Significant improvement over CM 690 II Plus is an understatement. A Whole new case with the same essence and succeeds CM 690's legacy!

Cooler Master's CM 690 series has always been a popular choice for enthusiasts and gamers. Its middle of the road styling has satisfied both camps by remaining largely subtle in its aesthetic approach.

+ Pleasing to the eye; + Classic design with improvements; + Great clearance options; + Easy to maintain cable management; + Can accommodate 240mm radiators; + EZ trays are an excellent idea for storage; + Good build quality

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Over the years the CM 690 series have proven to be a success number for Cooler Master, the fact that we have arrived at revision 3 of this chassis speaks for itself. Even in-between the releases we have seen advanced editions, black & white versions ... yeah there has been a lot of diversity.

At time of writing there are not many sources for the 690 III and that will in part be due to the fact it's fairly new to market. It can typically be found for around ￡95 here in the UK and customers in the US would expect to pay around $130 once available.

Sleek design on the exterior and interior; Removable filters and covers for easy maintenance; Flexible and modular storage bays; Spacious interior for long graphics cards; Good cable management; Impressive airflow and high quality fans pre-installed; Durable build quality

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The stakes were high for Cooler Master. The CM 690 series has always been a popular and well-respected one, and Cooler Master could afford to drop the ball with the third version.

At first glance this new installment in the oh so popular CM 690 series doesn't carry much new under the hood. However it's once we remove the side panels we can appreciate at how much work has been done to update this case to the end users demands of 2013.

KitGuru says: The CM 690 III definitely is worth the money, though we would have liked to see some of the CM 690 II's key features make a return.

Excellent build quality; Refined design; Excellent cooling performance; Easy access to all areas during installation

Removing the SATA and power connectors in the top compartment is disappointing; Graphics card support bracket found in the CM 690 II would have been a great addition; Mostly an aesthetic update

The CM 690 III is a structurally sound design. Not only did the feet really grab to the glass when trying to move it around for images, but even without the panels and with some of the bays removed, the chassis still feels like a tank to protect your components.

, but the company has since released a modernised version of its well received chassis, suitably named the CM 690 III. At ￡80, it's actually at a lower price point than that which the CM 690 II launched at too, which is always pleasing, and this price puts it firmly in the mid-range ATX mid-tower...