SENTRY: Console-sized gaming PC case project

Rysen said:
Where did you get those monitor stands? What are they called?

It looks like they don't attach to the bottom of the desk, is that right? I've been looking for something similar for my monitors.
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They're made by Ergotron, and I cannot recommend them highly enough - they have some of the highest weight limits of any arm out there, and work beautifully. My only complaint is that the arms aren't quite long enough to allow monitors larger than 24" to mount on the double-post mount without using an additional extension.

Unfortunately, they do attach to the bottom of the desk; rather, they're fastened through a small hole drilled into it, held on the other side by a washer and nut.
 
ZombiPL said:
Quick question: Did you try to slide "push-pins" installed in the stand? You have to press those two screws in and push them to one of the sides to lock the stand.

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Let me clarify: I'm pretty much happy with the stand, it was simple suggestion for the future versions maybe.
Under the cut I have some photos of stand, 1 and 2 shows you "looseness delta" about 1mm forward-backward with slided "push-pins" and a little less in right-left direction. That is not critical at all, because under the weight of the case it's rock-solid like RosaJ says:
RosaJ said:
I absolutely love the sliding push pins! It's rock solid when the stand is installed and I can knock it around with zero give (this thing is a tank!) and push the entire case forward or backwards with the pins not sliding out of place making the stand separate. It's really a fantastic system!
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It's only appears when has intention to "slide a little bit" the stand-the case. Also on the gif you've posted it says "locked" but you can slide the "push-pin" back without really pushing it. Again, it's not a problem really, just a minor notice.
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SaperPL said:
Can you elaborate on this? Is there any leeway in your IO shield i/o holes? There should be at least something.

Did you tighten each screw right away? You could try installing the screws loosely in each hole first and tighten them afterwards. If the IO shield is pushing the board away, then you could push the board a bit while inserting the screws.

The problem here is the fact that not every vendor is keeping the ATX specs and we can't have all the hardware nor the experience at this point to know how much more clearance should we add to handle all of those components made out of spec without making too much of leeway.

Thanks for noticing it though.
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It's not easy to explain with my level of English though, but I'll try:

Under the spoiler is a picture if my MoBo I/O, better look at "line in", "c-sub" and "rear", and I think It's a coincidence of MoBo + I/O shield + case standoffs little errors. You can see, that I/O leaves some "leeway" in both right and left directions, so does the MoBo holes with standoffs. However with that said, I used fully the "gap" or "leeway" but that was not enough to screw 4th bolt. Only one ore another. I tried "installing the screws loosely in each hole first and tighten them afterwards", tried "push the board a bit" but 4th screw really not worth the time, just assembled it how it is, it's secure anyway.

Pretty sure that is MoBo and I/O fault cause there are always some issues with I/O shield, just noticed.

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Anyway, such minor things to improve or add - because in general the Sentry is perfect. I love it. And many guys who already received their cases love it too. Look at my pictures again, Sentry is sexy AF, need to fix my monitor and buy some cable extensions - my place will be perfect.
 
Fero said:
Under the spoiler is a picture if my MoBo I/O, better look at "line in", "c-sub" and "rear", and I think It's a coincidence of MoBo

Pretty sure that is MoBo and I/O fault cause there are always some issues with I/O shield, just noticed.

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I also have the Asus Z170I. I had to remove the power cable, put the four screws in loosely, then push the board into position and it still lined up like yours.
 
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Fero said:
Let me clarify: I'm pretty much happy with the stand, it was simple suggestion for the future versions maybe.
Under the cut I have some photos of stand, 1 and 2 shows you "looseness delta" about 1mm forward-backward with slided "push-pins" and a little less in right-left direction. That is not critical at all, because under the weight of the case it's rock-solid like RosaJ says:

It's only appears when has intention to "slide a little bit" the stand-the case. Also on the gif you've posted it says "locked" but you can slide the "push-pin" back without really pushing it. Again, it's not a problem really, just a minor notice.
VoUctmOcJCo.jpg
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Thanks for clarifying. We were thinking about making this hole "round" to fully block the stand in this direction, but it wasn't possible. You have to remember Sentry is very close to hand-made product. In this situation it means all bendings aren't made with molds or automatic bending machines, but human (operator) has to hold a sheet of steel in his hand, set the desired dimension, and then make a bending. It means there is always a possibility of human error. This is why in our manufacturing process those holes in the stand can't be round and the stand can move a little bit. Our design is prepared for hiding such human errors. Darksable mentioned those "oval", "oblong" holes in other places of our pc case.
darksable said:
  • The fit and finish of this case is wonderful. One of the things that I noticed is how the outside of every screw hole is oblong, not round, so there's a bit of wiggle room for parts lining up. That's a really nice touch. (Though it does mean that you can put the outside shell on a bit too far back and have a bit of a gap. Easy enough to fix, and more than worth having to fight the case to fit together.)
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Maybe in the future if there will be a bigger demand for Sentry we will be able to use molds or other high-quantity production machines. Right now our design is made to keep the price of our case even with 100 units order (to think about molds we need at least 3000-5000 orders at once, which isn't very probable).

I hope this answers your concerns about the stand mounting. Also like other notifications, we will write it down to check if we could improve it somehow in the future. Thanks for feedback.
 
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Fero said:
Let me clarify: I'm pretty much happy with the stand, it was simple suggestion for the future versions maybe.
Under the cut I have some photos of stand, 1 and 2 shows you "looseness delta" about 1mm forward-backward with slided "push-pins" and a little less in right-left direction. That is not critical at all, because under the weight of the case it's rock-solid like RosaJ says:

It's only appears when has intention to "slide a little bit" the stand-the case. Also on the gif you've posted it says "locked" but you can slide the "push-pin" back without really pushing it. Again, it's not a problem really, just a minor notice.
VoUctmOcJCo.jpg
KnDVXeu9W9E.jpg
KjhZQZmbN7k.jpg
QHS3eAZEMwE.jpg
hqrwDm43Dlo.jpg


It's not easy to explain with my level of English though, but I'll try:

Under the spoiler is a picture if my MoBo I/O, better look at "line in", "c-sub" and "rear", and I think It's a coincidence of MoBo + I/O shield + case standoffs little errors. You can see, that I/O leaves some "leeway" in both right and left directions, so does the MoBo holes with standoffs. However with that said, I used fully the "gap" or "leeway" but that was not enough to screw 4th bolt. Only one ore another. I tried "installing the screws loosely in each hole first and tighten them afterwards", tried "push the board a bit" but 4th screw really not worth the time, just assembled it how it is, it's secure anyway.

Pretty sure that is MoBo and I/O fault cause there are always some issues with I/O shield, just noticed.

4erT3V0RA0U.jpg

Anyway, such minor things to improve or add - because in general the Sentry is perfect. I love it. And many guys who already received their cases love it too. Look at my pictures again, Sentry is sexy AF, need to fix my monitor and buy some cable extensions - my place will be perfect.
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I also had difficulty getting my motherboard screws in while lining the i/o up with the i/o shield. Without the i/o shield in the case the screws were easier to align though still not perfect. I assumed it was my motherboard or the i/o shield so I cut the edge of the i/o shield to make it line up with the motherboard.

Also I tried another different motherboard and i/o shield and it was easier (though still tight) to align with the shield and then screws to the standoffs. So it seems I narrowed down the issue to be mostly with my i/o shield.

I feel like the standoffs of sentry are likely within tolerance of the mini itx specification and the motherboard is more likely to blame. Motherboards are made of fiberglass which warps and bends over time, the steel of sentry is less likely to warp and bend. My motherboard is 3 years old so it's probably a little warped.

I'm still pretty sure it either my older motherboard or i/o shield is to blame. However if anyone else has a similar issue do report it so the Ząber guys can keep track of potential issues.
 
Fortunately I don't have I/O shield because my Motherboard is refurbished. Which makes exhausting heat from my CPU fantastic!
 
Third shipment (Order 498), finally got shipping notifications. Do you know how long will it reach Singapore?
 
Bucwolfser said:
First Shipment Update from Early May:

I'm in the us, just got notified USPS has received my Sentry. Any day now guys/gals! So close!
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You signed up for text notification with USPS? Haven't got anything from them but this gives me hope that I will in the very near future.
 
Wow, all you people in the US are making me jealous! Still waiting on an update since May 10th for my Sentry to arrive in Canada.
 
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15th week of Sentry manufacturing process​


Another busy week spent mostly on packaging and paperwork. We are getting more and more feedback about the quality of different courier companies service. This time we have to talk about that a little bit more.

First of all, when you are going to sign shipping papers given by courier, please stop for a second . Please check the external package if there is no damage. Look for small holes in the transport box, broken carton or missing adhesive tape, or even other signs of bad package treatment we didn't mentioned but can be suspicious (like for example footprint of the shoe). If you don't find them, then sign the papers.


In case you will be concerned about something, please tell you courier that you want to get a form for a damaged package. If he doesn't have one, then get a piece of paper, describe the package condition and request his signature. After that you can sign the shipping papers and take the package.


Quick real-life example:
Last month one of the courier companies (GLS) damaged our package in the transport. When our backer oppened it, it was obvious someone used some sharp tool on it, making a hole in all layers of Sentry packaging and finally damaging case itself. Our supporter and we reported this situation to GLS, but they refused to pay for their damage. We made an appeal, but they refused again claiming that our backer took the package from the courier without any complains. What is more, they claim they don't have any proof that we didn't send that package in such condition.... with damaged product and with several holes made by hook... This is sick, but that is how such companies work, to avoid paying for the damage made by themselves.

To avoid such situation, please:


CHECK THE PACKAGE BEFORE SIGNING DELIVERY CONFIRMATION
​

because some transport companies obviously don't understand simple signs:


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Ok. Other things in short:
- some of packages from 2nd transport were randomly checked/oppened by customs services in search for... ancient stuff robbed by ISIS in conflict in Siria... yeeey...:(

- we sent 3rd transport of Sentry cases (please check your e-mails for a tracking number. If you didn't get it, this is probably not your transport yet),



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- we started assembling process of 4th transport of cases (white ones). Please check if you have a phone number in your address information.



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Guys, my Indiegogo order is #566 and i was wondering when do you think its going to be build ? This week's batch of the next one ? I went for 2 x black cases ;-) Can't wait to put my hands on them ;-)
 
KireraD said:
Guys, my Indiegogo order is #566 and i was wondering when do you think its going to be build ? This week's batch of the next one ? I went for 2 x black cases ;-) Can't wait to put my hands on them ;-)
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As you probably remember, we are sending alternately black and white cases (we are getting them from our subcontractors in that order). Right now we are preparing 4th transport of Sentry units (white ones) and your case will go with 5th transport (5th transport of all cases, which means 3rd transport of black ones).
 
ZombiPL said:
As you probably remember, we are sending alternately black and white cases (we are getting them from our subcontractors in that order). Right now we are preparing 4th transport of Sentry units (white ones) and your case will go with 5th transport (5th transport of all cases, which means 3rd transport of black ones).
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Could you please tell us what the highest ordernumber currently being sent out is? I want to know if I'm in the 5th transport or in the 7th. Order number #719. You might want to mention it in the updates which order numbers are next in line for transport.
 
My order was locked this week, but no tracking email has come through, even in my spam. I am order 321 (black) so does this mean mine has been sent?
 
k0enf0rNL said:
Could you please tell us what the highest ordernumber currently being sent out is? I want to know if I'm in the 5th transport or in the 7th. Order number #719. You might want to mention it in the updates which order numbers are next in line for transport.
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You are probably in 5th transport but everything depends on the result of its quality control. If there will be some units we have to reject, there is an option you can get into 7th transport.

We are not going to mention in updates which orders we just sent or which will be sent with next transport, because we don't know anything for sure. With such manufacturing process we have some rejected cases and if we will write someone will get his case with this and this transport, and he won't, then we will have to explain "why" over and over again. We talked about this in our updates and in many posts. We understand noone is reading them, so we know there is no point giving such information about currently shipped order number in our updates. There are so many factors from which depends your place in the line, (which we explained many times) but people probably don't want to read everything to understand how this process works. They just want simple answer and in this situation...there is no simple answer. If i would like to tell you, your case is next, and it won't be next, how would you react? That is why we can't simply write the next transport order numbers in our updates, because we are not 100% sure if all of them will be included in this transport. I hope now you understand it.
 
Norris0sirroN said:
My order was locked this week, but no tracking email has come through, even in my spam. I am order 321 (black) so does this mean mine has been sent?
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If You order is locked, then your case was already sent, will be sent with current shippment or will be sent with transport which is currently assembled.

In your situtation, you should receive your tracking information today or tomorrow.
 
ZombiPL said:
You are probably in 5th transport but everything depends on the result of its quality control. If there will be some units we have to reject, there is an option you can get into 7th transport.

We are not going to mention in updates which orders we just sent or which will be sent with next transport, because we don't know anything for sure. With such manufacturing process we have some rejected cases and if we will write someone will get his case with this and this transport, and he won't, then we will have to explain "why" over and over again. We talked about this in our updates and in many posts. We understand noone is reading them, so we know there is no point giving such information about currently shipped order number in our updates. There are so many factors from which depends your place in the line, (which we explained many times) but people probably don't want to read everything to understand how this process works. They just want simple answer and in this situation...there is no simple answer. If i would like to tell you, your case is next, and it won't be next, how would you react? That is why we can't simply write the next transport order numbers in our updates, because we are not 100% sure if all of them will be included in this transport. I hope now you understand it.
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Yes ofcourse I understand that, I know i'm probably on the border of 5th or 7th transport. I'm just so hyped for this case!
 
ZombiPL said:
If You order is locked, then your case was already sent, will be sent with current shippment or will be sent with transport which is currently assembled.

In your situtation, you should receive your tracking information today or tomorrow.
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Cool thanks.
 
ZombiPL said:
As you probably remember, we are sending alternately black and white cases (we are getting them from our subcontractors in that order). Right now we are preparing 4th transport of Sentry units (white ones) and your case will go with 5th transport (5th transport of all cases, which means 3rd transport of black ones).
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Great, that's what i was looking for ;-)
 
Veritas187 said:
Anyone think r7 1800 with noctua l9a would be ok in sentry without over clocking?
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Is there R7 1800? there is only X variant which is 95W

1700 is best option regardless of whether you want to overclock or not, I remember that in reviews all three units were overclocking almost the same. There's just a ceiling in clockspeed that current stepping of rizen doesn't seem to cross, I think.

1700 without OC worked okay on my custom bracket for L9i, I haven't tested the noctua bracket yet (which mounts the L9i blowing hot air directly on the ram and IO), I've got my DDR4 sticks sent for RMA...
 
SaperPL said:
Is there R7 1800? there is only X variant which is 95W

1700 is best option regardless of whether you want to overclock or not, I remember that in reviews all three units were overclocking almost the same. There's just a ceiling in clockspeed that current stepping of rizen doesn't seem to cross, I think.

1700 without OC worked okay on my custom bracket for L9i, I haven't tested the noctua bracket yet (which mounts the L9i blowing hot air directly on the ram and IO), I've got my DDR4 sticks sent for RMA...
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Yes that's what I meant 1800x...I will not be overclocking so I wanted that or maybe 1700x because of higher out of the box base clock speeds I know all ryzen processors are unlocked but I don't want to bother with overclocking no matter how easy it is...noctua has am4 bracket for l9a now I believe so I want to use that cooler.
 
But both X units are 95W meaning they have higher clock thanks to the more power draw. 1700 is 65W. L9i/a are rated for 65W when there is no induced airflow by the chassis fans (like in Sentry and other SFF cases).

If you pick X model you'll overpay for additional clock speed you won't be using because your CPU will be running too hot to get at those speeds on constant load.
 
Has there been an official statement about using the rear NVME slot on MBs? I want to install an optane module back there but haven't heard if that's a bad idea.
 
zerodeefex said:
Has there been an official statement about using the rear NVME slot on MBs? I want to install an optane module back there but haven't heard if that's a bad idea.
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You mean whether we did an official statement on nvme on back of the board?

I'm not sure if in gaming you'll be using that much performance constantly on the nvme M.2 for it to heat up and throttle, but if that were to happen you could get some thermal pads and try transferring the heat to the back of the case with that.

I have no idea about the optane module, I'd guess this one won't have such problems as nvme ssd.

Anyway why would you want to go for optane? Your budget is short for nvme ssd?
 
SaperPL said:
You mean whether we did an official statement on nvme on back of the board?

I'm not sure if in gaming you'll be using that much performance constantly on the nvme M.2 for it to heat up and throttle, but if that were to happen you could get some thermal pads and try transferring the heat to the back of the case with that.

I have no idea about the optane module, I'd guess this one won't have such problems as nvme ssd.

Anyway why would you want to go for optane? Your budget is short for nvme ssd?
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https://www.pcper.com/reviews/Stora...Lightning/Installation-Timed-Tests-and-Observ

I picked up the 32GB optane module for $65 on sale and I have a 2TB 850 EVO. If i can get NVME speeds out of this combo for regular use cases it's worth it.
 
Wauw GLS har such dicks, atleast I found the link to review them on trust pilot and shit on them as hard as I could :)
 
RosaJ said:
Intel had some comical marketing for optane as I believe it's intended to boost speeds of your old HDDs to "SSD" speeds. I.e a cheaper way to enhance what you have without going the full SSD upgrade.
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As I understand it, the optane drive is invisible to the OS. It's purely for caching things. It may make a few things quicker like reboots but game install and loading won't be any faster as a game will likely exceed the size of the optane cache. And again you can't directly access the optane drive so it's up to Intel's firmware as to what gets cached.
 
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Ej24 said:
As I understand it, the optane drive is invisible to the OS. It's purely for caching things. It may make a few things quicker like reboots but game install and loading won't be any faster as a game will likely exceed the size of the optane cache. And again you can't directly access the optane drive so it's up to Intel's firmware as to what gets cached.
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Thank you for the better explanation! Is optane only for 270 or does it work on 170 MoBos as well? Also that's the thing with the marketing.

Is your old antiquated spinning disk drive or HDD as you kids call it, felling a bit sluggish and slowing you down? Well John Doe you can speed that baby up with the all new blazing fast Optane drive technology!! Just be sure to upgrade you CPU to Kabylake and motherboard as well!

I need to get into marketing...jk
 
zerodeefex said:
Has there been an official statement about using the rear NVME slot on MBs? I want to install an optane module back there but haven't heard if that's a bad idea.
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As Saper mentioned, a couple people have tried using thermal pads to good results, if you're worried about temps. :)
 
SaperPL said:
But both X units are 95W meaning they have higher clock thanks to the more power draw. 1700 is 65W. L9i/a are rated for 65W when there is no induced airflow by the chassis fans (like in Sentry and other SFF cases).

If you pick X model you'll overpay for additional clock speed you won't be using because your CPU will be running too hot to get at those speeds on constant load.
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I hate being relegated to to r5 1600 or r7 1700 because of lack of cooling options totally annoying upside my case probably won't be here for at least another month, here's hoping a mini miracle happens between now and then in regards to low profile ryzen cooler options
 
RosaJ said:
Go for the 2k monitor and I guarantee you'll never go back to 1080p.
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darksable said:
Definitely go with the Dell. 1440p is SUCH a huge upgrade both in screen real estate and graphics when compared to 1080p. Besides, even if you're getting silly high framerates, it would still be wasting the potential of your 1080. :)
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Morzy said:
If you have >1060 then why not try 1440p? It's better than 1080p and not as taxing as 4K. Worst comes to worse, you can always scale down to 1080p or return the monitor.
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ok thanks mates...
i decided to go 1440p but not with Dell .. i go viewsonic XG2703-GS.. i hope my 1080 founder edition can handle the 1440p lol
btw i hope my sentry come before eid or july at least :D
 
waspodov said:
ok thanks mates...
i decided to go 1440p but not with Dell .. i go viewsonic XG2703-GS.. i hope my 1080 founder edition can handle the 1440p lol
btw i hope my sentry come before eid or july at least :D
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I have the dell 1440p Gsync monitor and a 1080FE and it runs great
 
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