Post Cards

[WareDat]

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with one of these or similar post cards. How well do they work?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280269965901

Seems like a small price to pay for the time it can save.

Thanks

 

[TimeCode]

P.O.S.T. Card

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with one of these or similar post cards. How well do they work?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280269965901

Seems like a small price to pay for the time it can save.

I have a different one and I LOVE it. It saves me so much time... If there is a problem with the RAM, I know it. Same with many other HW problems. Mine also has a PSU tester on it so I know how the PSU is doing or if the MoBo is shot.

Just a warning, mine occasionally has an FF Error that says it is a CPU error. I've never actually seen a bad CPU show up when using the POST Test Card. But every time it has been a bad MoBo.

 

[seedubya]

What one do you have, Tim? I'm in the market for a new one (current one is 5 years old and beep codes are very outdated).

 

[abe]

I was thinking of getting the psu tester that Bryce had in the article last week but if I can get a post card that tests the psu also that should save me some "hard earned money"

 

[WareDat]

I was thinking of getting the psu tester that Bryce had in the article last week but if I can get a post card that tests the psu also that should save me some "hard earned money"

A power supply tester is well worth the cost in my opinion, mine cost me about $25 from newegg, and has saved me quite a bit of time when the summer heat started to hit here... Not sure if the post card only tells you if you have a bad psu, but the power supply tester tells you at a glance if any voltages are out of range causing system stability problems.

 

[TimeCode]

Don't get one just because it has a PSU tester on it and skip the PSU tester. Get a PSU tester as well because just the POST card only tests what is coming through the MoBo. I've seen 2 MoBos where the POST Card said the PSU was fried but the PSU tester showed that it was good. This means that a cap or something on the MoBo was bad. Relying on just 1 tool can give you a false diagnosis. Trust me, I made that mistake once.

@seedubya,

I'll get back to you on that. I'm in the process of moving and the card is at the new place while I am at the old place...

 

[abe]

Don't get one just because it has a PSU tester on it and skip the PSU tester. Get a PSU tester as well because just the POST card only tests what is coming through the MoBo. I've seen 2 MoBos where the POST Card said the PSU was fried but the PSU tester showed that it was good. This means that a cap or something on the MoBo was bad. Relying on just 1 tool can give you a false diagnosis. Trust me, I made that mistake once.

@seedubya,

I'll get back to you on that. I'm in the process of moving and the card is at the new place while I am at the old place...

Thanks I will get myself both

 

[rsavoia]

I couldn't really tell you if that card is any good or not by the picture, but based on the poor description I can tell you I would check out the seller first before placing a bid.

Sorry, but the poor grammar sends up a red flag. It's eBay. Who knows what you're really getting.

I own several POST cards and to be honest, a couple of them are really old and I haven't used them in awhile. When I used them they came in handy as long as I could translate all the codes.

Instead, I use the PCI POST card that came with my PC-DOCTOR Service Center 6 kit. The kit also comes with a decent PS tester.

I did consider purchasing MicroScope but it was ridiculously priced around $800. I also was not impressed with their reps. They used to call me relentlessly to pitch it.

In contrast Service Center 6 costs a lot less and includes nearly everything Micro 2000 has in their kit and as well as one or two things they don't have including the power supply tester.

 

[PcTestCard.com]

"Just wondering if anyone has any experience with one of these or similar post cards. How well do they work?"

There are POST test cards for laptop and desktop or a single combo card works on both types of the PCs using the different interface like Parallel, USB or miniPCI on the laptop. I am currently using the miniPCI card to test the laptop and the PCI Parallel/USB card to test the desktop PCs!

Just refer the error codes from the POST test card to the manual for the same code explanation, we can find out what is wrong with our PCs quickly. The POST test cards are very useful when there is some problem with the PC that we cannot easy concluded based on the pass troubleshooting experience, for example, some symptoms may look like the software problem yet seems like hardware problem as well.

Simply install the card and press the button! No need to buy new parts to swap and find out no that problem!
Really save time and money!

 

[mindbug]

What brand or type do you recommend?

Hi,

I want to bring this thread back up because I'm in the market for a post card.
I don't see many recommendations on what brand or type to choose from.
I'm a bit lost because I see post cards from 25$ all the way up to 200$.
what is the difference between the upper and lower priced models and what brand or type do you recommend as a technician?
What is your experience with them?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!


Happy Holidays!