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The front panel design has an On/Off and Reset button. The two buttons are surrounded by a small transparent area that illuminates blue to indicate that the system power is on, as well as flashing red when the hard drive is active.
The next item is the front I/O panel which includes a single USB 3.0 port, 1 USB 2.0 port, a card reader, audio and microphone plugs, and a fan controller. While the number of USB ports on the I/O panel is limited to just 2, the audio jacks, fan controller and SD/MMC card reader offer plenty of connectivity.
Located just below the front I/O panel are the 3 x 5.25″ drive bays. The top drive bay cover is spring loaded which allows the user to hide an optical drive . The cover has a spring loaded button that aligns with the open/close button on the “hidden” optical drive. Pressing the button triggers the optical drive to open the tray which then fully opens the bay cover that has the spring attached.
Closing the tray on the optical drive is a reverse process, once again hiding the optical drive. The two remaining removable 5.25″ bay covers are made of steel mesh and include a thin dust filter inside.
The lower third of the front panel is a combination of solid plastic and steel mesh. The Sentey insignia is featured here in eye catching raised white lettering. The remainder of the panel has two centered silver stripes with a blue led illuminating the area between them. This section of the front panel also hides the 120mm front intake fan.
The right hand side panel of the GS 6000 II Optimus is solid with no additional areas designated for ventilation. There is however a small recessed area at the rear of the panel to assist with removing the panel.
The panel on the opposite side of the GS 6000 II Optimus has a large area made up of steel mesh with a small acrylic window as well. The mesh promises excellent airflow, but with holes as large as these, we would have liked to see a dust filter installed.
The rear panel of the GS 6000 II Optimus is a standard design layout. The power supply mounts at the bottom of the case and draws in fresh air from below.
There are a total of seven expansion slots available for add on cards. The bay covers are still attached to the chassis and have to be physically removed to gain access. Sentey has utilised the same tool free design that we saw when we reviewed the Arvina full tower chassis in back in 2010.
The design works well enough but personally I use thumbscrews on the graphics card because of the additional weight of the card. Directly above we have 2 factory cut water cooling holes which have rubber grommets in place to prevent any type of abrasion to the tubes.
Next we have the 120mm blue led exhaust fan and opposite the fan is the area cut out to hold the I/O shield.
The top panel of the GS 6000 II Optimus is a combination of solid plastic and steel mesh with 2 solid red stripes running the full length of the panel. The front portion is solid black plastic followed by three rows of angled ventilation slots which are reminiscent of what you may see on a Raven.
The next section is steel mesh that is designed to allow the warm air to escape out the top of the chassis. Positioned just below the top panel are areas designated for 2 additional 120mm top mounted fans. This would definitely increase the airflow and should lead to potentially drop temperatures of system components.
The bottom panel of the GS 6000 II Optimus has 4 large solid rubber feet that will absorb vibrations created by the system. The feet raise the chassis far enough off the ground to ensure good airflow and the removable filter should stop the majority of dust entering the system.
