Installation

First step in installing the PC is to secure the motherboard to the motherboard tray. It's easiest to do this while the motherboard tray is separated from the rest of the bench station. The included fine thread thumbscrews make securing the motherboard to the tray a simple, tool-free procedure. Before installing any expansion cards into the machine, the support risers must be installed. These steel rods simply screw into the motherboard tray, and use a fine thread thumbscrew at the top to secure the card.



Continue the process until all your cards are installed securely. Two support risers are recommended for dual slot graphics cards for added support. One thing that might be an issue, depending on the hardware you utilize, is that the wiring for the power and reset buttons may be in the way of a graphics card due to the heat shrink being too stiff to bend. There are ways around this issue, however. After assembling the motherboard and components, the tray can now be installed atop the rest of the bench station.



To install the power supply unit, you simply attach it to the mounting bracket with four coarse thread thumbscrews and install it with two more thumbscrews into the lower section of the Banchetto. Installing the hard drive is the same process, using six coarse thread thumbscrews to mount the drive, and two more to secure it into the bench station.


Installing the optical drive is pretty straightforward, the drive is mounted with four fine thread thumbscrews and another thumbscrew is used to secure the bracket into the case. It is a tight fit so be patient to lessen the possibility of scratches. After installing all the lower components, we're now ready to place the motherboard tray.


Getting the feet of the motherboard tray to align with the pegs on the lower part of the Banchetto was somewhat tricky, but after a bit of adjustment, it went together smoothly. Now the rest of the wiring can be done.


As an optional piece, this fan mount utilizes two 92 mm fans to provide extra airflow around the CPU, voltage regulators, and memory modules. Mounting a radiator to the back panel is pretty straightforward. It is suggested that you attach the water cooling components to the panel while not mounted to the rest of the case, as it makes the task much easier. There is plenty of room to mount your water pump and reservoir inside the bottom section of the case.

Finished Look

Once fully assembled the Banchetto with hardware installed, is still light enough to tote around if you have the need to take it somewhere with you. The assembled machine is very sturdy and there is almost no flexing in the aluminum supports. Cable management could perhaps be an issue if you do not make use of a modular power supply. With the Corsair HX520W used in this review, it was relatively easy to manage the excess cabling. Overall, Microcool has put a lot of research into designing the Banchetto to include features that people want to see in bench stations. With only a few minor issues, they have almost hit their target spot on.