LOCAL HICKORY LAB // PRECISION HARDWARE

FIELD-TESTED PCS. BUILT FOR THE WORKLOAD.

Built by hardware engineers with more than a decade of experience designing and bench-testing high-performance systems. Choose a fixed, fully assembled baseline with a known price, or plan an out-of-tier build. Every machine is physically inspected in Hickory, updated to verified firmware, and held through a continuous 24-hour burn-in before local pickup.

01 // 24-HOUR STRESS BURN-IN

Thermal Chamber Run

Continuous synthetic load stress testing verifying full CPU and GPU thermal dissipation.

02 // 100% INSPECTION

Component Verification

Physical trace inspection, validated memory timings, and verified firmware flashing.

03 // ZERO SHIPPED JUNK

Stock Clean OS

Clean Windows or Linux staging with zero third-party trialware or sponsor bloatware.

Choose Your Tier Custom Project Options →

■ Hickory Hardware Lab → ■ 98% Infrastructure SLA → ■ Contact Build Desk →

Hardware Systems Lab

Hickory, NC // LAB-BENCH-01

ACTIVE RUNTIME

THERMAL STRESS 24-Hour Sustained Burn-In

FIRMWARE AUDIT Latest Stable BIOS & Drivers

OPERATING SYSTEM Clean Windows or Debian Linux

BLOATWARE POLICY Zero Adware or Trialware

PUBLISHED SLA 98% Hardware SLA →

HARDWARE LAB Hickory NC Hardware Lab →

FOUNDED

EST. 2025

TESTING

24H BURN-IN

FACILITY

100% OWNED

HANDOFF

LOCAL PICKUP

CUSTOM PROJECT DESK // HIGH-DENSITY WORKLOADS

One machine, several rigs, or a workstation that also plays.

The fixed tiers below can be ordered immediately. These broader project types stay contact-led because the workload, acoustics, physical space, and handoff requirements change the component plan.

01 // SINGLE RIG CUSTOM WORKLOAD

Custom gaming machines

Plan beyond the fixed tiers around specific games, display targets, peripherals, room constraints, acoustics, and budget. Built with precision airflow and zero unwanted preloads.

TARGET RESOLUTION 1440p / 4K High Refresh

ACOUSTIC LIMIT Sub-24 dB Quiet Fan Curve

THERMAL BURN-IN 24-Hour Sustained Chamber Load

CHASSIS SCOPE SFF Compact or Full-Tower

Discuss a custom machine →

02 // MULTI RIG FLEET & LAN ARENA

Multi-rig systems

Coordinate several machines for a household, team room, LAN setup, classroom, or shared production space. Consistent component architecture simplifies parts and drivers.

HARDWARE BASELINE Identical Parts for LAN Play

OS DEPLOYMENT Cloned Master Golden Image

NETWORK CORRIDOR Low-Latency Switch Routing

COMPONENT POOL Interchangeable Spares on Hand

Plan a multi-rig project →

03 // WORKSTATION DUAL-PURPOSE COMPUTE

Custom workstations

Balance gaming with editing, streaming, development, simulation, local AI, or other heavy workloads that require high memory capacity, fast storage arrays, or specialized compute.

COMPUTE TOPOLOGY High-Core & High-Capacity DDR5

STORAGE PIPELINE Multi-Drive PCIe Gen4/Gen5 RAID

DUAL PROFILES Dual-Purpose Gaming & Production

POWER DELIVERY 1000W+ Platinum Transient Shield

Scope a workstation →

FIXED BASE CONFIGURATIONS // LOCAL PROVING GROUND

Choose the machine. We take it through the proving ground.

Prices exclude applicable sales tax. Named components are the approved baseline. Any equal-or-better substitution requires customer approval before we continue.

01 // RECRUIT

Recruit

$1,600

Base price before tax

High-refresh 1080p and strong 1440p gaming.

Approved Baseline Specs

PROCESSOR: Ryzen 5 7600X
GRAPHICS: RTX 4070
MEMORY: 32 GB DDR5
STORAGE: 1 TB NVMe

24-hour burn-in after assembly and firmware updates.
7-12 business days for sourcing, assembly, testing, and handoff preparation.
Hickory local pickup; shipping is not included.
Equal-or-better substitutions require customer approval.

RECOMMENDED TIER

02 // OPERATOR

Operator

$2,500

Base price before tax

High-refresh 1440p, capable 4K, streaming, and content work.

Approved Baseline Specs

PROCESSOR: Ryzen 7 9700X
GRAPHICS: RTX 4070 Ti Super
MEMORY: 32 GB DDR5
STORAGE: 2 TB NVMe

24-hour burn-in after assembly and firmware updates.
7-12 business days for sourcing, assembly, testing, and handoff preparation.
Hickory local pickup; shipping is not included.
Equal-or-better substitutions require customer approval.

03 // COMMANDER

Commander

$3,800

Base price before tax

Top-end 4K gaming, heavy production, simulation, and workstation loads.

Approved Baseline Specs

PROCESSOR: Ryzen 9 9950X
GRAPHICS: RTX 4090
MEMORY: 64 GB DDR5
STORAGE: 2 TB NVMe + 2 TB SSD

24-hour burn-in after assembly and firmware updates.
7-12 business days for sourcing, assembly, testing, and handoff preparation.
Hickory local pickup; shipping is not included.
Equal-or-better substitutions require customer approval.

CUSTOM ORDERS // OUT-OF-TIER SCOPE

Need something outside the three baselines?

Custom machines, multi-rig spaces, bespoke liquid cooling loops, multi-GPU rendering nodes, and esports LAN rigs start with a workload review. Tell us what the setup has to do, the displays and peripherals involved, the physical room constraints, and the budget.

01 // BESPOKE LIQUID LOOPS

Custom Thermal Engineering

Rigid tubing, multi-radiator surface area, and pressure-tested leak prevention.

02 // MULTI-GPU RENDERING

AI & Compute Acceleration

High-density PCIe lane bifurcation, enterprise power supplies, and thermal ducting.

03 // SFF LAN TRANSPORT

Compact High-Performance

Sub-20 liter high-density chassis tuned for travel stability and low acoustics.

04 // FLEET PROVISIONING

Esports & Team Arenas

Identical hardware baselines, golden image deployment, and synchronized burn-in.

Contact the Build Desk → Hickory Lab Direct Intake

Custom Engineering Protocol

Hickory Hardware Bench Standards

LAB BENCH VERIFIED

STAGE 01 // WORKLOAD & SOURCING BOM AUDIT

Component-Level Architecture

Resolution targets, PCIe lane topology, frame time consistency, and itemized component bill-of-materials with supplier cost transparency.

STAGE 02 // THERMAL CHAMBER SOAK 24H STRESS

Continuous Synthetic Load Run

Full 24-hour thermal soak measuring junction deltas, VRM hotspot temperatures, and radiator pressure to prevent thermal throttling under real gameplay.

STAGE 03 // MEMORY & VOLTAGE ZERO CRASH

Timing Validation & Power Stability

Sub-timing tuning and synthetic memory stress under transient load spikes, verifying power supply ripple limits and zero silent bit flips.

STAGE 04 // BIOS PROFILE LOCK CLEAN OS

Firmware Lock & Bloatware-Free

Custom fan curve calibrations, TPM/SecureBoot configuration, BIOS profile backup, and clean Windows or Linux staging with zero third-party bloatware.

Plan an Out-of-Tier Build →

LOCAL INTAKE // SUSTAINABLE HARDWARE

Retro Rescue & Electronics Reuse

Send photos and an item list before you ship or drop off electronics. DustBowl will review the items and confirm whether the intake is local or qualifies for specifically approved shipping. We test, refurbish, and redeploy usable gaming hardware, retro components, and systems to extend their operational life.

01 // ACCEPTED HARDWARE

Usable Gaming & Servers

CPUs, GPUs, DDR4/DDR5 RAM, enterprise switches, server racks, and retro gaming towers.

02 // DATA PROTECTION

DoD/NIST 800-88 Sanitization

Every hard drive and SSD is multi-pass sanitized or physically demagnetized before reuse.

Offer Hardware for Intake → Local Hickory lab handoff & approved shipping

Before Anything Moves

Mandatory Intake & Sanitization Protocol

STEP-BY-STEP

Step 01: Photograph the items and their physical condition (submit photos).
Step 02: Provide an item list with known model numbers and specs.
Step 03: Wait for intake approval from our lab before drop-off or shipment.
Step 04: Use local intake handoff at our Hickory lab unless specifically approved shipping is coordinated in advance.
Step 05: All storage media undergoes DoD/NIST 800-88 sanitization before testing or component reuse.

Lab Facility: Hickory, NC Submit Intake Form →

DUSTBOWL PRECISION LAB // HICKORY NC

ENGINEERED IN HICKORY. ZERO COMPONENT SHORTCUTS.

Every rig that leaves our Hickory workbench is built to the same uncompromising standards we demand for our own tournament systems. Zero bloatware. Clean thermal profiles. Continuous 24-hour burn-in verification.

Stress Protocol 24-Hour Thermal Chamber Run

Handover Local Hickory NC Pickup →

Software Staging Clean Windows / Linux (No Bloat)

Lifecycle Reuse NIST 800-88 Data Destruction →

Choose Your Tier → Contact the Build Desk → Join Discord →

DIRECT ESCALATION CHANNELS DISPATCH STANDBY

01 // OUT-OF-TIER BUILDS INTAKE →

FIELD-TESTED PCS. BUILT FOR THE WORKLOAD.

One machine, several rigs, or a workstation that also plays.

Custom gaming machines

Multi-rig systems

Custom workstations

Choose the machine. We take it through the proving ground.

Recruit

Operator

Commander

Need something outside the three baselines?

Retro Rescue & Electronics Reuse

ENGINEERED IN HICKORY. ZERO COMPONENT SHORTCUTS.

Custom Architecture & Workstations

Hardware Intake & Electronics Drop-Off

Hickory Lab Handover Scheduling