Production SENTRY 2.0: Evolution of console-sized gaming PC case

[zustroy]

Are there any updates on USB 3.1 gen 2 front panel connectors?

I start seeing things like this:

PW – IC01NH45 – LIAN LI is a Leading Provider of PC Cases | Computer Cases.

www.lian-li.com

PW – IC2DAH85 – LIAN LI is a Leading Provider of PC Cases | Computer Cases.

www.lian-li.com

Are you able to check with your supplier if 3.1 gen 2 connectors are available?
I'm interested to buy one and place it instead of USB 3.0 connector that Sentry will be shipped with.

 

[SaperPL]

Are there any updates on USB 3.1 gen 2 front panel connectors?

I start seeing things like this:

PW – IC01NH45 – LIAN LI is a Leading Provider of PC Cases | Computer Cases.

www.lian-li.com

PW – IC2DAH85 – LIAN LI is a Leading Provider of PC Cases | Computer Cases.

www.lian-li.com

Are you able to check with your supplier if 3.1 gen 2 connectors are available?
I'm interested to buy one and place it instead of USB 3.0 connector that Sentry will be shipped with.

No, there is no update on stuff like this.

This is really simple - most of the mini ITX boards have only single USB 3.0 20-pin header which has bandwidth for/can wire up either two type-A ports or a single type-C port. This means you can choose either one of those two options OR you can make a dedicated PCB for your chassis that has a USB hub chip on it that will share the bandwidth among those three ports.

Then comes asus with their proprietary type-E connector which lets you connect type-C separately or two more type-A ports. But it is not mainstream, only asus boards and ones that license this connector will support it, so while it stays this way, we will probably not see a mainstream front panel cable that has both type-C and type-A connectors, and we definitely are not going to completely drop support for type-A on the front.

And because of that, there is no baffle type cable that has type-C connector that would match the size of two type-A connector baffle that we use, so all you can do is to pick the cable that is available and figure out on your own how to make it not ugly when mounting OR you can design your custom PCB with a hub and design a support bracket with threads that will hold the piece in place of the baffle type cable.

I know that there are a lot of full tower cases that have type-C along type-A ports, but that's because there are ATX motherboards with two 20-pin USB 3.0 headers, or the cases support type-E connector or they have a custom PCB for whole front panel and the bandwidth is shared. And if you don't have those, for ATX motherboard you can install a pci-e x1 card that has 20-pin header or two.

We'll think about moving to type-C on the front panel when type-E connector becomes mainstream. Actually it would be ideal if two type-E headers replaced single 20-pin header on mITX motherboard because 20-pin plug is an abomination for ultra sff PCs.

 

[riba2233]

Also he can use something like this:

USB 3.0 (Type-A) Male to USB3.1 (Type-C)Female Converter OTG Adapter Connector | eBay

Type-C female to USB3.0 male connector. Type-C micro usb Cable Female to USB 3.0 USB2.0 Male Converter Adapter Connector. Micro usb female to USB2.0 male connector. The ordinary TYPE-C data line can be converted into A male to A public data line, which is compact and easy to carry.

www.ebay.com

Not a perfect solution, I know.

 

[zustroy]

No, there is no update on stuff like this.

This is really simple - most of the mini ITX boards have only single USB 3.0 20-pin header which has bandwidth for/can wire up either two type-A ports or a single type-C port. This means you can choose either one of those two options OR you can make a dedicated PCB for your chassis that has a USB hub chip on it that will share the bandwidth among those three ports.

Then comes asus with their proprietary type-E connector which lets you connect type-C separately or two more type-A ports. But it is not mainstream, only asus boards and ones that license this connector will support it, so while it stays this way, we will probably not see a mainstream front panel cable that has both type-C and type-A connectors, and we definitely are not going to completely drop support for type-A on the front.

And because of that, there is no baffle type cable that has type-C connector that would match the size of two type-A connector baffle that we use, so all you can do is to pick the cable that is available and figure out on your own how to make it not ugly when mounting OR you can design your custom PCB with a hub and design a support bracket with threads that will hold the piece in place of the baffle type cable.

I know that there are a lot of full tower cases that have type-C along type-A ports, but that's because there are ATX motherboards with two 20-pin USB 3.0 headers, or the cases support type-E connector or they have a custom PCB for whole front panel and the bandwidth is shared. And if you don't have those, for ATX motherboard you can install a pci-e x1 card that has 20-pin header or two.

We'll think about moving to type-C on the front panel when type-E connector becomes mainstream. Actually it would be ideal if two type-E headers replaced single 20-pin header on mITX motherboard because 20-pin plug is an abomination for ultra sff PCs.

Thank you for detailed explanation.
USB stuff is always going painfully slow in PC world...

If I decide to buy Asus I'll look for ways to add type-C to the front panel.
Could be a challenge to do that while not ruin the looks.

 

[Treshy]

So I just received my gigabyte x570 itx board, 16gb of vlp memory and the black ridge with an A12X15 noctua fan. I have to say, the gigabyte board is just so much better than the asrock board for memory compatibility... the kingston vlp memory is currently running at a rock solid 3600 cl18 (35% overclock at tighter timings than stock). everything just worked and the black ridge fits perfectly when you remove the chipset fan. if anyone in here is on the fence about which x570 itx mainboard to get, I definitely recommend the gigabyte board over the asrock board.... the bios is also much better on the gigabyte board (F6f beta bios)

 

[cbri]

So I just received my gigabyte x570 itx board, 16gb of vlp memory and the black ridge with an A12X15 noctua fan. I have to say, the gigabyte board is just so much better than the asrock board for memory compatibility... the kingston vlp memory is currently running at a rock solid 3600 cl18 (35% overclock at tighter timings than stock). everything just worked and the black ridge fits perfectly when you remove the chipset fan. if anyone in here is on the fence about which x570 itx mainboard to get, I definitely recommend the gigabyte board over the asrock board.... the bios is also much better on the gigabyte board (F6f beta bios)

Are you building in a 1.1, or just prepping your 2.0 build on a test bench?
Curious because I was thinking about using the blackridge in my 1.1 that arrives in the next week.

 

[Treshy]

Are you building in a 1.1, or just prepping your 2.0 build on a test bench?
Curious because I was thinking about using the blackridge in my 1.1 that arrives in the next week.

I'm prepping a 2.0 build in a crappy ATX mid tower from corsair... its the only case I have right now, but it kinda works.

the Black Ridge with the noctua fan is seriously the best thing since sliced bread. during normal gaming my 3800x stays around 70° with a 142W PPT limit in bios. with the black ridge it can now pass realbench stress test, when with the C7G it hit 95+°C in a matter of seconds. I definitely recommend it, but make sure you have a board that has the cpu socket up high enough. for AM4 itx boards those are the gigabyte b450 and x570 models.

 

[cbri]

I'm currently planning a 3600 with an l9a (parts list here), but may opt for a Blackridge with the higher-rpm fan from the l9a if temps are really that much better.

Thanks for those insights @Treshy!

 

[Idle2824]

I'm prepping a 2.0 build in a crappy ATX mid tower from corsair... its the only case I have right now, but it kinda works.

the Black Ridge with the noctua fan is seriously the best thing since sliced bread. during normal gaming my 3800x stays around 70° with a 142W PPT limit in bios. with the black ridge it can now pass realbench stress test, when with the C7G it hit 95+°C in a matter of seconds. I definitely recommend it, but make sure you have a board that has the cpu socket up high enough. for AM4 itx boards those are the gigabyte b450 and x570 models.

thanks for the info, I've been on the fence about doing more or less exactly what you've done with the Gigabyte x570 board, the black ridge + 120 mm slim fan mounted underneath and vlp ram. how are the temps on your chipset, and what about an m.2 drive mounted there? are those temperatures ok? does it even fit?

 

[Treshy]

thanks for the info, I've been on the fence about doing more or less exactly what you've done with the Gigabyte x570 board, the black ridge + 120 mm slim fan mounted underneath and vlp ram. how are the temps on your chipset, and what about an m.2 drive mounted there? are those temperatures ok? does it even fit?

temps on the chipset are between 60 and 75°C after taking off the top part of the heatsink that goes above the m.2 slot. I never tried the board with the stock fan, but tbh I dont think it would run much cooler. Maybe Ill use copper shims and thermal paste or a better thermal pad to get the chipset temps down a little.

for the nvme ssd, Im using the 2tb intel 660p which is one of the most efficient ssds. according to hwinfo64 it is running around 45-49° during my usage, I don't stress the ssd a lot though.

 

[Azeas]

temps on the chipset are between 60 and 75°C after taking off the top part of the heatsink that goes above the m.2 slot. I never tried the board with the stock fan, but tbh I dont think it would run much cooler. Maybe Ill use copper shims and thermal paste or a better thermal pad to get the chipset temps down a little.

for the nvme ssd, Im using the 2tb intel 660p which is one of the most efficient ssds. according to hwinfo64 it is running around 45-49° during my usage, I don't stress the ssd a lot though.

Very nice temps, looking really solid!

I came across your comments as I'm also looking at the GIGABYTE X570 I AORUS PRO WIFI with the Black Ridge, 120mm fan and VLP ram for my Sentry 2.0 built. Really looking forward to finally get my hands on the Sentry.

I have some questions and it would be great if you'd be willing to shed some light on this:

- You mentioned the V3 inofficial version of the Black Ridge. Is there a possibility to get this for us 'normal' folk . I wanted to order mine from the likes of caseking.de or mindfactory. So going by your comment, I'd get different kinds of brackets?
- You got some nice overclocks with your VLP ram. I was looking at the Kingston DIMM 8 GB DDR4-2666 VLP SRx8 (CL19 at 1.2V)) and was wondering if that's what you used to achieve this?
- Finally, if I read correctly, you also went for the Gigabyte x570 Aorus. Which riser did you have to use in the end to make it all fit in the Sentry?

Thanks in advance for your help. By the way, I think I speak for most of us, any pics would be awesome

 

[Treshy]

Very nice temps, looking really solid!

I came across your comments as I'm also looking at the GIGABYTE X570 I AORUS PRO WIFI with the Black Ridge, 120mm fan and VLP ram for my Sentry 2.0 built. Really looking forward to finally get my hands on the Sentry.

I have some questions and it would be great if you'd be willing to shed some light on this:

- You mentioned the V3 inofficial version of the Black Ridge. Is there a possibility to get this for us 'normal' folk . I wanted to order mine from the likes of caseking.de or mindfactory. So going by your comment, I'd get different kinds of brackets?
- You got some nice overclocks with your VLP ram. I was looking at the Kingston DIMM 8 GB DDR4-2666 VLP SRx8 (CL19 at 1.2V)) and was wondering if that's what you used to achieve this?
- Finally, if I read correctly, you also went for the Gigabyte x570 Aorus. Which riser did you have to use in the end to make it all fit in the Sentry?

Thanks in advance for your help. By the way, I think I speak for most of us, any pics would be awesome

-I bought my black ridge with the v3 bracket from a youtuber. he got the bracket from alpenföhn directly. Maybe you can ask their support nicely and will get one as well, I'm not sure.

-I used the memory you mentioned, one of my sticks is made in china and came with hynix cjr dies, the other one is made in taiwan by nanya. so both seem to clock pretty well, not sure if 2 nanyas or 2 cjrs would clock even better.

-I dont have a riser yet, but I'm going to use the riser that comes with the sentry case. The PCIe slot doesnt get blocked by the black ridge, I currently have the black ridge and my graphics card fits into the slot even with the backplate for the gpu installed.

I dont have good pictures right now, I will probably create a more in depth build log when the case arrives and link it here

 

[Azeas]

-I bought my black ridge with the v3 bracket from a youtuber. he got the bracket from alpenföhn directly. Maybe you can ask their support nicely and will get one as well, I'm not sure.

-I used the memory you mentioned, one of my sticks is made in china and came with hynix cjr dies, the other one is made in taiwan by nanya. so both seem to clock pretty well, not sure if 2 nanyas or 2 cjrs would clock even better.

-I dont have a riser yet, but I'm going to use the riser that comes with the sentry case. The PCIe slot doesnt get blocked by the black ridge, I currently have the black ridge and my graphics card fits into the slot even with the backplate for the gpu installed.

I dont have good pictures right now, I will probably create a more in depth build log when the case arrives and link it here

Awsome, very helpful and thanks for the reply

 

[Thrusher]

Will SSDs fit behind graphics card if my card have 230mm length (PowerColor 5700 XT Standard )?
Sentry max GPU length is 305mm so I have around 75mm free space when SSDs have around 70mm width.

What do you guys think about it?

 

[skiphix]

Will SSDs fit behind graphics card if my card have 230mm length (PowerColor 5700 XT Standard )?
Sentry max GPU length is 305mm so I have around 75mm free space when SSDs have around 70mm width.

What do you guys think about it?

Well, maybe but you'll have to find a way to mount it.

 

[Thrusher]

Well, maybe but you'll have to find a way to mount it.

Yea. This would be cool project

 

[Brude27]

Could November be the month?!?!

 

[zustroy]

@SaperPL
Can we expect cases to arrive by end of the year?
Do you have any new mini-update to share?

We all know you're doing your best, issues you're not responsible for, but it's dragging.

 

[Nizzikef]

I'm sure we'll have em by the new year, but I'd like to know if it's gonna happen in November or December

Can't wait to get it though! I have all my components in a mid size case and it's swimming in there lol

 

[Treshy]

@zustroy
in the comments of the campaign they wrote we would get an update this weekend, so no worries

@Nizzikef
same that itx board looks so lost in the huge mid tower case. Im currently waiting for my liquid metal to arrive, I wanna use it instead of thermal paste with my black ridge and on my gpu... gotta get those temps down at all cost