Open Benchtable/Elmor Labs BENCHLAB Review Leave a comment

Introduction, Specs, and Pricing

In our quest for higher PSU testing, I began roaming the web for options. In my travels, I remembered the tech fanatic website ElmorLabs. Scouring over the ElmorLabs web site, I initially discovered the PMD and PMD2, which I may additionally have a look at. I reached out to Jon over at ElmorLabs, who rapidly found out {that a} BenchLab would work greatest for the TweakTown PSU take a look at system. Jon then helped me contact Pieter over at Open Bench Desk to amass a BenchLab for testing and future testing use.

ElmorLabs and Open Bench Desk are in Taipei, Taiwan, in order that they have a wonderful working relationship. The BenchLab is a chunk of {hardware} that enables for higher monitoring of {hardware} voltages, wattage, ambient temperature, fan management, and different technical facets. The BenchLab will be bought both from ElmorLabs or BenchLab themselves for $199.

A fast have a look at the OpenBenchTable/Elmor Labs Benchlab

Why do not we open the packaging and see what the BenchLab contains and the way it modifications issues for future PSU testing right here at TweakTown?

Packaging

VIEW GALLERY – 14 IMAGES

The Benchlab is available in a plain cardboard field, however we do not care about that; what’s inside issues.

Opening the brown cardboard field, the Benchlab is in an antistatic bag, and two pink items of open-cell foam are seen, which could be very good.

Product

There are a lot of cables included beneath the BenchLab. I can let you know that these cables are of very top quality, every individually sleeved and with a thicker sleeve over nearly all of the size.

Included within the field are:

Energy Measurement

• 1x 24-pin ATX plug to 24-pin ATX plug, 20cm (black)
• 2x 4+4-pin EPS plug to 8-pin EPS plug, 20cm (black)
• 3x 6+2-pin PCIE plug to 8-pin PCIE plug, 40cm (black)
• 2x 12+4-pin 12VHPWR plug to 12+4-pin 12VHPWR plug, 40cm (black)

Voltage Enter

• 4x 1-pin Dupont male with take a look at hook, 30cm (pink, inexperienced, yellow, blue)

Fan Ext

• 1x 4-pin to 4-pin fan header receptacle, 30cm (black)

Thermistor

• 2x skinny movie tip B=3950 to 2-pin JST XH 100cm (black)
• 2x waterproof tip B=3950 to 2-pin JST XH 100cm (black)

RGB

• 1x 3-pin to 3-pin, 30cm (black)

I/O Connector

• 3x 2-pin DuPont feminine to feminine 20cm (black)
• 1x USB Kind-A to Kind-C, 100cm (black)

Standoffs

• 10x 25+6mm M3 nickel-plated copper

The BenchLab is a PCB designed to reside between the motherboard and the Open Bench Desk, permitting for a sleeker aesthetic whereas sustaining most performance. Within the middle, BenchLab could be very clearly printed, together with OBT’s and ElmorLabs’s emblems. Every thing is clearly marked, with easy-to-read textual content. Scan the QR code on the board together with your smartphone to get the web guide.

Right here, we have now the BenchLab’s energy cable enter part. On the far proper finish are two EPS 8-pin CPUs, a 24-pin motherboard, three 8-pin PCIe, and two 12VHPWR connections. On the opposite finish, there’s a TS4 enter and one other PWM fan header.

On this facet, we have now the ability output part, which has the identical variety of connections as the ability enter part.

To the fitting of the ability output part is a single 4-pin PWM fan header, a measure voltage part with 8 totally different readout factors, and a single USB 2.0 Kind-A port.

This website reveals just a few extra 4-pin PWM fan headers, a TS3 temperature header, two EPS 8-pin CPU outputs, and a USB Kind-C port for inputting diagnostic data to the BenchLab v1.00 software program. Two further USB 2.0 Kind-A ports flank the USB Kind-C port, making for a complete of three USB 2.0 Kind-A ports.

The Benchlab even has 30 ARGB Gen 1 LEDs unfold across the underside perimeter to offer off some attention-grabbing lighting, all of which will be managed through the BenchLab software program.

The BenchLab, a collaboration between Open Bench Desk and ElmorLabs, is designed for use on both model of the Open Bench Desk and is put in on prime of the OBT V1. My solely actual grievance is that it’s robust to put in PSU cables immediately into the BenchLab with a motherboard. Utilizing cable extensions may be the answer; nonetheless, be cautious of this, as I bumped into stability points utilizing inferior extensions.

Right here is the present PSU take a look at motherboard, the AORUS B650 Elite AX, and its take a look at CPU, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, which is put in proper on prime of the Benchlab utilizing the riser standoffs included with the Open Bench Desk.

Utilizing the included standoffs, the BenchLab sits neatly beneath the motherboard.

Take a look at System, Set up, and Completed Product

PSU Take a look at System

Remaining Ideas

The BenchLab software program is damaged up into standing, energy, voltage, temperature, fan, RGB, I/O, management panel, settings, and about. Begin with standing, which reveals the machine identify, standing, UID, and firmware model. The configuration part permits the top consumer to alter the pleasant identify, monitor interval, export information to HWiNFO, export to a CSV file, and, lastly, the CSV file path. Most precious data is within the energy part, together with system energy, CPU energy, EPS energy, GPU energy, 12VHPWR wattage, and plenty of different helpful metrics. The next part, voltage, reveals the voltage facet of every monitored element.

Transferring to the temperature part, we are able to see the chip temperature, ambient temperature, humidity, and as much as 4 different temperature sensors the consumer can arrange. The fan part is equally laid out just like the earlier sections; nonetheless, it provides just a few drop-down menus to permit for finer tuning of followers. The RGB part, which I’m certain you guessed it controls, permits the top consumer to regulate the 32 ARGB LEDs unfold across the perimeter of the underside of the Benchlab.

The I/O part will allow customers to arrange totally different buttons for numerous features. The management panel part is fairly primary, exhibiting if the management panel standing is linked or disconnected. The subsequent tab is the settings tab, the place the consumer can determine if all of the sensors will likely be seen, customise the colour, customise the identify, export to HWiNFO, or export to a CSV file. Lastly, the About part reveals any URLs wanted to get further help ought to the consumer ever want it.

In my final evaluate, which was the Chieftec Polaris Professional 1300w ATX 3.0 PSU, I used BenchLab to observe voltages, element wattages, and ambient temperature whereas utilizing the BenchLab software program. This data was very helpful, particularly because it’s direct element data moderately than counting on software program report data, so there’s an precise distinction.

Having the BenchLab now in our arsenal to assemble as a lot details about PSUs as attainable is all the time a great factor. The BenchLab software program additionally reveals all the data wanted to make well-informed PSU evaluations; that is all the time good. Extra data is to be gathered, however for now, this may significantly enhance the accuracy of our future PSU evaluations. Thanks once more to Jon from ElmorLabs and Pieter from OBT for sending out the BenchLab.