8. Diagnostics

This menu contains a host of test modes for checking the various components of a portable system. The tree diagram provides an overview of the menu and the individual functions.

Overview of the Diagnostics menu.

According to the manufacturer, the card supports diagnostic testing for all popular processor models from AMD, Intel and Transmeta.

A critical option is the CPU Tester.

The CPU test lets you check to see if all of the processor's sub-function units are working correctly.

An overview of the IRQs occupied by the system board's hardware components

Besides the CPU test, the engineers at Ultra-X put a lot of work into realizing the memory test, with a choice of more than 24 different test algorithms and patterns, some of which are proprietary and some of which are compatible with accepted industry standards. In addition, the user can also select storage areas to be scanned.

The memory's technical data are scanned from the module's SPD chip.

Accordingly, the P.H.D. MiniPCI is well suited as an "in vivo" burn-in tester for SO-DIMMs.

A memory tester accesses the modules' most important registers and checks their functionality.

On a notebook with 512 MB of RAM installed, an intensive memory test will take between 15 and 20 minutes, depending on the speed and access time of the module.