Skip to main content
PC Gamer PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES
UK EditionUK US EditionUS CA EditionCanada AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
  • Hardware
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Video
  • Forum
  • More
    • PC Gaming Show
    • PC Gamer Clips
    • Software
    • Codes
    • Coupons
    • Movies & TV
    • Magazine
    • Newsletter
    • Affiliate links
    • Meet the team
    • Community guidelines
    • About PC Gamer
PC Gamer Magazine Subscription
PC Gamer Magazine Subscription
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$1
Subscribe now
Don't miss these
An MSI graphics card, an AMD CPU, and a Corsair PC case
Gaming PCs Best gaming PC builds: Shop all our recommended system builds as we ride out the RAMpocalypse
Shed cleanroom in a back yard
Hardware How to make your very own semiconductor-class cleanroom in a wooden shed and build your own chips, well kinda
A Gravastar Mercury V60 Pro gaming keyboard with a shiny aluminium shell on a white desk.
Gaming Keyboards Gravastar Mercury V60 Pro review
A stained glass-style side panel for a gaming PC
PC Cases This Redditor has built a stained glass-style panel for their gaming PC with a 'magnificent and luxurious animal' on it and it is indeed magnificent and luxurious
A compact gaming PC on a desk with various parts on show.
Hardware This is all the best PC gaming gear we recommend in one techie tier list
A photo of a 3D printed 'Laptop eGPU "Suitcase" SKADIS Frame', created by MakerWorld user MPKVR
Hardware This 3D printed, laptop-carrying 'suitcase' is not just a thing of beauty but it's also a neat solution to the dearth of eGPUs
The Velocity Micro Raptor ES40 and HP Omen 35L gaming PCs on a blue background with the PC Gamer recommended badge in the top right corner
Gaming PCs Best gaming PCs in 2026: these are the rigs and brands I recommend today
Two of the best PC cases with the PC Gamer Recommended badge in the top right.
PC Cases The best fish tank PC case in 2026: I've tested heaps of stylish chassis but only a few have earned my recommendation
Minisforum AtomMan G7 PT mini PC and AtomMan Venus UM790 mini PCs
Gaming PCs Best mini PCs in 2026: The compact computers I love the most
An air cooler from Noctua and a liquid cooler from Arctic on a blue background with the PC Gamer Recommended badge in the upper right.
Cooling Best CPU coolers in 2026: I've tested the latest liquid coolers and air coolers to find the very best for your CPU
The Thermaltake Minecube 360 Ultra ARGB Sync set up on an open test bench.
Cooling Thermaltake Minecube 360 Ultra ARGB Sync review
Two Mini-ITX PC cases on a white/silver background with the PC Gamer recommended logo in the top right.
PC Cases The best Mini-ITX PC case in 2026: the top tiny cases I've tested so far
edoogg's FrameBook project, combining a Framework motherboard with a MacBook shell
Hardware This creator shoved a Framework inside of a 2006 MacBook: 'A reimagined classic, that's only a little bit janky'
An image of the best external hard drives on a red background with the PC Gamer recommended badge
HDDs Best external hard drives in 2026: the storage media I'd take on my own gaming adventures
CPU infinite ice cooler
Hardware YouTuber sets out to cool a CPU with infinite ice loop machine and actually achieves it
Popular
  • NEW: PC Gamer Clips!
  • Marathon
  • GDC
  • Best PC gear
  • Quizzes
  1. Hardware
  2. PC Cases

Build of the week: Open-air testbench

Features
By Bo Moore published 20 September 2016

Four hard drives and a large PSU make for a tight fit inside this tiny testing center.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
Bo Moore
Bo Moore
Social Links Navigation

As the former head of PC Gamer's hardware coverage, Bo was in charge of helping readers better understand and use PC hardware. He also headed up the buying guides, picking the best peripherals and components to spend your hard-earned money on. He can usually be found playing Overwatch, Apex Legends, or more likely, with his cats. He is now IGN's resident tech editor and PC hardware expert. 

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Whatsapp
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
PC Gamer
Get the PC Gamer Newsletter

Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Every Monday, Build of the week highlights a unique rig from the web’s most dedicated PC building communities.

This custom open-air PC from Reddit user GodZ-ilA is as gorgeous as it is vulnerable to dust. To keep a rig like this spotless, we'd have a can of compressed air on our desk within arm's reach. But the resulting purity? So worth it.

The open design makes this a prime build for swapping out parts for testing purposes. The small box base was built from U-Channel and 2mm aluminum sheets, with a few pieces, such as the backside’s perforated metal, salvaged from an old side panel. Hard drives and the PSU live inside the box, while the motherboard and everything else sits on top.

Article continues below
You may like
  • A Corsair Air 5400 PC case on a desk with various parts installed. Corsair Air 5400 review
  • A Phanteks XT V3 PC case on a desk with various PC parts. Phanteks XT V3 case review
  • The InWin Aeon 'Signature Chassis' features in a sparsly lit space. The words 'Beyond time. Beyond limits' are seen either side of the case. InWin's latest 'signature' case looks not unlike a futuristic egg but requires more than a simple crack to open

As an added bonus, GodZ-ilA also built a USB volume knob with a matching black and white aesthetic. A full guide of that build is available on Instructables. Congrats on the prettiest test bench we've seen, GodZ-ilA!

Components:

  • CPU: i7-4770k
  • Cooler: Phanteks Cooler
  • RAM: 16GB Hyper-X Black DDR3
  • Motherboard: Asrock Z87M Extreme4
  • Graphics card: EVGA GTX 750Ti SC
  • Storage: Samsung 950 Pro 256GB, Intel 520 126GB, WD Caviar Green 1.5TB, WD Scorpio Blue 1TB, Seagate Constellation 2 1TB 
  • Wi-fi card: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I
  • Power supply: SilverStone Modular 600W
Read more
A Corsair Air 5400 PC case on a desk with various parts installed.
Corsair Air 5400 review
 
 
A Phanteks XT V3 PC case on a desk with various PC parts.
Phanteks XT V3 case review
 
 
The InWin Aeon 'Signature Chassis' features in a sparsly lit space. The words 'Beyond time. Beyond limits' are seen either side of the case.
InWin's latest 'signature' case looks not unlike a futuristic egg but requires more than a simple crack to open
 
 
Two of the best PC cases with the PC Gamer Recommended badge in the top right.
The best fish tank PC case in 2026: I've tested heaps of stylish chassis but only a few have earned my recommendation
 
 
Two Mini-ITX PC cases on a white/silver background with the PC Gamer recommended logo in the top right.
The best Mini-ITX PC case in 2026: the top tiny cases I've tested so far
 
 
A custom gaming PC built inside of an old Victorian cast-iron radiator
This creator extraordinaire has built a gaming PC attached to a Victorian cast-iron radiator that is fully integrated into the cooling system, and I am in complete awe
 
 
Latest in PC Cases
A stained glass-style side panel for a gaming PC
This Redditor has built a stained glass-style panel for their gaming PC with a 'magnificent and luxurious animal' on it and it is indeed magnificent and luxurious
 
 
A Phanteks XT V3 PC case on a desk with various PC parts.
Phanteks XT V3 case review
 
 
Corsair Frame 4000D colour shifting case
Corsair introduces two new case colours 'that change tone as light moves across the surface' and from where I'm standing, they look fire
 
 
NZXT H2 Flow PC case
NZXT's latest mini-ITX PC case looks seriously nifty, I'm just not sure how I'm going to afford the RAM for the build...
 
 
A screenshot of a mryeester/Adam Lee video, showing a PC case modification that uses the audio jack socket to power on the PC
Don't ask 'why?' but this tech tinker turned the audio jack on their PC into a power button. A kinda borked power button
 
 
Zalman ZM-VS3 DS GPU support with screen
Zalman heard you like screens, so it put a screen on a GPU support bracket to go with your umpteen other PC case screens
 
 
Latest in Features
Zero Parades screenshot
Two laugh-out-loud moments in Zero Parades gave me hope that the Disco Elysium successor will still deliver flashes of brilliance
 
 
Seed
Former EVE Online developers are building a society simulation MMO where your character keeps playing even after you log off
 
 
A screencap of the Path of Exile: Mirage expansion trailer. A woman wearing red and white robes crosses her arms to summon a bright light. Her right arm is attached to a chain that is dragged down by something off-screen.
Path of Exile's new Mirage league might be the best chance you'll ever get at obtaining the rarest item in the game
 
 
Grace holds up a lighter in the dark
The worst part of Resident Evil Requiem is its final choice, which is an annoying throwback to Resident Evil 7's ultimatum
 
 
A wounded, bedridden Shan Hemlock being tended by one of her demigod siblings.
Even among the crowd of gorgeous illustrated games, At Fate's End is stunning enough to stand out
 
 
Razer Boomslang 20th Anniversary Edition
The one thing using a $1,337 gaming mouse has taught me is: we've come a long way from the old Razer Boomslang, baby
 
 
  1. Pick the products from our latest recommendations.
    1
    Best gaming PC builds: Shop all our recommended system builds as we ride out the RAMpocalypse
  2. 2
    Best gaming monitors in 2026: the pixel-perfect panels I'd buy myself
  3. 3
    The best fish tank PC case in 2026: I've tested heaps of stylish chassis but only a few have earned my recommendation
  4. 4
    Best gaming laptop 2026: I've tested the best laptops for gaming of this generation and here are the ones I recommend
  5. 5
    Best Hall effect keyboards in 2026: the fastest, most customizable keyboards for competitive gaming
  1. A PNY RTX 5070 Ti OC graphics card on a desk with a desk mat and pink light.
    1
    PNY GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB OC review
  2. 2
    EarFun Air Pro 4+ review
  3. 3
    Thermaltake Minecube 360 Ultra ARGB Sync review
  4. 4
    Corsair Sabre V2 Pro Wireless CF review
  5. 5
    Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection review

PC Gamer is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...