iXBT Labs - Computer Hardware in Detail

Platform

Video

Multimedia

Mobile

Other

Biostar P4TDK (i845E) Mainboard



Once you cast a glance at this board, you will see that this is a budget solution with minimal requirements for functionality. 

Accessories: 

  • Package of a standard design; 
  • Documentation: brief user manual in English and Spanish; 
  • Cables: 1 ATA66/100/133 and FDD; 
  • 2 CDs containing: 
    • drivers; 
    • electronic user guides for a number of company's boards; 
    • system monitoring utility; 
    • DirectX 8. 
    • Adobe Acrobat Reader; 
    • Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader; 
    • Norton Antivirus 2002; 
    • Norton Personal Firewall 2002; 
    • Norton Ghost. 

The layout is ordinary except the fact that IDE and FDD connectors are not easy to reach. Besides, the audio-ins are and some other connectors are located along the left side of the board, and when a video card is installed it's difficult to handle the memory modules. It can be difficult to reach some jumpers when the board is already installed. Their functions are shown on the textolite. 

The 2-channel switching voltage regulator incorporates 8 capacitors of 3300 uF and 2 of 2200 uF. 

The following controllers are integrated: 

  • audio controller based on the chipset's capabilities and C-Media CMI9738 AC'97 codec supporting 4.1 audio systems and having a connector for front audio inputs; 

There is a special protection on the back for the textolite from massive processor coolers. 




Non-unsoldered connectors: an interface of the FlashCard Reader controller with connectors, IEEE 1394 bus controller with connectors, network controller and RJ45 connector. 

The system monitoring is supported by the Winbond W83627HF-AW chip. What is controlled: 

  • processor voltage, AGP bus, +3.3, +5 and +-12 V, VBAT and +5 V Standby; 
  • speed of 2 fans; 
  • temperatures of the processor (a built-in sensor) . 

There are 2 connectors for adjustable connection of fans. 

Brief characteristics of the board: memory slots - 4 DDR SDRAM; expansion slots - AGP/ 6 PCI/ CNR; I/O ports - 2 COM/ LPT/ 2 PS/2/ 6 USB 2.0; dimensions - 305x245 mm. 

Adjustment can be carried out with: 
 

jumpers and switches Jumper to clear up the CMOS  
Jumper for starting up computer from a PS/2 keyboard  
Switches for starting up the system from a USB keyboard  
BIOS based on the Phoenix AwardBIOS 6.00PG Setup of memory timings + CAS Latency, Active To Precharge Delay, RAS to CAS Delay, RAS Precharge
Setup of memory frequency + Auto, DDR200, DDR266
Setup of AGP bus -  
Setup of PCI bus -  
Changeable scaler of AGP and PCI buses -  
Manual assignment of interrupts -  
Changeable FSB frequency + 100-200 MHz in 1MHz steps
Changeable CPU multiplier + x8-x50
Changeable core voltage + 1.25-2,0 V in 0.025V steps
Changeable memory voltage + 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8 V
Changeable chipset voltage -  
Changeable AGP bus voltage + 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 V

We used the BIOS of 18.10.2002 as the latest available version. 

The board can be a good choice for a user who doesn't expect much as its speed and functions are not brilliant. 

Test results: 


 

Dmitry Mayorov (destrax@ixbt.com
 


Write a comment below. No registration needed!


Article navigation:



blog comments powered by Disqus

  Most Popular Reviews More    RSS  

AMD Phenom II X4 955, Phenom II X4 960T, Phenom II X6 1075T, and Intel Pentium G2120, Core i3-3220, Core i5-3330 Processors

Comparing old, cheap solutions from AMD with new, budget offerings from Intel.
February 1, 2013 · Processor Roundups

Inno3D GeForce GTX 670 iChill, Inno3D GeForce GTX 660 Ti Graphics Cards

A couple of mid-range adapters with original cooling systems.
January 30, 2013 · Video cards: NVIDIA GPUs

Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1

An external X-Fi solution in tests.
September 9, 2008 · Sound Cards

AMD FX-8350 Processor

The first worthwhile Piledriver CPU.
September 11, 2012 · Processors: AMD

Consumed Power, Energy Consumption: Ivy Bridge vs. Sandy Bridge

Trying out the new method.
September 18, 2012 · Processors: Intel
  Latest Reviews More    RSS  

i3DSpeed, September 2013

Retested all graphics cards with the new drivers.
Oct 18, 2013 · 3Digests

i3DSpeed, August 2013

Added new benchmarks: BioShock Infinite and Metro: Last Light.
Sep 06, 2013 · 3Digests

i3DSpeed, July 2013

Added the test results of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 and AMD Radeon HD 7730.
Aug 05, 2013 · 3Digests

Gainward GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST 2GB Golden Sample Graphics Card

An excellent hybrid of GeForce GTX 650 Ti and GeForce GTX 660.
Jun 24, 2013 · Video cards: NVIDIA GPUs

i3DSpeed, May 2013

Added the test results of NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770/780.
Jun 03, 2013 · 3Digests
  Latest News More    RSS  

Platform  ·  Video  ·  Multimedia  ·  Mobile  ·  Other  ||  About us & Privacy policy  ·  Twitter  ·  Facebook


Copyright © Byrds Research & Publishing, Ltd., 1997–2011. All rights reserved.