BIOStar P4TCA Pro: Good Basis With WLAN

07:00 - Monday 7 July 2003 by Frank Völkel
Source: Tom's Hardware – Keywords: mobo, tsunami

Table of content:
19 – BIOStar P4TCA Pro: Good Basis ...
  1. 1 – Motherboard Trends 2003: Consumers Are Spoilt For Choice
  2. 2 – Motherboard Trends 2003: Consumers Are Spoilt For Choice, Continued
  3. 3 – Overview Test Candidates: 24 Boards On The Test Bench
  4. 4 – Abit IC7-G: For Overclocking Fans, Continued
  5. 5 – Abit IC7-G: For Overclocking Fans, Continued
  6. 6 – Abit IS7: Bitter Price War With PAT
  7. 7 – Abit IS7: Bitter Price War With PAT, Continued
  8. 8 – Aopen AX4C Max 2: Mid-Range Product With A Few Minor Faults
  9. 9 – Aopen AX4C Max 2: Mid-Range Product With A Few Minor Faults, Continued
  10. 10 – Aopen AX4C Max 2: Mid-Range Product With A Few Minor Faults, Continued
  11. 11 – Aopen AX4C Max: Cooling Element With Possible Danger Of Burning
  12. 12 – Aopen AXSPE Max: Restrained Enthusiasm
  13. 13 – Asus P4C800 Deluxe: Sparse Selection Of Equipment At A High Price
  14. 14 – Asus P4C800 Deluxe: Sparse Selection Of Equipment At A High Price, Conti...
  15. 15 – Asus P4C800 Deluxe: Sparse Selection Of Equipment At A High Price, Conti...
  16. 16 – Asus P4C800-E Deluxe: Good Choice With CSA Support
  17. 17 – Asus P4P800 Deluxe: The Only One With Activated PAT
  18. 18 – Asus P4P800 Deluxe: The Only One With Activated PAT, Continued
  19. 19 – BIOStar P4TCA Pro: Good Basis With WLAN
  20. 20 – BIOStar P4TCA Pro: Good Basis With WLAN, Continued
  21. 21 – BIOStar P4TCA Pro: Good Basis With WLAN, Continued
  22. 22 – Chaintech 9CJS Zenith: The Features Giant
  23. 23 – Chaintech 9CJS Zenith: The Features Giant, Continued
  24. 24 – Chaintech 9CJS Zenith: The Features Giant, Continued
  25. 25 – DFI Pro 875 Lan Party: A Feast For The Eyes In The Dark
  26. 26 – DFI Pro 875 Lan Party: A Feast For The Eyes In The Dark, Continued
  27. 27 – Elitegroup PF1: Get The Price Down!
  28. 28 – Elitegroup PF1: Get The Price Down! Continued
  29. 29 – Epox PE-4PCA3+: Above Average
  30. 30 – Epox PE-4PCA3+: Above Average, Continued
  31. 31 – Epox PE-4PDA2+: Better Than Its Big Brother
  32. 32 – Epox PE-4PDA2+: Better Than Its Big Brother, Continued
  33. 33 – Gigabyte: Four Boards With 865 And 875 Chipset
  34. 34 – Gigabyte GA-8KNXP Ultra: Top Class At A Top Price
  35. 35 – Gigabyte GA-8KNXP Ultra: Top Class At A Top Price, Continued
  36. 36 – Gigabyte GA-8KNXP Ultra: Top Class At A Top Price, Continued
  37. 37 – Gigabyte GA-8KNXP: Credit Where Credit's Due
  38. 38 – Gigabyte GA-8KNXP: Credit Where Credit's Due, Continued
  39. 39 – Gigabyte GA-8PENXP: Is PAT Activated?
  40. 40 – Gigabyte GA-8PENXP: Is PAT Activated? Continued
  41. 41 – Gigabyte GA-8IG1000Pro: Low Cost At A Cutthroat Price
  42. 42 – Intel D875PBZ: Spartan, Slow, Expensive
  43. 43 – Intel D875PBZ: Spartan, Slow, Expensive, Continued
  44. 44 – Intel D865PERL: Potential For Fine Tuning
  45. 45 – Intel D865PERL: Potential For Fine Tuning, Continued
  46. 46 – MSI 875P Neo-FIS2R (MS-6758): At A High Level
  47. 47 – MSI 875P Neo-FIS2R (MS-6758): At A High Level, Continued
  48. 48 – MSI 865PE Neo 2-FIS2R (MS-6728): Fastest In The Comparative Test
  49. 49 – QDI P4I875PMA-6AFR: Innovation - ATX Becomes Micro-ATX!
  50. 50 – QDI P4I875PMA-6AFR: Innovation - ATX Becomes Micro-ATX! Continued
  51. 51 – Soltek SL-86SPE-L: Color Me Purple
  52. 52 – Soyo P4I875 Dragon 2: Mega Features With Weaknesses
  53. 53 – Soyo P4I875 Dragon 2: Mega Features With Weaknesses, Continued
  54. 54 – Equipment And Overview Of All Test Candidates
  55. 55 – Equipment And Overview Of All Test Candidates, Continued
  56. 56 – Equipment And Overview Of All Test Candidates, Continued
  57. 57 – Equipment And Overview Of All Test Candidates, Continued
  58. 58 – Equipment And Overview Of All Test Candidates, Continued
  59. 59 – Equipment And Overview Of All Test Candidates, Continued
  60. 60 – Test Setup And Details
  61. 61 – Benchmarks In Windows XP
  62. 62 – OpenGL Games: Quake 3 Arena
  63. 63 – DirectX 8 Games: Comanche 4 Demo
  64. 64 – DirectX 8 Engine: 3D Mark 2001 SE
  65. 65 – MP3 Audio Encoding: MP3 Maker Platinum 3.04
  66. 66 – Archiving: WinRAR 3.11
  67. 67 – CPU And Multimedia: SiSoft Sandra 2003 SP1
  68. 68 – Office Application: PC Mark 2002
  69. 69 – Application: SPEC Viewperf 7.1
  70. 70 – Conclusion: Purchase Decision Not Dependent On Chipset
  71. 71 – Conclusion: Purchase Decision Not Dependent On Chipset, Continued
  72. 72 – Awards: Gigabyte GA-8KNXP (Intel 875P) And MSI Neo 2 (Intel 865PE)

BIOStar P4TCA Pro: Good Basis With WLAN

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

Click on image for larger version

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.

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