StarTech.com PCI POST PC System Diagnostics Test Card with 2 x 7 Segment LED (PCIPOST)

by StarTech

Product Details

Product Manual [386kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 1.6 x 5.7 inches ; 5.3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006B8EZ
• Item model number: PCIPOST
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #59 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Computer Components > Network Cards
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 21, 2002

Product Description

This reliable PCI Post Card is the perfect diagnostics tool for pinpointing Power On Self-Test problems. A definite time saver, the PCI Post Card is easy to install and delivers simple PC diagnostics in the form of error codes on the built-on LED display. Determining the computer problem is then as simple as referring to the error code chart that's included with the PCI Post Card, eliminating unnecessary troubleshooting steps and preventing non-defective parts from being replaced. Backed by Lifetime Warranty and free lifetime technical support, StarTech.com's PCI Post card is designed and constructed to provide reliable computer diagnostics. Please Note: You may have to refer to your motherboard manufacturer's manual for motherboard specific error diagnostic codes when using the PCI Post card.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Hard To See Post Code Output, Poor Documentation, Overpriced, March 6, 2006

By 

Robert L. Cochran (Greenbelt, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: StarTech.com PCI POST PC System Diagnostics Test Card with 2 x 7 Segment LED (PCIPOST) (Personal Computers)

This PCI Post Card is barely acceptable. I bought this unit because time was very short for me. I needed to test a dead computer as quickly as possible and Amazon could get this to me quickly.

The card installs in the PCI slot so that the LCD unit mounted on it is upside down and you have to tilt the system unit backwards, hunker yourself down, and generally experience discomfort in order to view the code coming on the card. For the money one pays, it would be better to include a cable with an LCD display on the end which plugs into the card.

The worst point about this POST card is the horrible, misspelled, incomplete documentation. You might as well make sure you have several websites handy which list POST codes and explains their meaning and what action, if any, you should take. The documentation was written by an Asian person who learned English as a second language and learned it poorly at that. The vendor ought to hire a qualified technical writer fluent in English to write the manual. By this I mean a technical writer who natively speaks, reads, and writes English. Poorly done documentation should be unacceptable for technical equipment.

The manual doesn't explain what a POST code of 00 means. It does not list what corrective actions might be appropriate for a given code. I had to Google search for such information. That might be the best thing to do with this type of hardware, I don't know; I just feel that if a manual is included with the hardware it should be well written and decently comprehensive.

In summary, the biggest reason for not buying this card is the miserable documentation. Also, this card should have an LCD attached to a cable which can plug into the card body, making it easy to read the POST codes. This should come standard for the price.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Needs a 5 volt PCI slot, June 26, 2007

By 

cat lover (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: StarTech.com PCI POST PC System Diagnostics Test Card with 2 x 7 Segment LED (PCIPOST) (Personal Computers)

Requires a 5 volt PCI slot, which rules out some newer systems (mine included). They should've made this a universal PCI card that could be used in either 3.3V or 5V slots.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Product was helpful in identifying problem with motherboard from ANTONLINE, December 15, 2007

By 

Robert "Linux User, Attorney, Hacker" (Herndon, VA, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: StarTech.com PCI POST PC System Diagnostics Test Card with 2 x 7 Segment LED (PCIPOST) (Personal Computers)

I bought a motherboard from ANTONLINE which was defective, despite repeated requests for assistance I purchased this product to definitively identify the problem as a defective motherboard. The product is a little expensive but when ordering from vendors like ANTONLINE which have poor return policies, it is helpful to be able to identify whether they have sent you a defective produce or not. This card is a helpful addition to my diagnostic toolkit.