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By OvRiDe at 2011-05-17 20:34
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Florida based manufacturer Sentey has released their Extreme Division computer chassis. Being one of the newer kids on the block they have brought their A game to the competition with their GS-6400 Arvina. Packed with features, performance, and style, the Arvina has arrived on the scene with gamers in mind.
I'll admit that before I was contacted about this case I had never heard of Sentey. A quick internet search provided me with enough pictures and information to pique my interest in getting my hands on the Arvina. The case arrived in a full color picture box. The case was packed very well, using rigid closed cell plastic foam to suspend the case inside the box. No Styrofoam here! Another nice touch was the case was wrapped in a cloth bag to protect the finish from any scratches or mishaps that could mar it in transit.
Features
Out of the bag, the Arvina does have a very stunning two tone blue on black finish. The case has a full mesh front face, and sports four 5.25" bays. The top two 5.25" bays have hinged mesh doors which keeps a nice contiguous mesh front panel. The very top of the front panel has a multi-card memory reader molded into the bezel. The reader uses a cable with a 4 pin connector that attaches directly to a the USB header on the motherboard. Since there are only 4 pins it only uses half of a normal 8 pin/dual USB motherboard header.
Moving to the top of the case, it is mainly dominated by more mesh, with the forward section containing all the controls and ports. There is a big octagonal power button with four smaller fan control buttons that make up the majority of the controls. A sliding clear plastic door covers the audio ports (mic and headphones), 4 USB ports, the reset button, an eSATA port, and a special SATA dock type port. The SATA dock ports consist of a SATA power connection and SATA data connection that utilize an extension cord that is provided by Sentey. The audio and USB ports use header plugs to attach to the motherboard. The audio cable contains both a HD Audio and standard audio connector. One thing missing in my opinion is a USB 3.0 port, which is becoming more and more standard on aftermarket cases.
Upon removing the side panel the first thing most will notice are the two 80mm fans mounted across the motherboard area. These fans are meant to be located over your graphics card to keep a nice constant stream of cool air over your GPU. The whole bracket is on a hinge that will swing out of the way to give full access to the area below. On the subject of fans, this case comes packed with them, six of them to be exact. A 140mm fan is mounted in front bringing air in to the case and across the hard drive bays. There are two 120mm fans mounted to the top of the chassis utilizing all that mesh on top to draw fresh air into the case. Last but not least there is a 120mm fan mounted to the back of the chassis in usual fashion to exhaust heat.
The inside of the case is has a satin black finish. The motherboard tray will accommodate anything from micro ATX all the way up to E-ATX motherboards, and is not removable. It does include a couple of wire management holes, along with a large window to give access to the rear side of the CPU retainer bracket. The seven expansion slot covers are equipped with a tool-less style clip that works well to secure the cards in place without screws. The back also includes a couple of pass through grommets for watercooling or whatnot. The bottom of the case is fully vented with a plastic screen to help keep dust in check. The power supply mounts low in the case and is able to utilize the vented floor for additional cooling. The Arvina has an ample amount of space behind the motherboard tray for cable management.
Four 5.25" bays and Five 3.5" as usual are located at the front of the case. The 5.25" bays have a tool-less mounting systems that work quite well. A bright red latch releases a hinged mechanism that has 2 pins that hold the optical drive in place. Slide the optical drive into place and snap the hinge closed. More impressive is the "drive enclosure" that holds hard drives. The entire enclosure is removable, that contains 5 drawers that are removable. Each drawer can hold either a standard 3.5" Hard disk or a 2.5" SSD. While the drawer is tool-less for a 3.5" hard disk, a 2.5" hard disk or SSD will need to be secured with screws. Each drawer is spring loaded and can be ejected using the red release latch. 3.5" drives snap into place with a similar pin mechanism as the 5.25" drive bays.
Technical Information
| Case Type | High Tower | | Material | Steel SECC Chassis 1mm | | Front Material | Plastic | | External Color | Black and Blue | | Side Panel | Solid Side Panel | | Motherboard | E-ATX - ATX, Micro ATX | | Screw Motherboard | Bronze | | Drive Bays 5.25" | 5 | | Drive Bays Ext. 3.5" | No | | Drive Bays Int. 3.5" | 5 | | Expansion Slots | 7 | | Chassis Color | Black | | Usb Ports | 4 x Usb 2.0 | | Audio/Mic Ports | Yes | | E-Sata Ports | 1 E-Sata Ports | | Native Sata | Yes | | Card Reader | Read CF/MD, XD, SD/MMC, TF y MS/M2 | | Thumbscrews | Yes | | Side Cooler | 2 x 80 mm Blue Led Fan | | Front Cooler | 1 x 140 mm Blue Led Fan | | Rear Cooler | 1 x 120 mm Blue Led Fan | | Top Cooler | 2 x 120 mm Blue Led Fan | | Watercooling Support | Yes | | Power Supply | No | | Power Supply Mounts Bottom rear of the case | | | Hidden Cables | Yes | | Dimension | 21.65 (L) x 8.43 (W) x 20.47 (H) | | Accessories | 8 screw FDD + 25 | | | screw HDD y Motherboard + 8 | | | screw HDD cage + 12 | | | screw OCC + 5 screw support | | | Motherboard | | Net Weight | 12.5 kg (27.56 lbs) | | Gross Weight | 13 kg (28.66 lbs) | | Warranty | 1 year limited (for Parts and Labor) |
Final Thoughts:
Sentey may not be as well known as others on the market, but with cases like this it won't take long for them to be up there with the veterans. The Arvina is a full featured case that looks great as well. It's paint finish is among the best I have seen from a stock perspective. They also offer this case in both all black and a red version as well. It's included six fans with integrated fan controller put it square in the sights of gamers and enthusiasts. Did I mention that all the fan's are LED illuminated? Add in the top mounted 4 USB ports, the eSATA ports, the top mounted SATA connections, the front facing memory card reader, the stealth optical drive covers, and the HDD mounting enclosure, you would be hard pressed to find these features in a case that doesn't break the bank. Which brings up the next point, the cost. Currently the case is available from Newegg for 100 bucks. There are a few issues that are a bit lacking. The first being the lack of a front USB 3.0 port. Most cases today have them whether they use a standard USB connector that plugs into the back plate of the motherboard or the new internal header design. Also the audio cables and the USB cable for the card reader are a tad short. They worked out ok in my application, but I can see that they could be an issue for some motherboards.
Overall the case is sturdy and feature packed. With great air flow, little noise and a good price this case is an excellent choice for both gamers and enthusiasts. I recommend giving the Sentry GS-6400 Arvina a serious look, I don't think you will be disappointed.
This product was provided free of charge, by its manufacturer for the purpose of review
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