Conclusion

If we recall all the preliminary conclusions that we made in different sections of this review, it will turn out that Biostar TP45 HP mainboard has common package and accessories, good design and bundled software. These are neutral scores. We were sincerely impressed with the BISO functionality. Although not all the functions have been implemented ideally, they collected all the best in one place and this way offered a unique combination of parameters and options. Then we were even more impressed with phenomenally successful dual-core CPU overclocking experience. We haven’t ever reached such higher FSB frequencies before and I am sure that the board could have done even better if it hadn’t been for the DDR2 memory potential.

These are very significant, simply gigantic advantages of Biostar TP45 HP mainboard. But the board’s inability to work with a quad-core Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 processor has a very serious effect on the final score. We would be a little bit upset if the board couldn’t overclock quad-core CPUs. We could have found an explanation, something like “economical enthusiasts do not buy quad-core processors” and justify this drawback. But the fact that board couldn’t work with one of officially supported CPUs is unforgivable.

Besides, it is not the first time we test Biostar mainboards and not the first time we try to disregard a few issues. No wonder, we really like these boards. First of all, because this is practically the only second-tier manufacturer that dares challenge the world famous leaders and does it quite successfully. ASUS and Gigabyte release extremely large mainboard lineups on every worthy core logic set. It is fairly easy to find one that will suit your needs and be within your budget. But none of them will compare even close to Biostar when it comes to features and functionality you get for one low price. That is why these boards are so popular among enthusiasts with limited budget.

Biostar mainboards have one small but very serious drawback: unpredictability. When buying a board like that you are playing a shell game. If you are lucky, you won’t have any problems and will insist that Biostar boards are the best. If you are unlucky, you will be facing all sorts of problems until you change the configuration completely. And you will have to pay a price for that: having saved some money on a Biostar mainboard, you risk having to pay back with your time and nerve cells. Until they do something to change this, the company will remain a second-tier maker and their mainboards will be popular only among economical computer enthusiasts.