybe a side intake or two.

[@chiefersutherland5609]

Love you bud. Thanks for the years of commitment and HARD work❤ forward we move!

[@brumby92]

This was the ultimate case when I first started this hobby in 2009.

[@anhiirr]

i was a huge fan of the storm scout, Lian li dragonlord and p50 armorsuit. I remember the antec 900 and thermaltake armor being like some of the archetypes.

[@SolCunningham]

This the case I 'worked up to' after I started building my own PCs in 2008. It still serves me well and has been home to several setups. I am getting the upgrade bug again and want to modernize but I love this old ship!

[@chepossofare]

I still own the black one, BEST CASE EVER. So silent, so clean, so sober.

[@paulfairchild8942]

You guys do the best tech reviews. My favorite youtube tech channel. Thanks!

[@nERVEcenter117]

Still have mine. I've reorganized, added fans, all kinds of stuff. Excellent case. Just wish I knew where the front panel my disk drive replaced is. I'd totally put a fan there.

[@jaysatanfox]

I shoved a 140mm rad where the optical drive once went in my CM690II

[@duramirez]

I drilled the drive cage out of mine D: It was worth it much better air flow.

[@goodwinliam1]

Seriously would like to see a review of the NZXT Phantom 820 - Its old but still keeps up with modern cases. Modded it looks sweet!

[@lukestitchco]

Being the computer guy in the family/ among friends, I find myself plugging in a lot of hard drives to test. That external sata port could really be handy.

[@izakarya4258]

Didn't know this channel has been active for over 10 years. Excellent.

[@alexmm01]

Solid side panels are getting hard to find. I miss those. Everything is now windowed whether you want it or not.

[@SpaceXplorer13]

Privacy issues for the components?

[@alexmm01]

@@SpaceXplorer13 No but I feel compelled to buy extra crap or spend tons of extra time re routing the wires because I never like the way it looks. I'd rather side panels because I don't think about it if I can't see it. Needless to say. I have a windowed case with shroud. My GPU lights up with the MSI logo there are no extra LEDs anywhere. I actually feel ok but in the past, I always felt I had to buy LEDs and other crap.

[@SteveAkaDarktimes]

I also prefer and miss the good old solid metal sidepanel. its simply lighter, more durable, easier to transport, less hassle with cables, more sleek looking. only Fractal and Be quiet offer solid panel options anymore, and its a travesty. Tempered glass is a pain to manufacture, to transport and drives prices up for unnecessary eyecandy. sure there are crap budget cases without but I want good build quality and internal features.

[@Vinicius_T_Sousa]

this type of video is really cool, tha advancements in case industry are not big and groundbreaking so they don't get that much attention. A video like this makes us realise how much it has grown.

[@zeke7515]

I miss side cutouts for fans. Of all the time to need fresh air on your GPU....

[@j377yb33n]

side cut outs and expansion bays are still missed

[@zeke7515]

@@j377yb33n unfortunately I don't think the masses agree or else (most) every modern case wouldn't have a glass side panel. I'm still running my Thermaltake Overseer.

[@j377yb33n]

@@zeke7515 i'm running glass on the side, but i made sure i had enough room to get a case with a front bay and space for airflow. I feel like there's definitely room to have more of a metal side panel in some cases, allowing side vents around the psu shroud where you could mount fans to pull even a bit of air up towards the gpu. there's no real need for every case to have an entire side with glass if there's a psu shroud.

[@GhostCow]

@@zeke7515 You say that like we even have a choice

[@TheAnoniemo]

They should make a tunnel so the bottom front fan that blows into nowhere under the psu shroud gets its air redirected to come out of the psu shroud and onto the GPU.

[@MrWadeant]

One of my fav cases to build in back in the day! Good trip down memory lane! (my Youngest brother still has one that I have rebuilt a couple of times) Good review Demetri!

[@theshadowman1398]

I still demand at least one optical drive bay in my case

[@darylpereira9229]

CM 690 II Advanced with side window was case design far ahead of its time. With its high airflow design, X-Dock for hot-swapping SATA HDD/SSDs, loads of space for fans (I have 9 Noctua fans installed), LED fan light controls, space to install 6 HDD + 1 SSD (or 5 SSDs), not to mention USB3 and those 5.25" drive bays for your sensor control panel and other retro goodies - what more could you ask for! This case was my part of my primary PC build right up till 2018. Still using it today for a budget build sporting 1st gen Core i7-930 on X58 mobo with GTX980, which my 6 year old son used for WoT gaming with his older brother.

[@Vistaster]

I'm still rocking my CM Storm Scout 2. 😅

[@MilkBreakMinecraft]

My first building experience was in my (still) current case; the Phanteks Enthoo Pro. It was actually you're review that made me buy it.

[@armadillito]

Similar story! I think mine is the Pro M, if that's even any different?

[@PraneetJain-du5tl]

Gonna tell my kids he's Chris pratt

[@sciencetablet2634]

Dmitri is far way better actor than Chris Pratt

[@danburycollins]

Star lord, crossed with the immortal iron fist

[@PraneetJain-du5tl]

@@danburycollins yes

[@Azmodan911]

My first PC was in a full tower monster, the Inwin Q500. Anyone else remember that one? 10 years ago, I think my case was a Cooler Master Cosmos 1000.

[@nandulalkrishna923]

Ditch glass panels and aesthetics. We need more 5.25 inch bays

[@MemeScreen]

I want to buy them but only old overpriced stock is available.

[@nandulalkrishna923]

@@MemeScreen yea. True. I like the corsair carbide 200R - it's a pretty case (7 -8 years old too I guess) . But the Amazon seller isn't giving a fair prize

[@MemeScreen]

@@nandulalkrishna923 I decided to go all out and got a 4u rack-mount case. Has 7 of them. Even if the design is old least they are still manufactured.

[@memeplayer1923]

Tempered glass panels are disgusting. Who the hell needs a glass for a sleeper build anyway? I could even imagine somebody build a sleeper PC with vital RGB parts inside completely opaque PC lol.

[@nandulalkrishna923]

@@MemeScreen great. I too have a special place for rack mount cases and gears in my heart . Couldn't find decommissioned enterprises gear in my place

[@SentinentCoffee]

I just replaced my 9 year old CM 690 II with a Corsair 4000D. It has served me well all those years, but I must say, I’m glad I upgraded to a new one. The features on the new cases are just so great, and it’s so easy to build in.

[@Joseph-Thomas]

Editor, what was the background song you used at the beginning? I tried to get it to pick up only music listening software and couldn't get it to register and really want to add it to one of my playlists.

[@sdm347]

Seconding this!

[@humansvd3269]

I have the CM690 Centurion and after 13 years, I took my I5-650 build out for a R9 7900X build. The case is very robust, and still holds up to this day. It lacks the see through panels but there's plenty of mesh for LEDs and RGB fans. I have an LED strip on the way from Amazon and I have two more fans for the front mesh. It currently has 6 fans total and my Ryzen 9 7900X runs at 31 Celsius at idle temps. I'm happy with it.

[@Rainbow__cookie]

I love old cases The new cases is not for me I rather get a older cooler master than rgb crap with glass and stuff Not even 5.25 bay Yeah you have a DVD drive card reader and a fan controller but thats it But eh you dont need a fan controller and dvd drive But i wouldn't say no to SD card reader reader and hot swappable hdd slot Thats what i want built in today replace esata with regular sata

[@keibohow69]

Well mod your case. Plenty of old cases with hdd bays

[@Rainbow__cookie]

@@keibohow69 i already have a cooler master haf 932 and I don't think i will upgrade any time soon I even painted it

[@juancalandria8694]

Here Juan from Argentina, my first pc case was a CoolerMaster CM Storm, very similar to the CM 690, but quite smaller though. Mine got that windowed acrylic side panel, and also got some sort of tray to place your external drive, but no sata conector whatsoever. Great case, passed that whole pc to my little brother a few years ago.

[@neurokinetik64ES]

Give me good airflow, side panel fans, and less RGB and tempered glass.

[@Haos666]

I cannot give you more than one upvote unfortunately... :/

[@memeplayer1923]

I'm also sick of tempered glass panels. Guess I am pro-RGB, anti-tempered glass person.

[@GTechOfficial]

My very first case was the Corsair Obsidian Series 450D and I LOVED that case soooo much. I swapped it out for the Corsair Crystal 460X a little over a year ago to make my system fit the theme of more modern cases but it just doesn't scratch that same itch my 450D did. That's why I'm planning on swapping to the 4000D because it's the perfect 2020 refresh of my 450D with huge front mesh, tempered glass, a clean look and a nice PSU shroud.

[@gram5217]

10 yrs old PC Case? How Dimitri keep all his cases?? Wow 🤣

[@Laughing_Individual]

Coolermaster lent him the case.

[@BSSchumacher]

The NVidia USB 3.0 Edition was my first PC build as well and I still run this exact case to this day! I really love the hot swap bay at the top, something you really don't find on any case nowadays

[@AM-mk3zc]

10years ago cases were more functional...now only glass for aesthetics. My acutal case is 2011 cooler master stryker

[@AM-mk3zc]

i'm 31 and i know trust me ;)

[@Gugosss]

I had that case for 8 years and I just built my upgraded pc in it, with some mods: I attached some magnetic tape to the dust filters to make them easily accessible, built a power supply shroud out of plexy, and made some cuts and riveted some metal I order to fit three fans on the front. To me, still one great looking case. Also, the radiator compatibility is 240 on top (no 280) AND 240 in the bottom, with a short enough psu

[@xycrol]

not first :)

[@CarthagoMike]

Quite true

[@RicochetForce]

The first computer case I built something in was a massive, beige full tower my father and I bought at CompUSA in the 90s. We lugged that thing all the way home. To this day I haven't seen a case that big outside of industrial or server environments. That case was a nightmare to work in. 100% steel, tons of edges that hadn't been de-burred or rounded off in any way. It was a relief to finally be done with that computer. It died during a power surge 7 or 8 years later.

[@twiztidsidfreak13]

I build alot of "retro" PCs and I build in these big OG cases and I love them but also hate them. It is so cool to see what features stay and go and how much yet little cases change over the years!

[@dietere.puchta9688]

The CS 601 was my very first tower, painted in metallic blue and with a frontdoor. Right after, this CS 601 became a legend in the 90's. Today; I still stick with my Black Raven big tower, with decent Polycarbonat side window and 180 degress turned motherboard for optimised airflow :-)

[@FainaruFarewell]

This was my very first chassis too. I bought it in 2010 and only upgraded to a Define R5 in 2017. Great case without great airflow for the time. It also looked smart and sleek. I still have her in my garage :)

[@chanyy78]

Hey, this is the v2 of the 690, till this day, i am still using the v1 of the 690, it is my first "expensive" case that i have bought since 11 years ago. Kudos!

[@andrewparis5712]

17 years here! I bought the old school 690 on Black Friday 2007 at a CompUSA before they went under. It has followed me through three builds. Currently serving as my media server. Would love to get my hands on the CM694, but that requires a tunnel to Canada right now.

[@Mr_Zhangry]

My current and first case is the Corsaid Obsidian 750D Airflow. Phenomenal case in my opinion. I recently bought the Corsair 400D Airflow and thinking of changing the cases

[@jacoavo7875]

LOVE these cases. I had the 690, 690 II and 690 III these last 10 years. Only recently upgraded to the 011 Dynamic.

[@foist101]

I recently upgraded to a white 4000d airflow from my old 760t that served me well thanks to the HC review of the others in the line. Very first case I built in was an Antec 1200 that is still going strong housing a modern PC for my brother. I am so glad I don't have to carry that thing around anymore lol.

[@shiveringisles3509]

The legend! CM still refreshed this with CM 694 in 2020, their new 3.5"+2.5" combo drive trays are a nice touch, that's at least 12 hard drives in one case, still has 2x 5.25 bays, that is prob the biggest reason it sells or not lol. CM 693 is also my first case with black interior, it has very nice QoL updates compared to 690 II, and still keeps 3x 5.25 for whatnots, hotswap bays, optical drive and multicard readers is prob the best use to reduce clutter of wires and external devices on your station.

[@sleepycharlie673]

I have the black version of this and it was my first big gaming build as well!! Still rocking it all this time later.

[@anakondase]

I'm still using my trusty old HAF 932 that's housed my previous build for 11 years now (Yeah, I'm amazed how that setup lasted for ten years). Still works like a charm. Only downside with it is that the fan noise is a bit loud. I really noticed that a year ago after making my new build with the P400A, it's a lot more quiet. I used the original CM 690 for a build in about 2008/9, sadly enough that got stolen, but I remember I was quite satisfied with that case back then.

[@SolaireFlair]

My first build was the Cooler Master HAF X. In fact that case still lives on in my friend's first PC build. He needed a case but didn't have a lot of budget, so I told him to take what he would spend on the case and put into better hardware and that he could have my old HAF X because I wasn't using it. It's still a damn fine case in my opinion and I would love to see a refresh.

[@billcarson1966]

I still have mine. I still use it. It's actually had several roles but for the past 3 years it's been housing my FreeNas backup system.

[@ryakkan]

Dimitri, I first built my own PC in 2012 with a Rosewill knock off of the CM 690 II. My second system I built in 2018 has a Corsair 400C which is similar to the new 4000D. If I were doing a new build today I would very much likely use the 4000D Airflow though. The white really stands out and I like it a lot.

[@102nomercy]

I still have and still use my 690 II advanced in all black, ive done some mods to improve it over the years. I've cut out the entire bottom and added 2x120mm fans for bottom intake and moved the PSU to a front mount setup, Cut down the hhd area to the top 3 so the psu fits under it, shortened the length of the rubber feet to improve air flow intake for modded fan locations and added 4x L brackets in each corner and had a glass panel made up for it so i have the full glass side panel. Also re painted the 2 strips that run down the top and down the front to the bottom to a nice dark red to match my ring fans. I also use the hot swap spot as a USB/ SD card holder so i can always find them :) Its a really good base case for modders who want to tinker. i have looked at newer cases but i just cant find anythat that i'm 100% happy with, wether its a full panel front that restrics air flow, bad layout, or just something i dont like, they just dont seem to tick all the boxes anymore.

[@joshhardin666]

my current workstation is STILL in my cooler master 690 II. I currently run a 3700x with 64gb ram, corsair hx1200i, use a noctua nh-d15 (which is still perfectly compatible with this case), and a 2080ti (because nobody is willing to sell me a 3090 it seems). the one additional thing that you didn't note about the solid side panel from the 690 II is the 2 additional side panel fan mounts. the top one is blocked by my cpu cooler, but the lower one I have a 140mm fan mounted which blows cool air directly in the path of my gpu which improves the airflow dynamics considerably. - I also have 2 140mm fans on top exhausting warm air, the stock fan in the front is still there and is still doing a great job, as is the rear. You don't really find too many cases that have a mesh front panel anymore. it seems that case manufacturers today really want to cut off airflow wherever they can in exchange for looks... solid glass side panels instead of a fan mount, solid front panels instead of mesh that you can pull air through... - and in terms of storage, I currently have 4 4tb hard drives, 3 2.5" ssd's, and an m.2 boot ssd. 2 of the 2.5" ssd's are in 2.5 to 3.5" adapters that came with them, one of them just kind of hangs out in the top sata bay, but i'm not beyond eventually mounting it with some double-sided tape to the bottom of the 5.25" bays. - speaking of which, I have a blu-ray/dvd-rw drive in the top bay that I use to rip purchased blu-ray movies to my NAS/plex server. this allows for SIGNIFICANTLY higher quality video playback than what you get with streaming services, so yeah, I still buy blu-rays. the only reason I could see upgrading my case at this point would be for custom liquid cooling, which I'd really like to do eventually... and yeah, tempered glass side panels can look really nice, but at the end of the day I'd much rather be using my sweet wicked fast computer than looking inside of it (not that they are mutually exclusive) *shrug* - I've actually had a difficult time recently finding reasonably priced tower cases that fit a large number of hard drives for building freenas/truenas servers. it's the most effective way to build an incredibly robust NAS at home these days.

[@joevk6274]

My previous build was in an Antec 300 Illusion for years, until an unfortunate accident involving a teenager and a skateboard. So I used it with a smashed front panel for a few years until a friend of my son gave me a partial build he gave up on. It was just an NZXT S340 Elite with an Asus X370 mobo and an EVGA PSU in it and an old laptop hdd. I sold the mobo and PSU and slapped my old build in the S340. It now resides in the living room hooked to the TV.

[@GrieverXVII]

This is awesome, im still rockin my CM 690 Nvidia edition. Such a solid case.

[@BSSchumacher]

Same here

[@estoyboy]

This case, Antec 900 and HAF 932 were the coolest cases when I was in school. So much nostalgia

[@MastaGambit]

My 690 II Plus case with 2 3.0 ports on the front and back is still in use to this very moment. And thanks to this video, I don't think i'll plan on replacing it any time soon :D

[@maschan91]

I remember when a friend and I build our PC's at the same time, he went for a CM 690 II and I choosed a LianLi A71F. Good times. (still love my case and will keep it for many builds)

[@clixt984]

My first PC case is a Corsair Carbide 100R Silent Edition. I had no clue what I was doing back then. Then I did more research and returned that case for a Corsair Air 540, which I still have. Now I'm currently rocking a Lian Li 011 Dynamic XL.

[@born_to_play]

I'm still rocking the OG Cooler Master CM 690

[@fangvv]

Still rocking my 690 II. Love this case ... Started upgrading it to modern spec ... Removed the 5 1/2 bay and the top segment of the HDD bay and have fitted 3 x 140mm fans in the front. Will be adding my own PSU shroud and replacing the stock acrylic panel with a larger one which will also have a vent for a vertically mounted GPU.

[@AnxiousEducator]

I'm still using a CM690iii in 2021. The pc inside this case has gone through many motherboards, CPUs, GPUs and versions of windows. I just can't get rid of this case I love it. I need those hard drive racks for my job and every time I have gone looking for another case I have yet to find one that has better airflow and ALSO a hard drive rack.

[@Hitsi1991]

I still got Coolermaster 690 III. This video made me wanna keep it for another few years.

[@kevontrotman9008]

this was the case i used for my first build and i can say it was one of the best cases during its time

[@heavymetalteacup]

Glad to see love for good cases that have been around awhile. I just recently finished a second build in the same Corsair Air Carbide 540 that I originally bought in 2014; it's just so easy to build in, and I still love the look of it. (As pretty as the newer Crystal is, I'm not sold on the whole glass thing and love my airflow just like it is!)

[@klogg4881]

I just replaced my original first version 690 with a Meshify 2, yesterday. Something about the Meshify just reminded me of all the reasons I got the 690 all those years ago.

[@aimer0]

Coolermaster actually have a 690 masterbox -> the 694. The issue is it sucks. I'll be building my zen 3 + rdna 2 pc in my 693. It's just an awesome box and I can't find anything I like as much now. I hate both side panels without ventilation and PSU basements, so options are very limited.

[@cs_mns]

The more common black version has fan cutouts in the side panel for both the cpu and gpu and would have dominated your charts if you used that one ;) and also you seem to forget all the cool audio docks, reservoirs, fan controllers, temperature monitoring and other awesome things you could add in the 5 1/4" bays.. Amazing case 🖤

[@MattAK]

I had an original 690. My brother still has a 690 II and it's his current PC case, he loves that thing. I went through a few more cases since then but most recently I bought my Define R6 specifically for the 5.25 bay because I use a blu-ray drive to rip my blu-ray discs to digital.

[@alexweinstein4802]

Love the SSD bay on the Cooler Master. Wish some current cases would think of clever ways to add things like this!

[@n0rarGsmith]

My first of was built in an Antec 1200. That case is a classic and I would absolutely build in it again given the chance.

[@JeanBaptisteFaure]

My first build was made in a Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus chassis. Loved it, and still love it! Is still fuctioning right in the other room :)

[@loziscopez3850]

I have built in the 4000x and you might say that the air flow is bad but if you take the front panel off there is still a dust filter so it basically has good air flow and looks amazing AND it is a dream to build in 100% recommend

[@JeanJacquesSoopraya]

Still using my 690 for my mid tower gaming pc and I still have the full tower Coolermaster Stacker 830 which is massive. There have been some recent reviews of the 830 which all miss one great feature. The motherboard tray is removable, so you can use it as a test bench. Picked that up for £199 in 2009 which included a 800w Coolermaster power supply.

[@TheEthNick]

I’m about to upgrade my core components & are about to swap my CM 690 II Advanced for my bro’s CM 690 II Plus. It lives on!

[@tehjolla]

I have build my second PC in that case (black version with the acrylic panel) and still using that build since 2012 with i5-3575k and 1060ti. This puppy is going to be benched soon and used as secondary pc. Replacing this old boy with a phanteks p600s and a ryzen cpu, but it will always remain in my heart