My bro bought a CM690, first impression, it's a very nice case when compared to my CM Centurion 534 in terms of functionality. Personally, its look wasn't very appealing to me. My preference is more towards a nice, simple and clean look vs a grilled monster. The odd angled sides & silver outline running on the side of the CM690 looked a little tacky to me. Nevertheless, all in all, it was a good purchase. Functionally, it was a lot better than the older Centurion 534 - improved layout of the PSU and more options for exhaust fans. 

So they we were, disassembling the front & top bezels, moving 2 of the default 120mm fans to top and added a 38mmx120mm SanAce for the rear exhaust. No mobo yet. At the stage where my bro was trying to close up the side panels ... he spent several minutes trying to close the left panel (which has a 120mm fan exhaust). I was getting annoyed. How long does it take to close a panel? Turns out that the left panel wasn't quite flush with the side and it felt like it was loosely attached with 1mm-2mm play. Some careful bending will be involved in order to fix this.

To cut this short, when comparing the side panels of CM690 vs Centurion 534, one thing is obvious. The Centurion 534 panels are made from more rigid steel (possibly a little thicker) with better designed "hooks" on all sides. Action to put back and remove the panel is a lot smoother and more convincing when both were compared.

So, moral of the story, you win some .. you lose some 

CM690 new stock might coming next week means around PC Fair date