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CM 690 vs CM 590 vs Antec 900

T

twistedlogic

Senior member
Been waiting for awhile to pick up a new case, now I can't decide on which one.

I'm planning on replacing the stock fans with some Scythe slipstreams and running my fans on a Sunbeam Rheobus 20W controller or maybe a ZALMAN MFC1.

I've read the Antec 900 can get noisy and the CM 690 doesn't cool as well as the 900. Then CM had to release the 590, which no one has reviewed yet.

I really like how the 690 looks but would prefer cooling and acoustics over aesthetics. And from what I've read the cable management is better in the 690. I like the idea of the 590(and price), but don't like the 4-in-3 Device Module.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
I'm sure you are aware of the Antec 900 deal.. I picked one up a week ago when another site had a similar deal. I'm still waiting on the rest of my parts so I can't say much about the 900, other then it looks really cool sitting on the floor in my home office...

Anyway I just wanted to point out the deal in case by some chance you hadn't seen it.
 
I find the CM690 to do an excellent job re: cooling. With the stock heatsink/speeds my E2200 idles @ ~23°C, warms up to about ~28°C under general use and tops out at ~44°C under load. The video card runs quite cool with the Accelero S1 installed passively and my HDD temps are ~36°C. That's with the three stock CM fans installed in the front, rear and top locations. I would expect improvements upgrading to the Scythe Slip Streams at 1200RPM or better (i'm looking at the 1200RPM model myself).

Not too much is known about the 590. I like the exterior look but prefer the CM690 interior. As for Antec 900, and I just can't appreciate it's styling. But, that's all personal preference. I just wouldn't rule out the CM690 based on cooling performance as it seems to be more then capable.
 
Originally posted by: jdkick
As for Antec 900, and I just can't appreciate it's styling.
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Did you just call my case ugly? (just kidding) Like you said cases more then any other part is an eye of the beholder sort of thing... For what it's worth the 690 was my second choice. Reading the reviews it seems like a very nice case.
 
Who said the CM690 didn't cool well? How is that even possible looking at the case. I've only got two case fans in it, front intake and rear exhaust, and it stays well cool.
 
Originally posted by: thegisguy
I'm sure you are aware of the Antec 900 deal..
Click to expand...

Yeah I was aware of that deal, hence why I started this topic. I would have without a doubt chose the CM 690 as its cheaper than the 900, but with the MIR, its tempting. Good luck with your build.

Originally posted by: jdkick
That's with the three stock CM fans installed in the front, rear and top locations.
Click to expand...

Do you having them run on High, Medium, or low? And how loud is your case?

Originally posted by: jdkick
Not too much is known about the 590. I like the exterior look but prefer the CM690 interior. As for Antec 900, and I just can't appreciate it's styling. But, that's all personal preference. I just wouldn't rule out the CM690 based on cooling performance as it seems to be more then capable.
Click to expand...

Yeah I don't like the 590 interior as well. Seems like there just pushing a case for cheap and then make you buy the 4 in 3 modules. My only concern about the CM690 is I've read the metal is pretty flimsy.

Originally posted by: Scoop
Who said the CM690 didn't cool well? How is that even possible looking at the case. I've only got two case fans in it, front intake and rear exhaust, and it stays well cool.
Click to expand...

I read that the CM 690 doesn't cool as well as the 900 🙂
 
The stock CM fans are running on full 12V and any noise they make is fairly low in pitch. I find the case to be fairly quiet, and it's on my desk about three feet away from me. The loudest component in my case right now are the fans in my Enermax NoiseTaker... or the Samsung DVD±RW, at least when it's spinning.
 
I installed two extra 120mm fans on my 900 (side panel and on HD tray) for a total of 7 fans and I run them on high. Noise is like music to my ears.
 
The 590 definitely has a cleaner look and I may have bought one over the 690 if I could have actually found stock. I'm happy with the 690 tho, and I think I actually prefer the interior. I like the HDD trays and find they make for a clean installation. Yes, you have to remove both side panels to get a drive out... but I suppose you can't have it all. 🙂
 
The tempest looks nice - more like the 590/690 than the 900 but still a good addition to the market. Wonder what the pricing will be like...

.bh.
 
I like CM 690 better than Antec 900 mainly for better cabling. It was just impossible to have a clean cabling with Antec 900 and worse yet you get to see all the cables through the window.
 
I'm having the same problem, i can't make up my mind on choosing between some cases but i think that if nobody can convince me, i'm going for an Antec 1200. I like the 900 too but lopri's right, you need to do some modding in order to have a clean cable management.
 
Eve of the living thread....

DaQ,
You can actually get the 1200 there? it's not that widely distributed yet.

.bh.
 
It was quite a surprise for me to see it available in stores. Only 2-3 stores have it, it's about 200$ and i believe you get it after about one week from the order placement date. Still, i'm not so sure it's a good investment, i still think the P182 is better. Plus it looks better 😛
 

For anyone else searching for what case to get, I liked this review of the CM 690 on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yhxw1DcAQo

after reading all the posts, I think I'm leaning heavily toward the CM 690. I like the layout, especially the hard drive bays. I'm a little skeptical of its cooling power, but I'm not planning to make an OC'd system.
 
how about the Antec 1200 or the HAF932? they're both monsters with cooling

the HAF932 is prob more quiet and has more wire hiding capabilities.
 
Originally posted by: core2slow
I installed two extra 120mm fans on my 900 (side panel and on HD tray) for a total of 7 fans and I run them on high. Noise is like music to my ears.
Click to expand...

I lol'ed

I have the Antec 900. I typically set all the fans on low, and it's decently quiet that way. At least it's the quietest out of all the computers I have owned (though maybe that's because the other computers all use 80mm fans). Though when I have my comp overclocked, I set the side fan to medium to keep the northbridge cool. It's a bit noisy then. The side fan is just one of the fans that came with the case. I moved it from the back to the side, and used the fan that came with my Scythe Ninja as the rear fan instead.
 
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