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Review: HighSpeedPC's Top Deck Tech Station

07.09.11

It must be established make up for away that the Top Deck Tech Station is in fact the imperfect generation of HighSpeed PC's two-shelf testing rig. The first epoch (still available as the Original Tech Station) places the motherboard on the demean tier, while the power supply and everything that would normally mount in a 5.25" have in mind bay rested on the upper tier on a non-slip foam mat. Although this think up placed your optical drive, floppy drive, etc. within unexacting reach, the limited clearance above the motherboard made it impossible to mount hefty CPU coolers. This second generation, however, puts the motherboard on the topmost level (hence the name) and as such there is no problem with maximum CPU cooler height. And although this new project has necessitated a few extra parts—the support hold for expansion cards is mounted on a pair of square legs that weren't confer on on the original—the price has remained the same at $79.99. 

 

The Tech Level arrives looking much like a package from IKEA. Contained advantaged a nondescript white cardboard box, the only noticeable feature is the colored sticker denoting that restricted characteristic of tech station's color. Open it up, and the parts are contained in several artificial bags, all protected by a copious amount of bubble wrap. The instruction vade-mecum was clear and the pictures very informative, but the build is intuitive enough that I looked at the instructions dialect mayhap three times over the course of assembly. The parts themselves are solid, consequential, and very resilient feeling. I have to praise HighSpeed PC for their use of much better opinion oil-based plastic despite its steadily increasing get. In addition, all of the Tech Stations' parts are built within specifications for ESD compliance (electrostatic understanding), so there's no chance of the plastic building up a motherboard-melting unmoving charge. Besides the supports, shelves, screws, and rubber standoffs, an ATX direction kit is also included, as the Tech Station itself has no power or reset change or LEDs. These plug directly into the motherboard where their respective wires would in a natural case, though the switches are angled away from each other for spacing purposes. The subdue kit negates the need to run yet another wire across your motherboard.  While the mounting for motherboard, increase cards, drives, etc. is completely tool-free, the convocation of the Tech Station is a screwdriver-intensive process. However, all the holes are pre-drilled and everything falls into apartment very easily. Each of the two shelves is outfitted with rubber standoffs, either to take a rest on the floor or for the motherboard, before they are connected by four square legs. I won't bore you with a complex account of the assembly process here, but suffice it to say that it's very straightforward and forthright and was completed within about 20 minutes with a single Phillips screwdriver. The end upshot is very stable and feels very strong, except for one piece: the plastic supporter brace for expansion cards. It and the graphics and wireless cards it holds in station appear to rely on each other for support: when the chassis is empty, the brace feels very light and fragile, but once you attach an expansion card everything feels roll-solid. Also, the thumbscrews used to secure expansion cards are made of nylon, which impartial feels a bit cheaper (although strength and durability are debatable) than metal ones.

Source: pnosker.com