Building a PC Test Bench from Spare Parts
Author: Dennis Garcia
Introduction
For years I have been using a cut down computer case as a PC test bench in the Hardware Asylum Labs. The parts came from a case that was damaged during shipping and when it came back I tore it down and used the motherboard tray and I/O bracket to hold my review components.
That bench has been in use for over 20 years now and while it will likely retire when I do I needed a new design to hold a different style of motherboard.
The Baby AT.
With the global pandemic and chip shortage there has been a significant drop in available product for review. To fill the void I have started looking though my old hardware (the vault) and got a little nostalgic for the way things used to be. The hardware is slow and there is absolutely no reason why ANYONE should need any of this stuff but, it is still fun to mess with and a good lesson for the way things are now.
The purpose of this project is to build a solid test bench that can be reconfigured on the fly to hold just about any motherboard form factor. There are a few notable exclusions and since I only have one example of that motherboard and nobody makes the form factor anymore, I figured the greater 99% was good enough.
As with any good test bench it also needs a way to hold expansion cards and be portable enough to easily move from one place to another. For this I borrowed some design ideas from an old test bench project I designed when I was actively overclocking. Combine that with some old case parts I have laying around and you get a super awesome PC test bench.
The total build was spread apart two videos.
The first video covers setting up the test bench build, locating where the standoffs would be installed and how we would attach the expansion card I/O panel.
The second video shows the final assembly along with some dress up parts to make the test bench that much nicer.
Below are some stills from the project and as always, if you have any questions feel free to email us here or leave a comment on the Hardware Asylum YouTube Channel.
