Introduction

I would like to thank HighSpeed PC for supplying the review sample.

HSPC is best known for their Tech Station series. The TechStations come in a variety of sizes and colors and can be custom built to your needs such as if you have a phase change cooling unit. The Tech Station allows you to work on your computer and switch out parts with ease. The newest model are the "Top Deck" variants, which can hold the mainboard on the upper shelf. This allows for much easier and faster switching of parts while keeping the drives and power supply on the bottom shelf.

The two pictures below show the difference between the original (left) and new models (right) clearly:


Tech Station highlights:

• Puts all your PC hardware within easy reach
• Non-conductive design - High grade polymers - HDPE bench surfaces
• Heavy-duty construction - Sturdy and stable - Can support over 160+ lbs!
• Attractive look - High quality materials - Proudly display this test bench
• Dimensions: 14 x 13 x 13.5
• Top Deck version puts motherboard on top for frequent builders

Packaging and Contents

The packaging has not changed over the years. The parts of the Tech Station come packed inside a white, square cardboard package. The only notable feature of the package is a white sticker with information on the included station and an additional black sticker to let the buyer know what color is packed inside. Once opened up, the contents of the station can be seen, neatly packed to fit perfectly into the cardboard package. Everything is stored safely and is protected by bubble wrap to avoid any shipping damages.


The included manual has not changed much either. Even though the design of the Tech Station has changed, the pictures in the well written and easy to understand manual have not. This can be the only confusing aspect, as you have pictures of the original Tech Station to illustrate assembly of the Top Deck variant.


The two plastic shelves are of very high quality. The material of these is manufactured using oil as a base and even though the oil prices have been rising steadily, the prices at HighSpeed PC have been constant all this time. If the trend of higher oil prices continues, the price of the Tech Stations may rise as well in the future we were told. A large, heavy duty plastic bag holds all the smaller parts of the Tech Station.


All the components included are of very high quality. You will not find any hollow parts anywhere. All are solid and should be able to hold much more than just a few computer parts. There are two smaller bags with screws and the ATX connection kit as well. This includes two buttons for power and reset, a speaker and two LEDs. All of these functions usually come with a normal computer case and are naturally not available in a traditional fashion with the open station. The included fan is manufactured by Evercool and is of the sleeve bearing kind.

Assembly

The assembly constitutes of two major steps. First you get the two shelves ready and then connect these together with the included stands.
We tried to follow the steps in the manual as much as possible to give you an idea as to what you will have to go through. First, the focus is placed on the bottom shelf and the four rubber feet. These are secured with screws which stick out the other side. This is by no means a mistake, but serves a pupose. The four pillars are secured on these screws later on. Placing the feet on the shelf actually concludes the work on the lower part of the Tech Station.


The upper shelf requires a bit more work. Each mainboard stand needs to be screwed in. There are a lot more than you may need and as you can see, the size of the shelf is large enough to hold eATX boards as well. There are two specific, plastic standoffs to further secure a mainboard on the shelf itself. The hard drive rails need to be installed on the underside of the upper shelf. This is done by securing four screws with spacers, creating a simple rail to slide the hard drive on. There is sufficient space for up to two hard drives.


There is a fifth screw with a standoff, which serves as a stop for the hard drives. With this, there is no way for a drive to fall out the other side by mistake. There are four right angle metal pieces included. These have a hole on each end. One to secure them to the upper shelf, the other to screw in the included 12 cm fan. This also concludes all the preperation of the two shelves.


The shelves are simply connected using the included stands. The next step is screwing in the two shorter parts on the upper shelf for the PCI bracket. The general shape is much like a normal case, with thumb screws to secure AGP, PCIe or PCI cards.


After finishing the assembly of the Top Deck Tech Station, I was left with a few spare parts. The reason for the additional fan screw can be explained. The fan can be secured by up to two screws. It will blow across the top and underside of the upper shelf in such a configuration. I chose to let the fan hanging down to blow across the underside of the shelf.