SENTRY: Console-sized gaming PC case project

This is definitely the case for you then, yes. :)

I would only make two suggestions:

1) Get a "locked" (non-K sku) i7; it'll produce less heat for you to worry about and you won't be able to overclock anyways.

2) As one of the Zaber boys said, wait for AMD's Ryzen to come out before buying this system. In the best of senarios, it'll blow intel out of the water for the kind of workload you're looking at. In the most realistic but still hopeful of senarios, it'll challenge Intel enough that you'll be able to get your system for cheaper.

Cheers!
 
1) Get a "locked" (non-K sku) i7; it'll produce less heat for you to worry about and you won't be able to overclock anyways.

If you're willing to tinker a bit the k series would be the better processor. Correct me if I'm wrong here but clock for clock and at the same voltage the K and non-K should both create the same heat. So depending on your environment and specific hardware choices with the k you will have the option of pushing a bit more clock speed if the variables allow it. You could even go for a winter and summer profiles if you don't have air-con.
 
There is a special tool on our website that you can check out for hard drive fitting:
First drive slot will be unavailable if you've got motherboard with cpu socket next to pci-e AND cpu cooler that is taller than 37mm
Second drive slot will be unavailable if you're using SFX-L power supply that is longer than standard 100mm SFX psu.

If you're using oversized ram like the ones with tall radiators then you won't be able to mount the small metal arm that is in the middle of the chassis that's a mount point for the 3rd screw for each 2.5" drive, because that arm/bracket is directly above ram slots. It might be possible though to mount drives without that piece, screwing them only by one side, but keep in mind that your mileage may vary, especially with hdd.
as the maximum for the height ram?
 
How come the ZOTAC GTX 1070 Mini wouldn't fit in this case? I figured being the mini size it would be prefect.
 
How come the ZOTAC GTX 1070 Mini wouldn't fit in this case? I figured being the mini size it would be prefect.
Probably too wide (measuring from the PCIe connector to the other side). Compare a picture of the Zotac 1070 Mini to a 1070 founder's edition. The founder's edition is no wider than the back bracket of the card while the Zotac 1070 extends past it.
 
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Probably too wide (measuring from the PCIe connector to the other side). Compare a picture of the Zotac 1070 Mini to a 1070 founder's edition. The founder's edition is no wider than the back bracket of the card while the Zotac 1070 extends past it.
Makes sense...I was just confused since Zotac says it has a height of 122mm. I'll change the gpu to something else now that this won't fit.

Edit: Looking at getting either a 1070 or 1080 for my wife's build...what GPU would you recommend for the horizontal layout compared to vertical?
 
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Makes sense...I was just confused since Zotac says it has a height of 122mm. I'll change the gpu to something else now that this won't fit.

Edit: Looking at getting either a 1070 or 1080 for my wife's build...what GPU would you recommend for the horizontal layout compared to vertical?
If you're going horizontal the founder's edition of other card will be the best choice. If you want to go a little cheaper then go with any aftermarket blower. Blower fans aren't restricted in taking in air from outside the panel like a dual/triple fan setup would be in the horizontal position.
 
If you're willing to tinker a bit the k series would be the better processor. Correct me if I'm wrong here but clock for clock and at the same voltage the K and non-K should both create the same heat. So depending on your environment and specific hardware choices with the k you will have the option of pushing a bit more clock speed if the variables allow it. You could even go for a winter and summer profiles if you don't have air-con.

That's actually a very fair point. If you're wiling to undervolt and tinker with your settings, you'll get a more optimal setup.

I will throw out the disclaimer that apparently kaby lake is extremely variable in terms of power used during normal operation.


How come the ZOTAC GTX 1070 Mini wouldn't fit in this case? I figured being the mini size it would be prefect.

[...]Edit: Looking at getting either a 1070 or 1080 for my wife's build...what GPU would you recommend for the horizontal layout compared to vertical?

Because it's not actually mini. Graphics card manufacturers have taking to squashing the length of a card's cooler, making it abnormally tall, and calling it smaller than normal. It's a great option in the cube-style mini-itx cases, but not in something like this.

As for the 1070 vs 1080, it shouldn't make too much of a difference, but either way, make sure you get a reference-style blower-cooler card, like a founders' edition. It will tolerate the horizontal conditions much better.


as the maximum for the height ram?

Stefano, it's not explicitly stated, however, it comes down to this:

If you aren't going to use the second 2.5" hard drive mounting slot (SEE the Sentry website), then ram up to 47mm should be fine. If you do want to use it, then ram up to 37mm should be fine.

Regardless of that, the tall heatsinks on ram do absolutely nothing, so there's no reason to buy silly-looking ram that's way too tall that you can't see anyways.
 
ram fino a 37 millimetri dovrebbe andare bene.
perfect thank you very much for the information! one last thing .. for the CPU heat sink, what would be the best one to use? I speak for a i7-7700k that does not have the sink in the box, but wanting to buy a powerful heatsink 47mm what is the best? I think this question if many do
 
What was the "oversized" card that was tested and is known to fit? In the configuration tool, it shows a 170mm oversized card - what card was that? The GTX 970 ITX? By Gigabyte or ASUS?
 
You need to begin to think on shifting some white units toward black ones if Indiegogo allows for this, 370 out of 400 blacks are claimed and 139 out of 300 whites are (maths says you need to shift 109 units to equal the ratios). Very nice to have an altogether 73% of first run units sold already and I just saw the project featured in the Indiegogo newsletter.
 
What was the "oversized" card that was tested and is known to fit? In the configuration tool, it shows a 170mm oversized card - what card was that? The GTX 970 ITX? By Gigabyte or ASUS?

GV-N970IXOC-4GD

http://www.gigabyte.us/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5252#ov

I've got this card in my gamedev studio workstation and I checked how it fits in Sentry. The card is 123mm wide measuring from the slot (reference width is 112mm), so there's ~7mm to fit the PEG connector there.

Normally you'll need 18mm to fit standard PEG with cables bent but we've seen specially modified low profile angled connectors that fit this purpose perfectly, being listed on ebay. (There additional notes below configuration tool describing this in red text)

Current generation, 1070 ITX is waay more oversized and it won't fit like that anymore though.
 
You need to begin to think on shifting some white units toward black ones if Indiegogo allows for this, 370 out of 400 blacks are claimed and 139 out of 300 whites are (maths says you need to shift 109 units to equal the ratios). Very nice to have an altogether 73% of first run units sold already and I just saw the project featured in the Indiegogo newsletter.

We can't change anything in perks which were used. This option is blocked by indiegogo. We predicted such situation, when all "1 x BLACK SENTRY"s will be sold and there will be still some white cases available. This is why (as you probably remember) we made a STRAW POLL a month ago, and we added a "Long Run" perk with 4 000 additional Black Sentrys, which will be manufactured just after sending those 1st batch cases to backers.

However, even if You were late to make an order for 1st batch, and You have to order "Long Run" perk, there is still a chance to get your order made in the first batch. For example, when not every white SENTRY or not every double-cases perk will be bought. It means for example only 80% of all cases signed for 1st batch will be sold. In such situation some orders from "Long Run" perk will be moved to the 1st batch (according to the time of order) to fill those missing cases for up to 1000 units for the first run.

One more thing: "Long Run" doesn't mean You will get your SENTRY when your children will go to college. "Long Run" means we will keep manufacturing more cases after we're done with first batch, starting week after it ( "Long run" backers will start getting their cases even one or two weeks after 1st batch, depending on the time of you order).
 
perfect thank you very much for the information! one last thing .. for the CPU heat sink, what would be the best one to use? I speak for a i7-7700k that does not have the sink in the box, but wanting to buy a powerful heatsink 47mm what is the best? I think this question if many do

There has been tons of discussion and other research I've tried to do for this as well... It looks like the stock 95W copper core Intel cooler (you could get one on eBay) is one of the best.

The cryorig c7 might be a little better but I was reading that it was noisier than stock since it's 1mm away from the side panel.

Alternatively you could do a mod with a noctua fan from the L9i and use a dynatron r15 vapor chamber 1U cooler (this has the best results by far)... Though you'll have to do a mod in order to get this to fit in an LGA 1151 socket (user RosaJ did this on or around forum page 46 I believe).
 
I'm interested in seeing how the Thermaltake Engine 37 ends up performing. I can't find a lot of information on it unfortunately (like price or release date).
 
Long time since I've posted but just I wanted to say congratulations on the successful campaign launch and I can't wait to receive the Sentry (in for a black one).

Anyway, I'm pretty much just going to be transferring my existing system from a Silverstone RVZ02 to the Sentry. In thinking about this, I was wondering if it would be worth investing in the short cable set that Silverstone makes. I didn't bother getting it for the Raven but it might be worth it for the Sentry? Opinions? Anybody have it or used it that could provide some insight? Thanks!
 
Long time since I've posted but just I wanted to say congratulations on the successful campaign launch and I can't wait to receive the Sentry (in for a black one).

Anyway, I'm pretty much just going to be transferring my existing system from a Silverstone RVZ02 to the Sentry. In thinking about this, I was wondering if it would be worth investing in the short cable set that Silverstone makes. I didn't bother getting it for the Raven but it might be worth it for the Sentry? Opinions? Anybody have it or used it that could provide some insight? Thanks!

I would get custom length cables from cable mod personally.
 
I'm interested in seeing how the Thermaltake Engine 37 ends up performing. I can't find a lot of information on it unfortunately (like price or release date).

Considering that the engine 27 is only 70w tdp,... based on the surface area difference I would project that this will cool like a 95W tdp cooler which would be on par with a cryorig c7, but quieter.

This is purely speculation though.
 
I'm interested in seeing how the Thermaltake Engine 37 ends up performing. I can't find a lot of information on it unfortunately (like price or release date).

I actually emailed them about it. No reply so far.

Steve0Kinev0, bear in mind that the 37 also apparently has a solid copper core; it's apperently designed to be a little heftier of a cooler. (Fingers crossed.)
 
I actually emailed them about it. No reply so far.

Steve0Kinev0, bear in mind that the 37 also apparently has a solid copper core; it's apperently designed to be a little heftier of a cooler. (Fingers crossed.)

Ive got my fingers crossed as well! As of now I'm going to use a dynatron copper vapor chamber cooler... But I hope they make an am4 socket otherwise I'm going to have to do some serious modding and might not have options like the engine 37 if they don't make am4 mounts either...
 
I'm interested in seeing how the Thermaltake Engine 37 ends up performing. I can't find a lot of information on it unfortunately (like price or release date).

It will be shit. The one that doesn't perform and smells. Yeah, that kind. You can quote me on that.

PS: the small one sucks dicks and balls big time, as it was tested by the creator of the S4 MINI. No reason why the bigger one shouldn't be any better.
 
Are there any plans or suggestions for compatible dust filters for the case?

EDIT: Answer was on the comments:
"SENTRY is made of galvanized steel, so there is a possibility to attach magnetic dust filters outside. However companies manufacturing such filters require minium order quantities of 10 000 units and above to achieve reasonable price.On the other hand, there is a theoretical possibility to attach filters inside SENTRY. Those should be made in form of 0,5 mm magnetic mesh, because this is the space between the top of the PSU and the cover. We still did not find a proper manufacturer for such filters, so we did not offer them with SENTRY. If something will change in this matter, we will let you know."
 
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It will be shit. The one that doesn't perform and smells. Yeah, that kind. You can quote me on that.

PS: the small one sucks dicks and balls big time, as it was tested by the creator of the S4 MINI. No reason why the bigger one shouldn't be any better.

If it ends up being awful; that's fine. I'll just stick with my C7. I'm just excited for it since it has the new copper base and isn't strictly a larger version of the Engine 27. I want to see how different the temperatures end up being.

I just enjoy seeing new and different technologies develop. Maybe the technology won't end up being useful for another few years (or more). But it's new and different, which peaks my interest.
 
It will be shit. The one that doesn't perform and smells. Yeah, that kind. You can quote me on that.

PS: the small one sucks dicks and balls big time, as it was tested by the creator of the S4 MINI. No reason why the bigger one shouldn't be any better.

Harsh and hilarious!
 
As a heads up, the FAQ on your site still says that Sentry isn't on sale yet and you're preparing a crowdfunding campaign. I can't imagine someone getting to the FAQ without seeing the Indiegogo banner at the top of the page; but, you might want to change it anyway.
 
As a heads up, the FAQ on your site still says that Sentry isn't on sale yet and you're preparing a crowdfunding campaign. I can't imagine someone getting to the FAQ without seeing the Indiegogo banner at the top of the page; but, you might want to change it anyway.

Right. We will change it tomorrow... oh, it's already tomorrow... ok, so later. At this moment we have a bit busy time, so thanks for every help. Since the start of the campaign we received several hundreds emails, and as you know, we have a rule to try to answer to everybody, so... sleeping is for weak, right? :D

If you will find some more of such misleading information in our materials, just let us know. We will be very grateful :)
 
Right. We will change it tomorrow... oh, it's already tomorrow... ok, so later. At this moment we have a bit busy time, so thanks for every help. Since the start of the campaign we received several hundreds emails, and as you know, we have a rule to try to answer to everybody, so... sleeping is for weak, right? :D

If you will find some more of such misleading information in our materials, just let us know. We will be very grateful :)

Too bad there's no way for us to help out with that! Heck, I'd send you a coffee through the computer if I could.

Good luck, chin up, and work hard. :)
 
I would get custom length cables from cable mod personally.

I looked in to it and honestly their shortest available custom cables are still quite long. I believe the shortest available is 250mm for the 24pin atx. That's huge for sentry. By my estimate, my 24 pin in the motherboard will be not even 100mm from its connection on the psu. What will I do with 150mm extra? I contacted them and they said they won't do any shorter. Even though Linus Sebastian has gotten uber custom cables from them before. Though.. We can't all be Linus.
 
If you will find some more of such misleading information in our materials, just let us know. We will be very grateful :)

The campaign page says: "Sentry combines optimal size with performance while maintaining high customizability thanks to its design, which targets ATX and PCI Express standard compliant off-the-shelf components" -- I dunno, nothing in this case is ATX, neither the board nor the PSU. I mean, I get it but perhaps it's misleading...?
 
The campaign page says: "Sentry combines optimal size with performance while maintaining high customizability thanks to its design, which targets ATX and PCI Express standard compliant off-the-shelf components" -- I dunno, nothing in this case is ATX, neither the board nor the PSU. I mean, I get it but perhaps it's misleading...?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATX
Yes the atx standard defines motherboard size. However, you'll note the ATX standards encompass far more than just the motherboard dimensions but also the types of connectors present as well as the power supply and relevant voltages that are supplied through the 24pin connection (regardless of the size of the psu supplying said power). This is what they mean when they say atx. Not full "atx sized" motherboard. They mean, standard, off the shelf pc components, rather than having to use odd, pico-psu arrangements and other modifications and specialty, hard to find hardware.
 
The campaign page says: "Sentry combines optimal size with performance while maintaining high customizability thanks to its design, which targets ATX and PCI Express standard compliant off-the-shelf components" -- I dunno, nothing in this case is ATX, neither the board nor the PSU. I mean, I get it but perhaps it's misleading...?

ATX is a standard defining specification designed by intel. Base specifications defines board sizes from ATX to mini ITX as well as ATX and SFX power supplies. Additional crucial parts of the specification are spacing around motherboard we may use without breaking the compatibility (like for example power connector at the back of the case is partially above the board), minimum length of stand-offs (which makes us sure we're able to support new devices like M.2) etc.

The only inconsistency of our case with the ATX specs is that single 2.5" hard drive is intruding the space above the motherboard that is reserved for cooler area thus forcing the user to choose 37mm tall cooler over standard 47mm unit IF his board is laid in a way that cpu socket is on this side as well. And we're of course telling all that through the configuration tool on our website, specifications and addressing the fact in the reviews.

Tall radiators on memory and oversized graphics cards are out of ATX/PCI-E specifications as well and therefore we are showing what fits and what doesn't fit with dimensions and compatibility spreadsheet.

Note the fact that cards with 8 + 8 PEG are not compliant with PCI-E specification and therefore cannot be marked and advertised as one (they cannot have pci-e logo on the PCB and packaging). This might change though with newer versions of pci-e if the power draw limits go up.
 
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