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AIO DRN-STN Review: A Gaming All-In-One With A 120 Hz Display
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1. AIO Goes Do-It-Yourself

The hardest part about getting to a LAN party usually isn't the drive, but rather the short walk between your car and wherever you're setting up. Even if you built a microATX cube to hold your high-end array of graphics cards, you still need to make a second trip for your monitor, and possibly a third for peripherals.

Some of those all-in-one systems are starting to look nice, aren't they? It's only too bad that most of them utilize proprietary components and are poorly ventilated, leaving little thermal headroom for enthusiast-oriented parts. AIO Corporation wants to provide the solution.

Announced last summer for the European market, the “Drone Station” DRN-STN combines an ATX chassis with AU Optronics' highly-rated M240HW01 V8 LED-backlit, 24”, 1920x1080 panel. That’s the same panel used by Asus in its VG248QE, which we reviewed in (Asus VG248QE: A 24-Inch, 144 Hz Gaming Monitor Under $300), and BenQ in its XL2420T. Unfortunately for our colleagues overseas, we haven’t been able to find a European distributor actually carrying this product. And unfortunately for a few of the rest of us, this is a 120 Hz (rather than 144 Hz) version of the panel.

But AIO has a treat for those who live in the U.S. and are willing to go the 120 Hz route; the firm reached a distribution agreement with retail giant Newegg for Internet-based sales. Unfortunately, as of this writing, the platform is not yet available. But a hard launch is expected imminently.

AIO Corporation DRN-STN Specifications
External Features
Front Ports2 x USB 3.0, 2 x USB 2.0, Headphone, Microphone
Front Controls2 x Three-speed fan controls; Lighted power, reset, and monitor settings
Rear PortsEthernet, Three-Pin universal power
Dimensions25.9" x 22.7" x 14.3" (width x height x depth)
Weight38 pounds, 13 ounces
Other FeaturesAUO M240HW01 V8  24" TN Display, 1920x1080, 5 ms Response
Internal Capacity
Form FactorFull ATX, microATX, mini-ITX, Up To 12.1" x 11.4"
Space Above Motherboard1.2" (w/o fans)
Card Length17.3" (Slot 1-4), 11.4" (Slots 5-7)
Left Fans
(alternatives)
3 x 120 mm
(None)
Right Fans
(alternatives)
3 x 120 mm
(None)
Top Fans
(alternatives)
2 x 120 mm
(2 x 140 mm)
Rear Fans
(alternatives)
None
(2 x 120 / 140 mm)
Component Fans
(alternatives)
None
(1 x 120 / 92 mm at CPU socket)
Drive Bays
5.25" ExternalTwo
3.5" ExternalNone
3.5" InternalEight
2.5" InternalOne
Card SlotsSeven
Price$1000

Oh yes, the display is TN-based. That means it’s a six-bit panel that uses dithering to approximate the 16.7 billion colors available from an eight-bit screen. Our reviews show that the panel does a fairly good job though, or as display editor Christian Eberle says, “It’s getting harder to buy a bad screen these days!” Discriminating photo pros might automatically take a pass even on a well-executed compromise, but gamers will appreciate the technology’s superb response time.

It’s good, then, that AIO Corporation is marketing this as the “World’s first All in One ATX game PC”. Is it really?

2. A Gaming All-In-One: The World’s First…What?

A company called “All In One Corporation”, with a product line filled primarily with cases not designed for all-in-ones, claims to have the first gaming-oriented all-in-one PC. Throwing the word game around eliminates ruggedized ATX workstations, though we’ve seen private sellers try to push those designs into the gaming space.

This system isn't even a PC, though. It's a chassis. So, perhaps a more accurate description would be the “World’s First Purpose-Built, Mass-Production, ATX-Compatible, AIO Gaming Case”. Accuracy requires wordiness.

Marketing aside, the convenience of a case with an integrated, well-protected screen is undeniable. The DRN-STN arrives wrapped in plastic, with a replaceable monitor cover strapped around the back. We recommend taking the unit outside before removing its plastic bag; all of the plastic molding and paint curing fumes are packed within.

The rigid foam cover is both replaceable and destructible. Take care of it; it's designed to protect the monitor as you transport the complete system between gaming events.

The name “Drone Station” appears well-suited to seagoing "drones" (USVs, UUVs) , as the outer casing evokes some marine ARPA displays. It’s also reminiscent of certain arcade game cabinets though, and it is intended to house gaming hardware.

Three lighted buttons on the lower-left corner control the integrated display, standing out above a pair of three-speed fan controllers and two USB 2.0 ports.

The right-bottom corner has lighted power and reset buttons, headset jacks, and a pair of USB 3.0 ports.

3. More Drone Station Features

The back of the case features a plastic cover over a metal panel, with two fan mounts blocked. The purpose of this design will become more apparent as we build our system, but the short story is that the system can be assembled with either the plastic cover or metal panel removed.

A universal PC power jack occupies the rear panel’s lower-left corner. Support for international power standards relies on the type of power supply you choose.

The lower-right corner features an Ethernet jack. Network standards, like the power supply, depend on the hardware you install.

Latch handles fold up and spin 180° to slide a hasp around 3/16”, releasing the DRN-STN’s front and back halves.

The DRN-STN’s double-wall outer housing appears to be rotationally molded in a similar fashion to the carrying cases of large wind instruments, relying on the flexibility of the plastic to keep those latches tight. Unlike those hinged enclosures, the DRN-STN uses large locator pegs and sockets to align its front and rear halves.

The trip from Dongguan wasn’t so kind to our review sample, though; the front and back panels got smashed together hard enough to remove the required 3/16” of interference. Three of the latches instead flop around loosely when we tighten them, even though no damage is visible. My quick and dirty solution is to put rubber spacers at the locator socket bottoms, adding space between the front and rear enclosure sections.

4. Inside AIO’s DRN-STN

The DRN-STN isn’t exactly an ATX-sized case with an LCD panel added on, but instead an enclosure that encompasses an ATX case and LCD panel. The difference is that the case itself is a separable entity.

A groove next to the power cord is supposed to allow cable ingress and egress for features that aren’t supported by the case, but that part of the case has only around 1/4” of table clearance.

Three lighted 120 mm fans occupy each side in left-to-right cross-flow orientation. The two remaining top panel fans are split, with intake on the left and exhaust on the right.

External bays are located outside the ATX chassis, since they must be accessible from the outer enclosure’s front panel.

The DRN-STN’s outer casing connects to the rear panel of its internal chassis. Dual-link DVI enables its 120 Hz display, four USB plugs connect front-panel ports, two 3.5 mm stereo plugs connect front-panel headphone and microphone jacks, and power and network extension cables connect to the rear of the outer housing. A front-panel power/reset/LED cable connects to an extension plug on the chassis, but the case has no provisions for a motherboard’s other internal headers.

A mere 17” tall and 7.625” wide, the internal ATX case is a mid-tower by traditional standards of days gone by (when it a lot easier to figure out the difference between a full- and mid-tower). Its three former 5.25” bays are covered by a mesh panel since they’re not externally accessible, and AIO instead adds an internal hard drive cage behind that mesh.

The chassis front panel’s dual 120 mm fan mounts are located directly behind two of the outer housing’s three 120 mm intake fans, making its mounting pattern inconsequential to most builds.

A 120 / 92 mm dual-pattern fan mount on the internal case’s rear panel is similarly unnecessary most of the time, though it is a handy place for the radiator of a single-fan, closed-loop liquid cooler.

Seven expansion slots support a full ATX motherboard, but don’t leave extra space for a dual-slot graphics card in the board's bottom slot.

5. ATX Chassis Features

The DRN-STN’s internal ATX chassis is barely tall enough to fit an ATX motherboard and full-sized power supply.

Matching four-drive cages are attached to top and bottom panels, with roughly 1.4” of space between them and front-panel fan mounts. Since the mounts are located directly behind the outer casing’s intake fans, some builders may opt to install a dual-fan radiator there. The tanks of many closed-loop liquid coolers are small enough to clear the upper cage and base panel, though the removal of a single rivet just below the case’s lower fan may be required.

Two of the DRN-STN’s eight 120 mm fans are located inside its internal chassis; they connect to motherboard headers rather than the housing’s controllers. The fans are installed as an intake on the left and exhaust on the right, matching the configuration of the outer housing’s side fans. The top panel also supports 140 mm fans, though hole spacing and clearance issues prevent the use of a radiator there.

The ATX chassis' lower panel supports a single 2.5” drive on the inside and two 5.25” adapter brackets on the outside. It has no intake vent for the power supply, but the power supply can be flipped over to draw air from inside the enclosure.

Our mounting kit didn’t include the 5.25” external drive brackets, though that appears to be an oversight since they were included with the unit tested by our German colleagues. This is how their installation appeared:

AIO Corporation was eager to remedy the situation, sending a pair of replacement brackets right after the conclusion of our tests. Though they're the same shape as those used in the above installation, the color has changed from silver to black.

6. Building With The DRN-STN

Perhaps the most glaring of the DRN-STN’s shortcomings is a scarcity of 2.5” bays. The bottom panel can hold a drive, but some motherboard and power supply cable packs don’t have the necessary straight-ended connectors. Additional holes on the drive cage might have supported 2.5” drives, except that a lip on the bottom and a raised center on top prevent them from being mounted on either side. And the 3.5” drive rails don’t even support most 2.5” adapter trays, since their pins are spaced to fit only the outer holes of 3.5” drives.

All of that means there will be builders who have to buy different cables to fit a single SSD, and installing a second SSD means buying a longer adapter.

The DRN-STN also includes a screw-free add-in card bracket, though it doesn't work with many enthusiast-oriented graphics cards. That might have been an issue for a chassis purportedly aimed at gamers, except that the slot brackets also support screws. Problem averted!

The DRN-STN’s internal ATX chassis includes thumb screws only for the outer side panel. The inner side panel is removable with a screwdriver, and we wondered why the company didn't have more interest in providing greater access to the cable stowage area between the motherboard tray and side panel. The tray has a cable access hole; why wouldn’t we be encouraged to use it?

We had to go through several steps before that hole was useable with our eight-pin EPS12V cable. First, since the case’s access hole and our motherboard's connector are extra-close to a fan, the cooler had to be temporarily removed. Next, since the hole is narrow, we had to split our eight-pin power lead in two and slip each half through the hole sideways. Our apologies to anyone who doesn’t have a 4+4-pin cable.

If you can, on the other hand, take advantage of the case’s access holes, you'll be pleased to find space for nearly every cable, with tie-off points that could have further cleaned-up this already-organized installation.

With roughly 6.25” of cooler clearance, our 6.2”-tall Coolink Corator DS barely fits within the inner chassis’ steel panel. Remove the steel panel and you’ll get a fraction of an inch of extra space, with the visual benefit of full internal views. Or, remove the plastic window to make the inner panel’s fan mounts operational. Or, remove both to annoy the LAN partier sitting behind your PC with the din of two Radeon R9 290Xes cranking away in CrossFire. 

7. Testing Configuration

AIO Corporation’s DRN-STN sets exemplary standards with its double-walled plastic housing, and even includes a 24” panel that’s high-end by the low-latency standards understood by gamers. On the other hand, 11.2 pounds of steel doesn’t get the company much structure for the internal ATX chassis, and cost cutting can be seen right through to the knock-out-style slot covers. From the performance standpoint, do we even have anything to compare?

Putting aside the display that exists in none of our other cases, triple fans on both sides and dual fans on top put the DRN-STN solidly into our highest range of gaming case comparisons. On the other hand, the internal chassis is a complete low-cost case within a case, and falls within our lowest category of reviewed products. Lacking further direction, I decided to compare it to the top three performers from our recent mainstream gaming case comparison.

Test System Configuration
CPUIntel Core i7-3960X (Sandy Bridge-E): 3.3 GHz, Six Cores
O/C to 4.25 GHz (34 x 125 MHz) at 1.35 V Core
CPU CoolerCoolink Corator DS 120 mm Tower
MotherboardAsus P9X79 Pro: LGA 2011, Intel X79 Express, Firmware 3501 (03/14/2013)
O/C at 125 MHz BCLK
RAMG.Skill F3-17600CL9Q-16GBXLD 16 GB (4 x 4 GB) DDR3-2200
Benchmarked at DDR3-1666 CAS 9 defaults
GraphicsNvidia GeForce GTX 580: 772 MHz GPU,  GDDR5-4008
Maximum fan for thermal tests, SLI
Hard DrivesSamsung 840 Series MZ-7PD256, 256 GB SSD 
SoundIntegrated HD Audio
NetworkIntegrated GbE
PowerSeaSonic X760 SS-760KM
ATX12V v2.3, EPS12V, 80 PLUS Gold
Software
OSMicrosoft Windows 8 Pro x64
GraphicsNvidia GeForce 314.22
ChipsetIntel INF 9.2.3.1020

Our hardware was picked long ago for its high heat and noise, but has since been found to keep a better temperature-to-cooling profile than some subsequent parts (such as CPUs based on the Haswell architecture). For the sake of consistency, though, I’m even using the same drive image and graphics drivers, which give me access to several generations of testing.

Benchmark Configuration
Prime95 v25.864-bit executable, Small FFTs, 11 threads
3DMark 11Version: 1.0.3.0, Extreme Preset: Graphics Test 1, Looped
Real Temp 3.40Average of maximum core readings at full CPU load
Galaxy CM-140 SPL MeterTested at 1/2 m, corrected to 1 m (-6 dB), dBA weighting

But there is a difference in the way the DRN-STN is going to be tested today, and that difference doesn’t show up in the configuration tables. In each of my case round-ups, I place my sound meter at a 45° angle from the front-left corner of the case, except when the case opens from the right. Even then, the 45° measurement is consistent.

Nobody will game on the DRN-STN at a 45° angle because this case has a display that they’ll sit in front of. And that display is on a side that has no vents. That’s equivalent to noise testing a normal case from the closed-off motherboard tray side with a monitor placed between the case and the meter. This advantage is in addition to the case’s built-in double-walled external plastic housing, which also helps.

I make my own rules and I don’t suffer fools concerning case evaluations. Practicality demands that I break my own rules on this one, since anyone using the DRN-STN is positioned differently in respect to case fans. Whether or not that’s fair is an argument of theory versus practice, and I favor practice.

8. Thermal And Acoustic Test Results

Thanks to its eight-fan cross-flow configuration, AIO Corporation’s DRN-STN facilitates lower temperatures than the top three performers from our eleven-way gaming case round-up. CPU temperatures appear especially low, and part of the credit for that is likely due to the way the unrestricted top intake and top exhaust fans align with the intake and exhaust sides of our CPU cooler (unlike the variation of this idea used in ASRock’s M8).

Finding a noisier angle from which to test the DRN-STN is certainly possible, but not practical since you're going to sit directly in front of this system's screen. Typically, the same is not true of mid-tower cases, so those get tested at an appropriate 45° angle.

AIO’s implementation of a double-walled plastic housing outside of its ATX case is surely worth some mention as well, since it does a splendid job reducing high-pitched fan whine. The graphics card vent still blows almost directly out the right side of the DRN-STN.

This platform presents two faces in high-speed fan mode, becoming the second-noisiest configuration when internal components are idle and the quietest when those components are fully loaded. That means it does the best job of isolating you from the noise of internal components, even though the noise of its own fans is fairly pronounced.

The DRN-STN is consistently the quietest when set to low-speed fan mode, but that setting significantly raises GPU temperature. It’s nice, then, that manual fan controls are located right in front of you, on the screen frame.

9. DRN-STN: The AIO Gaming Paradigm?

Any company could win a cooling test by adding a bunch of noisy high-flow fans, and most companies could win a noise test by using a few low-speed fans to vent the chassis. The true measure of performance is thus the comparison of cooling-to-noise.

AIO Corporation’s Drone Station appears to be the paradigm of cooling-to-noise performance. But what about its screen? A top TN panel, it’s still limited to six-bit color and uses dithering to approximate an eight-bit depth. TN panels are fast, making them a good solution for gamers, despite the derision thrown at them by photo professionals. The 144 Hz version of this 120 Hz panel even earned value honors in last fall’s test at a price of $270.

In the DRN-STN we find paradigm cooling performance and paradigm-approximate display performance in a single package. So, what’s the catch? Well, we could begin with the 38+-pound weight, which means a 50+-pound filled system for most gamers. And at 25.9” wide, your arms need to be as long as they are strong. Carrying this thing through doorways can also be difficult, though there wasn't much the designers could do to avoid that issue, pairing a 24” display and a full ATX case.

Most three-way SLI-capable motherboards require an eighth slot that the DRN-STN doesn’t have to make room for a third card. But there are a few exceptions that can still make this case work with that feature. Then again, one FHD display doesn't justify the graphics horsepower of three cards. Use two well-balanced GPUs and you'll be fine.

Less-obvious flaws include the flimsy internal chassis with knock-out slot covers and a too-small EPS12V access hole, and foam panel cover that feels only moderately sturdy. We’d like to use that cover as long as possible for protecting the display, but can’t guarantee its longevity. More bothersome was that, after the two halves of the outer shell settled in during shipping, the latches no longer had enough travel to lock the thing together.

Supposing that AIO Corporation is able to condition the panels to prevent the latches from losing their usefulness with age, we think the firm still has a fairly solid product. And that analysis is focused mostly on the quality of its outer shell and its overall performance. At least the low-end internal structure is well protected!

In working up the value story for AIO's Drone Station, we noticed that monitors employing this platform's display panel are going for around $250. What's more, they offer refresh rates of up to 144 Hz (compared to the DRN-STN's 120 Hz screen). That fact alone wouldn't have been an issue if the case component were more affordable. But a $250 display and a $750 chassis is a rough combination to swallow. It'd need to be carbon fiber and aluminum, rather than plastic and super-thin steel, to warrant such a premium. Perfection would have been mandatory to justify a $1000 price tag using these components. That's not what we have, though.

We like the DRN-STN a lot, but it lacks the polish our U.S. demands to garner our highest award. Next, we turned our attention to value, but found a price tag more than double what we'd be looking to pay. Otherwise-excellent performance and the convenience of an all-in-one certainly win the DRN-STN a place in our hearts. However, our wallets are the voice of reason.