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HighSpeedPC Tech Station
Conclusion
I've used multiple open test-bed frames similar to the Tech Station during various jobs. One was simply a gutted case with nothing but the frame. This was a little ugly, but worked pretty well and kept the components securely in place. Another consisted of two aluminum plates. The top plate was drilled with multiple board hole patterns to accommodate desktop and server boards both old and new. Threaded standoffs were used to support the board and the other components were laid on the bottom plate. Both of these solutions offered easy access to the motherboard or the components that lived on it. The HighSpeed PC Tech Station isn't a bad product; its usefulness depends on what you intend to do with it. If you swap power supplies, drives or RAM often then it works great. If you just think it looks cool to have your hardware out in the open then it's also a good choice. If you frequently swap out motherboards or CPUs, then quite frankly it's a headache and you would be better served with just a case lying open on its side. The standard Tech Station, unassembled, will set you back about $80 from HighSpeedPC.com. You can go out and get an Antec Super Lanboy, a Thermaltake Soprano or one of those Aspire X-QPacks to lug around for that price. All of those would also give you easier access to your motherboard or CPU but not the power supply or optical drive. My experiences with the Tech Station leaned, unfortunately, to the negative side. I think the concept is good but it needs to be reworked a little. It's screaming to me to break out the drill and Dremel and swap the motherboard plate to the top. Alas, that's an entirely different article and I must pass judgment as the Tech Station sits now. And I say if you test power supplies or DVD drives all day, go for it, you won't be happier. But if you do anything more serious than that, save your money for something else. Pros Easy access to power supply, optical drive and hard drive Build quality is good if you follow the directions carefully No tools required to swap components Cons Painful to remove the motherboard Can't swap CPUs or heatsinks without removing motherboard first No support for the middle of the motherboard
Page 1: Introduction & First Impressions
Page 2: Putting it Together Page 3: Testing Page 4: Conclusion 
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