An External Tour
Removing the packaging material we’re met with a very nice, if slightly understated case. The lines are smooth and elegant. Starting with the top of the case, you can see the mesh over two fan locations to the left and the external HDD bay cover (Advanced version only), external I/O and power/reset switches to the right. There is a third switch to the left that turns the LEDs of the front fan on and off, which is a nice touch.
 Top Panel |
 I/O, Switches & HDD Bay With Cover |
I/O, Switches & HDD Bay Uncovered
Moving around the rest of the case, both of the side panels are an unassuming semi-gloss black. When handling them, it’s very obvious they are stronger, heavier and better built than the original CM690. The semi-gloss paint on the entire case is solid and can take some minor (non-sharp-object) blows without issue.
The left (when looking at the front of the case) side panel can accommodate two 80mm, 120mm or 140mm fans. The right side panel (behind the motherboard tray) contains a mount for a small 80mm x 15mm fan to help cool the rear of a motherboard’s CPU socket.
 Left Side Panel |
 Right Side Panel |
The front of the case has mesh with relatively large holes to allow greater air flow. In fact, everywhere there is mesh throughout the case, it has been enlarged from its predecessor’s design – a huge boon to better air flow. The blanks that fill in the 5 1/4″ bays help keep a nice, uniform look.
The rear of the case is pretty typical fare with a 120mm exhaust fan, bottom-mounted PSU slot, I/O & PCI-e/PCI slots. Painting the PCI blanks is a very nice touch and did not go unnoticed.
There are also two holes to accommodate water tubing. These are thankfully enlarged over the previous generation, easily fitting 5/8″ OD (outer diameter) tubing. There was no 3/4″ OD tubing here to test, but as loosely fitting as the 5/8″ was, 3/4″ should fit without issue.  The previous generation had difficulty even fitting 5/8″ through the grommets.
 Case Front |
 Case Rear |
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