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

[Thrusher]

This is my sentry build


I had problem with SSD that was blocking my USB cable so i bought custom low profile connector:

Here is link if anyone will need it https://www.moddiy.com/products/USB...ader-Adapter-Cable-Low-Profile-Connector.html


Update:
I have problem with bend in GPU power connection. Anyone have idea how to bend them or maybe someone bought 90 angle pcie connector?

 

[Van0]

I did some testing in mine and posted results to reddit 10 days ago now but for those interested, my setup is below and I will be comparing temps and noice to my previous Dan A4.


GPU - Gigabyte 2080ti Windforce OC. Replaced fans with 3 x Noctua A9x14 Chromax fans and created a temporary cardboard duct from the fans to the side panel.
CPU - AMD Ryzen 7 3700x with Noctua l9a and reused the duct from my A4, raising it ~5mm to the side panel and sealing the gap between the fan and duct. Also included my previous Black ridge results in the Dan A4 with VLP RAM and Noctua A12x15 (swapped to l9a and faster RAM due to better performance than cooler CPU and slower RAM)

GPU Results - Set to 950mV in Afterburner.
Dan A4 - 41.2dBA (36.6dBA with side cover off), Freq - 1965MHz, Temp - 82C.
Sentry 2.0 - 38.4dBa, Freq - 1980MHz, Temp - 78C

CPU Results - Testing done in Cinebench R20 and temps with small FFTs in Prime 95
Dan A4 + BR - 80W PPT - 4741 points (100%)- 86C
Dan A4 + L9a - 75W PPT - 4677 points (98.6%) - 85C
Sentry 2.0 - 65W PPT - 4684 points (98.8%) - 87C

Conclusions

GPU runs cooler and quieter - Even with the louder Chromax fans compared to the normal A9x14s I had on previously, the GPU compartment is about 10mm more recessed than the compartment in the Dan A4. So this explains why the noise is slightly above the Dan A4 with the side cover off but much lower than with the panel on (turbulence).

CPU runs warmer. I try to get all temps in Prime 95 around the same mid 80s temps. I set the CPU power limit accordingly. The Black ridge was able to run at 80W, L9a in the Dan A4 at 75W and 65W in the Sentry 2.0. This makes sense as the hot air is able to dissipate above the cooler in the Dan A4, but is more limited in the Sentry 2.0. No difference in gaming, as the CPU never reaches 65W. Perhaps when games utilize all cores this will change. Cinebench score however almost matches the 10W higher 75W PPT due to my motherboard's offset voltage now working in the latest firmware, which I reduced voltage by 0.075V.

 

[Dax911]

have you succeed with the chromax noctua black ?

My overkill, no regrets. ?

Don't buy black Noctuas with conversion kits for Ryzens. They spray black coating over very soft screws, making it almost impossible to unscrew original brackets. I've spent few hours trying to get them removed and barely made it.

 

[cyberhoundMkII]

have you succeed with the chromax noctua black ?

I did. Had to cut a notch with Dremel in the screws, destroying the old bracket in the process (didn't need it anyway), and then sprayed the screws with WD-40 to loosen them up. They've finally let go after few hours. It was a pain in the a** and a very stressful thing to do as you can imagine, since I didn't want to destroy the part along the way and then wait until new year for a new one to arrive.

The issue is reported all over the internet and it's a common problem, yet they didn't accept my complaint. Noctua just sent me a link to a youtube video on how to remove them, and suggested I used wrong screwdriver. I used the correct one. They've disappointed me to the point I'm done with them.

I've heard however, that there are two versions going around - one painted after assembling the screws, and one painted before, and the latter one is easy to disassemble, but it's a lottery at this point. I also heard that sometimes they will send you one with correct brackets already assembled, but as you can see didn't happen in my case.

 

[ZombiPL]

In case you were wondering which type of GPU use (with open-air or with blower-style cooler), Optimum tech made a direct comparison between those cards in console style cases (Senty 2.0) and shoe-box cases (Ghost S1):

 

[AKIS35]

when is the next partition?

 

[Brude27]

@SaperPL @ZombiPL So I’ve finally gotten a chance to transfer my system into my Sentry, and I’m concerned this is going to cause issues:
The heat pipes are 100% touching the riser, and I wanted to see if this is ok since no metal is touching?

 

[Allhopeforhumanity]

@SaperPL @ZombiPL So I’ve finally gotten a chance to transfer my system into my Sentry, and I’m concerned this is going to cause issues:
The heat pipes are 100% touching the riser, and I wanted to see if this is ok since no metal is touching?

Should be fine, the edge of those risers aren't conductive. If you are worried, you can put a piece of Kapton or electrical tape over that edge.

 

[Brude27]

I figured it would be ok due to conductivity, but wanted to at least run the potential issue by other SFF minds just in case. Thanks for the reply @Allhopeforhumanity

 

[SaperPL]

The heat pipes are 100% touching the riser, and I wanted to see if this is ok since no metal is touching?

Can you tell us which board is this? I'm pretty sure I was always clear that only safe AM4 boards to pick for black ridge are aorus boards (B450/X570)

I think this is not right. When I installed the black ridge on aorus board, the endings on heatpipes where significantly lower.

You either have not mounted the cooler properly so the base plate isn't touching the IHS properly or you are putting a strain on the heatpipes at the bend area and on the motherboard around the socket aand potentially having uneven mounting pressure on the CPU in the socket, so if you are on AM4 the latter might cause some random crashes.

Isn't it going outside the case outline over the riser because of those heatpipe endings?

 

[Brude27]

Can you tell us which board is this? I'm pretty sure I was always clear that only safe AM4 boards to pick for black ridge are aorus boards (B450/X570)

I think this is not right. When I installed the black ridge on aorus board, the endings on heatpipes where significantly lower.

You either have not mounted the cooler properly so the base plate isn't touching the IHS properly or you are putting a strain on the heatpipes at the bend area and on the motherboard around the socket aand potentially having uneven mounting pressure on the CPU in the socket, so if you are on AM4 the latter might cause some random crashes.

Isn't it going outside the case outline over the riser because of those heatpipe endings?

This isn’t an AM4 board, but is the Z390 Phantom Gaming board. There are no board warps or anything from mounting BR, but the heat pipes and the riser PCB are at the exact height to be touching.

For anyone with this board and a Sentry 2.0, you’ll need to install the first part of the riser before you install BR on this mobo. I haven’t had a chance to stress test my system yet, but I’ll post results when I get a chance.

 

[loader963]

Dumb q, but can the cooler be rotated any other way?

 

[Brude27]

Here is the finished build album:

Specs:
CPU: i5 9600K
GPU: EVGA 2070 XC Gaming
Mobo: ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX
RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3000 C15
PSU: Corsair SF600 Platinum

 

[Dax911]

I did. Had to cut a notch with Dremel in the screws, destroying the old bracket in the process (didn't need it anyway), and then sprayed the screws with WD-40 to loosen them up. They've finally let go after few hours. It was a pain in the a** and a very stressful thing to do as you can imagine, since I didn't want to destroy the part along the way and then wait until new year for a new one to arrive.

The issue is reported all over the internet and it's a common problem, yet they didn't accept my complaint. Noctua just sent me a link to a youtube video on how to remove them, and suggested I used wrong screwdriver. I used the correct one. They've disappointed me to the point I'm done with them.

I've heard however, that there are two versions going around - one painted after assembling the screws, and one painted before, and the latter one is easy to disassemble, but it's a lottery at this point. I also heard that sometimes they will send you one with correct brackets already assembled, but as you can see didn't happen in my case.

Thank you for your reply i'm gonna buy one and see. I am probably going with the ryzen 3700x since it seems to have only a 65 w tdp.

 

[Dustbunnyck]

This isn’t an AM4 board, but is the Z390 Phantom Gaming board. There are no board warps or anything from mounting BR, but the heat pipes and the riser PCB are at the exact height to be touching.

For anyone with this board and a Sentry 2.0, you’ll need to install the first part of the riser before you install BR on this mobo. I haven’t had a chance to stress test my system yet, but I’ll post results when I get a chance.

I have the same issue with a z390 phantom gaming from asrock with that same cooler. I bent the heatsink upwards and it gave clearance for the riser to move around. There is no way to rotate the blackridge as it only fits that one way. I double checked the riser would move around in the slot to make sure it wasn't receiving any pressure and it was fine. Maybe shaving just a millimeter off the heat pipes will give it clearance if you want to go that route but I just bent the heatsink and had no issue afterwards. Been running it hard playing games for a few days and no stability problems

 

[sekuza009]

Has anybody had this happen on their front USB ports? I had my friend help me put with building the PC and it works, but the port for mounting got completely messed up:

The right mounting hole is almost like sunk in so it doesn't screw in. I did email Zaber so hopefully I can get a replacement, or pay for one if possible.

 

[Thrusher]

Has anybody had this happen on their front USB ports? I had my friend help me put with building the PC and it works, but the port for mounting got completely messed up:

The right mounting hole is almost like sunk in so it doesn't screw in. I did email Zaber so hopefully I can get a replacement, or pay for one if possible.

I think this is the same or almost the same USB cable

USB 3.0 20 Pin to Dual Type A Extension Cable with Panel Mounts

Buy USB 3.0 20 Pin to Dual Type A Extension Cable with Panel Mounts for $19.99 with Free Shipping Worldwide (In Stock)

www.moddiy.com

 

[riba2233]

I think this is the same or almost the same USB cable

USB 3.0 20 Pin to Dual Type A Extension Cable with Panel Mounts

Buy USB 3.0 20 Pin to Dual Type A Extension Cable with Panel Mounts for $19.99 with Free Shipping Worldwide (In Stock)

www.moddiy.com

It is, but you can get it cheaper on ebay or aliexpress:

XT-XINTE Splitter Cable 19Pin Female Header to Dual USB3.0 A USB 2 Port | eBay

XT-XINTE 19Pin Female Header to Dual USB3.0 A USB 2 Port Splitter Cable 50cm with Screw Hole PCIe Profile Bracket for PC Computer DIY Motherboard Mainboard Front Panel. 1 x 2-Port USB 3.0 Female to 19pin Extension Cable.

www.ebay.com

 

[sekuza009]

It is, but you can get it cheaper on ebay or aliexpress:

XT-XINTE Splitter Cable 19Pin Female Header to Dual USB3.0 A USB 2 Port | eBay

XT-XINTE 19Pin Female Header to Dual USB3.0 A USB 2 Port Splitter Cable 50cm with Screw Hole PCIe Profile Bracket for PC Computer DIY Motherboard Mainboard Front Panel. 1 x 2-Port USB 3.0 Female to 19pin Extension Cable.

www.ebay.com

I appreciate that! Zaber actually got back to, looks like my friend used way too much force installing it and broke it when trying to build it. Zaber shipped a replacement though, so I'm thinking we should be good, just gotta be more careful next time.

 

[andy66]

Here is the finished build album:

Specs:
CPU: i5 9600K
GPU: EVGA 2070 XC Gaming
Mobo: ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX
RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3000 C15
PSU: Corsair SF600 Platinum

Which CPU cooler is that?