SENTRY: Console-sized gaming PC case project

[Justice Ranger]

That's a good point. It was based off of TDP, but I'll wait to see what people with the Frontier Edition say. I have everything but the ASRock motherboard, two more SSDs, and obviously the GPU. I'm really pulling for AMD, so I hope the wait is worth it. I'm expecting better than 1080 performance, but I'm not convinced it'll be better than a Ti. Hopefully around the same level of performance. Plus, the deal they made with Bethesda is great since they make my favorite games.

I'm holding out for AMD as well. I've never built a PC before. I started researching parts for a possible build. My immediate thought was intel because all the laptops I owned were intel. Then I saw Ryzen was coming out so I waited. 8 core 16 thread was a dream. I decided to wait for it and a mITX board to go with it. I knew I didn't want a huge tower but couldn't find a SFF case I liked other than the Fractal Node 202. I eventually found the Sentry and am super pumped to finally get it in my hands. I set the difficulty high for my first ever build going with SFF, but everyone who reviewed the Sentry said the instructions are legit. That sealed the deal for me. As for GPU, 1080 was going to be it until I saw Vega was coming out. Now I'm waiting on Vega before I go with that or a 1080(TI).

 

[QUAKE006]

I

I'm holding out for AMD as well. I've never built a PC before. I started researching parts for a possible build. My immediate thought was intel because all the laptops I owned were intel. Then I saw Ryzen was coming out so I waited. 8 core 16 thread was a dream. I decided to wait for it and a mITX board to go with it. I knew I didn't want a huge tower but couldn't find a SFF case I liked other than the Fractal Node 202. I eventually found the Sentry and am super pumped to finally get it in my hands. I set the difficulty high for my first ever build going with SFF, but everyone who reviewed the Sentry said the instructions are legit. That sealed the deal for me. As for GPU, 1080 was going to be it until I saw Vega was coming out. Now I'm waiting on Vega before I go with that or a 1080(TI).

I followed the case since August and I just got mine last Tuesday. I preordered Ryzen since its the same price as a 7700K for double the cores and threads. Radeon deserves the same wait. Hopefully the build won't be that bad. There's a very detailed instruction manual on the website that appears to be great.

 

[darksable]

I'm holding out for AMD as well. I've never built a PC before. I started researching parts for a possible build. My immediate thought was intel because all the laptops I owned were intel. Then I saw Ryzen was coming out so I waited. 8 core 16 thread was a dream. I decided to wait for it and a mITX board to go with it. I knew I didn't want a huge tower but couldn't find a SFF case I liked other than the Fractal Node 202. I eventually found the Sentry and am super pumped to finally get it in my hands. I set the difficulty high for my first ever build going with SFF, but everyone who reviewed the Sentry said the instructions are legit. That sealed the deal for me. As for GPU, 1080 was going to be it until I saw Vega was coming out. Now I'm waiting on Vega before I go with that or a 1080(TI).

I'm opening this offering to both you and every other new-builder who is tackling their first build in the Sentry.

I've built a lot of computers, some of them watercooled, most of them small-form-factor. In a nice roomy ATX case, I'd tell you to just find a good youtube video, watch it through, and then repeat that, pausing each step as you go.

A really tiny case like this is a LOT more difficult, though; I once built a computer in 20 minutes in the middle of a power outage, searching for the screws in the moments of illumination granted by the lightning outside...

And even after that, I had to slow down and plot everything carefully with the Sentry. It's that precise.

If anyone is less-than-confident when it comes to building in this case, send me a PM. We'll work out a time that works (I'm an Insomniac, so time zones aren't much of an issue) and I'll get on Skype and walk you through it as you build.

 

[JUNEK9]

It's looking like the 6th shipment won't ship until mid July, I'm thinking of investing in a node 202 in the meantime and then sell it on later. Not sure if it's going to be worth it or not though..

I've got all my components and it seems a shame leaving them to collect dust especially since price's are always dropping when something new comes out.

AMD ryzen 1600x
Gtx 1080 aero oc
Corsair sf600
Ddr4 ram 8gb x 2
Samsung ssd
Biostar x370gtn motherboard
Custom Low profile fan

 

[onepieceownz]

Hi everyone, I am making the following build: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/W27DsJ and I am getting this message for the cooler:

• The CRYORIG - C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler may require a separately available mounting adapter to fit the Biostar - X370GTN Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard.

Can anyone explain this? Am I going to have to buy something else to go with this cooler? Any other tips you have for my build will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Rysen]

Hi everyone, I am making the following build: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/W27DsJ and I am getting this message for the cooler:

• The CRYORIG - C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler may require a separately available mounting adapter to fit the Biostar - X370GTN Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard.

Can anyone explain this? Am I going to have to buy something else to go with this cooler? Any other tips you have for my build will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Why would you get the cooler that over and over again the Sentry team has said its a horrible choice?

 

[onepieceownz]

Why would you get the cooler that over and over again the Sentry team has said its a horrible choice?

Well I'm asking because I didn't know, if I knew why would I ask? I just couldn't find anything else in pcpartpicker.com. Instead of criticizing maybe actually offer useful information such as better coolers?

 

[klatox]

I still have my Sentry in the box, unopened. No reasonably priced GPUs available...

 

[kyjol]

Well I'm asking because I didn't know, if I knew why would I ask? I just couldn't find anything else in pcpartpicker.com. Instead of criticizing maybe actually offer useful information such as better coolers?

I think the situation is worse for Ryzen just because there aren't many coolers that have an AM4 bracket to fit the socket. It's a very fresh platform. I know Noctua made one just recently for their low profile NH-L9i cooler. Apart from that I don't really think there are any, lol.
The Zaber guys are currently experimenting with the Dynatron T318, or waiting to experiment on it (I think they have RAM from their test build in RMA), but they are engineers and can make the bracket themselves Check this thread:
https://hardforum.com/threads/lp-sff-cooler-mounting-adaptors-for-am4.1929996/

A good cooler for the Sentry seems to be the Cooltek LP53, but I still haven't found out whether it's possible to mount it onto an AM4 platform (i.e. if it has similar mounting to Noctua and could use their bracket) or whether it would require a custom made bracket.

Personally I want to go with the optimal power/tdp/cooling build, so I'm looking at a Ryzen 1700 (65W TDP) to run stock with a Dynatron T318 (rated 165W TDP) and a Noctua fan slapped on top. In theory this sounds amazing, but we'll have to see the results of the Zaber Team tests, and then there's gonna be a question of actually mounting it... Maybe Zaber will come to the rescue and decide to sell some batch of the brackets they design, but I guess that depends on whether the T318 will be even worth it and live up to the hype

 

[darksable]

It's looking like the 6th shipment won't ship until mid July, I'm thinking of investing in a node 202 in the meantime and then sell it on later. Not sure if it's going to be worth it or not though..

I've got all my components and it seems a shame leaving them to collect dust especially since price's are always dropping when something new comes out.

AMD ryzen 1600x
Gtx 1080 aero oc
Corsair sf600
Ddr4 ram 8gb x 2
Samsung ssd
Biostar x370gtn motherboard
Custom Low profile fan

Run it on the motherboard box!

I still have my Sentry in the box, unopened. No reasonably priced GPUs available...

I feel you. My graphics card just died on me, and I saw it as a sign that it was finally time to leap on that 1070... And then I saw the sign that said it was $450.

 

[kirkclick]

For anyone that is throwing a 1080ti could you please give temps and specs for any of us that may be thinking about putting this in our build. Please give CPU temps or any mods that you made like taping off the case and making it to separate compartments or anything like that.

I think the situation is worse for Ryzen just because there aren't many coolers that have an AM4 bracket to fit the socket. It's a very fresh platform. I know Noctua made one just recently for their low profile NH-L9i cooler. Apart from that I don't really think there are any, lol.
The Zaber guys are currently experimenting with the Dynatron T318, or waiting to experiment on it (I think they have RAM from their test build in RMA), but they are engineers and can make the bracket themselves Check this thread:
https://hardforum.com/threads/lp-sff-cooler-mounting-adaptors-for-am4.1929996/

A good cooler for the Sentry seems to be the Cooltek LP53, but I still haven't found out whether it's possible to mount it onto an AM4 platform (i.e. if it has similar mounting to Noctua and could use their bracket) or whether it would require a custom made bracket.

Personally I want to go with the optimal power/tdp/cooling build, so I'm looking at a Ryzen 1700 (65W TDP) to run stock with a Dynatron T318 (rated 165W TDP) and a Noctua fan slapped on top. In theory this sounds amazing, but we'll have to see the results of the Zaber Team tests, and then there's gonna be a question of actually mounting it... Maybe Zaber will come to the rescue and decide to sell some batch of the brackets they design, but I guess that depends on whether the T318 will be even worth it and live up to the hype

NH-L9i ‘s brackets seems not good for Sentry, I am still waiting for X370 Gaming-ITX/AC, hope that launch day there is a good AM4 cooling build for Sentry

 

[onepieceownz]

I still have my Sentry in the box, unopened. No reasonably priced GPUs available...

I feel ya.. I think the 1070 is the best bang for your buck at the moment. Yes it's over $400 but compared to everything else it's a good mid tier price.

I think the situation is worse for Ryzen just because there aren't many coolers that have an AM4 bracket to fit the socket. It's a very fresh platform. I know Noctua made one just recently for their low profile NH-L9i cooler. Apart from that I don't really think there are any, lol.
The Zaber guys are currently experimenting with the Dynatron T318, or waiting to experiment on it (I think they have RAM from their test build in RMA), but they are engineers and can make the bracket themselves Check this thread:
https://hardforum.com/threads/lp-sff-cooler-mounting-adaptors-for-am4.1929996/

A good cooler for the Sentry seems to be the Cooltek LP53, but I still haven't found out whether it's possible to mount it onto an AM4 platform (i.e. if it has similar mounting to Noctua and could use their bracket) or whether it would require a custom made bracket.

Personally I want to go with the optimal power/tdp/cooling build, so I'm looking at a Ryzen 1700 (65W TDP) to run stock with a Dynatron T318 (rated 165W TDP) and a Noctua fan slapped on top. In theory this sounds amazing, but we'll have to see the results of the Zaber Team tests, and then there's gonna be a question of actually mounting it... Maybe Zaber will come to the rescue and decide to sell some batch of the brackets they design, but I guess that depends on whether the T318 will be even worth it and live up to the hype

Thanks so much that's great info! My Sentry is probably gonna come around August or September so I got time till then to decide on a cooler. If it comes to it I will go with an i7 but I prefer a Ryzen build.

 

[FredomFM]

I've build my Sentry a couple of days ago and I must say it was a pleasant experience for it's size. Sadly my phone (my only camera) broke on vacation and I still don't have it back from warranty service, which is why there are no pictures yet.

My Parts:

I7 6700k (delid)
Asus Z170I pro gaming
Zotac GTX 1070 mini (liquid metal thermal past)
32GB RAM
Corsair SF 450 PSU
Intel P600 m.2 and two Sata SSD's
Cooltek LP53

I also used a custom non sleved cable set from moddiy. It was really easy to work with that since the cables are a lot more flexible and space saving than sleeved ones.
My 24pin was 25cm long which was almost a bit short. The 24pin on the Corsair SF is split into two connectors on the PSU side and the smaller one with 10 pins should be made about 2cm longer for a more comfortable fit, the other one was perfect. If you plan to get one there, ask them if they could make that part a bit longer.
My 8pin EPS was 40cm long and fits perfect, but 1cm more would make cable routing easier
Finally my 8pin PCI-e was only 10cm long since I need to use a low profile adapter for my GPU which barley fits. The low profile adapter is around 15cm long. Together they were almost just the right length, 1cm more would have been great.
If you use the SSD mounting point next to the PSU and you use the Asus Z170I pro gaming I would look into a low profile USB 3.0 extension, since the SSD presses a lot against the connector.

As for cooling I swapped the CPU and GPU fans for Noctua NF-A9x14. (And with the GPU shroud removed I could just fit the drive bracket in the GPU department.)
I delided my CPU and left it on stock while I limited the TDP to 75w and the boost to 80w with a voltage of 1.125v under load and a negative 0.075v offset which results into 3.9GHz on all cores under prime95v291 small FTTs and 4GHz under normal use. The GPU was capped at 80% Power target, +175 one the core and +250 one the memory which gives me a stable boost around 1750MHz under heavy load.
I also changed the VRM heatsink next to the motherboard IO with an low profile one to turn my LP53 in a more efficient position.
Since I am a silent freak I capped my fans at 1600RPM which resulted in around 72°C on the CPU cores with spikes up to 83°C under prime95v291 small FTTs and 65°C with spikes up to 72°C under normal full system (with GPU) load. The GPU usually sits around 79°C under full load.
My motherboard temps are around 60°C essentially all the time. The m.2 is on the back is connected with thermal pads to the case and does fine like the other two SSD's. One of them sits on around 4cm long stand offs in the GPU department and the other is next to the PSU.
I'm still experimenting with the stand off length since it affects the GPU temperature a bit, 4cm seems to be too long and the SSD seems to bounce back a lot of hot into the GPU heatsink, but it's still better than closing off the went by mounting the SSD directly to the side penal.

Sorry for the wall of text and thanks to the Sentry team for this awesome product.

Edit: I forgot to mention that the ambient air temperature was around 28°C. And yes I'm melting inside my room.

 

[Fero]

Did anyone tried or considered a Xigmatek Janus?

Seems to be rated 140 TDP and the amount of heatpipes look attractive. It should fit with a single fan configuration (i.e. bottom fan pushing out) at 45mm height.

There's also Scythe Kozuti that seems to perform better than Noctua.

Also, is the LP53 mounting similar to the Noctua and thus could utilize the same AM4 bracket?

Read my post. Xigmatek was terrible idea

First of all: I really want to thank Krzysztof and Kacper Ząber, our dream comes true because of you.
Here is my little build log with some photos:

Spoiler: Build log

Russian post is soo slow, i've almost died waiting for the case.
Package was very good, thank you guys protecting case so well. Even internal box was like "no scratch". Opened it and here is my beauty.

Spoiler

Prettiest case i've ever seen. Btw there is good ol' vinyl from Poland at the back =)

Spoiler

Post card, ooh, that's so nice ^_^

Spoiler

Build parts: i7 6700k, asus z170i, 16gb gskill 3200mhz, gtx 1070, toshiba rd400 256+ tr150 480.

Spoiler

Assembly was ehh.. tight, not saying otherwise. I/O shield was hard to install because i can't align screw holes and i/o holes well. Sadly, but i have to screw MoBo with only 3 screws. Under the Mobo I stick some thermalpads (3 layers of 1.5mm 6watt pads, but i have to squeeze it a li'l bit, it's around 4mm "under the hood") My drive is now 40-60 degrees, after 80-90 w\o cooling and 70 with simple metal-plate (but plate was put on w/o thermal paste or somthing, that's why it was so bad). Videocard was the easiest part.

Spoiler

And some final photos (sadly my main display died just before Sentry arrived, so here is ol' Samsung):

Spoiler

My number is 104. Now you can understand how fast i was refreshing preorder page and clicking "shut up and take my money" button =)

Spoiler

TL;DR: Awesome!

My thoughts:

• Never ever buy Xigmatek Janus for the Sentry build. Worst cooler imo. I made a huge mistake, because you can't swap stock fan at all (you need 10mm 80x80 only), ofc stock fan is noisy and ineffective, ofc you can't use top fan at all (i knew it, and my idea to use it with noctua 92x92x14 was terrible, it barely fits in the cooler itself, but has a collision with VRM heatsink), choose something else. Btw if somebody can name me Top3 fans for Sentry (cause i don't know if top1 fan will be available in my shop) i will be grateful
• Advises about cable management in assembly manual you should give before with big red letters, imo. Average builder may have some troubles with that. Especially I/O shield, frontpanel, usb3.0, sata before routing the power.
• As I've already mentioned you can (and must imo) use the case as a huge heat-spreader with M.2 drives. You need average 4mm good conductivity thermal pad (i've used 6watt 1.5mm x 3 stacked on top of each other. Worked pretty good)
• Stand is a bit loose, it will be really nice to see some holders (like pin on stand and hole on the case to align)
• In future version of Sentry you may think about adding videocard support, my card was really heavy and without backplate, I've added some foam cube to prevent damage in transporting.

Damn it was awesome, Thank You again, my Sentry will always remind me of good guys from Poland, Nowy Sącz.

 

[kyjol]

I see quite a bit of you are using thermal pads for the M.2 drive. Can anyone please clarify which M.2 drive is being used? I have a 960 Pro from Samsung which already has a thermal pad. Does anyone have this drive in their Sentry and can report on temps?

 

[octagoncow]

I see quite a bit of you are using thermal pads for the M.2 drive. Can anyone please clarify which M.2 drive is being used? I have a 960 Pro from Samsung which already has a thermal pad. Does anyone have this drive in their Sentry and can report on temps?

I have a 950 and I'm pretty sure my thermal pads are touching my case. If someone can tell me what program would display the temperature that it's at, I can get some results.

 

[r4sun]

Also looking for a Zaber Sentry case if anyone has one available for sale.

 

[Elitist1]

Also looking for a Zaber Sentry case if anyone has one available for sale.

me too.

 

[Gr8Scott]

Gigabyte's GA-AB350N product page is up! https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-AB350N-Gaming-WIFI-rev-10#kf

While I don't consider 3200mhz RAM in the Sentry a restriction for my use-case, I am a little leery of no USB Type C. I'm also leery of that 8-pin connector's location. Maybe there is a really creative way to wire it.

However, the 24-pin slot is in a nice spot for the PSU and I love the position of the DIMMs. I have a dream of only using the 1st 2.5 slot above the mobo and possibly cutting the bracket to where any size RAM would be able to go through (up to the max 51mm height). If that dream could never be a reality, then I'd probably go with Asrock's.

 

[QUAKE006]

Gigabyte's GA-AB350N product page is up! https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-AB350N-Gaming-WIFI-rev-10#kf

While I don't consider 3200mhz RAM in the Sentry a restriction for my use-case, I am a little leery of no USB Type C. I'm also leery of that 8-pin connector's location. Maybe there is a really creative way to wire it.

However, the 24-pin slot is in a nice spot for the PSU and I love the position of the DIMMs. I have a dream of only using the 1st 2.5 slot above the mobo and possibly cutting the bracket to where any size RAM would be able to go through (up to the max 51mm height). If that dream could never be a reality, then I'd probably go with Asrock's.

Both are coming out early July, so I'm planning to buy whichever one comes out first. Gigabyte looks like a good board, but the 8 pin placement is odd. Othetwise, it beats out ASRock for me.

 

[Justice Ranger]

Gigabyte's GA-AB350N product page is up! https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-AB350N-Gaming-WIFI-rev-10#kf

While I don't consider 3200mhz RAM in the Sentry a restriction for my use-case, I am a little leery of no USB Type C. I'm also leery of that 8-pin connector's location. Maybe there is a really creative way to wire it.

However, the 24-pin slot is in a nice spot for the PSU and I love the position of the DIMMs. I have a dream of only using the 1st 2.5 slot above the mobo and possibly cutting the bracket to where any size RAM would be able to go through (up to the max 51mm height). If that dream could never be a reality, then I'd probably go with Asrock's.

Both are coming out early July, so I'm planning to buy whichever one comes out first. Gigabyte looks like a good board, but the 8 pin placement is odd. Othetwise, it beats out ASRock for me.

Because this is my first PC build, I'm not sure what to look out for besides features. What should I look out for with these two boards coming out in July?

 

[Ej24]

Gigabyte's GA-AB350N product page is up! https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-AB350N-Gaming-WIFI-rev-10#kf

While I don't consider 3200mhz RAM in the Sentry a restriction for my use-case, I am a little leery of no USB Type C. I'm also leery of that 8-pin connector's location. Maybe there is a really creative way to wire it.

However, the 24-pin slot is in a nice spot for the PSU and I love the position of the DIMMs. I have a dream of only using the 1st 2.5 slot above the mobo and possibly cutting the bracket to where any size RAM would be able to go through (up to the max 51mm height). If that dream could never be a reality, then I'd probably go with Asrock's.

Also it's a shame they went with Realtek LAN rather than Intel LAN like asrock. Realtek LAN is terrible compared to Intel. Higher cpu usage, dropped packets, doesn't support jumbo frames and what features they do support have are implemented in software rather than hardware (thus the high cpu usage),usually don't support teaming (irrelevant here but worth noting). They're just garbage Lan chips.

 

[Justice Ranger]

Also it's a shame they went with Realtek LAN rather than Intel LAN like asrock. Realtek LAN is terrible compared to Intel. Higher cpu usage, dropped packets, doesn't support jumbo frames and what features they do support have are implemented in software rather than hardware (thus the high cpu usage),usually don't support teaming (irrelevant here but worth noting). They're just garbage Lan chips.

That's the kind of information I need.

 

[QUAKE006]

That's the kind of information I need.

You should also look at things like placement of things like the 24 pin motherboard power and 8 pin CPU power. As Ej24 said, Intel NICs are better than Realtek, but Gigabyte has more USB ports I believe. It's up to personal preference on what's most important to you.

 

[Ej24]

You should also look at things like placement of things like the 24 pin motherboard power and 8 pin CPU power. As Ej24 said, Intel NICs are better than Realtek, but Gigabyte has more USB ports I believe. It's up to personal preference on what's most important to you.

The 24pin may be difficult to work with in sentry. It will require very flexible cables to make the 90 degree turn around the ram to reach the motherboard socket. Either than or you just go over the ram. I think the 8 pin could run along the divider wall, under the pcie riser, then squeeze between the mobo and gpu near the rear i/o, and finally up to the 8 pin socket. Only a few cm would be exposed. Not bad.

 

[Morzy]

That's the kind of information I need.

If you're holding out for AMD, getting the ASRock mini-ITX motherboard is a no-brainer.
If you're going with hard drives, a SSHD like Firecuda may not be a bad idea. They come with a 5-year warranty which is pretty awesome. (Honestly I wonder what firecuda + Optane would look like)

 

[kyjol]

A good idea could be the 'classic' approach - having an SSD for OS/Games/Apps and a normal HDD for storage. That's what I currently have in my Sugo SG13 - a Samsung 960 Pro and HGST 4TB 3.5". In the Sentry I'll keep my M.2 500GB and use the top mounting slots to install 2x 2TB 2.5" HDDs. They are considerably cheaper than their SSD counterparts, and I don't see the need for more than 500GB of SSD storage anyway.

 

[Steve0Kinev0]

...and I don't see the need for more than 500GB of SSD storage anyway.

Speak for yourself :-P

 

[kyjol]

I am Though there's only so much of apps/games you can install, unless you want to have everything you own installed all the time for some reason. Data storage doesn't really need an SSD, since it's not what they're for.

 

[Rysen]

I am Though there's only so much of apps/games you can install, unless you want to have everything you own installed all the time for some reason. Data storage doesn't really need an SSD, since it's not what they're for.

This is very wrong. If I want to load my video games fast enough I need them to be stored in my SSD. The average triple A game is about 10GB. If I own 10 triple A game which is not uncommon, that is 100GB of space. GTA V alone is 60Gb. Videos in general are loaded much faster in an SSD and when you skip ahead in the video it will load the image faster on an SSD. If you have work files like I do for programming project including many libraries and hundreds of code files they load much faster in an SSD. If you do image editing and need to load images into photoshop, you can organized them and access them faster on an SSD. 3D content, large documents, 4k movies, large raw sound files all load much faster in an SDD. So yes there is a need for way more than 500GB if your work involves utilizing large number of data/files on a computer which is more common than you might think. Specially to the people in this forum who obviously are heavy computer users for the most part.

SDD are intended for storage they were not built by the manufacturers to be intended for installing apps/games only. The only thing that the manufacturers did not built SSD for is server storage but we are talking about personal computers here not home media servers. The average media server has more than 4GB in HHD space.

 

[REX666]

This is very wrong. If I want to load my video games fast enough I need them to be stored in my SSD. The average triple A game is about 10GB. If I own 10 triple A game which is not uncommon, that is 100GB of space. GTA V alone is 60Gb. Videos in general are loaded much faster in an SSD and when you skip ahead in the video it will load the image faster on an SSD. If you have work files like I do for programming project including many libraries and hundreds of code files they load much faster in an SSD. If you do image editing and need to load images into photoshop, you can organized them and access them faster on an SSD. 3D content, large documents, 4k movies, large raw sound files all load much faster in an SDD. So yes there is a need for way more than 500GB if your work involves utilizing large number of data/files on a computer which is more common than you might think. Specially to the people in this forum who obviously are heavy computer users for the most part.

Yeah I put in a 500gb m2 and 1000gb sata SSD in right away to accommodate everything I do for work and so on and I also got a 4tb external drive incomming for overflow.

 

[Rysen]

Yeah I put in a 500gb m2 and 1000gb sata SSD in right away to accommodate everything I do for work and so on and I also got a 4tb external drive incomming for overflow.

I personally have not found the necessity for m.2 speeds yet but switching to all SSD storage has made a huge difference. I no longer have to wait minutes for visual studio to load all the files every time I open a new solution. It was a pain on my HDD. Lots of productive time wasted waiting for stuff to load. I had 1TB in SSD storage but had to switch to 2TB because it wasn't enough.

 

[kyjol]

This is very wrong. If I want to load my video games fast enough I need them to be stored in my SSD. The average triple A game is about 10GB. If I own 10 triple A game which is not uncommon, that is 100GB of space. GTA V alone is 60Gb. Videos in general are loaded much faster in an SSD and when you skip ahead in the video it will load the image faster on an SSD. If you have work files like I do for programming project including many libraries and hundreds of code files they load much faster in an SSD. If you do image editing and need to load images into photoshop, you can organized them and access them faster on an SSD. 3D content, large documents, 4k movies, large raw sound files all load much faster in an SDD. So yes there is a need for way more than 500GB if your work involves utilizing large number of data/files on a computer which is more common than you might think. Specially to the people in this forum who obviously are heavy computer users for the most part.

SDD are intended for storage they were not built by the manufacturers to be intended for installing apps/games only. The only thing that the manufacturers did not built SSD for is server storage but we are talking about personal computers here not home media servers. The average media server has more than 4GB in HHD space.

Hence why I confirmed that I'm speaking for myself

What I meant when I said SSDs are not meant for storage is media that you dump onto a drive and access every now and then (your BD/CD collection, pictures, regular documents etc.). In this scenario you won't see much benefit out of an SSD. Of course, you definitely will for RAW project files etc. that are both huge and often accessed.

I am not a noob by any means, I work in IT and it's something I've been doing for several years. However, I am still not a graphic designer/video editor/sound editor/programmer/3d modeler in one person. I am also not a heavy gamer, I'm fine with having some games install that I play that I remove after finishing them and install new ones. I'm using a 32" 1440p screen, because 4K is just not practical yet for various reasons. On this screen 1080p content looks perfectly fine. I don't store music, I have a subscription with Google Play and stream it, because having audiophile-grade equipment to be able to enjoy lossless is not practical for me. I'm going for the least amount of hardware footprint that can achieve the most overall results.
So obviously for my usage and the usage of similarly oriented users what I said makes sense, especially cost-wise. It was a suggestion, nothing else

If you are a l33t h4x0r and need to have everything in RAW formats for whatever reason, then sure, you will definitely feel the read speed increase, especially since classic 2.5" drivers are on the slow side.

 

[REX666]

I personally have not found the necessity for m.2 speeds yet but switching to all SSD storage has made a huge difference. I no longer have to wait minutes for visual studio to load all the files every time I open a new solution. It was a pain on my HDD. Lots of productive time wasted waiting for stuff to load. I had 1TB in SSD storage but had to switch to 2TB because it wasn't enough.

M2 speeds are mental start up feels like going out of sleep mode (evo960). I dont really need the m2 speed as much as I dont have the space because of my monstrous GPU (waiting for something VEGA) and also because I refuse to put a mechanical drive in the zentry as I wanted it to feel like an upgrade over my previous machine.

 

[Morzy]

Yeah I've got a 275gb M.2, 2.5" 2tb Firecuda, and 2.5" 1tb Barracuda. The Firecuda is for media and games when SSD is taken up and the lonely Barracuda is simply for my Arch Linux OS and data recovery. Although once I get a external HDD this may change.

I actually didn't know drives were limited to 4 partitions... I was gonna fill that Barracuda with a bunch of Linux distros.. I can and will throw Ubuntu onto the Firecuda but the last time I attempted that, I accidentally wiped the entire drive which resulted in me clawing the data back with data recovery tools and I've only recently gotten and restored my music library.

 

[Rysen]

Hence why I confirmed that I'm speaking for myself

What I meant when I said SSDs are not meant for storage is media that you dump onto a drive and access every now and then (your BD/CD collection, pictures, regular documents etc.). In this scenario you won't see much benefit out of an SSD. Of course, you definitely will for RAW project files etc. that are both huge and often accessed.

I am not a noob by any means, I work in IT and it's something I've been doing for several years. However, I am still not a graphic designer/video editor/sound editor/programmer/3d modeler in one person. I am also not a heavy gamer, I'm fine with having some games install that I play that I remove after finishing them and install new ones. I'm using a 32" 1440p screen, because 4K is just not practical yet for various reasons. On this screen 1080p content looks perfectly fine. I don't store music, I have a subscription with Google Play and stream it, because having audiophile-grade equipment to be able to enjoy lossless is not practical for me. I'm going for the least amount of hardware footprint that can achieve the most overall results.
So obviously for my usage and the usage of similarly oriented users what I said makes sense, especially cost-wise. It was a suggestion, nothing else

If you are a l33t h4x0r and need to have everything in RAW formats for whatever reason, then sure, you will definitely feel the read speed increase, especially since classic 2.5" drivers are on the slow side.

Your reply was a bit confusing. I see now that your "I am though " was suggesting that you were in fact speaking for yourself. That's not what I understood at first. Anyways I put that information out there for anyone who might want to know practical use of 500GB+ SSD storage.

Also I wanted to note that you don't have to be l33t h4x0r that needs everything in RAW simply a Photoshop user of any kind of photo scan work or other high resolution work needs RAW formats quickly accessible. Same applies to music composers that need the highest quality sounds for their composing.

 

[7x1x]

I actually didn't know drives were limited to 4 partitions... I was gonna fill that Barracuda with a bunch of Linux distros.. I can and will throw Ubuntu onto the Firecuda but the last time I attempted that, I accidentally wiped the entire drive which resulted in me clawing the data back with data recovery tools and I've only recently gotten and restored my music library.

If you're still on Master Boot Record (MBR) you will be limited to four Primary Partitions. Change one into an Extended Partition and you can make as many Logical Partitions as you want or just migrate to GUID Partition Table (GPT). GPT will allow 128 partitions and is usualy the better option unless your dealing with legacy hardware and Windows.

 

[kyjol]

Your reply was a bit confusing. I see now that your "I am though " was suggesting that you were in fact speaking for yourself. That's not what I understood at first. Anyways I put that information out there for anyone who might want to know practical use of 500GB+ SSD storage.

Also I wanted to note that you don't have to be l33t h4x0r that needs everything in RAW simply a Photoshop user of any kind of photo scan work or other high resolution work needs RAW formats quickly accessible. Same applies to music composers that need the highest quality sounds for their composing.

I don't disagree with the general sentiment. I did semi-professional DTP work and other stuff in Photoshop, including photography edit, and I know how much RAWs can take up. 500GB is still a considerable amount of space though, and in the end you need to work out for yourself whether you absolutely much more SSD space or not.
Individual expectations and budgets need to be taken into account, since a 2TB Samsung Evo 850 is around ~800$. That mean 4TB of storage would cost you around 1600$, while the same storage space in 2.5" HDDs would cost ~200$. The experience will be different for sure, so everyone needs to decide whether it's worth the 8x price increase, according to their needs

Anyway, let's end this OT On a different note, it seems like 1080 availability is depleting fast and prices are getting even more retarded. Prices here (PL) are around 40% more than in the spring and it's hard to even get your hands on a decent blower.
To make things worse, I think I read somewhere recently (was it Tom's?) that mainstream Vega cards probably won't be coming sooner than September. Does anyone have any info on that?

 

[Sam-I-Am]

On a different note, it seems like 1080 availability is depleting fast and prices are getting even more retarded. Prices here (PL) are around 40% more than in the spring and it's hard to even get your hands on a decent blower.

My little brother (computer programmer) gave me a little insight on why the GPUs are getting so pricy and scarce. He just sold his lightly used RX480 for $200 over what he bought it for. To someone in Russia ($70 shipping). It seems altcoin mining is such a big thing now that everyone is gobbling up all the GPUs, which for people like us just stinks. I was trying to help him find a good 1060 or 1070 to replace his 480 and there's basically nothing, especially at the price they should be.

 

[Neapolitan6th]

My little brother (computer programmer) gave me a little insight on why the GPUs are getting so pricy and scarce. He just sold his lightly used RX480 for $200 over what he bought it for. To someone in Russia ($70 shipping). It seems altcoin mining is such a big thing now that everyone is gobbling up all the GPUs, which for people like us just stinks. I was trying to help him find a good 1060 or 1070 to replace his 480 and there's basically nothing, especially at the price they should be.

This is a good time to fall back on an older card and wait for stock to normalize. A good time to sell, but not to buy. 1080ti prices are still the same I believe haha.