Cooler Master CM-690 (Review)

Cooler Master CM690 Mid-Tower Enclosure

Introduction:

Arriving at my front door in a plain brown box, this mystery item puzzled me. Not knowing if I should open it up or call Home Land Security, I took the chance and risked life and limb to find out what was lurking inside. Lo and behold, it was the CM690 SLI-ready enclosure from Cooler Master. This sleek, black enclosure sports a black mesh front and top with chrome dividers, tool-less installation, internal cable management system, and enough fan openings to create your own hovercraft. A bunch of other neat, little options are included, but I will mention those in the review – no need to spoil things now.

Specifications:

Available Color	Black
Dimension (inches)	(L)524.5 X (W)213 X (H)482 mm
Material	Chassis: SECC, Bezel: Metal mesh+ABS
Motherboards	micro-ATX / ATX
5.25″ Drive Bay	5.25 x 5 (include External 3.5”x1)
3.5″ Drive Bay	3.5 x 1 (5.25”to 3.5”) (External)
I/O Panel	USB x 2, IEEE1394 x 1, Mic x 1, Audio x 1, eSATA x 1 (On Top, Front is option)
Cooling System	Front 120mm Blue LED fan x 1, 1200rpm 17dBA
Expansion Slots	7
Power Supply	Standard PS 2 / EPS 12V (optional)
UPC Code	870423006886
Warranty	2 Years

Packaging:

The CM690 arrived in a plain, brown box with no discernable markings whatsoever, and after it sat around here for a few weeks, I completely forgot who it was from until I opened up the box. Once opened, I found that the CM690 was protected with the softer foam and wrapped in plastic.

Exterior:

The exterior of the CM690 is black with a mesh front bezel. The bezel is the area I start with when doing my overview of the exterior. The bezel, like I said, is made up of steel mesh from top to bottom, including the five 5.25″ bay covers. Behind the lower portion of the bezel is the intake fan. The Power/Reset buttons are on the right side of the bezel and on the curved portion. The curved areas are beveled on a 45° angle and give the case a wider appearance.

Interior:

A lot of airflow

Two thumbscrews on each side panel are used to keep the panels secured. After removing the thumbscrews and removing the side left side panel, it’s now time to go over the interior. The first think that stuck out was the included cable clips for cable management. Seven clips are installed on the motherboard tray. Upfront is the optical and hard drive rack. The upper portion holds the 5.25″ bays and the lower section is for the hard drives.  The optical drives are held in place with a tool-less locking clip.

The hard drives are held in place with tool-less slide trays. The HDD trays slide out and already have mounting pins installed. These pins are in rubber grommets to reduce vibration. The other items that are tool-less are the expansion slots; a simple clip keeps the cards in place. The last thing I want to mention is the openings for eight fans. Three fans are included: one up front, one at the back, and a side panel fan. The openings for the five others are at each side panel, one on the floor, and two up on top.

Installation:

Optical Drive	Rubber Grommet	Locking Pin
HDD in Tray	HDD Installed	Cable on the Back
PSU Installed	Gear Installed	Front LED Fan

Installation was a breeze, and with everything being tool-less, the installation was also faster. The first item I tossed in the was the optical drive. This is done by removing the bezel, which is snapped in place, and removing the drive bay cover. Next was the hard drive, which just pops into the tray by bending the tra’sy sides outward gently – just be sure to install the drive with the cable connections towards the right side panel for a clean looking install. Now install the power supply and motherboard, and route all possible cables through the cable clips.

Conclusion:

The CM690 is a simple, yet stylish-looking, enclosure with the mesh top and front, and chrome highlights. Three distinct things I like on the CM690 are the shape and location of the Power/Rest buttons, the cable management system, and the ability to add a fan to cool the back side of the CPU socket. The only real drawback to this enclosure is the weight. Being all steel it gets heavy, but that is fine since it’s a tower enclosure and not a LAN box.

Although the CM690 has eight fan openings, only three fans are included. These openings are 120mm in size except the one for cooling the CPU backplate area of the motherboard – that one is 80mm. The larger fans allow you to use high-flow, low-noise fans, although I don’t think you will need to fill up all the openings with fans. But it does give the option to place fans in certain areas to create a specific flow of air.

Overall, I like the CM690 and will be adding it to my collection. You can pick this chassis up for just $39.99 after rebate at ZipZoomFly for a limited time!

Video

My New Media Server Case – Cooler Master Stacker 810

I needed a new server case due to Antec P180 case becoming much to cramped. After reading many positive forums posts about the Cooler Master Stacker cases, I made my purchase. Here are my thoughts.

To be clear, this is the older Stacker 810 case, not the newer Stacker 830 Evolution. I think the 810 offers many for features for a much lower price; I’m not sure why the 830 is even around.

Th Stacker 810 is a great case if you have a bunch of drives and need a large, well cooled case. If you purchase 2 additional 4-in-3 modules, this case has 14 5.25″ drive bays, so it can handle 12 hard drives plus a DVD and a floppy drive. It is extremely large inside and can easily handle pretty much any motherbaord, plus there is a removable motherboard tray. There is a 120mm fan on the top as well as one on the front of each drive bay and the case has provision for two power supplies (one above and one below the motherboard tray.)

My DVD drive was very easy to install in the case, just place a plastic guide rail on the side and slide it into the locking drive bay.

The 4-in-3 drive bay (which fits four 3.5″ hard drives in three 5.25″ bays and includes a 120mm cooling fan) was not so easy. The drives are secured using screws, but there are 2 panels and 4 rails that must be held in place before sliding it into the front of the case. And if you take it out, it completely fall apart. I would prefer these snap together somehow, but I guess I won’t be removing the drives all that often.

If you really want to stretch the capacity of the case, you can use three SuperMicro CSE-M35T-1B 5-in-3 hot-swap SATA enclosures and fit 15 hard drives plus two more 5.25″ drives. Personally, I think spending more on drive enclosures than you do on a case is a waste of money. I seen no need to hot-swap drives in a home server, but it is an option if you need the space and can tolerate the loud, high-pitched fan of these SuperMicro enclosures.

This case is designed for a bunch of airflow. The downside of this is that it creates more noise as compared to my almost-completely-sealed-and-silent Antec P180 case. The perforated covers on front of each of the Stacker 810 drive bays are great for airflow, not so great for sound blocking. Luckily, due to the large 120mm fans and super-quiet Samsung drives, the noise is a soft, background noise rather than a higher-pitched, shrill, annoying noise. But hey, this is a server case, and servers should be hidden away in a back room, and not in your living room or home theater. Cooling trumps noise for a server case, and this one has great cooling. I monitored my hard drive temps, and all were at or below 26-degrees C.

Conclusion

Pros: This is a great case because it is very simple to work with, supports multiple motherboard sizes, has great cooling, and has a large number of drive bays. For the price, it is a very well-made server case.

Cons: The disadvantages are that it is not super-quiet and it takes up quite a bit of space (more than it really needs to due to so much unused space inside.) Unfortunately, it does not come with a power supply and it only includes one 4-in-3 hard drive module.

Extra Info: Part Number Detail

Unfortunately, there are a bunch of different Stacker 810 cases and the differences are not clear. After some research, I figured out which is which. Here are the details and the part numbers:

• STC-T01-UW – Silver; Dual Power Supply Locations (top & bottom); ATX, mATX, BTX, mBTX motherboards
• STC-T01-UWK – Black; Dual Power Supply Locations (top & bottom; ATX, mATX, BTX, mBTX motherboards
• RC-810-SSN1 – Silver; Single Power Supply Location (bottom); ATX, mATX motherboards
• RC-810-SKN1 – Black; Single Power Supply Location (bottom); ATX, mATX motherboards

If you are looking for accessories, here are some part numbers:

• STB-3T4-E1-GP – 4-in-3 drive bay adapter with fan (case comes with 1 of these)
• RC-880-FKR1 – 3.5″ drive bay cover (case comes with 1 of these)
• SPB-S01-E1 – PlexiGlass side window – Silver
• STF-B01-E1-GP – Cross-flow fan

Danger Den Tower 26 Review

If by now you don’t know the name Danger Den, then shame on you for calling yourself an “enthusiast”. For those of you in the know, it’s hard to argue against calling Danger Den the pinnacle of cooling, or to dispute the quality of their products. Aside from offering every conceivable water cooling part possible, the company has dived headfirst into the enclosure market. From the aptly named Torture Rack to the more consumer conscious Air Box and Water Box enclosures, Danger Den’s lineup of enclosures have been met with great fanfare and review accolades.

Today HardwareLogic will cover the newest enclosure from Danger Den, the Tower-26 acrylic case. Those considering the Tower-26 had better make sure their components are up to snuff, because if they’re not, they’ll be on display for all world to see…..and mock. To keep it simple, the Tower-26 looks to be a fantastic option for those wanting to showcase the great deal of time and money they’ve spent assembling the finest in hardware.

Model	Danger Den Tower-26
Color	Available colors and models Case Panel Colors: (Motherboard and Drive Rails are an option. Top, Bottom, and Side Frame are a second option)
Dimensions	26.19″ (H) x 7.75″ x 18.25″ (D)
Drive Bays	5 x 3.5” Internal Drives 1 x 5.25” External Drive Bay
Main Board Size	Standard ATX and Extended ATX
Expansion Slots	7
Front I/O	None
Cooling	4 x 120mm Case Fans for the Radiators Supports one Black Ice GTX480 (Fans not included)

Our Danger Den Tower-26 showed up as pictured, with full assembly needed. Keep in mind Danger Den’s acrylic enclosures are made to order, and require a 10-day lead time from time of order to time of shipment, so be sure to plan ahead.

Although assembly is required, everything is very well illustrated/described and each part comes clearly labeled. Taking the white-glove treatment to a literal level, Danger Den also includes a pair of smooth cotton gloves to use while assembling so you dirty up your swank new chassis with greasy finger prints and inadvertent scuffs. Although an Allen wrench is included, most of the screws are Phillips head, a pleasant change from the system used with previous Danger Den cases.

Every acrylic piece comes covered with a protective paper film to prevent unsightly gashes from occurring while in transit and when unpacking. The part pictured above is a 120mm fan intake port with the Danger Den logo cut into it, and even the design gets the benefit of paper protection.

Danger Den uses a 3/8″ clear acrylic for most of the build, although various parts can be custom colored (we were shipped a black top, bottom, motherboard tray, and drive bay attachments). For added bling, you also order parts in UV green and UV yellow. Check the Danger Den site for color options and available customizations before ordering.

If you’ve assembled a Danger Den chassis before, you’ll have no trouble putting together the Tower-26, which uses the same assembly method as the company’s other enclosures. And if this your first time, Danger Den will make the moment special by holding your hand and gently guiding you along with easy-to-follow instructions complete with several images. Even the parts come clearly labeled.

From start to finish, expect to spend around 90 minutes putting the Tower-26 together.The easy-to-follow directions (complete with several images) leave no room for complaint, and the parts come clearly labeled.  If you’The Danger Den Tower-26 uses the same assembly method as their From start to finished, assembly took just under 90 minutes.

The Tower-26 succeeds where so many acrylic cases fail in that it’s not only extremely large, but also very solid. Most acrylic cases are thin or poorly reinforced, causing the potential for structural failure if the case is moved. Impressively, the system used by Danger Den leaves the Tower-26 as solid as any aluminum or rolled steel chassis I’ve tested.

The front view shows off the four 120mm fan intake ports which can also hold a Black Ice GTX480 radiator. For those of you using air cooling, the Tower-26 also supports most aftermarket coolers up to 7″. Our model included a single 5.25″ optical drive bay, although you can also get a dual 5.25″ drive bay model. Not without a blemish, you won’t find any front panel connectors; just a single power/reset switch.

Surprisingly, Danger Den doesn’t include an exhaust fan in the back, and instead the rear panel simply has exhaust grooves cut into it behind the motherboard tray and HDD drive tray. Considering this case is geared more toward the water cooling enthusiast, the Tower-26 is going to need as much air flow as possible to keep the motherboard and HDD as cool as possible, and I’d like the see the option of mounting an exhaust fan behind both the HDD and mobo tray. If  fan mounts are inconvenient, I’d at least like to see some PCI slot covers to funnel air out over those key areas.

Gripes notwithstanding, the overall case exterior definitely lives up to the Danger Den name -extremely solid and supremely attractive.

You need space? No worries here; the Tower-26 handles either a standard or extended ATX motherboard, and with room to spare. The motherboard tray design allows for airflow behind the board, which should help cooling without sacrificing strength.

The HDD rack to the rear (above the motherboard) supports up to four 3.5″ HDDs, with another 3.5″ drive secured to the rear of the case below the 5.25″ drive bay. The drives are well spaced, but a couple of points to consider. First, the lack of an exhaust fan, so users may want to fashion a way to secure a fan behind the drive tray to keep those drives cool.

Second, although I had no problem with the SATA cables, the SATA power cables from my BFG 800W PSU were a bear to get connected.

The PSU needs to be lifted another inch or two to give the PSU fan more intake space, as well as give you some flexibility with cable management.

The PCI/PCI-E add-ins are secured using old fashioned screws (which I love!) instead of plastic retention clips, and Danger Den has cut holes aligned with the PCI slot covers to make securing your add in card as easy as possible.

At the risk of beating a dead horse, not having any exhaust fans means you will need to pay particular attention to the system temperatures, especially the HDD. For those willing, this can be easily rectified by adding a couple strategically placed fans (as I did with a spare 120mm fan over the chipset).

The enormous working space allows for basically any type of cooling system. I installed a 3x120mm Danger Den radiator (Black Ice GTX), 12V DC pump, and a fillport (which I secured behind the radiator after filling the system). For those of you who are anal retentive with your cabling Dave Montez, some sleeving, zip ties, and cold cathode lighting can make the Tower-26 look even more spectacular than it already does.

I just can’t picture a build the Tower-26 wouldn’t be able to handle, and there’s more than enough room for anything you can dream up. Assembly and installation are very straight forward. Small issues with fan add-ons and cable length aside, the Tower-26 performed exceptionally well.

Section	Score	Comments
Build Quality (Durability & Construction)	20/20	Like the Air Box, Water Box, and Torture Rack before it, the Tower 26 succeeds where other acrylic cases have failed.
Aesthetics / Appearance	20/20	Beautiful enclosure -pictures just don’t do it justice. The perfect enclosure to show off your system.
Internal Layout & Installation	18/20	The PSU mounting system could be moved upward two inches or so, which would make cable management a little easier. Room for a fifth HDD, which would have been nice. Easy assembly and installation, took less than 90 minutes (with a W/C kit).
Performance (Sound & Cooling)	8/10	A fan behind the HDD rack would have put this enclosure over the to. No exhaust fan at the rear, which means you’ll need to add active cooling to the chipset area if using W/C.
Bundle	10/10	Everything you need (and extras at that), including a pair of cloth gloves to prevent fingerprints (or to slap passerbys and challenge them to a duel!).
Warranty & Support	10/10	The Danger Den folks are some of the best in the business – ’nuff said
Price / Value	8/10	As reviewed the Danger Den Tower-26 runs $269. Not bad considering the quality, but this also doesn’t include any fans. At $219 for the base enclosure, the Tower-26 is a relative bargain.

Our Recommendation

Pardon the cliché, but in this case, there’s no getting around saying it: Pictures just don’t do the Tower-26 justice. Period. It’s an incredible product with easy assembly, the build quality is outstanding, and for those of you that need to show off your $3000-$4000 system, nothing else compares.

Complaints? Just a few. There is no exhaust fan on the Tower-26, just slats cut into the acrylic. This means you’ll probably need to add some active cooling to the chipset area if you plan to watercool your rig. Also, the front panel power button connections are about 4 inches too short, especially if you have a radiator mounted in the front section of the case. Finally, I think the PSU could have been mounted an inch or two higher, which would have made cable management much easier. As it stands, you’ll need every bit of cable length possible.

Bottom line is this: If you want to show off your bad ass system, the Tower-26 is the ultimate E-Penis.

Other Reviews of Note

It’s always nice to have more than one opinion on a component before you spend your hard earned money.  For one, we may see something others missed, or vice versa.  As with all reviews published at HardwareLogic, we’ll not only give you our opinion, but also point out some reviews from around the web.

Top 5 Most Beautiful Case Mods

You’ve seen some of the strangest case mods, now check out five masterpieces that i have come across in recent time.

5. Digg

This beautiful Digg-inspired case mod boasts an Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme X6800 processor, 1GB of DDR2-1066/PC2-8500 HyperX memory, and three 500GB WD Raid Edition SATA HDDs.

Source http://www.computer-choppers.com/gallery-diggcasemod.html

4. Wolfenstein Radio PC

At first glance, we thought this was a prop from an upcoming Wolfenstein movie, but in reality it’s just a masterfully modded PC. Designed to resemble a “Wolfenstein Radiostation”, it features an AMD Athlon 2200+ processor, ASUS VIA KT400 motherboard, ATI Radeon 9600 graphics card, 60GB hard drive, and a DVD R/W drive. It comes complete with a custom paint job, receiver, antenna, gauges/meters, and authentic-looking decals.

Source http://www.gadgetblog.it/post/1260/radiostation-mod-fenomenale

3. “Sangaku”

This incredible “Sangaku” case mod took Nick Falzone over 300 hours to complete, over the course of 9 months.

He decided to build a custom case that represented this understated Japanese coolness using his skills and experience with wood. It’s basic dimensions would clearly define it as a PC – the goal wasn’t to try to create something really crazy like the guys at WCG 2005 with Alien heads and fish tanks etc. Something aesthetically pleasing that, first and foremost, looked like some badass Japanese woodwork, but was also a PC.

Source http://www.bit-tech.net/modding/2006/04/06/japanese_case_mod_sangaku/1.html

2. Doom 3

Now this definitely looks like something out of a “Doom” movie. Technical specs haven’t been released, but we do know that it’s DangerDen watercooled and features “top of-the-line hardware components”.

Source http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1&page=4

1. “24″

Peter from Bit-Tech decided to create a PC case based on the popular TV show “24″ — resembling a weapon of mass destruction aka atomic bomb. Features include a large dot matrix LED display, water cooling, custom built double radiator, and a concealed DVD drive.

…the aim of this project was to build a completely custom-built computer case, out of stainless steel, that would look like the sort of atomic bomb that one sees in spy movies or on TV shows like 24. I tried not to base the design on any real or fictional bomb, but simply out of my imagination.

Soruce http://www.bit-tech.net/modding/2006/05/22/wmd_part2_g-gnome_case_mod/1.html