SENTRY: Console-sized gaming PC case project

[ZombiPL]

Any estimate on when this case is going to be released/open to buy?

 

On Friday i sent the 4th prototype to the laser-cutting company. This time we're making fully assembled case (galvanized steel, laser cutting, bending, point-welding, painting). If there won't be any problems, than probably we'll order first transport of 25 prototypes to check if this laser company can make such order without mistakes. We'll see how it goes. Right now we can't say when we'll release it, because toooo many things don't depend on us.

[mapegl]

On Friday i sent the 4th prototype to the laser-cutting company. This time we're making fully assembled case (galvanized steel, laser cutting, bending, point-welding, painting). If there won't be any problems, than probably we'll order first transport of 25 prototypes to check if this laser company can make such order without mistakes. We'll see how it goes. Right now we can't say when we'll release it, because toooo many things don't depend on us.

Do you guys have a website where we might be able to follow your progress?

[Beeeyeee]

On Friday i sent the 4th prototype to the laser-cutting company. This time we're making fully assembled case (galvanized steel, laser cutting, bending, point-welding, painting). If there won't be any problems, than probably we'll order first transport of 25 prototypes to check if this laser company can make such order without mistakes. We'll see how it goes. Right now we can't say when we'll release it, because toooo many things don't depend on us.

Any Idea what your going to be calling this thing?

[ZombiPL]

Do you guys have a website where we might be able to follow your progress?

 

At this moment most of the actual information we're posting here: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1832126 and here at Linus forum. We're planning to make a separate webpage, but for now posting in popular forums is a better way to get community support.

 

p.s. I put our case (3rd prototype) in 2 different 15,6'' laptop bags... and it fits

[SaperPL]

Any Idea what your going to be calling this thing?

 

We're saving the name as well as interior reveal for later

 

 

By the way I've updated the renders to the most recent version

 

 

I've added tiny clearance between the front and the cover so you can see how they come together.

[Zeruel]

 

We're saving the name as well as interior reveal for later

 

 

By the way I've updated the renders to the most recent version

 

 

I've added tiny clearance between the front and the cover so you can see how they come together.

 

 

 

Any chance this might fit an Asus Strix 980? I will be SLIing some Pascal GPUs in the future so I will have a spare 980.

 

EDIT: I love this project, smallest case yet!

[SaperPL]

Any chance this might fit an Asus Strix 980? I will be SLIing some Pascal GPUs in the future so I will have a spare 980.

 

EDIT: I love this project, smallest case yet!

Strix and other a lot oversized cards won't fit since the pcb and cooler are standing out too much.

 

We've designed the case for PCI-E reference PCB height.

 

 

The PCB can be oversized a bit but the PEG connectors should be either within the reference outline or facing back of the card if it's not a full length unit.

 

For ITX sized GTX970 cards which are mostly a bit oversized we're thinking this cable could make fitting possible.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Sleeved-PCI-E-8-pin-90-degree-left-pwr-extender-w-low-profileALL-BLK-/251823947872?rmvSB=true

 

 

But we won't add it to the package for this price since not everyone will need this and we're not supporting those cards officially until we test them to fit.

[JerkyMcDilerino]

Where can i get this case?

[SaperPL]

Where can i get this case?

 

We're not yet ready to manufacture but we're getting really close.

 

We'll be doing some kind of pre-order/crowdfunding a batch of minimum 100 units.

[JerkyMcDilerino]

We're not yet ready to manufacture but we're getting really close.

 

We'll be doing some kind of pre-order/crowdfunding a batch of minimum 100 units.

Is it going to be on Amazon or what? 

[SaperPL]

Is it going to be on Amazon or what? 

We're not sure about that yet but initially probably not amazon or any other big reseller since that would require additional cut for the reseller which would increase the price.

 

We'll be polling about how to make this and which form of payment is ok with you but all that will be done after we show everything and send some prototypes for reviewing so we'll get more feedback than just from forums.

[ZombiPL]

Our 4th prototype...We've got it

 

 

We've made many photos including interior, and we'll post them later. 

[SaperPL]

The case topic on [H] has been hanging around for some time now without a proper name for the case since we don't want it to be either something random or duplicate of product name already on the market. 

 

We've researched the topic of naming and among our ideas, ones from familiy, friends and also people on forums we've filtered out names that might be okay for our case.

 

We've selected 10 names and got our favourites hidden within those but we'd like to know what do you think about all of them. Hopefully Your input will help us choose.

 

So here's the straw poll for it:

 

http://strawpoll.me/5199575

 

Just for the record - the order is alphabetical, there's no hint or subtext in it

[xeromynd]

My gut says Sentry, but only because it looks like a Sentry Turret from Portal.

 

 

Can't choose anything else really.

[ZombiPL]

Just like we promised, here You have a little gallery of our 4th prototype. There are several things we have to improve before ordering the 5th prototype, but before that we want to know Your opinion about actual design. Please note that our IEC C13-C14 cable, USB extension cable and long PCI-E riser are made only for this prototype and will be different in a production version.

 

[SaperPL]

So we've decided for the case name thanks to the feedback from the straw poll. The topic title was update - thanks Linus or whoever handled that for us

 

Anyway, hope you'll like the photos of the interior (shameless reposting of photos, so you won't miss them)

 

 

 

Just like we promised, here You have a little gallery of our 4th prototype. There are several things we have to improve before ordering the 5th prototype, but before that we want to know Your opinion about actual design. Please note that our IEC C13-C14 cable, USB extension cable and long PCI-E riser are made only for this prototype and will be different in a production version.

 

 

 

[Beeeyeee]

If you lay this on its side (laying flat), what is keeping it elevated? in the render it shows like a black layer under it but I can't see that anywhere else. gotta have alot of breathing room for that graphics card.

 

 

also, I need one of these. now. please let me buy it.

[SaperPL]

There are four rubber feet which you can see in this photo

 

 

Those are 4mm ones but from experience now we're thinking about 8 or 10mm feet especially when it not a big difference in looks.

 

They can be replaced with white plugs if you want to use the vertical stand.

[mapegl]

 

So we've decided for the case name thanks to the feedback from the straw poll. The topic title was update - thanks Linus or whoever handled that for us

 

Anyway, hope you'll like the photos of the interior (shameless reposting of photos, so you won't miss them)

 

 

 

 

 

I would love to see the cables go all black. Minor thing, but many people like their builds to look very clean whether you can see it or not.

Which brings me to an idea: There should be a version with windows. ;-) The "mesh" sides for the mainboard and CPU area as well as the mesh side for the GPU could be replaced with plexi or acrylic with holes just like you have it on your case. So if you ever want to give us a Sentry 2.0 or something, consider doing this. I bet there is a bunch of people who would dig that, but I guess you are reading this and thinking "damn, let us finish this version first", and you  are right. It just came to my mind. ;-)

 

Another thing some people are worried about are dust-filters. Have you tried adding them? I guess it could be bad for temps, but for a streaming box next to my TV, those dust-filters would really make sense and I wouldn't have any high-temp hardware in it anyways.

 

Another thing I was wondering about is cable mounting points. Especially where the GPU is mounted, it would be nice to have a couple of points to use zap-straps on to prevent cables from getting into fans and out of the airflow path. I can't really tell whether this is a non-issue here or not, but I always try to tie down my cables as much as possible.

 

I really like the looks of your case and can't wait for the final version. You should really think about sending Linus a message and ask for a review from him. That would be great.

Can't wait for new updates on this case. ;-)

[Beeeyeee]

I would love to see the cables go all black. Minor thing, but many people like their builds to look very clean whether you can see it or not.

Which brings me to an idea: There should be a version with windows. ;-) The "mesh" sides for the mainboard and CPU area as well as the mesh side for the GPU could be replaced with plexi or acrylic with holes just like you have it on your case. So if you ever want to give us a Sentry 2.0 or something, consider doing this. I bet there is a bunch of people who would dig that, but I guess you are reading this and thinking "damn, let us finish this version first", and you  are right. It just came to my mind. ;-)

 

Another thing some people are worried about are dust-filters. Have you tried adding them? I guess it could be bad for temps, but for a streaming box next to my TV, those dust-filters would really make sense and I wouldn't have any high-temp hardware in it anyways.

 

Another thing I was wondering about is cable mounting points. Especially where the GPU is mounted, it would be nice to have a couple of points to use zap-straps on to prevent cables from getting into fans and out of the airflow path. I can't really tell whether this is a non-issue here or not, but I always try to tie down my cables as much as possible.

 

I really like the looks of your case and can't wait for the final version. You should really think about sending Linus a message and ask for a review from him. That would be great.

Can't wait for new updates on this case. ;-)

yeah i've seen Linus reviewing a case before and the whole time he was saying they should've sent him one to privately review and get suggestions for a final version which he would relaly review. I highly suggest that, also just getting the hype out there:)

[Beeeyeee]

There are four rubber feet which you can see in this photo

 

 

Those are 4mm ones but from experience now we're thinking about 8 or 10mm feet especially when it not a big difference in looks.

 

They can be replaced with white plugs if you want to use the vertical stand.

I see. I know it would be hard and cost a bit more for development, but I seriously recommend Using a special riser that goes underneath the graphics card which basically makes the card face upwards. that way, you can make all the ventilation on top and keep the feet smaller. that will definitely help with ventilation since those reference cards get hot on their own anyways. the only concern I would see as a possible problem is structure stability, but you should be fine with the steel construction. leaving a thick portion down the center will help with that. this way you can mount it to a wall or the back of a monitor or something cool.  

[SaperPL]

I would love to see the cables go all black. Minor thing, but many people like their builds to look very clean whether you can see it or not.

Which brings me to an idea: There should be a version with windows. ;-) The "mesh" sides for the mainboard and CPU area as well as the mesh side for the GPU could be replaced with plexi or acrylic with holes just like you have it on your case. So if you ever want to give us a Sentry 2.0 or something, consider doing this. I bet there is a bunch of people who would dig that, but I guess you are reading this and thinking "damn, let us finish this version first", and you  are right. It just came to my mind. ;-)

 

Another thing some people are worried about are dust-filters. Have you tried adding them? I guess it could be bad for temps, but for a streaming box next to my TV, those dust-filters would really make sense and I wouldn't have any high-temp hardware in it anyways.

 

Another thing I was wondering about is cable mounting points. Especially where the GPU is mounted, it would be nice to have a couple of points to use zap-straps on to prevent cables from getting into fans and out of the airflow path. I can't really tell whether this is a non-issue here or not, but I always try to tie down my cables as much as possible.

 

I really like the looks of your case and can't wait for the final version. You should really think about sending Linus a message and ask for a review from him. That would be great.

Can't wait for new updates on this case. ;-)

 

We may consider other variants even during initial run since we're not mass producing it so we can update the designs with each batch but that means we need other like 99 other people that will want exactly the same config as you or you'd have to pay for it as a custom built prototype which would be probably around $100 bucks more and only if that's a simple straight forward mod that can't go wrong like this. We're not considering going for mods in general and especially for something that would change the structural design but if there's enough demand for a simple mod like that acrylic window one we can think of it.

 

As for the dust filters we've been talking with people on [H] and with manufacturers and it's not easy to order proper filters for small batches like we're planning. For example one of the manufacturer with lowest minimum order quality gave us 12500 MOQ per piece (4 pieces a set for each case). It looks like if you want filters you may want to simply attach some standard 140x280 demciflex magnetic filters from the outside or we might add some space inside for it if that's required. Also the current vents look nice but in the production run we might want to make a grid of smaller holes made with punch machine but the metal subcontractor won't let us prototype for it unless we place a batch order.

 

As for the cable management - on the gpu side it's not so easy because each card is different and you would need a lot of such points for zap-straps and that costs accordingly on laser cutting. Also you can put cables on the back of the card instead of placing them under. For the cpu and psu compartment there's not really any proper place to do it since the structural design makes it a bit of vacuum of possible spots for it in the middle of this compartment.

 

I've send some info to Linus and we may send something earlier to Linus.

 

yeah i've seen Linus reviewing a case before and the whole time he was saying they should've sent him one to privately review and get suggestions for a final version which he would relaly review. I highly suggest that, also just getting the hype out there:)

 

That's why I talked to him too. I believe it was on Lian Li PC-Q19 review

 

I see. I know it would be hard and cost a bit more for development, but I seriously recommend Using a special riser that goes underneath the graphics card which basically makes the card face upwards. that way, you can make all the ventilation on top and keep the feet smaller. that will definitely help with ventilation since those reference cards get hot on their own anyways. the only concern I would see as a possible problem is structure stability, but you should be fine with the steel construction. leaving a thick portion down the center will help with that. this way you can mount it to a wall or the back of a monitor or something cool.

 

I'm not so sure about that. Lian Li's cases with long riser that are letting gpu face the upside are quite big and they have a lot of venting space underneath so they can play it safe. With such small case as ours you can't really do that. Also note that our construction minimizes the space needed to fit full length 305mm card. Think about how you would do this in reverse while supporting the pci-e slot of the riser. It would end up like any other case wasting space for just possibility of putting the card inside to fit through the back wall.

[ZombiPL]

As Saper said, when we'll finish our 5th prototype, we'll make another photo-gallery and we'll try to contact with Linus to send him this prototype for the beta-review. I know he's a bussy guy, so there is a possibility, that he won't have a time for our small project. We'll see. Saper sent him a proper information, and we'll see if he's interested in helping us with this pc case.

[Beeeyeee]

My gut says Sentry, but only because it looks like a Sentry Turret from Portal.

 

 

Can't choose anything else really.

now that I look at it it definitely looks like the portal turrets! haha what if they made a special edition that looked just like one? that would be siiiiiiick.

[SaperPL]

now that I look at it it definitely looks like the portal turrets! haha what if they made a special edition that looked just like one? that would be siiiiiiick.

 

Just for the kicks - If we wanted to make it look more like this:

 

 

We'd have to:

1) Ask valve to let us do that and not get blown away by lawsuit

2) Make tripod stand which looks doable but a bit more expensive

3) Make 3d printed or forged spherical side panels or something closely resembling which would end up being quite expensive.

 

Essentially I can see more likely this to be made as a fan mod from someone who has 3D printer and can make external shell parts with it + we could design a skeleton for the tripod for him if he wanted to, but someone with enough skill to handle the first part wouldn't probably need our help with the metal piece.