Breaking Thermal Grizzly Der8enchtable Review

Breaking Thermal Grizzly Der8enchtable Review

While the Thermal Grizzly Der8enchtable won't be of interest or use to most PC enthusiasts, if you test hardware for a living or just love overclocking and experimenting with components, and you need something consistent and reliable to work from, this benchmarking platform is highly recommended. Superbly well built and very easy to use, only the high price will make you think twice before buying one.

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It's not every day that I get to review a piece of computing hardware that's almost specifically designed for me, but that's exactly what Thermal Grizzly's Der8enchtable is. Well, it was actually created by Roman 'der8auer' Hartung, in conjunction with Jon Sandström of ElmorLabs, to make it easier for them to test motherboards, CPUs, coolers, etc. And since he just so happens to be the CEO of Thermal Grizzly, it's now something that I can use for the same purposes, too.

For $269 (direct from Thermal Grizzly), you can have one as well, though let's be honest here: the Der8enchtable is going to be of zero use to the vast majority of PC enthusiasts. That's because it's simply an open-platform circuit board that you can connect a motherboard to, and separately control fans, pumps, and lights; it also provides external storage options so you don't have to use those on the motherboard.

It might be a bit 'inside baseball' but let me explain why this is so useful for hardware testing. When I get a new motherboard or CPU to review, I use a basic open-chassis to mount the motherboard and PSU, then wire it all up, and then spend a good amount of time installing the operating system and test software. I also have to mess about with the BIOS to get a consistent cooling profile, to ensure thermal results across tested products are comparable.

Motherboard support: ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITXStorage: 4× MicroSD slots, 2x onboard SATA portsUSB: 4x USB 2.0 Type-A, 2x USB 2.0 Type-CHeaders: 2x 2-pin (power/reset), 1x 3-pin ARGB, 2x 4-pin pump, 3x 4-pin fanControl: 1x 9-pin USB, 1 4-pin PWMPower: 1x 6-pin PCIePrice: $269/€230

The Der8enchtable streamlines that whole process by centralising storage and fan control. It comes with two SATA ports and four MicroSD card slots that you can use to host operating systems, applications, or whatever you need to run and test the motherboard,

Source: PC Gamer