On of my biggest gripes with the case is the single power supply mount:
This makes sense on the regular S8 because there are very capable 1600W supplies. However a Test Bench may be being used for world record attempts with massive overclocks where a single 1600W power supply is not going to cut it. It would have been nice to have the option for a backplate that has two power supply mounts that are 90 degrees rotated. This would lose the use of the motherboard tray HDD mounts, however anybody who needs dual power supplies will most likely be running with a stack of HDDs with multiple OS’s on anyway and therefore will be unlikely to use this feature. If a second power supply is needed then a pedestal ($169.99) can be added. The pedestal can be fitted with a back panel to mount a PSU (picture again from CL):
However now there is a concern as to how long the PSU cables are and whether they reach through the circuitous route they would have to follow to get up to the motherboard/GPUS. Speaking of the pedestal – it can also be used for more radiators or hard drives or flex bays, and if you need more you can keep stacking em until you reach the ceiling.
My only gripe for the pedestal is that it’s width is sized for the S8 case, while the S8 tech bench doesn’t have side panels, so that pedestal ends up being wider than the case. As I don’t have the pedestal to show you I borrowed this picture from fast_fate@OCN – you can see his build log here:
Another need for Test Benches is the ability to move it around quickly. Handles really help with this and so they are supplied. I forgot to take a picture of this, so here is the picture from CL:
I’d prefer handles I can really get my fingers through, but this is still better than nothing.
Like all the CL cases the Test Bench is made to order and delivery times depend on the color you choose. Black is fastest, but white and primer gray (and any combinations of the three) are options for an upcharge. As always all the panels are thick aluminum and CaseLabs tank like construction is perfectly suited to a Test Bench that needs to suffer far more than a “regular” case.
