The BC1 is a collaboration between HWBOT, Overclocking-TV and Streacom to create a truly exceptional benchtable, one that redefines the product category and towers above current offerings in terms of portability, aesthetics, quality and design. It also forms the foundation of the Open Benchtable Project, a community-driven platform that will allow the benchtable to evolve over time through accessories and mods from third-party developers.
Being only 8mm thick and weighing a mere 1.75kg, the Open Benchtable is uniquely designed for travelling overclockers, enthusiasts and technical professionals who need put together a full open PC while on the road. It uniquely integrates all the components needed to quickly set up a benching or test platform including; standoffs, screws and brackets.
The entire BC1 is made of precision machined, anodized aluminium which offers fantastic rigidity while also being extremely lightweight. The body also features an integrated carry handle and has been ingeniously designed to incorporate the legs, standoffs, and brackets which all seamlessly stow within. This means no moving (or indeed rattling) parts when in transit.
The entire product uses thumbscrews meaning you won’t even need to bring your screwdriver with you. Motherboard standoffs include traditional and convenient pushpin options. The BC1 supports all form factor motherboards, plus up to four VGA cards. Integrated mounting brackets support system fans and radiators in a variety of configurations.
To learn more about the Open Benchtable project, visit this website: openbenchtable.com
The BC1 V2, a familiar form factor but with a huge engineering re-design that is nothing short of spectacular. It aims to be more robust, more versatile, more functional, more practical and easier to use than ever before.
Read the full press release here
V1.1 is a minor revision of the original design incorporating some of the new features already integrated in the BC1 Mini. These include ….
Updated support bracket design with a thick and slimmer side to allow for different length screws on the hardware being mounted.
Rubber insets for the feet instead of adhesive pads
A Kensington lock slot for added security
Revised storage mounting slot spacing for use with thicker drives.
See the V1.1 product page here
The original BC1 (now known as the V1) launched in 2016 has been superseded by the V1.1 and was discontinued at that time. There was no major changes to the spec so we have not retained or created a specific product page for it.
AN UNRIVALED & INGENIOUS DESIGN
The beauty of the BC1 (apart from how it looks) is the simple yet highly functional design. A key objective was portability, meaning it would need to occupy minimal space when not in use and be self-contained for ease of transport. The solution was to derive everything from a single body, integrating and incorporating all the parts so they could also be stored and occupy minimal space.
SIMPLE TO ASSEMBLE AND USE
At first sight the BC1 may look complicated or tedious to use but thanks to the toolless assembly and fully custom screws, assembly is a breeze. Once the feet are attached to the body all that remains is to add the standoffs in the appropriate locations depending on your motherboard size. Support for expansion cards, storage drives and cooling it achieved with more thumbscrews and the included brackets.
With the use of its pushpin standoffs, no screws are required to secure the motherboard in place making it ideal for quick and easy hardware testing and swapping.
COMPREHENSIVE HARDWARE SUPPORT
You would be forgiven for thinking the compromises made to achieve such a portable product would leave it lacking in hardware compatibility. On the contrary, the BC1 has incredible hardware support thanks to its open platform design. The adjustable side bracket approach to mounting hardware also provides a wide range of support for cooling and other hardware to be mounted.
A VERSATILE APPROACH TO MOUNTING HARDWARE
With such a compact and minimal design, a different approach was needed to add support for cooling such as fans and radiators. The solution is side mounting brackets that pivot to adjust for different size fans.
The V2 now features twice as many brackets that can either be combined to support longer screws and higher loads or split and use together at a single location or individually to add more mounting locations.
VERTICAL MODE FOR HARDWARE DISPLAY/DEMO
One of the most unexpected uses for the BC1 has been the trend in people using it in a vertical orientation so with the V2 we have introduced this as a native feature. Whilst we still don’t recommend this for a critical system, especially with some of the larger/heavier GPUs on the market, the alternative foot location gives much greater stability than before and is ideal for a product display solution.
