BIOStar P4TCA Pro: Good Basis With WLAN

Intel 875P Chipset
Board Revision 1.0
BIOS TCA0417 BV Pro (04/18/2003)

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The first thing you notice is the bright color combination of the individual slots of the BIOStar. The passively-cooled Northbridge, which prevents any additional noise from being created, is praiseworthy.

This board is the only candidate in this large test field to include a WLAN connection and antenna for the 802.11b standard. There is also a proprietary slot, which is controlled via the Realtek RTL8180L chip. Basically, BIOStar has combined the low-priced Realtek chip with a Philips module.

Proprietary card with WLAN function.

The labeling of the pin contact strip for the housing panel appears to require improvement: either BIOStar should enclose a large magnifying glass or enlarge the print. The voltage controller in four-phase technology is noteworthy; manufactured according to an SMD design, it heats up less during operation.

Pin connector without color-coding.

Voltage regulator in SMD form.