My GPU test bench.
The test bench has a 90 degree PCIE riser that helps me save space and makes the cards a little bit easier to insert and take out. Even big cards don't interfere with the CPU fan because the plastic rim of the fan is a little bit taller than the fan blades. But I will probably add some kind of bracket in between when I can be bothered to do so.
On the back, you can see the USB dongle of my wireless keyboard and mouse combo. It is small and can be stashed away in a drawer when not in use, so it helps me save space. You can also see the wire of the added power button and the PCIE cable that goes under and over the board to give it more stability. Lastly, you can see the zip ties that keep everything from falling apart.
Thanks to the modular PSU, I deal with only one cable for the GPUs and one for SATA devices. The only redundant cable is the 4+4 CPU cable. I would love to cut it off, but I would hate to ruin the PSU. You can also see the tiny power button on the right, just above the chonky cable.
The mainboard has a PCIE x16 slot and a 90 degree riser.
2GB of single channel DDR2 memory. Yeah...
Custom feet so the PSU doesn't choke, overheat, and explode.
Minimalist GPU Test Bench 2.0
So, some of you might remember my first Minimalist GPU Test Bench.
This is basically a 2.0 version of the same build.
The majority of the things has stayed the same. I am still using a very old industrial ITX mainboard that uses a dual core AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ CPU paired with a single 2GB DDR2 SODIMM.
I chose this board mainly because the seller was giving them away for only around 10 USD with shipping and it came with everything I needed to quickly test a GPU for functionality: a CPU, RAM, a PCIE x16 slot (it's PCIE 2.0 I believe) and SATA slots for an SSD. It is not a real benchmarking PC because the CPU bottlenecks pretty much any card in existence. However, I am not looking for the most precise benchmark, just testing for functionality. I mostly buy and sell stuff stuff up to the GTX 900 series and GTX 1050 TI cards, and AMD equivalents.
Another reason why I chose this board is because I have very little space right now and I wanted to save as much space as possible. That is why I chose an ITX board. And the best way to save space was to simply mount it on top of the PSU. The 120GB Samsung SSD is hidden between the mainboard and the PSU. The 600W 80+ Gold PSU by Cooler Master is semi-modular, which saves space by mostly removing unnecessary cables, and it has both a 6 pin and an 8 pin GPU connector. For the rare occasion that I test a 2x 8 pin card, I have an adapter lying around. I wish I had a fully modular PSU because I could then remove the 4+4 CPU connector entirely. This motherboard only uses a 20 pin connector and doesn't require the additional 4 pins on the big connector nor the 4+4 CPU connectors. But I managed to mostly tuck away the unnecessary cable as best I could. I added some rubber feet to the PSU so that it doesn't choke and overheat.
This board has ethernet, USB, additional SATA connectors and what I think is an IDE connector. That allows me to test other peripherals if I ever need to. I have added a simple power button to it so that I wouldn't have to always short the pins when I want to test something. And the last modification I did was to make a motherboard cover to cover up the ugliest parts as best as I could. I made it from a piece of black cardboard and electrical tape.
The goal was to make a test bench that was as cheap as possible because I am mostly dealing with very cheap stuff anyway, to save as much space as possible, and to be able to do the testing quickly, which is why I wanted an open bench. If Lian Li and all the AliExpress sellers think that I will spend a 100 bucks or more on an open case, they are insane! (JK no hard feelings I'm just stingy). I just wanted something simple where I can pop a GPU in and out as fast as possible.
I managed to connect all the parts with a bit of tape and a few cable ties. It's pretty sturdy considering everything. I am very happy with the results and I have managed to test about multiple dozen GPUs since I have assembled the 1.0 version. No longer do I need to chose between selling a GPU that I didn't test beforehand and opening my personal PC, undoing the neat cable management and reinstall different drivers to test something I am going to sell anyway.
This is basically a 2.0 version of the same build.
The majority of the things has stayed the same. I am still using a very old industrial ITX mainboard that uses a dual core AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ CPU paired with a single 2GB DDR2 SODIMM.
I chose this board mainly because the seller was giving them away for only around 10 USD with shipping and it came with everything I needed to quickly test a GPU for functionality: a CPU, RAM, a PCIE x16 slot (it's PCIE 2.0 I believe) and SATA slots for an SSD. It is not a real benchmarking PC because the CPU bottlenecks pretty much any card in existence. However, I am not looking for the most precise benchmark, just testing for functionality. I mostly buy and sell stuff stuff up to the GTX 900 series and GTX 1050 TI cards, and AMD equivalents.
Another reason why I chose this board is because I have very little space right now and I wanted to save as much space as possible. That is why I chose an ITX board. And the best way to save space was to simply mount it on top of the PSU. The 120GB Samsung SSD is hidden between the mainboard and the PSU. The 600W 80+ Gold PSU by Cooler Master is semi-modular, which saves space by mostly removing unnecessary cables, and it has both a 6 pin and an 8 pin GPU connector. For the rare occasion that I test a 2x 8 pin card, I have an adapter lying around. I wish I had a fully modular PSU because I could then remove the 4+4 CPU connector entirely. This motherboard only uses a 20 pin connector and doesn't require the additional 4 pins on the big connector nor the 4+4 CPU connectors. But I managed to mostly tuck away the unnecessary cable as best I could. I added some rubber feet to the PSU so that it doesn't choke and overheat.
This board has ethernet, USB, additional SATA connectors and what I think is an IDE connector. That allows me to test other peripherals if I ever need to. I have added a simple power button to it so that I wouldn't have to always short the pins when I want to test something. And the last modification I did was to make a motherboard cover to cover up the ugliest parts as best as I could. I made it from a piece of black cardboard and electrical tape.
The goal was to make a test bench that was as cheap as possible because I am mostly dealing with very cheap stuff anyway, to save as much space as possible, and to be able to do the testing quickly, which is why I wanted an open bench. If Lian Li and all the AliExpress sellers think that I will spend a 100 bucks or more on an open case, they are insane! (JK no hard feelings I'm just stingy). I just wanted something simple where I can pop a GPU in and out as fast as possible.
I managed to connect all the parts with a bit of tape and a few cable ties. It's pretty sturdy considering everything. I am very happy with the results and I have managed to test about multiple dozen GPUs since I have assembled the 1.0 version. No longer do I need to chose between selling a GPU that I didn't test beforehand and opening my personal PC, undoing the neat cable management and reinstall different drivers to test something I am going to sell anyway.
Color(s): Black
RGB Lighting? No
Theme: Technology
Cooling: Air Cooling
Size: Mini-ITX
Type: General Build
Contests
This build participated in 2 contests.
| Rank | Contest | Date |
|---|---|---|
| #134 | Build of the Month - June 2021 | ended |
| #153 | Build of the Month - May 2021 | ended |
Hardware
CPU
$ 99.68
Motherboard
$ 239.99
Memory
$ 12.39
Graphics
$ 218.70
PSU
$ 30.00
Case
$ 474.00
Cooling
$ 24.50
Estimated total value of this build:
$ 1,120.41
Approved by: