This will be my first build since joining the SFF community. I purchased this wonderful case a couple weeks after joining and finally found the time and resources to complete this one out. It was a challenge to build in but very fun as well. This is the Salvo 400 built by @grsychckn. Despite being sold out, @grsychckn has an updated build in the works named the Salvo 401 or S401. It looks great and I hope you check it out and support him!
Now onto the build!
I was drawn to this case because it had a few things that others did not. Similarly shaped to the Sentry, it was thin with the GPU and motherboard side by side. However, the GPU faces the same direction as the CPU fan allowing for better airflow. It also looked great having both the GPU and CPU facing the same direction. Not to mention the aluminum is super light, and the powder coat looks great.
I originally had a full sized GTX 770 to throw in this case, but I was looking to upgrade my card. I really wanted to pick up a Gigabyte GTX 1070 Mini, but prices and stock was a hurdle I could not clear.
(See below with full sized GPU for reference)
With the prices of the GTX 10XX line sky rocketing, I had to figure out something else.
I had read about many of the SFF community members modding and adding their own little touches to cases. The most intriguing was setting up a Sentry case with an AIO (hyperlink). I planned and measured to put a half-size GPU and a 120mm AIO next to it while still keeping the Corsair SF600 next to the motherboard. I picked up a cheap Corsair H75 off of eBay and called it a day. Just a quick note, everything for this build was purchased on eBay aside from the RAM and CPU which I pulled from some old systems.
Drilling through the aluminum was easy enough. I was able to get the fan mounted to the case no problem. I also purchased some nylon “washers”/stand offs that helped as well. A 15mm slim Noctua fan fit perfectly and moves a decent amount of air from the gap through the radiator. I’m pretty happy with the noise level as well.
It was a tight fit, but I managed to get everything in and route the cables and tubes nicely.
Lastly, I put in the GPU. I ended up getting a second hand Gigabyte GTX 970 Mini off of ebay cheaper than a GTX 1050ti. There was plenty of room to slide it in and mount it.
I need to take some final pictures of my set up, so I will update the thread when I have time. Thanks for reading!
Now onto the build!
I was drawn to this case because it had a few things that others did not. Similarly shaped to the Sentry, it was thin with the GPU and motherboard side by side. However, the GPU faces the same direction as the CPU fan allowing for better airflow. It also looked great having both the GPU and CPU facing the same direction. Not to mention the aluminum is super light, and the powder coat looks great.
I originally had a full sized GTX 770 to throw in this case, but I was looking to upgrade my card. I really wanted to pick up a Gigabyte GTX 1070 Mini, but prices and stock was a hurdle I could not clear.
(See below with full sized GPU for reference)
With the prices of the GTX 10XX line sky rocketing, I had to figure out something else.
I had read about many of the SFF community members modding and adding their own little touches to cases. The most intriguing was setting up a Sentry case with an AIO (hyperlink). I planned and measured to put a half-size GPU and a 120mm AIO next to it while still keeping the Corsair SF600 next to the motherboard. I picked up a cheap Corsair H75 off of eBay and called it a day. Just a quick note, everything for this build was purchased on eBay aside from the RAM and CPU which I pulled from some old systems.
Drilling through the aluminum was easy enough. I was able to get the fan mounted to the case no problem. I also purchased some nylon “washers”/stand offs that helped as well. A 15mm slim Noctua fan fit perfectly and moves a decent amount of air from the gap through the radiator. I’m pretty happy with the noise level as well.
It was a tight fit, but I managed to get everything in and route the cables and tubes nicely.
Lastly, I put in the GPU. I ended up getting a second hand Gigabyte GTX 970 Mini off of ebay cheaper than a GTX 1050ti. There was plenty of room to slide it in and mount it.
I need to take some final pictures of my set up, so I will update the thread when I have time. Thanks for reading!
Last edited:
