Gadgetory

all right so welcome to the hardware canucks product showcase so here's a case that is sure to get plenty of people excited if you've been to the computer building scene for any time you've likely heard the name of the cooler master 690 case thrown around more than once it's arguably one of the better regarded sort of budget series style of cases as it offers practicality and functionality for a very reasonable price we'll check it out January 2010 after nearly three years as a top-selling case in this category the 690 is getting a complete makeover and will be reintroduced as the cooler master 692 advanced which is what we get to take a look at the case brings with it an updated design including black interior as well as incorporating many of the features that you find in cooler masters more popular cases the case is set to be launched at under $100 making this a very attractive solution for regular users enthusiasts and modders alike so let's take a look the case keeps virtually the same dimensions as the original and the exterior design is somewhat similar but many of the features have sort of been bolded and more heavily accented there's a solid mesh front panel with dust filters and for external drive base the table posts the power and reset buttons along with two USB and audio input and eSATA connector there's also a fan LED on/off switch and the advanced model also includes it's very cool hot swappable drive tray right at the top the side panel is covered but has space for two fans and supports four different fan sizes they also say there may be a windowed side bottle sometime in the future at the back we have holes for water cooling tubes 120 millimeter fan io area 7 PCI slots and an additional vertical slot and then the bottom mounted power supply the case is constructed out of rigid steel that doesn't feel cheap or flimsy and the Tula's panels are very easy to access the outside has dust filters behind every bit of mesh for easy cleaning now the black interior is a great surprise on a case in this category well it is hidden behind a covered side panel it gives it that uniform look all around and is one less thing for monitor staff to worry about the case is raised by a half inch by these truly massive rubber feet the space at the bottom allows users to fit in a Archer than average power supply or install a bottom mounted radiator which we'll see later the front has a blue LED 140 mm fan and there are six three and a half inch screw loose drive based now there is a ton of cable management spacing around the motherboard tray and then up the back thumb screws for the expansion slots we have the rear 120 millimeter fan for five and a quarter inch screw list ROM base and to top it off there's a CPU backplate opening and space for a rear native millimeter fan and we can't forget at the top another 140 millimeter fan with space for a second right next to it have you lost count of the fan spaces yet the cooler master 692 advance supports one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven fans in total now most of the fans are optional of course but really it's like a giant fan held together by bits of metal starting on the installation we were surprised to find that despite its relatively small stature the case was surprisingly easy to keep wire and clean Coolermaster has included plenty of cable management spacing throughout the case and this means that there's a lot of room to hide wires and it keeps the front clear you'll notice the lack of cables sort of down in front of the power supply this is because you're able to run them around the back through the holes in the motherboard tray and store them wherever you can make room the case is also well designed for modern hardware say like our 11 inch long 5870 video card they've taken the drive trade design from the half series meaning easy installation and they've also included an 2.5 inch SSD drive tray now they have moved away from the push-button five and a quarter inch mechanism and the new switch style is easier to understand but it requires a little more fiddling to get the drive lined up just right another fun feature you'll find with the advanced case is an innovative video card retention bracket that works to reduce the stress of heavy video cards on the motherboard sockets this is especially handy if you're going to be transporting the system last but not least we have water cooling installation up the top there's room for a 240 ml rad plus spacing for fans but glue master has included as second area for radiator if one isn't enough by removing the four bottom harddrive base you open up space for another dual rad on the bottom and improved airflow from the front so that wraps up our look at the cooler master 692 advanced chassis the evolution of the 690 into an enthusiast modder friendly design that offers some of the best from the company really everything about this case just comes together to make it a well-rounded package you have the sub hundred dollar price tag and this is the price point where you really start to see many companies make sacrifices on quality when Master has tossed in a whole bunch of new stuff not skimped on the quality and still maintain the same reasonable price as the original and they've included features that you find on their premier line of cases notably the coolest design and black interior and you can't forget about the exceptional airflow the case likely has more holes in it than actual material so the airflow design and ultimately your system temperatures are really up to you but they've included things like the dust filters the ability to mount multiple sizes of fans and just the general wiring layout inside the case that all go into help making this thing super modern friendly this is the first case we've had the pleasure of reviewing in 2010 and if it's a sign of things to come we are in for a fun year the 692 advance is a damn good value chassis and thanks for watching the hardware connects product showcase as always feel free to leave your questions and comments and don't forget to subscribe if you want to see more from us thanks for watching