SENTRY: Console-sized gaming PC case project

SaperPL said:
Your card should fit without problems.

If you want to make a build mainly for gaming, then going for i7-8700 should be better than Ryzen at this point in time. You might want consider i5-8400 if you don't want to do any productivity on this system though since it performs quite well in games and it's significantly cheaper.

Is there a reason for 32GB of ram? If that's going to be a workstation than you should check out how coffee lake compares to R7 1700 in your specific applications.
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From most in this the noctua l9i can’t handle i7 8700 I’m scared to buy that and get same result as everyone a proc that throttles all the time in sentry
 
Veritas187 said:
From most in this the noctua l9i can’t handle i7 8700 I’m scared to buy that and get same result as everyone a proc that throttles all the time in sentry
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kingtron said:
you should delid it and I think SaperPL is referring to the non K version.
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Yes, I was talking about the non-K version.

Also I believe there is a misconception about coffee lake hugely increased power draw over kaby lake - After the launch reviews some reviewers figured out asus boards have "multicore boost" on by default which sets max boost clock for all cores instead of one or two. You might want to revisit the data on power draw in the reviews and check which boards were used.

Finally if you're not afraid of deliding, that seams like a good option - quite a few testes were done on that in context of coffee lake. I don't think I had a broken CPU over last 10 or 15 years, it just doesn't happen anymore unless someone fries it with extreme overclocking or the whole system is bricked by the storm. You're still voiding warranty though.
 
Yes I was talking about the non k version...I will wait a few more weeks till more people talk about there experience with that proc and noctua l9i and make my decision on that or noctua l9a and ryzen 1700x which seems to do ok if no oc
 
Veritas187 said:
Yes I was talking about the non k version...I will wait a few more weeks till more people talk about there experience with that proc and noctua l9i and make my decision on that or noctua l9a and ryzen 1700x which seems to do ok if no oc
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Is there a reason to go for 1700X instead of 1700? After overclock perform the same but 1700 is significantly cheaper and draws less power on stock settings.
 
SaperPL said:
Is there a reason to go for 1700X instead of 1700? After overclock perform the same but 1700 is significantly cheaper and draws less power on stock settings.
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You can't simultaneously overclock it and have it's power efficiency at stock settings. Imo the reason to opt for the 1700x would be to allow it to run at stock and fluctuate freely between 3.4 and 3.8ghz whereas an overclocked 1700 would be locked @ what ever multiplier you've set it to. The 1700x is likely to be cooler and more power efficient than an overclocked 1700.
 
OmenemO said:
You can't simultaneously overclock it and have it's power efficiency at stock settings. Imo the reason to opt for the 1700x would be to allow it to run at stock and fluctuate freely between 3.4 and 3.8ghz whereas an overclocked 1700 would be locked @ what ever multiplier you've set it to. The 1700x is likely to be cooler and more power efficient than an overclocked 1700.
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That's obvious it won't be simultaneously overclocked and not :p

As for 1700 overclocking vs power efficiency - you should be able to setup it identically as 1700x with P-states, if your board and bios supports it. With P-states overclocking you can set different multipliers like turbo boost. The only advantage here would be that XFR which as far as I remember is only +50MHz for 1700X but it'll depend on not reaching target temperature so it's not that big of a feature in Sentry...
 
SaperPL said:
Is there a reason to go for 1700X instead of 1700? After overclock perform the same but 1700 is significantly cheaper and draws less power on stock settings.
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They are both $299 right now on Newegg and I don’t oc so I prefer get best out of the box performance
 
OmenemO said:
You can't simultaneously overclock it and have it's power efficiency at stock settings. Imo the reason to opt for the 1700x would be to allow it to run at stock and fluctuate freely between 3.4 and 3.8ghz whereas an overclocked 1700 would be locked @ what ever multiplier you've set it to. The 1700x is likely to be cooler and more power efficient than an overclocked 1700.
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Ditto
 
SaperPL said:
Can you link to this promo? I checked that and 1700X costs $359... the difference is similar in our local shops.
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He may be just referencing PCPartPicker because their lowest merchant price for the 1700X is $299 from OutletPC. You are correct about Newegg. OutletPC also has the 1700 listed for $289.
 
While the weatherstripping tape does well at idle, during a game intense enough to work my 1060 (in this case FFXIV) the circulation of air around the case is so prominent. The CPU ends up gathering hot air that is hovering around the outside of the case, brinign it to ~50C while the GPU hovers around 65C.

It's nothing to worry about, sure, but it shows limitations, at least. Not about to figure out how bad it would be without the tape, but I can assume the CPU would simply heat itself up with its own air like the open air GPU. I could see myself doing this even moreso by applying more tape outside the case to extent the air channel if I ever got something like a 1080 Ti ICX SC2.

Crappy data and dreaming aside, I agree that everyone may as well throw some weatherstripping tape around their lh9i, especially with a open air card.
 
lhindir said:
He may be just referencing PCPartPicker because their lowest merchant price for the 1700X is $299 from OutletPC. You are correct about Newegg. OutletPC also has the 1700 listed for $289.
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That's interesting. Maybe they cut down the price so low because hardly anyone buys the 1700X over 1700 at their store. I wish we had shops with promo's like this in Poland...
 
the usps seems to have completely lost my cables package so my build pics are going to take a little longer as I'm waiting for them before pics
 
NuclearLemons said:
the usps seems to have completely lost my cables package so my build pics are going to take a little longer as I'm waiting for them before pics
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You sure it's usps and not DHL? Their tracking numbers are similar. My cablemod order came via DHL and required signature on delivery for some strange reason.
 
Ej24 said:
You sure it's usps and not DHL? Their tracking numbers are similar. My cablemod order came via DHL and required signature on delivery for some strange reason.
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oh its not cablemod, i had them done custom 2 weeks ago, ive just had to call their customer service again
 
NuclearLemons said:
oh its not cablemod, i had them done custom 2 weeks ago, ive just had to call their customer service again
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Ok, got it. I usually assumed it was cablemod. They're a common choice for custom cables. Good choice on getting custom cables though, it's almost necessary for some configurations in Sentry
 
I haven't seen too many living setups yet with Sentry PC's, so I thought I'd share my new upgrades for my living room gaming experience.

I just ordered a 55in LG OLED 4K TV to upgrade from my current 10 year old 1080p 42in lcd TV that still has fluorescent backlight, yeah its really bad. This is going to be a huge upgrade.

I also got a new 7.2 channel Pioneer Elite AV receiver as my old one didn't support hdcp 2.2, so 4k 60hz wasn't possible. Looking to upgrade my speakers next, but I'll have to extinguish my wallet first as it's still smoldering.

Last but not least, in order to properly protect my ridiculous amounts of electronics in the living room I got a serious surge protector/power filter. I got a Furman PST-8D. Should eliminate any hiss or noise over the surround sound and it has a insanely low shutdown voltage of just 136V, whereas most surge protectors (at least in 120v markets like the US) won't shut down until 330V or more. At which point you can bet everything is destroyed. I can definitely sleep easier at night knowing my new, ridiculously expensive toys are safe.

The TV arrives early next week. Can't wait. I'm practically salivating in anticipation. I'll be sure to upload pictures once everything is setup.
 
Ordered a vega 64 (silver - limited edition) last night for $499. Looks like my xfx 390 will have to find a new home.

Will post pictures once I have the vega 64 installed.

Since it's a blower style card, sentry can probably tame this beast.
 
J_bravo14 said:
Ordered a vega 64 (silver - limited edition) last night for $499. Looks like my xfx 390 will have to find a new home.

Will post pictures once I have the vega 64 installed.

Since it's a blower style card, sentry can probably tame this beast.
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i actually have one in mine at the moment, looks gorgeous but a bit of a tight fit
 
4884 said:
a reference size card shouldn't have any problem in fitting.
where does it has a tight fit?
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well, it fits the vent holes perfectly but the two stock cables that are needed to power it properly are pressed into the end pretty tight, that might be subject to change though when the cables actually arriive
 
NuclearLemons said:
well, it fits the vent holes perfectly but the two stock cables that are needed to power it properly are pressed into the end pretty tight, that might be subject to change though when the cables actually arriive
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I've fitted an RX vega 56 (had to be returned) with a corsair SF600 and the power cables have enought space.
 
NuclearLemons said:
well, it fits the vent holes perfectly but the two stock cables that are needed to power it properly are pressed into the end pretty tight, that might be subject to change though when the cables actually arriive
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it is reference height so basically most cards will suffer the same if not worse.
If you happen to be using stock cables from a sf600, yes they are tough as hell so it would appear to be tight fit
As long as your custom cables are braided nicely with soft material, fitting them should be very easy.
My cablemod cables fit perfectly, I didn't have to apply any force to tuck them in.
 
4884 said:
it is reference height so basically most cards will suffer the same if not worse.
If you happen to be using stock cables from a sf600, yes they are tough as hell so it would appear to be tight fit
As long as your custom cables are braided nicely with soft material, fitting them should be very easy.
My cablemod cables fit perfectly, I didn't have to apply any force to tuck them in.
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im glad to hear they are working for you. might want to share the lengths for others who might want to go that route, mine seem to have gotten lost in the usps, ive been on the phone with them several times this week; extremely frustrating
 
NuclearLemons said:
im glad to hear they are working for you. might want to share the lengths for others who might want to go that route, mine seem to have gotten lost in the usps, ive been on the phone with them several times this week; extremely frustrating
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I am using the same length as sf600 stock cables (30 cm iirc). Because cablemods has sf600 pre-made cables so they're slightly cheaper than the made-to-order fully custom option.
They're a bit too long for the sentry so I tied a small loop. Fortunately they're soft so doing that the hiding them was piece of cake.
If someone is building the perfect pc and don't mind a couple more dollars, definitely should do the measurement and order something shorter.
Hope you'll find your package soon!
 
4884 said:
I am using the same length as sf600 stock cables (30 cm iirc). Because cablemods has sf600 pre-made cables so they're slightly cheaper than the made-to-order fully custom option.
They're a bit too long for the sentry so I tied a small loop. Fortunately they're soft so doing that the hiding them was piece of cake.
If someone is building the perfect pc and don't mind a couple more dollars, definitely should do the measurement and order something shorter.
Hope you'll find your package soon!
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its not that its lost, a cockup on behalf of the sender meant that the label says a different address to the bar-code, so its been going around in circles for two weeks! I did get custom measurements though and i will update the thread with them if they work out. if not i'll likely come up with some recommended adjustments, i ended up getting a stata power cable custom designed to work on the sentrys ssd rack without any slack, should be interesting to see it all come together.... when it arrives
 
I found this and thought it was worth mentioning (if it hasn't already)


I have a L9a on the way for my 1700x but not gonna lie, this is pretty cute esp if the CU C7 ever gets released
 
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My build has finally been completed! the cables had some shipping issues so i was surprised to see they arrived today. So bask in my glorious sentry!
---------------------
THE BUILD
i7-7700k
Vega 64 limited edition
LP53 / Noctua Mod
Gigabyte Z270-n gaming 5
256GB Samsung EVO + 2TB Seagate SSHD
Silverstone 650-G with custom cables
16GB Corsair DDR4 LPX (2133mhz)
-PICS
fyRFv6i.jpg

fyRFv6i

Dj7KOuQ.jpg

Dj7KOuQ


fyRFv6i

---------------------------
BUILDING IN THE SENTRY
by far the most challenging build I've ever done, but also the most rewarding. the case however is not without a few issues. 1) i had to manually widen the riser slot to fit it in (yes i put it in through the gpu side but the gap needed prising open to get it all the way into position). 2) the power slot frame on the silverstone 650-g slightly overlapped the frame, i was still able to screw it in but it took some work. 3) if you don't want to bend your panels, low profile 8 pin plugs for the gpu are almost a must, I had to squeeze it in pretty tight. the same applies to the channel between the psu and motherboard, an extra center meter of two could really help with routing the 24pin. the rest of the assembly was very smooth.
----------------------------
MODDING THE LP53
i'll be honest, i had no idea what i was doing with this one, i ended tying paperclips to hold the fan in place, nonetheless it seems to have worked.
PIC-
jAhVvQQ.jpg


---------------------------
THE CABLES
Special thanks goes out to Brennan (royalba94) from Avaentum cables, hugely supportive and made the cables to order with custom measurements as well as a specially designed sata power which worked very nicely
PICS-
cEyxXKk.jpg

cEyxXKk

PHWJusz

the cables themselves besides a few exposed pieces of wire felt very high quality and looked amazing, all working happily.
---------------------------
THE REST
i went with custom key caps on my corsair k65 to match my cablework, very happy with the result. i couldn't resist a portal esque theme, subject to adjustments as i am not done with it all and i'm in a college dorm.
My thanks go out to the people at Zaber who made this case possible and i am wholly grateful for not having to deal with the frankly hideous Node 202.
w9DScCE.jpg



Thank you all for making this possible!
 
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FISCHER said:
I found this and thought it was worth mentioning (if it hasn't already)


I have a L9a on the way for my 1700x but not gonna lie, this is pretty cute esp if the CU C7 ever gets released
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So the l9a adequately cools your 1700x no throttling?
 
NuclearLemons said:
I'm sure he could have, had I requested it
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This is what I found online from SilverStone itself:

"The separate 4pin sense connector is to improve voltage regulation. Without it, the PSU will still work fine but regulation will drop by about 1% ~ 2%, not a big deal for 99% of users but matters a lot in PSU reviews where a couple of percentage points could mean the difference between first place on the chart and middle of the pack."

so you should be fine ;)
 
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kingtron said:
This is what I found online from SilverStone itself:

"The separate 4pin sense connector is to improve voltage regulation. Without it, the PSU will still work fine but regulation will drop by about 1% ~ 2%, not a big deal for 99% of users but matters a lot in PSU reviews where a couple of percentage points could mean the difference between first place on the chart and middle of the pack."
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in that case, i'm sure ill be fine without it.
 
Veritas187 said:
So the l9a adequately cools your 1700x no throttling?
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I'll let u know (prob gonna be a week till I build)

Anyone use the SF cable set from Corsair for SF600/400? Looking for a better set but don't really want to pay $100+
 
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