NZXT Phantom or CM690II?

TheFloyd73 · 17 Mar 2011 at 09:20

Hi folks, I'm unsure which of the above two cases to go for my new build, and would be grateful for anyone who has experience of either to drop us a few comments.

Part of me wants to go for the NZXT due to the looks, the larger size and inclusion of all fans and a controller. However, whilst the case has plenty of good reviews online some people on the forums have been slating the build quality (including a member of OCUK staff), suggesting that it uses cheap plastics, paint and doesn't look as good as the pictures suggest.

The CM 690ii. I like the look of this case, and it would probably look more sensible (size wise) next to my desk. However, I am putting a Gigabyte 480 SOC in it, and I gather that only leaves 1-1.5cm of space. I also plan on putting a Sandybridge 1155 setup with the Corsair H50 cooler, and was concerned potentially that the inside of the case would get full pretty quickly, and might affect the cooling.

Cheers for any ideas!

conoflex · 17 Mar 2011 at 09:35

Myself personally I would get the 690II advanced (I do have one btw) it has quite a lot of room inside more than my PC-50R red dragon which has lot of stuff in , bottom hdd drive bays are removeable giving more room for gpu's it should have ample airflow for what you are doing (takes up to 10 fans so it says in blurb, But I don't think that is realistic).
It also looks nice

MouthBoy · 17 Mar 2011 at 15:49

I have the CM-690 II Adv too. I do rate this case very highly, and yes of course there are things I would change, like giving it rubber gromets for example but these are small things. I have my Megahalems heatsink with 2 120mm Apache Black fans on it and a GTX 470 too and there is plenty of room left. Its easy to keep it tidy too with easy cable routes.

chippy08 · 17 Mar 2011 at 16:06

CM-690 II Adv can you really sit there looking at the other case.

qumbaya · 17 Mar 2011 at 19:10

do u need a full tower or midtower

the phantom is huge both outside and on the inside

CheesySpread · 17 Mar 2011 at 19:35

CM 690 II adv. for sure. I can tell you from experience It's a great case. Looks good, performs great has plenty of room inside for GFX cards. All most people would ever need really.

-CheesySpread

mufcmark · 17 Mar 2011 at 19:39

Here's a video comparing the adv version and lite version of the cm 690 II http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AubfqMN9XgE&feature=player_embedded
The main differences are

* Advanced has 140mm fan in top, Basic only includes front 140mm and rear 120mm
* Advanced has HDD dock on the top
* Basic only has 2 tool-less 5.25" bays
* Advanced has a 2.5" adaptor for ssd
* Advanced has that funny GPU holder

The lite might be better if you don't intend to use the extra features of the advanced

MouthBoy · 17 Mar 2011 at 20:57

On thing I forgot to mention before is that the gap for a GFX is exactally 12". Basically what I am saying is that unless you figure out a way to get a 12" card in there, dual GPU cards a nono. GFX580s and 6990s are fine.

thunderflash · 18 Mar 2011 at 10:25

I had the CM 690 II adv then went into my local PC shop one day and the Phantom was on the shelf, fell in love with it straight away and bought it from OcUK the following week. Would thouroghly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a full tower. It is a lot cooler inside than the 690 also. Cable Management is better and just a better build quality I feel. Sold my 690 the day after I got the Phantom and won't be going to a tiny case ever again

Although a lot more people will have the 690 so there will be lots who will disagree, but well just don't listen to them if you have the space for the beast.