Free (or extremely cheap) DIY PC Testbench!
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Sponsored by Blue Apron. The first 250 people to sign up for the service at our link, cook.ba get two free meals with their first order! Most testbenches suck - so why not make one yourself? Intel link: linustechtips.com Pricing & discussion: linustechtips.com Support us: linustechtips.com Join our community forum: bit.ly twitter.com @LinusTech Intro Screen Music Credit: Title: Laszlo - Supernova Video Link: youtube.com iTunes Download Link: itunes.apple.com Artist Link: soundcloud.com Outro Screen Music Credit: Approaching Nirvana - Sugar High youtube.com Sound effects provided by freesfx.co.uk
The video presents a hands-on approach to creating a free or extremely low-cost PC testbench by repurposing a donor computer case into a functional stand for testing hardware. It starts by outlining the motivation: traditional off-the-shelf test benches are expensive or lack practical layout for mounting drives, power supplies, and expansion cards. The creator emphasizes the appeal of scratch-built, affordable solutions that maximize functionality over aesthetics, using scrap materials to keep costs near zero. The process begins with selecting a donor case, removing rivets and panels, and deciding which components to keep or discard to fit a testbench footprint. He walks through tooling choices, safety considerations, and the value of keeping useful mounting points while discarding unnecessary structure. The result is a compact, modular platform assembled in under two hours that can hold drives, mounts, and potentially future upgrades, with emphasis on easy modification and low expense. The video ends with an invitation to viewers to share their own scratch benches on the forum, reinforcing community involvement and ongoing experimentation with low-cost hardware solutions.
Topics · technology · diy · hardware · maker
Questions answered
- What is the main goal of the project in this video?
- To build a free or very inexpensive PC testbench using scrap materials and a donor case while maintaining practical functionality for mounting drives, motherboard, and other components.
- What safety considerations are emphasized during the build?
- The presenter stresses safety like wearing protective goggles and gloves when cutting metal, and recommends using a sharp metal file to finish edges for safe handling.