Sentey Arvina Full-Tower Chassis Review

[PAGETITLE=Introduction][Top Ad] No matter what you plan on buying there are always a few brand names that stand out from the crowd. From clothing to cars to, yes, even computer cases, there are some companies that are so well established that it sometimes seems like people are tripping over themselves to buy a product simply because of the name. So what's in a name? I hope to find out as I look at a case from Sentey, a company that many may not know of. A quick look through its product list shows some unique offerings including the Arvina series, one of which is on the review table today, the GS-6400B. This case belongs to Sentey's 'Extreme Division' series so let's see just how extreme it is and if potential buyers should look past the name stamped on the box. Also available in high gloss black or red, the blue version of this steel and plastic constructed case supports micro-ATX, ATX and extended-ATX motherboards. We don't generally don't show any packaging during our reviews but it's nice to see that extra attention has been given to how a product ships with the Arvina series coming wrapped in a cloth bag. The box that our review sample arrived in was battered and beaten (thanks, UPS!). The foam end caps and cloth bag that the case was wrapped in did a great job but the shock from the bumps and drops had knocked out two of the drive covers, scratching them in the process along with a few nicks at the bottom of the front panel. After a further damage check and fix up, the case was ready for action. The front of the GS-6400B features a 140mm blue LED fan at the bottom hidden behind a black mesh cover. This cover extends all the way to the top with a silver Sentey logo front row center. Just above the logo is where the four 5.25" drive bays begin. The top two drive bays have a nice little surprise in the form of flip down covers. In the bottom right corner of each of these is a button that makes contact with the open/close button on the optical drive installed behind it. When the tray comes out, the cover flips down, so this would be a great solution for those who like a clean exterior or have an optical drive with a different coloured bezel. At the very top of the front panel is a card reader that can accept CF/MD, XD, SD/MMC, TF and MS/M2 cards. The entire mesh area of the front with the exception of the top two bay covers has a removable foam dust filter to keep the bunnies out. Moving around to the left side finds the panel held in place with two plastic tipped thumbscrews. Once these are removed there is also a latch system that keeps the panel firmly in place. Pulling the release latch towards the back of the case disengages the catch so the panel can be slid back and pulled away. The latch is built into a plastic accent with an odd, transparent design that serves two purposes. First, it allows for a bit of style by letting light from the internal LED fans to shine through and second, it acts as ventilation for said fans thanks to the small holes around the outer edge. Around the back at the top left corner is the motherboard I/O opening. To the right are two holes with rubber grommets for running hoses if water cooling is used and a 120mm blue LED fan below. Moving south, there are seven vented, break away PCI slot covers and to the right, a small vented area. The red tabs that can be seen are from the tool-less retention mechanism for the PCI slots. Pulling the tab out releases the "lock" so cards can be added or removed. You'll see why I put the word 'lock' in quotations a little later on. Finally, as usual, at the very bottom is the opening for the power supply. The right side doesn't have much going on except for the same quick release latch that may very well become a favorite feature on this case if fast, frequent access to the interior is needed. On top at the front is a large power button that glows blue when the system is powered on. Behind it are four silver buttons that act as on/off switches for the four channel fan controller, each with a red LED to indicate if the channel is active. The clear cover behind the fan controller slides back to reveal two sets of nicely spaced USB 2.0 ports on either side of the 3.5mm microphone and headphone jacks. To the right are the red hard drive activity LED and a small silver reset button above it. Need more? Behind all of this at the back are hot swap SATA power and data connections and an eSATA port. The rest of the top is covered by a mesh area that hides two 120mm blue LED exhaust fans that can be swapped out for two 140mm fans if the user wishes. The bottom of the case is dominated by a plastic filter that runs about 3/4 of its length behind the bottom panel. This filter can be removed but requires the user to remove several screws from the inside. At the front are two rubber pads on each side and another on each side at the back to help keep the case from sliding and absorb vibration. Ok, it's time to get nekkid! Well, not me. Nobody wants to see that, but in the case of the GS-6400B, let's see what else it has to offer. [PAGEBREAK][PAGETITLE=Interior] The front panel is removed by pulling out on the bottom and then on both sides near the top. The 140mm intake fan is at the bottom behind a honeycomb grill and the breakaway but reusable 5.25" internal drive covers are just above. The inside of the front cover shows the removable dust filters in place for the fan and each of the drive bays except the top two. At the very top is the PCB for the card reader and the wire that runs to the system to provide connectivity. I wasn't able to disconnect this wire from the header on the PCB so it looks as if it needs to be disconnected from the motherboard in order to remove the front panel completely. With the right panel off we get good view of the business end. At the bottom right are hard drive trays that are capable of supporting either 3.5" or 2.5" drives. Since the trays are spring loaded, they gently pop open when the red button at the front is moved towards the back of the case. Once removed, 3.5" drives can be secured without tools by moving two hinged tabs on the right side out of the way, pressing the drive into the tray, and then moving both tabs back into position. 2.5" drives will require tools and are secured with screws through the bottom of the tray. Users also have the option of removing the hard drive cage entirely by pushing down on the red tab above the top tray. The cage then simply slides out allowing users to work away but also gives access to two of the screws that need to be removed in order to take off the bottom panel to clean the air filter. Above the hard drive cage are the four tool-less 5.25" drive bays. The bay is unlocked by pushing down on the red tab and the black lock will pop up allowing the drive to be installed. Once it's in place the lock can be pushed back down where it clicks and secures the drive. Moving back to the main section of the interior shows an arm with two 80mm blue LED fans mounted on the backside allowing air to be pushed directly to the GPU. Pressing in to the right of the Sentey logo allows the arm to swing open and can be completely removed by pulling out near the top hinge. Both fans draw power from a metal contact pad on the left side meaning there are two less wires that need to be run through the case. Just below the arm is a small kit secured to the bottom of the case, but that will be looked at soon enough. On the bottom are the openings for either a 120mm or 140mm fan to be added by the user and the opening for the power supply bringing up the rear. The power supply sits on two foam pads while the back rests against a foam gasket that runs around the perimeter of the opening to help absorb any vibration from the fan. The motherboard tray sports a good amount of options for cable management. Down the right side are three large openings and one small opening to route power leads and data cables to the connectors on the motherboard while the opening at the bottom is for running power leads directly from the power supply. There is also a generous opening in the motherboard tray to help with installation of CPU coolers that feature back plates and another small opening in the top left corner to run fan cables and the 12V power lead. Looking at the rear of the interior shows the inside of the plastic "lock" (there's those quotations again) to keep expansion cards in place. Above that are the 120mm exhaust fan and motherboard I/O opening. Way up top are the two 120mm exhaust fans that are a little oddly spaced. There isn't too much happening on the back of the motherboard tray although Sentey has chosen to include four adjustable cable ties. These are stuck on using double sided adhesive pads and will allow cables to be secured against the tray. With a little over half an inch of clearance between the motherboard tray and the side panel these cable ties should come in handy. I don't mention connections unless there is something new, unusual or missing. I'm happy to report that there's nothing missing, in fact it's quite the opposite thanks to the multitude of options that were covered when looking at the top exterior. What I wanted to show is the clear sleeving job that has been done on the power, reset, power LED and HDD activity LED wires. It's now time to have a look at that kit that I mentioned earlier. Inside are a small screwdriver, two plastic motherboard standoffs, a spare, gray PCI slot cover, a speaker, and a bag containing brass motherboard standoffs and screws to secure the motherboard and power supply in place. There is also a small cloth included to help remove finger prints from the case seeing how the finish makes it a magnet for them. In a separate bag are the user manual, product brochure and a mini-CD containing the driver for the card reader. A white box secured inside the case contains a spare SATA data cable and a SATA power extension lead. These are use for the hot swap...

Sentey Arvina Full-Tower Chassis Review

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