Production Dr Zaber Sentry - Console-sized gaming PC case project

[Aki]

When I first got my Sentry I posted a short review of it without pictures. Now, a year or so and a few upgrades later, here are the pictures.
I'm using a 2700x which I limited to 45w and disabled PSO and it's still annoying to cool, since it's boost algorithm is a bit aggressive and stupid (no AMD, my mouse cursor is smooth enough an it doesn't need additional 30w to move it).
The 24pin is managed like that, since I was preparing it for the Dan HSPL-48.
The GPU is a 1070 from Zotac fitted with 2 noctua slim 92mm fans running at around 1800mhz with around 100w of consumption.
The 8pin power connector is from moddiy.
Honestly I'm currently thinking to switch cases, since I really want to be able to cool that 8 core properly, since I kinda need more CPU power now. But I just love this case so much and currently I'm thinking about turning it into a NAS or Streaming PC. My question, is it possible to get more of those 2.5inch SSD trays afterwards? (I live in Germany, so shipping shouldn't be too much of a concern)


Edit: That fan on the side is there mainly because it's summer and way too hot in my small room.

If someone has questions surrounding the build, feel free to ask.

Also, once again, thanks a lot for this stunning case DR Zaber team, you were the guys that captivated me with SFF PC's, which also led to me deciding to start studying mechanical engineering.

 

[NuclearLemons]

thought I might as well share my update here as well, I have moved from my vega 64 and instead down to a vega 56 nano, this has meant that I can fit a liquid cooler inside the case with what I believe was more success than zabers initial attempts. as they complained in their own analysis, their pipes were just too thick to easily work with the case. the Coolermaster lite has skinny ones and they work for a much easier build. it has completely fixed my temp issues as I have gone from having to undervolt to keep it under 90 to having it perform normally without passing the 70-degree mark.
while I would have liked to have kept my custom cable work, the slimmer cables that came with the PSU proved to be more useful.
Before-

After-

 

[quetzacoatlx]

thought I might as well share my update here as well, I have moved from my vega 64 and instead down to a vega 56 nano, this has meant that I can fit a liquid cooler inside the case with what I believe was more success than zabers initial attempts. as they complained in their own analysis, their pipes were just too thick to easily work with the case. the Coolermaster lite has skinny ones and they work for a much easier build. it has completely fixed my temp issues as I have gone from having to undervolt to keep it under 90 to having it perform normally without passing the 70-degree mark.
while I would have liked to have kept my custom cable work, the slimmer cables that came with the PSU proved to be more useful.
Before-

After-

I doubt if your PSU can drive a Vega64. My Silverstone 800w titanium couldn’t. It regularly rebooted at high load.

 

[Biowarejak]

I doubt if your PSU can drive a Vega64. My Silverstone 800w titanium couldn’t. It regularly rebooted at high load.

I think we've been over this before. That PSU should have been able to provide enough power. Either your PSU was faulty, or something else was

 

[NuclearLemons]

I doubt if your PSU can drive a Vega64. My Silverstone 800w titanium couldn’t. It regularly rebooted at high load.

i had the same issue, but i've been using a vega 64 for half a year with that 650w psu, as long as it was on power saver mode i rarely had issues.

in other words, it could, just not very well

 

[lawney]

Here's my sentry. I'm using milled aluminum feet and a couple sizes of brass washers from the hardware store, which nest perfectly and flush inside the case.

 

[SaperPL]

One of the backers sent us info about his build that is pretty interesting because of the CPU cooling:

Current configuration:

Sentry ITX 1.1 Black,

MB: ASUS ROG STRIX Z370-I GAMING,

CPU: Intel Core I7 8700K @ (light) OC ~4.5 Ghz ,

MEM: Corsair LPX 32 GB RAM, 4200 MHz,

GPU: NVIDIA Titan X (Pascal) @ OC +100 Mhz Core, +200 Mhz mem,

PSU: Corsair SF600 - SFX 600W,

SSD1: Samsung 960 PRO 1 TB NVME,

SSD2: Samsung 850 PRO 1 TB SATA.



Remark: on pictures the PSU is Silverstone SX800-LTI SFX-L 800W, unfortunately it didn't managed to sustain stable operation under load, regardless of declared 800W power capacity (it worked only one day – then it started rebooting computer). At the moment using Corsair SF600 SFX 600W which works perfectly stable (didn't had time to take good pictures). I'm will re-consider using 800W, but it is very difficult to get it in the country I'm currently living. 60mm fan near PSU is optional, there was just plenty unused space in that area, so I decided put something there.



CPU Temperature when idle: 45 degrees C average @ 3,7 GHz and ~1000 RPM (no air conditioning).

CPU Temperature under load: 65 degrees C maximum @ 4,5 GHz and ~3000 RPM (no air conditioning).

CPU Heatsink: modified ThermalRight AXP-100RH (TDP 180W) with Akasa 80x80x12mm FAN @ 3000 RPM max, mounted under heatsink.

CPU has been delided, stock thermal paste replaced with Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut, which dropped under-load temperature by 10 degrees C average.

GPU Temperature when idle: 45 degrees Celsius average (no air conditioning).

GPU Temperature under load: 75 degrees Celsius average, 78 maximum (no air conditioning).

Removed stock cover plate above GPU heatsink and used Kaze Jyu Slim 100x100x12mm for redirecting airflow from GPU heatsink outside case.

When using AC in my room – temperature can drop by 7 to 15 degrees, depending on the load.

 

[hisbvdis]

Hello!
Could you clarify why you installed a hard fixed pci-express riser?
Console sized PC cases are often transported and it seems a flexible riser would be less prone to breakage. No?

 

[ZombiPL]

Hello!
Could you clarify why you installed a hard fixed pci-express riser?
Console sized PC cases are often transported and it seems a flexible riser would be less prone to breakage. No?

Unlike some other manufacturers, we are using a special riser holding bracket to fasten PCI-E slot. If (for some reason) your riser's PCB would be able to break, then for sure you already made some damage to you case, or you didn't screw your motherboard or riser bracket properly. This is a thick galvanized steel, not some aluminium toy. You have to try hard to damage it in the way you are describing it. We changed the riser for Sentry 2.0 from flexible to stiff one, because with flexible ribbon there is a bigger chance to damage it during the installation, and stiff PCB is more likely to survive even hard treatment. We design our products to last for years, and changing the type of the riser is one of the things might help Sentry users in their assembling process, no matter how many times they will do it. With flexible risers many changes in hardware can cause some problems with it, if you are not careful enough with the riser itself. Old riser was great in our opinion, but we think that stiff one will do a better job. Of course, as always, time will tell if we're right.

 

[hisbvdis]

Unlike some other manufacturers, we are using a special riser holding bracket to fasten PCI-E slot. If (for some reason) your riser's PCB would be able to break, then for sure you already made some damage to you case, or you didn't screw your motherboard or riser bracket properly. This is a thick galvanized steel, not some aluminium toy. You have to try hard to damage it in the way you are describing it. We changed the riser for Sentry 2.0 from flexible to stiff one, because with flexible ribbon there is a bigger chance to damage it during the installation, and stiff PCB is more likely to survive even hard treatment. We design our products to last for years, and changing the type of the riser is one of the things might help Sentry users in their assembling process, no matter how many times they will do it. With flexible risers many changes in hardware can cause some problems with it, if you are not careful enough with the riser itself. Old riser was great in our opinion, but we think that stiff one will do a better job. Of course, as always, time will tell if we're right.

Thanks for answer

 

[Solo]

stiff one

 

[zaskaraska]

Hi guys, the pci riser cable of my Sentry is died :S
Anyone else with this problem?

 

[ZombiPL]

Hi guys, the pci riser cable of my Sentry is died :S
Anyone else with this problem?

Please contact us on sentry@zaber.com.pl describing your problem.

 

[zaskaraska]

Problem solved. I contacted Dr. Zaber's people and they sent me a new vertical cable.

Thank you for the quick response and how you managed shipment.

Great, guys, you are the best

 

[bhushan5200]

Hello everyone, I am thinking to get a Sentry case...!! but the Champlain is ended on indiegogo. So how can i get case..!!