A8N-SLI
Premium
Contents
Notices.............................................................................................. viii
Safety information .............................................................................. ix
About this guide .................................................................................. x
How this guide is organized ..................................................... x
Where to find more information .............................................. xi
Conventions used in this guide ............................................... xi
Typography......................................................................................... xi
A8N-SLI Premium specifications summary......................................... xii
Chapter 1: Product introduction
1.1
1.2
1.3
Welcome!.............................................................................. 1-1
Package contents ................................................................. 1-1
Special features.................................................................... 1-2
1.3.1
1.3.2
1.3.3
Product highlights................................................... 1-2
ASUS Proactive features ........................................ 1-5
Innovative ASUS features ....................................... 1-6
Chapter 2: Hardware information
2.1
2.2
Before you proceed .............................................................. 2-1
Motherboard overview.......................................................... 2-2
2.2.1
2.2.2
2.2.3
2.2.4
Placement direction ................................................ 2-2
Screw holes ............................................................ 2-2
Motherboard layout ................................................ 2-3
Layout Contents..................................................... 2-4
2.3
2.4
Central Processing Unit (CPU) .............................................. 2-6
2.3.1
2.3.2
2.3.3
Overview................................................................. 2-6
Installling the CPU ................................................... 2-6
Installing the heatsink and fan................................ 2-8
System memory .................................................................2-11
2.4.1
2.4.2
2.4.3
2.4.4
Overview...............................................................2-11
Memory Configurations.........................................2-11
Installing a DIMM ...................................................2-14
Removing a DIMM .................................................2-14
2.5
Expansion slots...................................................................2-15
2.5.1
2.5.2
Installing an expansion card..................................2-15
Configuring an expansion card..............................2-15
iii
Contents
2.5.3
2.5.4
2.5.5
2.5.6
2.5.7
Interrupt assignments ..........................................2-16
PCI slots................................................................2-16
Two PCI Express x16 slots ...................................2-17
PCI Express x1 slot ...............................................2-17
Universal PCIe slot (PCI Express x4 slot) ..............2-17
2.6
2.7
Jumpers ..............................................................................2-18
Connectors .........................................................................2-19
2.7.1
2.7.2
Rear panel connectors ..........................................2-19
Internal connectors...............................................2-21
Chapter 3: Powering up
3.1
3.2
Starting up for the first time................................................ 3-1
Powering off the computer .................................................. 3-2
3.2.1
3.2.2
Using the OS shut down function ........................... 3-2
Using the dual function power switch .................... 3-2
3.3
ASUS POST Reporter™.......................................................... 3-3
3.3.1
3.3.2
Vocal POST messages ............................................ 3-3
Winbond Voice Editor ............................................. 3-5
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
4.1
Managing and updating your BIOS ........................................ 4-1
4.1.1
4.1.2
4.1.3
4.1.4
4.1.5
4.1.6
Creating a bootable floppy disk.............................. 4-1
Updating the BIOS .................................................. 4-2
Saving the current BIOS file.................................... 4-4
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility ................................ 4-5
ASUS EZ Flash utility .............................................. 4-7
ASUS Update utility ................................................ 4-8
4.2
BIOS setup program ...........................................................4-11
4.2.1
4.2.2
4.2.3
4.2.4
4.2.5
4.2.6
4.2.8
4.2.7
BIOS menu screen.................................................4-12
Menu bar...............................................................4-12
Legend bar ...........................................................4-13
Menu items ...........................................................4-13
Sub-menu items ...................................................4-13
Configuration fields ..............................................4-13
General help ..........................................................4-14
Pop-up window .....................................................4-14
i v
Contents
4.3
Main menu ..........................................................................4-15
4.3.1
4.3.2
4.3.3
4.3.4
4.3.5
4.3.5
4.3.7
4.3.8
System Time.........................................................4-15
System Date .........................................................4-15
Language ..............................................................4-15
Legacy Diskette A ................................................4-15
Primary and Secondary IDE Master/Slave.............4-16
First, Second, Third, Fourth SATA Master ............4-18
HDD SMART Monitoring ........................................4-19
Installed Memory ..................................................4-19
4.4
Advanced menu..................................................................4-20
4.4.1
4.4.2
4.4.3
4.4.4
4.4.5
4.4.6
4.4.7
4.4.8
4.4.9
CPU Configuration.................................................4-20
PCIPnP...................................................................4-23
Onboard Devices Configuration ............................4-24
SLI Configuration ..................................................4-29
JumperFree Configuration ....................................4-30
LAN Cable Status .................................................4-32
PEG Link Mode ......................................................4-33
Speech Configuration ...........................................4-34
Instant Music ........................................................4-34
4.5
4.6
Power menu........................................................................4-35
4.5.1
4.5.2
4.5.3
4.5.4
ACPI Suspend Type...............................................4-35
ACPI APIC Support ................................................4-35
APM Configuration ................................................4-36
Hardware Monitor .................................................4-38
Boot menu ..........................................................................4-40
4.6.1
4.6.3
4.6.2
4.6.4
4.6.5
4.6.6
Boot Device Priority..............................................4-40
Hard Disk Drives ...................................................4-41
Removable Drives .................................................4-41
CDROM Drives .......................................................4-42
Boot Settings Configuration .................................4-42
Security ................................................................4-44
4.7
Exit menu ...........................................................................4-46
Chapter 5: Software support
5.1
Installing an operating system ............................................. 5-1
v
Contents
5.2
Support CD information........................................................ 5-1
5.2.1
5.2.2
5.2.3
5.2.4
5.2.5
5.2.6
Running the support CD ......................................... 5-1
Drivers menu .......................................................... 5-2
Utilities menu.......................................................... 5-3
Manuals menu ......................................................... 5-5
ASUS Contact information...................................... 5-6
Other information ................................................... 5-6
5.4
Software information ........................................................... 5-9
5.4.1
5.4.2
ASUS MyLogo2™ .................................................... 5-9
AI NET 2 ...............................................................5-11
Using the Virtual Cable Tester™ ...........................5-11
Audio configurations ............................................5-12
Using the NVIDIA® Firewall™ .................................5-18
5.4.3
5.4.4
5.5
RAID configurations ............................................................5-21
5.5.1
5.5.2
5.5.3
Installing hard disks ..............................................5-22
NVIDIA® RAID configurations ................................5-23
Silicon Image RAID configurations ........................5-30
5.6
5.7
Creating a RAID driver disk .................................................5-40
Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology...............................................5-41
5.7.1
Enabling Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology...................5-41
5.7.2
Launching the Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ software..............5-42
5.8
Using the NVIDIA® nTune™ utility .......................................5-43
5.8.1
5.8.2
5.8.3
5.8.4
5.8.5
Managing your nForce™ system ...........................5-43
Clock control ........................................................5-44
Voltage/Fan control .............................................5-44
Information ...........................................................5-45
Other options .......................................................5-45
5.9
Using the ASUS AI Selector utility ......................................5-46
5.9.1
5.9.2
Launching the ASUS AI Selector...........................5-46
Using the SLI mode...............................................5-47
Chapter 6: SLI™ technology support
6.1
Overview............................................................................... 6-1
6.1.1
6.1.2
Requirements.......................................................... 6-1
ASUS Certified SLI Graphics cards .......................... 6-1
v i
6.2
Dual graphics card setup ...................................................... 6-3
6.2.1
6.2.2
6.2.3
6.2.4
Installing SLI-ready graphics cards ......................... 6-3
Setting the SLI mode in BIOS ................................. 6-7
Installing the device drivers.................................... 6-7
Enabling the multi-GPU feature in Windows............ 6-7
Appendix
A.1
Using the SATA extension module .......................................A-1
A.1.1
A.1.1
Installing the 2-port SATA extension module.........A-1
Installing SATA hard drives.....................................A-2
vii
Notices
Federal Communications Commission Statement
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions:
•
•
This device may not cause harmful interference, and
This device must accept any interference received including interference
that may cause undesired operation.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a
Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio
frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with
manufacturer’s instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not
occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by
turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct
the interference by one or more of the following measures:
•
•
•
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to
which the receiver is connected.
•
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics
card is required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or
modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate
this equipment.
Canadian Department of Communications Statement
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise
emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference
Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.
This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian
ICES-003.
viii
Safety information
Electrical safety
•
•
To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the
electrical outlet before relocating the system.
When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the
power cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are
connected. If possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing
system before you add a device.
•
•
•
Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard,
ensure that all power cables are unplugged.
Seek professional assistance before using an adapter or extension cord.
These devices could interrupt the grounding circuit.
Make sure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your
area. If you are not sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you are
using, contact your local power company.
•
If the power supply is broken, do not try to fix it by yourself. Contact a
qualified service technician or your retailer.
Operation safety
•
Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read
all the manuals that came with the package.
•
Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected
and the power cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage,
contact your dealer immediately.
•
•
To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from
connectors, slots, sockets and circuitry.
Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the
product in any area where it may become wet.
•
•
Place the product on a stable surface.
If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualified
service technician or your retailer.
i x
About this guide
This user guide contains the information you need when installing and
configuring the motherboard.
How this guide is organized
This manual contains the following parts:
•
Chapter 1: Product introduction
This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new
technology it supports.
•
Chapter 2: Hardware information
This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to
perform when installing system components. It includes description of
the switches, jumpers, and connectors on the motherboard.
•
•
Chapter 3: Powering up
This chapter describes the power up sequence, the vocal POST
messages, and ways of shutting down the system.
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS
Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also
provided.
•
Chapter 5: Software support
This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes
with the motherboard package.
•
•
Chapter 6: NVIDIA® SLI™ technology support
This chapter tells how to install SLI-ready PCI Express graphics cards.
Appendix: Installation options
This appendix describes how to install optional accessories to your
motherboard.
x
Where to find more information
Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product
and software updates.
1 . ASUS websites
The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware
and software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information.
2 . Optional documentation
Your product package may include optional documentation, such as
warranty flyers, that may have been added by your dealer. These
documents are not part of the standard package.
Conventions used in this guide
To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the
following symbols used throughout this manual.
DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself
when trying to complete a task.
CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components
when trying to complete a task.
IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a
task.
NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a
task.
Typography
Bold text
Italics
Indicates a menu or an item to select
Used to emphasize a word or a phrase
<Key>
Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater-than sign means
that you must press the enclosed key
Example: <Enter> means that you must press the Enter or
Return key
<Key1+Key2+Key3>
If you must press two or more keys simultaneously, the
key names are linked with a plus sign (+)
Example: <Ctrl+Alt+D>
Command
Means that you must type the command exactly as shown,
then supply the required item or value enclosed in
brackets
Example: At the DOS prompt, type the command line:
awdflash A8NSLI.ROM
x i
A8N-SLI Premium specifications summary
CPU
Socket 939 for AMD Athlon™ 64FX/AMD Athlon™ 64
processor
Supports AMD 64 architecture that enables simultaneous
32-bit and 64-bit architecture
Supports AMD® Cool ‘n’ Quiet! Technology
NVIDIA® nForce™ 4 SLI
Supports NVIDIA® Scalable Link Interface™ (SLI)
technology
Chipset
System Bus
Memory
1600/2000 MT per second
Dual-channel memory architecture
4 x 184-pin DIMM sockets support ECC/non-ECC
unbufferred 400/333/266 MHz DDR memory modules
Supports up to 4 GB system memory
Expansion slots
2 x PCI Express x16 slots with Scalable Link Interface
(SLI™) support
1 x PCI Express x1 slot
1 x PCI Express x4 slot running at 1 GB/s bandwidth
3 x PCI slots
Scalable Link
SLI™ mode supports:
Interface (SLI™)
- 2 x identical SLI™-ready PCI Express x16 graphics
cards
(Note: In SLI mode, the PCI Express x16 slots work at the
bandwidth of PCI Express x8. The combined bandwidth of
these maintain the bandwidth of PCI Express x16.)
Single card mode supports (default):
- 1 x any PCI Express x16 graphics card on the first
slot (blue)
ASUS AI Selector
ASUS EZ Plug™
ASUS PEG Link for dual PCI Express graphics cards
ASUS Two-slot thermal design
NVIDIA® nForce™ 4 SLI chipset supports:
- 2 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66/33
Storage
- 4 x Serial ATA II devices
- RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, and JBOD that spans
across the Serial ATA and Parallel ATA drives
Silicon Image 3114R RAID controller supports:
- 4 x Serial ATA with RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 10, and
RAID 5 configuration
(continued on the next page)
xii
A8N-SLI Premium specifications summary
AI NOS™ (Non-Delay Overclocking System)
ASUS AI Overclocking (Intelligent CPU frequency tuner)
ASUS PEG Link for single/dual graphics card
Fixed PCI Express/PCI/SATA frequencies
ASUS C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)
AI Overclocking
Precision Tweaker supports:
- DIMM voltage: 9-step DRAM voltage control
- Core voltage: Adjustable CPU voltage at 0.0125
increment
- PCI Express Frequency: Allows 1MHz increment from
100MHz to 200MHz
- Stepless Frequency Selection(SFS) allows 1MHz
increment from 200 MHz to 400 MHz
ASUS AI Selector
ASUS Post Reporter™
ASUS EZFlash
Special features
ASUS Q-Fan
ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2
ASUS Multi-language BIOS
ASUS MyLogo2
ASUS Instant Music
ASUS SLI Warning LED
ASUS EZ Plug
1 x Floppy disk drive connector
2 x IDE connectors
Internal
connectors
8 x Serial ATA connectors
1 x CPU fan connector
1 x Power fan connector
2 x Chassis fan connector
1 x Chipset fan connector
1 x Serial port connector (COM port)
1 x 24-pin ATX power connector
1 x 4-pin ATX 12 V power connector
1 x 4-pin ASUS EZ Plug™ connector
3 x USB 2.0 connectors for 6 additional USB 2.0 ports
1 x Internal audio connectors (CD\AUX)
1 x IEEE 1394 connector
1 x GAME/MIDI connector
1 x Chassis intrusion connector
1 x Front panel audio connector
System panel connector
(continued on the next page)
xiii
A8N-SLI Premium specifications summary
LAN
NVIDIA® nForce™ 4 built-in Gigabit MAC with external
Marvell® PHY supports:
- NV ActiveArmor
- NV Firewall
- AI NET2
Marvell® 88E81001 PCI Gigabit LAN controller supports:
- Marvell® Virtual Cable Tester technology
- AI NET2
AI Audio
Realtek® ALC850 8-channel CODEC
1 x Coaxial S/PDIF out port
1 x Optical S/PDIF out port
Supports Universal Audio Jack (UAJ®) Technology
Supports Audio Sensing and Enumeration Technology
IEEE 1394
T1 1394a controller supports:
- 2 x IEEE 1394 connector
USB
Supports up to 10 USB 2.0 ports
Rear panel
1 x Parallel port
1 x IEEE 1394 port
2 x LAN (RJ-45) port
4 x USB 2.0 ports
1 x Optical S/PDIF out port
1 x Coaxial S/PDIF out port
1 x PS/2 keyboard port
1 x PS/2 mouse port
8-channel audio ports
BIOS features
4 Mb Flash ROM, Phoenix-Award BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0,
WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.3
Power
Requirement
ATX power supply (with 24-pin and 4-pin 12 V plugs)
ATX 12 V 2.0 compliant
Form Factor
ATX form factor: 12 in x 9.6 in (30.5 cm x 24.4 cm)
Support CD
contents
Device drivers
ASUS PC Probe
ASUS Live Update utility
ASUS Cool’n’Quiet! utility
Anti-virus utility (OEM version)
NVIDIA® nTune™ utility
*Specifications are subject to change without notice.
xiv
This chapter describes the motherboard
features and the new technologies
it supports.
Product
1
introduction
Chapter summary
1.1
1.2
1.3
Welcome!.............................................................................. 1-1
Package contents ................................................................. 1-1
Special features.................................................................... 1-2
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
1.1 Welcome!
Thank you for buying an ASUS® A8N-SLI Premium
motherboard!
The motherboard delivers a host of new features and latest technologies,
making it another standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards!
Before you start installing the motherboard, and hardware devices on it,
check the items in your package with the list below.
1.2 Package contents
Check your motherboard package for the following items.
Motherboard
I/O modules
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium motherboard
Serial ATA 2-port extension module
IEEE1394 (1 port) module
USB 2.0 2-port module
USB 2.0 + GAME port module
Cables
8 x Serial ATA signal cables
Serial ATA power cable with dual plugs
Ultra DMA/133 cable
40-conductor IDE cable
Floppy disk drive cable
COM cable
Accessories
I/O shield
SLI™ connector
Retention bracket
Application CDs ASUS motherboard support CD
InterVideo® WinDVD Suite® (retail box only)
Documentation
User guide
Instant Music sticker
Setting sticker
If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
1-1
1.3 Special features
1.3.1 Product highlights
Latest processor technology
The AMD Athlon™ 64FX and Athlon™ 64 desktop processors are based on
AMD’s 64-bit and 32-bit architecture, which represents the landmark
introduction of the industry’s first x86-64 technology. These processors
provide a dramatic leap forward in compatibility, performance, investment
protection, and reduced total cost of ownership and development.
See page 2-6.
Scalable Link Interface (SLI™) technology
The NVIDIA® nForce4® Scalable Link Interface (SLI™) technology allows two
graphics processing units (GPUs) in a single system. This technology takes
advantage of the PCI Express™ bus architecture and features intelligent
hardware and software solutions that allows multiple GPUs to work
together and achieve exceptional graphics performance. See Chapter 6 for
details.
Built-in NVFirewall™ and NVActiveArmor™
The NVIDIA® Firewall™ (NVFirewall™) is an easy-to-use high-performance
desktop firewall application that protects your system from intruders.
Integrated into the NVIDIA® nForce4® SLI™ chipset with the NVIDIA® Gigabit
Ethernet, it provides advanced anti-computer-hacking technologies, remote
management capabilities, and a user-friendly setup wizard that improves
overall system security.
Enhancing your network security is the NVIDIA® ActiveArmor™
(NV ActiveArmor™) engine that provides advanced data packet inspection.
This innovative technology ensures that only safe data packets are passed
on the network. It boosts overall system performance by offloading the
CPU from the rigorous task of filtering data packets. See page 5-18 for
details.
AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology
The motherboard supports the AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology that
dynamically and automatically changes the CPU speed, voltage and amount
of power depending on the task the CPU performs. See pages 4-20 and
5-41.
1-2
Chapter 1: Product introduction
HyperTransport™ Technology
HyperTransport™ Technology is a high-speed, low latency, point-to-point
link designed to increase the communication speed between integrated
circuits in computers, networking and telecommunicatons equipment up to
48 times faster than other existing technologies.
Dual Channel DDR memory support
Employing the Double Data Rate (DDR) memory technology, the
motherboard supports up to 4GB of system memory using DDR400/333/
266 DIMMs. The ultra-fast 400MHz memory bus delivers the required
bandwidth for the latest 3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications.
See page 2-11.
Serial ATA II technology
The motherboard supports the next-generation Serial ATA 3Gb/s
technology through the Serial ATA interfaces and the NVIDIA® SLI™ chipset.
The SATA 3Gb/s specification provides twice the bandwidth of the current
Serial ATA products with a host of new features including Native Command
Queuing (NCQ), Power Management (PM) Implementation Algorithm, and
Hot Swap. Additionally, Serial ATA allows thinner, more flexible cables with
lower pin count, and reduced voltage requirement. See pages 2-22 and
2-23.
Dual RAID solution
Onboard RAID controllers provide the motherboard with dual-RAID
functionality that allows you to select the best RAID solution using IDE or
Serial ATA devices.
The NVIDIA® nForce4® SLI™ allows RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1 and JBOD
configuration for four SATA and two PATA connectors. See pages 2-22 and
5-23 for details.
The Sil3114R controller supports four additional SATA connectors and
allows RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 10, and a software patch to support a
bootable RAID 5 configuration. See pages 2-23 and 5-30 for details.
PCI Express™ interface
The motherboard fully supports PCI Express, the latest I/O interconnect
technology that speeds up the PCI bus. PCI Express features point-to-point
serial interconnections between devices and allows higher clockspeeds by
carrying data in packets. This high speed interface is software compatible with
existing PCI specifications. See page 2-17 for details.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
1-3
S/PDIF digital sound ready
The motherboard supports the S/PDIF Out function through the S/PDIF
interfaces on the rear panel. The S/PDIF technology turns your computer into
a high-end entertainment system with digital connectivity to powerful audio
and speaker systems. See page 2-19 for details.
IEEE 1394a support
The IEEE 1394a interface provides high-speed and flexible PC connectivity
to a wide range of peripherals and devices compliant to the IEEE 1394a
standard. The IEEE 1394a interface allows up to 400 Mbps transfer rates
through simple, low-cost, high-bandwidth asynchronous (real-time) data
interfacing between computers, peripherals, and consumer electronic
devices such as camcorders, VCRs, printers, TVs, and digital cameras. See
pages 2-19 and 2-28 for details.
USB 2.0 technology
The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0
specification, dramatically increasing the connection speed from the
12 Mbps bandwidth on USB 1.1 to a fast 480 Mbps on USB 2.0. USB 2.0 is
backward compatible with USB 1.1. See page 2-19 and 2-25 for details.
Temperature, fan, and voltage monitoring
The CPU temperature is monitored by the ASIC (integrated in the Winbond
Super I/O) to prevent overheating and damage. The system fan rotations
per minute (RPM) is monitored for timely failure detection. The ASIC
monitors the voltage levels to ensure stable supply of current for critical
components. See section “4.5.4 Hardware Monitor” on page 4-38.
1-4
Chapter 1: Product introduction
1.3.2 ASUS Proactive features
AI NOS™ (Non-Delay Overclocking System)
ASUS Non-delay Overclocking System™ (NOS) is a technology that
auto-detects the CPU loading and dynamically overclocks the CPU speed
only when needed. See page 4-30 for details.
Precision Tweaker
Designed for overclocking aficionados, this feature allows you to fine tune
the CPU/memory voltage and gradually increase the Front Side Bus (FSB)
and PCI Express frequency to achieve maximum system performance.
AI NET 2
AI NET 2 is a BIOS-based diagnostic tool that detects and reports Ethernet
cable faults and shorts. With this utility, you can easily monitor the
condition of the Ethernet cable(s) connected to the LAN (RJ-45) port(s).
During the bootup process, AI NET 2 immediately diagnoses the LAN
cable(s) and reports shorts and faults up to 100 meters at 1 meter
accuracy. See pages 4-32 and 5-11 for details.
AI Audio technology
The motherboard supports 8-channel audio through the onboard ALC850
CODEC with 16-bit DAC, a stereo 16-bit ADC, and an AC97 2.3 compatible
multi-channel audio designed for PC multimedia systems. It also provides
Jack-Sensing function, S/PDIF out support, interrupt capability and includes
the Realtek® proprietary UAJ® (Universal Audio Jack) technology. See pages
2-19, 2-20 and 5-12 for details.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
1-5
1.3.3 Innovative ASUS features
ASUS AI Selector
The AI Selector allows you to set the video card mode of your system. This
utility works when you have two graphics cards installed in your system.
See page 5-46 for details.
ASUS EZ Plug™
This patented ASUS technology is a 4-pin auxiliary +12V connector that is
designed to maintain the voltage integrity of your system. This plug
guarantees adequate supply of power to the motherboard and other
installed peripherals. See page 6-5 for illustration.
ASUS Two-slot thermal design
The motherboard is designed with two PCI Express x1 slots placed between
the PCI Express x16 slots allowing an increase in airflow between the two
PCI Express x16 graphics cards. This special design permits more room for
ventilation thus lowering the overall system temperature.
CrashFree BIOS 2
This feature allows you to restore the original BIOS data from the support CD
in case when the BIOS codes and data are corrupted. This protection
eliminates the need to buy a replacement ROM chip. See details on page 4-5.
ASUS Q-Fan technology
The ASUS Q-Fan technology smartly adjusts the fan speeds according to
the system loading to ensure quiet, cool, and efficient operation. See page
4-38 for details.
ASUS POST Reporter™
The motherboard offers a new exciting feature called the ASUS POST
Reporter™ to provide friendly voice messages and alerts during the
Power-On Self-Tests (POST) informing you of the system boot status and
causes of boot errors, if any. The bundled Winbond Voice Editor software
lets you to customize the voice messages in different languages. See page
3-4 for details.
1-6
Chapter 1: Product introduction
ASUS Multi-language BIOS
The multi-language BIOS allows you to select the language of your choice
from the available options. The localized BIOS menus allow you to configure
easier and faster. See page 4-15 for details.
ASUS MyLogo2™
This new feature present in the motherboard allows you to personalize and
add style to your system with customizable boot logos. See page 5-9 for
details.
ASUS Instant Music
This unique feature allows you to playback audio files even without booting
the system to Windows™. Just press the ASUS Instant Music special
function keys and enjoy the music! See pages 4-34.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
1-7
1-8
Chapter 1: Product introduction
This chapter lists the hardware setup
procedures that you have to perform
when installing system components.
It includes description of the jumpers
and connectors on the motherboard.
Hardware
2
information
Chapter summary
2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7
Before you proceed .............................................................. 2-1
Motherboard overview.......................................................... 2-2
Central Processing Unit (CPU) .............................................. 2-6
System memory .................................................................2-11
Expansion slots...................................................................2-15
Jumpers ..............................................................................2-18
Connectors .........................................................................2-19
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2.1 Before you proceed
Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard
components or change any motherboard settings.
•
Make sure that your power supply unit (PSU) can provide at least
the minimum power required by your system. See “8. ATX power
connectors” on page 2-25 for details.
•
•
Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any
component.
Use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or to
a metal object, such as the power supply case, before handling
components to avoid damaging them due to static electricity
•
•
Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them.
Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded
antistatic pad or in the bag that came with the component.
•
Before you install or remove any component, ensure
that the ATX power supply is switched off or the
power cord is detached from the power supply. Failure
to do so may cause severe damage to the motherboard, peripherals,
and/or components.
Onboard LEDs
The motherboard comes with a green standby power LED that lights
up to indicate that the system is ON, in sleep mode, or in soft-off
mode. This is a reminder that you should shut down the system and
unplug the power cable before removing or plugging in any
motherboard component.
The red warning LED lights up when you installed two graphics card
but did not connect the ASUS EZ Plug™. The illustration below shows
the location of the onboard LEDs.
SLI_WARN_LED
ON
OFF
When use 2 Graphics
When use 2 Graphics
but do plug EZ-PLUG
but do not plug EZ-PLUG
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
SB_PWR
®
ON
OFF
Standby
Power
Powered
Off
A8N-SLI PREMIUM Onboard LED
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2-1
2.2 Motherboard overview
Before you install the motherboard, study the configuration of your chassis
to ensure that the motherboard fits into it.
Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the
motherboard. Failure to do so can cause you physical injury and damage
motherboard components.
2.2.1 Placement direction
When installing the motherboard, make sure that you place it into the
chassis in the correct orientation. The edge with external ports goes to the
rear part of the chassis as indicated in the image below.
2.2.2 Screw holes
Place nine (9) screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the
motherboard to the chassis.
Do not overtighten the screws! Doing so can damage the motherboard.
Place this side towards
the rear of the chassis
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
2-2
Chapter 2: Hardware information
2.2.3 Motherboard layout
24.5cm (9.6in)
PS/2KBMS
T: Mouse
B: Keyboard
CPU_FAN
CHA2_FAN
ATX12V
SPDIF_O
SPDIF_O2
LAN2_USB12
LAN1_USB34
CD
Top:Rear Speaker Out
Center:
Side Speaker Out
Below:
AUX
Center/Subwoofer
Marvell
88E1111
Top:Line In
Center:Line Out
Bottom:Mic In
EZ_PLUG
PCIEX16_1
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
ACL850
PCIEX1_1
NVIDIA
nForce4
SLI
PCIEX4_1
Speech
Controller
PCIEX16_2
R
Marvell
88E8001
CHIP_FAN
SATA4
SATA_RAID4 SATA_RAID3
SATA_RAID2 SATA_RAID1
SATA3
PCI1
Silicon Image
Sil3114
SATA2
SATA1
PCI2
1394
Controller
Super
I/O
CR2032 3V
Lithium Cell
CMOS Power
CHA1_FAN
CLRTC
CHASSIS
PCI3
GAME
COM1
USB78
USB56
USB910
PANEL
IE_1394_2
SB_PWR
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2-3
2.2.4 Layout Contents
Slots
Page
1. DDR DIMM slots
2. PCI slots
2-11
2-17
2-17
2-17
2-17
3. PCI Express x16 slot
4. PCI Express x1 slot
5. PCI Express x4 slot
Jumpers
Page
2-18
1. Clear RTC RAM (3-pin CLRTC1)
1. PS/2 mouse port (green)
2. Parallel port
2-19
2-19
2-19
2-19
2-19
2-19
2-19
2-19
2-20
2-20
2-20
2-20
2-20
2-20
2-20
2-20
3. LAN 2 (RJ-45) port
4. LAN 1 (RJ-45) port
5. Rear Speaker Out port (gray)
6. Side Speaker Out port (black)
7. Line In port (light blue)
8. Line Out port (lime)
9. Microphone port (pink)
10. Center/Subwoofer port (yellow orange)
11. USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4
12. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2
13. IEEE 1394a port
14. Optical S/PDIF out port
15. Coaxial S/PDIF out port
16. PS/2 keyboard port (purple)
2-4
Chapter 2: Hardware information
Internal connectors
P
a
g
e
1. Floppy disk drive connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY)
2. Primary IDE connector (40-1 pin PRI_IDE)
2-21
2-21
2-21
2-22
3. Secondary IDE connector (40-1 pin SEC_IDE)
4. Serial ATA connectors (7-pin SATA1, SATA2, SATA3, SATA4) [nForce4]
5. Serial ATA RAID connectors (7-pin SATA_RAID1, SATA_RAID2,
SATA_RAID3, SATA_RAID4) [Silicon Image]
2-23
2-24
2-24
2-24
2-24
2-24
2-25
2-25
2-26
2-26
2-26
2-27
2-27
2-27
2-28
2-28
2-29
2-30
6. CPU fan connector (3-pin CPU_FAN)
7. Power fan connector (3-pin PWR_FAN)
8. Chassis fan 1 connector (3-pin CHA1_FAN)
9. Chassis fan 2 connector (3-pin CHA2_FAN)
10. Chipset fan connector (3-pin CHIP_FAN)
11. Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM1)
12. USB headers (10-1 USB56, USB78, USB910)
13. ATX power connector (24-pin EATXPWR1)
14. ATX 12V power connector (4-pin ATX12V1)
15. ATX 12V power connector (4-pin EZ_PLUG)
16. Optical audio connector (4-pin CD)
17. Auxiliary audio connector (4-pin AUX)
18. GAME/MIDI connector (16-1 pin GAME)
19. Chassis intrusion connector (4-1 pin CHASSIS)
20. IEEE 1394a connector (10-1 pin IE1394_2)
21. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin FP_AUDIO)
22. System panel connectors (20-1 pin PANEL)
- System Power LED (Green 3-pin PLED)
- Hard Disk activity (Red 2-pin IDE_LED)
- System warning speaker (Orange 4-pin SPEAKER)
- Power/Soft-off button(Yellow 2-pin PWRSW)
- Reset switch (Blue 2-pin RESET)
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2-5
2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU)
2.3.1 Overview
The motherboard comes with a surface mount 939-pin Zero Insertion Force
(ZIF) socket designed for the AMD Athlon™ 64FX or AMD Athlon 64™
processor.
The 128-bit-wide data paths of these processors can run applications
faster than processors with only 32-bit or 64-bit wide data paths.
Take note of the marked corner (with
gold triangle) on the CPU. This mark
should match a specific corner on the
socket to ensure correct installation.
Gold triangle
2.3.2 Installling the CPU
To install a CPU:
1. Locate the CPU socket on the motherboard.
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
®
A8N-SLI PREMIUM CPU Socket 939
Before installing the CPU, make sure that the socket box is facing
towards you and the load lever is on your left.
2-6
Chapter 2: Hardware information
2. Unlock the socket by pressing
the lever sideways, then lift it up
to a 90°-100° angle.
Socket Lever
Make sure that the socket lever is lifted up to 90°-100° angle, otherwise
the CPU does not fit in completely.
3. Position the CPU above the
socket such that the CPU corner
with the gold triangle matches
the socket corner with a small
triangle.
4. Carefully insert the CPU into the
socket until it fits in place.
Gold triangle
Small triangle
The CPU fits only in one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU into
the socket to prevent bending the pins and damaging the CPU!
5. When the CPU is in place, push
down the socket lever to secure
the CPU. The lever clicks on the
side tab to indicate that it is
locked.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2-7
2.3.3 Installing the heatsink and fan
The AMD Athlon™ 64FX or AMD Athlon 64™ processor require a specially
designed heatsink and fan assembly to ensure optimum thermal condition
and performance.
Make sure that you use only qualified heatsink and fan assembly.
Follow these steps to install the CPU heatsink and fan.
1. Place the heatsink on top of the installed CPU, making sure that the
heatsink fits properly on the retention module base.
•
•
•
The retention module base is already installed on the motherboard
upon purchase.
You do not have to remove the retention module base when
installing the CPU or installing other motherboard components.
If you purchased a separate CPU heatsink and fan assembly, make
sure that a Thermal Interface Material is properly applied to the CPU
heatsink or CPU before you install the heatsink and fan assembly.
CPU Fan
CPU Heatsink
Retention Module Base
Retention bracket Retention bracket lock
Your boxed CPU heatsink and fan assembly should come with installation
instructions for the CPU, heatsink, and the retention mechanism. If the
instructions in this section do not match the CPU documentation, follow
the latter.
2-8
Chapter 2: Hardware information
2. Attach one end of the retention bracket to the retention module
base.
3. Align the other end of the retention bracket (near the retention
bracket lock) to the retention module base. A clicking sound denotes
that the retention bracket is in place.
Make sure that the fan and
heatsink assembly perfectly
fits the retention mechanism
module base, otherwise you
cannot snap the retention
bracket in place.
4. Push down the retention bracket lock on the retention mechanism to
secure the heatsink and fan to the module base.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2-9
3. When the fan and heatsink assembly is in place, connect the CPU fan
cable to the connector on the motherboard labeled CPU_FAN.
CPU_FAN
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
®
A8N-SLI PREMIUM CPU fan connector
Do not forget to connect the CPU fan connector! Hardware monitoring
errors can occur if you fail to plug this connector.
2-10
Chapter 2: Hardware information
2.4 System memory
2.4.1 Overview
The motherboard comes with four 184-pin Double Data Rate (DDR) Dual
Inline Memory Modules (DIMM) sockets.
The following figure illustrates the location of the sockets:
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
®
A8N-SLI PREMIUM 184-pin DDR DIMM sockets
Channel
Sockets
Channel A
Channel B
DIMM_A1 and DIMM_A2
DIMM_B1 and DIMM_B2
2.4.2 Memory Configurations
You may install 256 MB, 512 MB and 1 GB unbuffered ECC or non-ECC DDR
DIMMs into the DIMM sockets using the memory configurations in this
section.
•
For dual-channel configuration, the total size of memory module(s)
installed per channel must be the same for better performance
(DIMM_A1+DIMM_A2=DIMM_B1+DIMM_B2).
•
•
When using one DDR DIMM module, install into DIMM_B1 slot only.
When using two DDR DIMM modules, install into DIMM_A1 and
DIMM_B1 slots only.
•
Always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency. For optimum
compatibility, it is recommended that you obtain memory modules
from the same vendor. Refer to the DDR400 Qualified Vendors List
on the next page for details.
•
•
Due to chipset resource allocation, the system may detect less than
4 GB of system memory when you installed four 1 GB DDR memory
modules.
Due to CPU limitation, DIMM modules with 128 Mb memory chips or
double-sided x16 memory chips are not supported in this
motherboard.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2-11
D
I
M
M
s
u
p
p
o
r
t
Table 2
DDR400 Qualified Vendors List
Size
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
512MB
1024MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
256MB
512MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
512MB
1024MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
12MB
Vendor
Model
Brand Side(s) Component
A
B
C
KINGSTON
KINGSTON
KINGSTON
KINGSTON
KINGSTON
KINGSTON
KINGSTON
KINGSTON
KINGSTON
KINGSTON
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
MICRON
MICRON
Infineon
Infineon
CORSAIR
CORSAIR
CORSAIR
CORSAIR
Hynix
KVR400X64C3A/256
KVR400X64C3A/512
KVR400X72C3A/256
KVR400X72C3A/512
KVR400X64C3A/256
KVR400X64C3A/512
KVR400X64C3A/256
KVR400X64C3A/512
KHX3200A/512
Hynix
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
DS
DS
SS
DS
SS
SS
DS
SS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
DS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
HY5DU56822BT-D43
HY5DU56822BT-D43
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hynix
Mosel
V58C2256804SAT5(ECC)
V58C2256804SAT5(ECC)
HYB25D256800BT-5B
HYB25D256809BT-5B
D3208DL2T-5
Mosel
Infineon
Infineon
KINGSTON
KINGSTON
N/A
D328DIB-50
N/A
KVR400X64C3A/1G
M381L3223ETM-CCC
M381L6423ETM-CCC
M368L3223ETM-CCC
M368L3223FTN-CCC
M368L6423FTN-CCC
M368L6523BTM-CCC
MT8VDDT3264AG-40BCB
MT16VDDT6464AG-40BCB
HYS64D32300HU-5-C
HYS64D64320HU-5-C
CMX256A-3200C2PT
VS512MB400
N/A
HYB25D512800BE-5B
K4H560838E-TCCC(ECC)
K4H560838E-TCCC(ECC)
K4H560838E-TCCC
K4H560838F-TCCC
K4H560838F-TCCC
K4H510838B-TCCC
MT46V32M8TG-5BC
MT46V32M8TG-5BC
HYB25D256800CE-5C
HYB25D256800CE-5C
W942508BH-5
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
MICRON
MICRON
Infineon
Infineon
Winbond
VALUE seLecT
N/A
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
VS32M8-5
CMX512-3200C2
N/A
TWINX2048-3200C2
HYMD232645D8J-D43
HYMD264646D8J-D43
GE2563200B
N/A
N/A
Hynix
HY5DU56822DT-D43
HY5DU56822DT-D43
GL3LC32G88TG-5A
GL3LC32G88TG-5A
GLIL DDR 32M8
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hynix
Hynix
GEIL
GEIL
GEIL
GE5123200B
GEIL
GEIL
GD3200-256V
GEIL
GEIL
GD3200-512V
GEIL
GLIL DDR 32M8
TwinMOS
TwinMOS
TwinMOS
TwinMOS
Transcend
Transcend
Transcend
Apacer
M2G9I08AIATT9F081AADT
M2G9J16AJATT9F081AADT
M2G9I08A8ATT9F081AADT
M2G9J16A8ATT9F081AADT
TS32MLD64V4F3
TwinMOS
TwinMOS
TwinMOS
TwinMOS
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
Infineon
Infineon
ProMOS
ProMOS
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
Hynix
TMD7608F8E50D
TMD7608F8E50D
TMD7608F8E50D
TMD7608F8E50D
K4H560838F-TCCC
K4H560838F-TCCC
K4H510838B-TCCC
HYB25D256800CE-5C
HYB25D256800CE-5C
V58C2256804SCT5B
V58C2256804SCT5B
K4H560838E-TCCC
K4H560838F-TCCC
HY5DU56822CT-D43
HY5DU56822CT-D43
ADD8608A8A-5B
ADD8608A8A-5B
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
1024MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
TS64MLD64V4F3
TS128MLD64V4J
77.10636.33G
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Apacer
77.10736.33G
Apacer
77.10639.60G
Apacer
77.10739.60G
A DATA
A DATA
A DATA
A DATA
A DATA
A DATA
MDOSS6F3G31Y0K1E0Z
MDOSS6F3H41Y0N1E0Z
MDOHY6F3G31Y0N1E0Z
MDOHY6F3H41Y0N1E0Z
MDOAD5F3G31Y0D1E02
MDOAD5F3H41Y0D1E02
Hynix
N/A
•
•
N/A
(Continued on the next page)
2-12
Chapter 2: Hardware information
DDR400 Qualified Vendors List
D I M M s u p p o r t
Size
Vendor
Model
Brand
Side(s)
Component
A B
C
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
512MB
256MB
512MB
1024MB
1024MB
1024MB
Winbond
Winbond
PSC
W9425GCDB-5
Winbond
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
SS
DS
DS
SS
DS
DS
DS
DS
W942508CH-5
W942508CH-5
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
W9451GCDB-5
Winbond
PSC
•
•
•
•
•
AL5D8B53T-5B1K
AL6D8B53T-5B1K
MPXB62D-38KT3R
MPXC22D-38KT3R
NT256D64S88C0G-5T
NT512D64S8HC0G-5T
B6U808-256M-SAM-400
B6U808-512M-SAM-400
DXV6S8EL5BM3T27C
DXV2S8EL5BM3T27C
DXV6S8EL5BM3T27C
DXV2S8EL5BM3T27C
M2U25664DS88C3G-5T
M2U51264DS8HC1G-5T
N/A
A2S56D30BTP
PSC
PSC
A2S56D30BTP
KINGMAX
KINGMAX
NANYA
NANYA
BRAIN POWER
BRAIN POWER
CENTURY
CENTURY
CENTURY
CENTURY
elixir
N/A
KDL388P4LA-50
KDL388P4LA-50
NT5DS32M8CT-5T
NT5DS32M8CT-5T
K4H560838D-TCC4
K4H560838D-TCC4
K4H560838E-TCCC
K4H560838E-TCCC
DD2508AMTA
N/A
N/A
N/A
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
SAMSUNG
N/A
N/A
DD2508AMTA
N/A
N2DS25680CT-5T
N2DS25680CT-5T
VT3225804T-5
VT3225804T-5
VT56DD32M8PC-5
VT56DD32M8PC-5
V58C2256804SAT5B
V58C2256804SAT5B
V58C2256804SCT5B
V58C2256804SCT5B
A2S56D30CTP
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
elixir
N/A
Kreton
VT
Kreton
N/A
VT
Veritech
Veritech
Pmi
VT400FMV/2561103
VT400FMV/5121003
MD44256VIT3208GMHA01
MD44512VIT3208GATA03
V826632K24SCTG-D0
V826664K24SCTG-D0
AL5D8C53T-5B1T
AL6D8C53T-5B1T
BL6464Z402.16TG
96M425653CE-40TB6
96M451253CE-40TB6
KVR400X64C3A/1G
TWINX2048-3200C2
TS128MLD64V4J
VT
VT
MOSEL
MOSEL
N/A
Pmi
ProMOS
ProMOS
Deutron
Deutron
crucial
N/A
PSC
PSC
A2S56D30CTP
Ballistix
CEON
CEON
N/A
N/A
Novax
C2S56D30TP-5
•
•
•
•
•
Novax
C2S56D30TP-5
KINGSTON
CORSAIR
Transcend
HYB25D512800BE-5B
N/A
N/A
SAMSUNG
K4H510838B-TCCC
Side(s): SS - Single-Sided
DIMM Support:
DS - Double-Sided
A - supports one module inserted into either the blue slots, in a Single-channel
memory configuration.
B - supports on pair of modules inserted into either the blue slots or the black slots
as one pair of Dual-channel memory configuration.
C - support for 4 modules inserted into the blue and black slots as two pairs of
Dual-channel memory configuration.
Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) for the latest DDR 400 Qualified
Vendors List.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2-13
2.4.3 Installing a DIMM
Make sure to unplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs
or other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe damage
to both the motherboard and the components.
2
1. Unlock a DIMM socket by
DDR DIMM notch
pressing the retaining clips
outward.
1
2. Align a DIMM on the socket such
that the notch on the DIMM
matches the break on the
socket.
1
Unlocked retaining clip
A DDR DIMM is keyed with a notch so that it fits in only one direction.
DO NOT force a DIMM into a socket to avoid damaging the DIMM.
3. Firmly insert the DIMM into the
socket until the retaining clips
snap back in place and the DIMM
is properly seated.
Locked Retaining Clip
2.4.4 Removing a DIMM
2
Follow these steps to remove a DIMM.
1. Simultaneously press the
retaining clips outward to unlock
the DIMM.
1
1
DDR DIMM notch
Support the DIMM lightly with your fingers when pressing the retaining
clips. The DIMM might get damaged when it flips out with extra force.
2. Remove the DIMM from the socket.
2-14
Chapter 2: Hardware information
2.5 Expansion slots
In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following
sub-sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support.
Make sure to unplug the power cord before adding or removing
expansion cards. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and
damage motherboard components.
2.5.1 Installing an expansion card
To install an expansion card:
1. Before installing the expansion card, read the documentation that
came with it and make the necessary hardware settings for the card.
2. Remove the system unit cover (if your motherboard is already
installed in a chassis).
3. Remove the bracket opposite the slot that you intend to use. Keep
the screw for later use.
4. Align the card connector with the slot and press firmly until the card is
completely seated on the slot.
5. Secure the card to the chassis with the screw you removed earlier.
6. Replace the system cover.
2.5.2 Configuring an expansion card
After installing the expansion card, configure the it by adjusting the
software settings.
1. Turn on the system and change the necessary BIOS settings, if any.
See Chapter 4 for information on BIOS setup.
2. Assign an IRQ to the card. Refer to the tables on the next page.
3. Install the software drivers for the expansion card.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2-15
2.5.3 Interrupt assignments
Standard interrupt assignments
I R Q
Priority
Standard Function
0
1
2
System Timer
1
Keyboard Controller
2
–
Re-direct to IRQ#9
4
12
13
14
15
3
Communications Port (COM1)*
IRQ holder for PCI steering*
Floppy Disk Controller
5
6
7
Printer Port (LPT1)*
8
System CMOS/Real Time Clock
IRQ holder for PCI steering*
IRQ holder for PCI steering*
IRQ holder for PCI steering*
PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port*
Numeric Data Processor
Primary IDE Channel
9
4
10
11
12
13
14
15
5
6
7
8
9
10
Secondary IDE Channel
* These IRQs are usually available for ISA or PCI devices.
IRQ assignments for this motherboard
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
PCI slot 1
shared
—
—
shared
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
PCI slot 2
PCI slot 3
—
shared
—
—
Onboard USB 1.0 controller
Onboard USB 2.0 controller
Onboard LAN1
shared
shared
shared
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
Onboard LAN2
shared
—
—
—
Onboard PCI SATA RAID (SI)
Onboard 1394a
—
—
shared
—
shared
—
—
When using PCI cards on shared slots, ensure that the drivers support
“Share IRQ” or that the cards do not need IRQ assignments. Otherwise,
conflicts will arise between the two PCI groups, making the system
unstable and the card inoperable.
2.5.4 PCI slots
The PCI slots support cards such as a
LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and
other cards that comply with PCI
specifications. The figure shows a
LAN card installed on a PCI slot.
2-16
Chapter 2: Hardware information
2.5.5 Two PCI Express x16 slots
This motherboard supports one PCI
Express x16 graphics card or two
SLI-ready PCI Express x16 graphic
cards that comply with the PCI
Express specifications. The figure
shows a graphics card installed on
the PCI Express x16 slot.
See Chapter 6 for details on the SLI
technology feature.
In Normal mode, only the PCI Express blue slot can be used for PCI
Express x16 graphics cards. The PCI Express black slot functions as a PCI
Express x1 slot.
2.5.6 PCI Express x1 slot
This motherboard supports PCI
Express x1 network cards, SCSI cards
and other cards that comply with the
PCI Express specifications. The figure
shows a network card installed on the
PCI Express x1 slot.
2.5.7 PCI Express x4 slot
This motherboard provides a PCI
Express x4 slot that can support PCI
Express x1, x4, x8, or x16 cards. This
ASUS proprietary slot allows you to
use additional PCI Express cards
(e.g. graphics card) for twice the
speed of a PCI Express x1 slot.
The Universal PCIe slot
supports a total bandwidth of
1GB/s.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2-17
2.6 Jumpers
1 . Clear RTC RAM (CLRTC)
This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in
CMOS. You can clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system
setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The onboard
button cell battery powers the RAM data in CMOS, which include
system setup information such as system passwords.
To erase the RTC RAM:
1. Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord.
2. Remove the onboard battery.
3. Move the jumper cap from pins 1-2 (default) to pins 2-3. Keep the
cap on pins 2-3 for about 5~10 seconds, then move the cap back to
pins 1-2.
4. Re-install the battery.
5. Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer.
6. Hold down the <Del> key during the boot process and enter BIOS
setup to re-enter data.
Except when clearing the RTC RAM, never remove the cap on CLRTC
jumper default position. Removing the cap will cause system boot failure!
CLRTC
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
1 2
2 3
®
Normal
Clear CMOS
(Default)
A8N-SLI PREMIUM Clear RTC RAM
You do not need to clear the RTC when the system hangs due to
overclocking. For system failure due to overclocking, use the C.P.R. (CPU
Parameter Recall) feature. Shut down and reboot the system so the BIOS
can automatically reset parameter settings to default values.
2-18
Chapter 2: Hardware information
2.7 Connectors
2.7.1 Rear panel connectors
3
4
5 6
1
2
7
8
9
16
15
14
13
12
11
10
1 . PS/2 mouse port (green). This port is for a PS/2 mouse.
2 . Parallel port. This 25-pin port connects a parallel printer, a scanner,
or other devices.
3 . LAN 2 (RJ-45) port. Supported by the Marvell® 88E81001 Gigabit
LAN controller, this port allows Gigabit connection to a Local Area
Network (LAN) through a network hub.
4 . LAN 1 (RJ-45) port. Supported by the NVIDIA® nForce™ 4 Gigabit
MAC with external Marvell® PHY, this port allows Gigabit connection to
a Local Area Network (LAN) through a network hub. Refer to the table
below for the LAN port LED indications.
LAN port LED indications
ACT/LINK SPEED
ACT/LINK LED
Status Description
SPEED LED
LED
LED
Status
OFF
Description
OFF
No link
10 Mbps connection
100 Mbps connection
1 Gbps connection
GREEN
BLINKING
Linked
ORANGE
GREEN
LAN port
Data activity
5 . Rear Speaker Out port (gray). This port connects the rear
speakers on a 4-channel, 6-channel, or 8-channel audio configuration.
6 . Side Speaker Out port (black). This port connects the side
speakers in an 8-channel audio configuration.
7 . Line In port (light blue). This port connects the tape, CD, DVD
player, or other audio sources.
8 . Line Out port (lime). This port connects a headphone or a
speaker. In 4-channel, 6-channel, and 8-channel configuration, the
function of this port becomes Front Speaker Out.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2-19
9 . Microphone port (pink). This port connects a microphone.
10. Center/Subwoofer port (yellow orange). This port connects
the center/subwoofer speakers.
Refer to the audio configuration table below for the function of the
audio ports in 2, 4, 6, or 8-channel configuration.
Audio 2, 4, 6, or 8-channel configuration
Port
Headset
2-channel
4-channel
6-channel
8-channel
Light Blue
Lime
Line In
Line In
Line In
Front Speaker Out
Mic In
Line In
Line Out
Front Speaker Out
Front Speaker Out
Mic In
Pink
Mic In
Mic In
Gray
•
•
•
Rear Speaker Out
Rear Speaker Out
•
Rear Speaker Out
Side Speaker Out
Center/Subwoofer
Black
•
•
Yellow Orange
Center/Subwoofer
11. USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus
(USB) ports are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.
12. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus
(USB) ports are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices.
13. IEEE 1394a port. This 6-pin IEEE 1394 port provides high-speed
connectivity for audio/video devices, storage peripherals, PCs, or
portable devices.
14. Optical S/PDIF Out port. This port connects an external audio
output device via an optical S/PDIF cable.
15. Coaxial S/PDIF Out port. This port connects an external audio
output device via a coaxial S/PDIF cable.
16. PS/2 keyboard port (purple). This port is for a PS/2 keyboard.
2-20
Chapter 2: Hardware information
2.7.2 Internal connectors
1 . Floppy disk drive connector (34-1 pin FLOPPY)
This connector is for the provided floppy disk drive (FDD) signal cable.
Insert one end of the cable to this connector, then connect the other
end to the signal connector at the back of the floppy disk drive.
The Pin 5 on the connector is removed to prevent incorrect cable
connection when using an FDD cable with a covered Pin 5.
FLOPPY
NOTE: Orient the red markings on
the floppy ribbon cable to PIN 1.
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
®
PIN 1
A8N-SLI PREMIUM Floppy disk drive connector
2 . IDE connectors (40-1 pin PRI_IDE, SEC_IDE)
These connectors are for Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cables. The
Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cable has three connectors: a blue
connector for the primary IDE connector on the motherboard, a black
connector for an Ultra DMA 133/100/66 IDE slave device (optical
drive/hard disk drive), and a gray connector for an Ultra DMA 133/
100/66 IDE master device (hard disk drive). If you install two hard disk
drives, you must configure the second drive as a slave device by setting
its jumper accordingly. Refer to the hard disk documentation for the
jumper settings.
•
The Pin 20 on the IDE connector is removed to match the covered hole
on the Ultra DMA cable connector. This prevents incorrect insertion
when you connect the IDE cable.
•
Use the 80-conductor IDE cable for UltraDMA133/100/66 IDE devices.
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
NOTE: Orient the red markings
(usually zigzag) on the IDE
ribbon cable to PIN 1.
®
PIN 1
A8N-SLI PREMIUM IDE connectors
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2-21
3 . Serial ATA connectors
(7-pin SATA1, SATA2, SATA3, SATA4)
Supported by the NVIDIA® nForce4™ chipset, these connectors are for
the Serial ATA signal cables for Serial ATA hard disk drives that allows
up to 3Gb/s of data transfer rate.
If you installed Serial ATA hard disk drives, you can create a RAID 0,
RAID 1, RAID 1+0, or JBOD configuration that span across the Parallel
ATA drives. Refer to Chapter 5 for details on how to set up RAID
configurations.
These connectors are set to SATA by default. In SATA mode, you can
connect Serial ATA boot or data hard disk drives to these connectors. If
you intent to create a Serial ATA RAID set using these connectors,
enable the RAID function of each port from the NVRAID
Configuration sub-menu item in the BIOS. See section “4.4.3 Onboard
Devices Configuration” on pages 4-24 and 4-26 for details.
SATA4
SATA2
SATA3
SATA1
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
®
A8N-SLI PREMIUM SATA connectors
Important notes on Serial ATA
•
The actual data transfer rate depends on the speed of Serial ATA
hard disks installed.
•
See Appendix for instructions on how to install the Serial ATA
extension module.
2-22
Chapter 2: Hardware information
4 . Serial ATA RAID connectors (7-pin SATA_RAID1,
SATA_RAID2, SATA_RAID3, SATA_RAID4)
Supported by the Silicon Image® Sil3114 RAID controller, these
connectors are for Serial ATA signal cables. These connectors support
up to four Serial ATA hard disk drives that can be configured as a disk
array through the onboard Silicon Image Sil3114 SATA RAID
controller. Refer to Chapter 5 for details on how to set up Serial ATA
RAID configurations.
By default, the RAID function of these connectors are enabled. Disable
the Silicon SATA controller item in the BIOS, if you are not
configuring a set with these connectors. See section “4.4.3 Onboard
Devices Configuration” on page 4-24 for details.
SATA_RAID4
SATA_RAID2
SATA_RAID3
SATA_RAID1
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
®
A8N-SLI PREMIUM SATA RAID connectors
•
•
Before creating a RAID configuration, make sure that you have
connected the Serial ATA cables to these connectors and have
installed the Serial ATA hard disks drives; otherwise, you cannot
enter the Silicon Image RAID utility and Serial ATA BIOS setup during
POST.
See Appendix for instructions on how to install the Serial ATA
extension module.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2-23
5 . CPU, Chassis, Chipset and Power fan connectors
(3-pin CPU_FAN, 3-pin CHA2_FAN, 3-pin CHIP_FAN,
3-pin PWR_FAN, 3-pin CHA1_FAN)
The fan connectors support cooling fans of 350mA~2000mA (24 W
max.) or a total of 1A~3.48A (41.76 W max.) at +12V. Connect the
fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard, making sure that
the black wire of each cable matches the ground pin of the connector.
•
Do not forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors. Lack
of sufficient air flow inside the system may damage the
motherboard components. These are not jumpers! DO NOT place
jumper caps on the fan connectors!
•
•
The ASUS Q-Fan function is supported using the CPU Fan (CPU_FAN)
and Chassis Fan 1 (CHA1_FAN) connectors only.
The chipset fan is synchronized with the CPU fan.
CPU_FAN
CPU_FAN
CHA2_FAN
PWR_FAN
CHA2_FAN
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
GND
PWR_FAN
+12V
CHIP_FAN
CHA1_FAN
Rotation
®
CHIP_FAN
A8N-SLI PREMIUM Fan connectors
GND
CHA1_FAN
+12V
Rotation
2-24
Chapter 2: Hardware information
6 . Serial port connector (10-1 pin COM1)
This connector is for a serial (COM) port. Connect the serial port
module cable to this connector, then install the module to a slot
opening at the back of the system chassis.
COM1
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
PIN 1
®
A8N-SLI PREMIUM COM port connector
7 . USB connectors (10-1 pin USB56, USB78, USB910)
These connectors are for USB 2.0 ports. Connect the USB/GAME
module cable to any of these connectors, then install the module to a
slot opening at the back of the system chassis. These USB connectors
comply with USB 2.0 specification that supports up to 480 Mbps
connection speed.
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
®
USB78
USB56
USB910
1
1
1
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
USB 2.0 connectors
Never connect a 1394 cable to the USB connectors. Doing so will
damage the motherboard!
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2-25
8 . ATX power connectors (24-pin EATXPWR1,
4-pin ATX12V1, 4-pin EZ_PLUG)
These connectors are for an ATX power supply plugs. The power
supply plugs are designed to fit these connectors in only one
orientation. Find the proper orientation and push down firmly until the
connectors completely fit.
•
•
Do not forget to connect the 4-pin ATX +12 V power plug;
otherwise, the system will not boot.
When using two graphics cards, do not forget to connect the 4-pin
ATX +12 V power plug to the EZ Plug™; otherwise, the system will
be unstable. See page 6-x for details.
•
•
Use of a PSU with a higher power output is recommended when
configuring a system with more power-consuming devices. The
system may become unstable or may not boot up if the power is
inadequate.
Make sure that your power supply unit (PSU) can provide at least
the minimum power required by your system. See the table below
for details.
Power supply requirements
Loading
Normal
Components/Peripherals
AMD® K8 939-pin CPU type
PCIe™ x16 graphics cards
DDR DIMMs
Heavy
Light
Athlon 64 FX-55
Athlon 64 3800+ Athlon 64 3400+
6800 Ultra x2
6800GT x2
6600GT x2
4
2
2
HDD
4
2
2
Optical drive (DVD/CD-RW)
PCIe™ x 1 card
2
2
1
1
0
0
PCI cards
3
2
1
IEEE 1394 devices
USB devices
1
6
0
4
0
3
Required +12V current
Required wattage
> 25A
>= 500W
> 20A
>= 400W
> 17A
>= 350W
ATX12V
+12V DC GND
EATXPWR
+3 Volts
-12 Volts
Ground
PSON#
Ground
Ground
Ground
-5 Volts
+5 Volts
+5 Volts
+5 Volts
Ground
+3 Volts
+3 Volts
Ground
+5 Volts
Ground
+12V DC GND
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
EZ_PLUG
+5 Volts
Ground
®
+5V
EZ_DET
GND
Power OK
+5V Standby
+12 Volts
+12 Volts
+3 Volts
+12V
A8N-SLI PREMIUM ATX power connectors
2-26
Chapter 2: Hardware information
9 . Internal audio connectors (4-pin CD, AUX)
These connectors allow you to receive stereo audio input from sound
sources such as a CD-ROM, TV-tuner, or MPEG card.
CD
(black)
AUX
(white)
Right Audio Channel
Ground
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
Ground
Left Audio Channel
®
A8N-SLI PREMIUM Internal audio connectors
The function of these connectors are disabled under 8-channel mode.
10. GAME/MIDI port connector (16-1 pin GAME)
This connector is for a GAME/MIDI port. Connect the USB/GAME
module cable to this connector, then install the module to a slot
opening at the back of the system chassis. The GAME/MIDI port
connects a joystick or game pad for playing games, and MIDI devices
for playing or editing audio files.
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
®
GAME
A8N-SLI PREMIUM Game connector
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2-27
11. Chassis intrusion connector (4-1 pin CHASSIS)
This connector is for a chassis-mounted intrusion detection sensor or
switch. Connect one end of the chassis intrusion sensor or switch
cable to this connector. The chassis intrusion sensor or switch sends a
high-level signal to this connector when a chassis component is
removed or replaced. The signal is then generated as a chassis
intrusion event.
By default, the pins labeled “Chassis Signal” and “Ground” are shorted
with a jumper cap. Remove the jumper caps only when you intend to
use the chassis intrusion detection feature.
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
®
CHASSIS
(Default)
A8N-SLI PREMIUM Chassis intrusion connector
12. IEEE 1394 connector (10-1 pin IE1394_2)
This connector is for the IEEE 1394a module. Connect the IEEE 1394
module cable to this connector, then install the module to a slot
opening at the back of the system chassis.
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
®
1
IE_1394_2
A8N-SLI PREMIUM IEEE 1394 connector
Never connect a USB cable to the IEEE 1394 connectors. Doing so will
damage the motherboard!
2-28
Chapter 2: Hardware information
13. Front panel audio connector (10-1 pin FP_AUDIO)
This connector is for a chassis-mounted front panel audio I/O module
that supports legacy AC ‘97 audio standard. Connect one end of the
front panel audio I/O module cable to this connector.
FP_AUDIO
BLINE_OUT_L
Line out_L
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
NC
BLINE_OUT_R
+5VA
Line out_R
MICPWR
MIC2
®
AGND
A8N-SLI PREMIUM Front panel audio connector
14. System panel connector (20-pin PANEL)
This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions.
PLED
SPEAKER
PANEL
A8N-SLI PREMIUM
®
IDE_LED
RESET
PWRSW
*
Requires an ATX power supply.
A8N-SLI PREMIUM System panel connector
The sytem panel connector is color-coded for easy connection. Refer to
the connector description below for details.
•
•
System power LED (Green 3-pin PLED)
This 3-pin connector is for the system power LED. Connect the
chassis power LED cable to this connector. The system power LED
lights up when you turn on the system power, and blinks when the
system is in sleep mode.
Hard disk drive activity (Red 2-pin IDE_LED)
This 2-pin connector is for the HDD Activity LED. Connect the HDD
Activity LED cable to this connector. The IDE LED lights up or flashes
when data is read from or written to the HDD.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
2-29
•
•
System warning speaker (Orange 4-pin SPEAKER)
This 4-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted system warning
speaker. The speaker allows you to hear system beeps and warnings.
Power/Soft-off button (Yellow 2-pin PWRSW)
This connector is for the system power button. Pressing the power
button turns the system ON or puts the system in SLEEP or SOFT-OFF
mode depending on the BIOS settings. Pressing the power switch for
more than four seconds while the system is ON turns the system OFF.
•
Reset button (Blue 2-pin RESET)
This 2-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted reset button for
system reboot without turning off the system power.
2-30
Chapter 2: Hardware information
This chapter describes the power up
sequence, the vocal POST messages,
and ways of shutting down the
system.
Powering up
3
Chapter summary
3.1
3.2
3.3
Starting up for the first time................................................ 3-1
Powering off the computer .................................................. 3-2
ASUS POST Reporter™.......................................................... 3-3
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
3.1 Starting up for the first time
1. After making all the connections, replace the system case cover.
2. Be sure that all switches are off.
3. Connect the power cord to the power connector at the back of the
system chassis.
4. Connect the power cord to a power outlet that is equipped with a
surge protector.
5. Turn on the devices in the following order:
a. Monitor
b.External SCSI devices (starting with the last device on the chain)
c. System power
6. After applying power, the system power LED on the system front
panel case lights up. For systems with ATX power supplies, the system
LED lights up when you press the ATX power button. If your monitor
complies with “green” standards or if it has a “power standby”
feature, the monitor LED may light up or switch between orange and
green after the system LED turns on.
The system then runs the power-on self tests or POST. While the
tests are running, the BIOS beeps (see BIOS beep codes table below)
or additional messages appear on the screen. If you do not see
anything within 30 seconds from the time you turned on the power,
the system may have failed a power-on test. Check the jumper
settings and connections or call your retailer for assistance.
7. At power on, hold down the <Delete> key to enter the BIOS Setup.
Follow the instructions in Chapter 4.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
3-1
3.2 Powering off the computer
3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function
If you are using Windows® 2000:
1. Click the Start button then click Shut Down...
2. Make sure that the Shut Down option button is selected, then click
the OK button to shut down the computer.
3. The power supply should turn off after Windows® shuts down.
If you are using Windows® XP:
1. Click the Start button then select Turn Off Computer.
2. Click the Turn Off button to shut down the computer.
3. The power supply should turn off after Windows® shuts down.
3.2.2 Using the dual function power switch
While the system is ON, pressing the power switch for less than four
seconds puts the system to sleep mode or to soft-off mode, depending on
the BIOS setting. Pressing the power switch for more than four seconds
lets the system enter the soft-off mode regardless of the BIOS setting.
Refer to section “4.5 Power Menu” in Chapter 4 for details.
3-2
Chapter 3: Powering up
3.3 ASUS POST Reporter™
This motherboard includes the Winbond speech controller to support a
special feature called the ASUS POST Reporter™. This feature lets you hear
vocal messages during POST that alerts you of system events and boot
status. In case of a boot failure, you will hear the specific cause of the
problem.
These POST messages are customizable using the Winbond Voice Editor
software that came with your package. You can record your own messages
to replace the default messages.
3.3.1 Vocal POST messages
Following is a list of the default POST messages and the corresponding
actions you can take:
POST Message
No CPU installed
Action
•
Install a supported processor to the
CPU socket. See section “2.3 Central
Processing Unit (CPU)” for details.
System failed CPU test
•
•
Check the CPU if properly installed.
Call ASUS technical support for
assistance. See the ASUS contact
information on the inside front cover
of this user guide.
System failed memory test
•
•
•
•
•
Install supported DDR DIMMs into the
memory sockets.
Check if the DIMMs on the DIMM
sockets are properly installed.
Make sure that your DIMMs are not
defective.
Refer to section “2.4 System memory”
for instructions on installing a DIMM.
System failed VGA test
Install a PCI graphics card into one of
the PCI slots, or a PCI Express AGP
card into the PCI Express x16 slot.
•
•
Make sure that your graphics card is
not defective.
System failed due to CPU
No keyboard detected
Check your CPU overclocking settings
in the BIOS setup and restore the
default CPU parameters.
•
Check if your keyboard is properly
connected to the purple PS/2
connector on the rear panel.
• See section “2.7.1 Rear panel
connectors” for the location of the
connector.
No IDE hard disk detected
•
Make sure you have connected an IDE
hard disk drive to one of the IDE
connectors on the motherboard.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
3-3
POST Message
A
c
t
i
o
n
CPU temperature too high
•
•
Check if the CPU fan is working
properly.
CPU fan failed
Check the CPU fan and make sure it
turns on after you apply power to the
system.
•
•
•
Make sure that your CPU fan supports
the fan speed detection function.
CPU voltage out of range
Check your power supply and make
sure it is not defective.
Call ASUS technical support for
assistance. See the “ASUS contact
information” on the inside front cover
of this user guide.
Computer now booting from operating
system
•
No action required
You can enable or disable the ASUS POST Reporter™ in the Speech
Configuration option in the BIOS setup. See section 4.4.7 for details.
3-4
Chapter 3: Powering up
3.3.2 Winbond Voice Editor
The Winbond Voice Editor software allows you to customize the vocal
POST messages. You can install this application from the support CD.
To avoid conflicts, do not run the Winbond Voice Editor while running
the ASUS PC Probe application.
Launching the Voice Editor
You can launch the program from the Windows® desktop by clicking
Start > All Programs > Winbond Voice Editor > Voice Editor.
The Winbond Voice Editor screen appears.
POST Events
Default Messages
Playing the default wave files
To play the default wave files, simply click on a POST event on the left side
of the screen, then click the Play button.
The default language setting is English.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
3-5
Changing the default language
To change the default language:
1. Click the Load button from the
Voice Editor main window. A
window with the available
languages appears.
2. Select your desired language,
then click Open.
The event messages for the
language you selected appear
on the Voice Editor main
window.
Not all events on some languages have a corresponding message due to
file size constraints.
3. Click the Write button from the Voice Editor main window to update
the EEPROM.
4. Click Yes to confirm.
The next time you boot your computer, the ASUS Post Reporter announces
the messages in the selected language.
3-6
Chapter 3: Powering up
Customizing your POST messages
The Voice Editor application allows you to record your own POST messages
if your language is not supported or if you wish to to replace the
pre-installed wave files.
To customize your POST messages.
1. Launch the Voice Editor application and note the list of POST events
on the leftmost column of the screen.
2. Prepare your message for each event.
3. Use a recording software (e.g. Windows® Recorder) to record your
messages, then save the messages as wave files (.WAV).
•
•
•
The total compressed size for all the wave files must not exceed
1Mbit, so keep your messages as short as possible.
To keep file sizes small, save your files at a low quality. For example,
use 8-bit, mono quality at 22Khz sampling rate.
Create a separate folder for your wave files so you can locate them
easily.
4. From the Voice Editor screen,
click the Add button to display
the Add Wave File window.
5. Copy the wave files that you
recorded to the database, then
close the window when done.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
3-7
6. Select a POST event on the
Voice Editor main window, then
click the Edit button. The
Event Sound Editor window
appears.
7. Locate and select your wave file
for the event, then click on the
arrow opposite Voice1. The file
you select appears on the space
next to it.
8. Click OK to return to the Voice
Editor main window.
9. Do steps 6 to 8 for the other
events.
10. When done, click Save. A
window appears prompting you
to save your configuration.
11. Type a file name with an .flh
extension, then click Save.
12. Click the Write button to
compress the file and copy into
the EEPROM.
13. Click Yes on the confirmation
window that appears.
If you receive an error message telling you that the files exceed the total
allowable size, do any or all of the following:
•
•
•
Shorten your messages.
Save the wave files at a lower quality
Do not include seldom-used events like FDD Detection, IDE HDD
Detection, etc.
3-8
Chapter 3: Powering up
This chapter tells how to change
the system settings through the BIOS
Setup menus. Detailed descriptions
of the BIOS parameters are also
provided.
BIOS setup
4
Chapter summary
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
4.7
Managing and updating your BIOS ........................................ 4-1
BIOS setup program ...........................................................4-11
Main menu ..........................................................................4-15
Advanced menu..................................................................4-20
Power menu........................................................................4-35
Boot menu ..........................................................................4-40
Exit menu ...........................................................................4-46
ASUS A8N SLI Premium
4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS
The following utilities allow you to manage and update the motherboard
Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) setup.
1. Award BIOS Flash Utility (Updates the BIOS in DOS mode using a
bootable floppy disk.)
2. ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 (Updates the BIOS using a bootable
floppy disk or the motherboard support CD when the BIOS file fails or
gets corrupted.)
3. ASUS EZ Flash (Updates the BIOS in DOS using a floppy disk or the
motherboard support CD.)
4. ASUS Update (Updates the BIOS in Windows® environment.)
Refer to the corresponding sections for details on these utilities.
Save a copy of the original motherboard BIOS file to a bootable floppy
disk in case you need to restore the BIOS in the future. Copy the original
motherboard BIOS using the ASUS Update or AwardBIOS Flash utilities.
4.1.1 Creating a bootable floppy disk
1. Do either one of the following to create a bootable floppy disk.
DOS environment
a. Insert a 1.44MB floppy disk into the drive.
b. At the DOS prompt, type format A:/S then press <Enter>.
Windows® XP environment
a. Insert a 1.44 MB floppy disk to the floppy disk drive.
b. Click Start from the Windows® desktop, then select M y
Computer.
c. Select the 3 1/2 Floppy Drive icon.
d. Click File from the menu, then select Format. A Format 3 1/2
Floppy Disk window appears.
e. Select Create an MS-DOS startup disk from the format
options field, then click Start.
Windows® 2000 environment
To create a set of boot disks for Windows® 2000:
a. Insert a formatted, high density 1.44 MB floppy disk into the drive.
b. Insert the Windows® 2000 CD to the optical drive.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
4-1
c. Click Start, then select Run.
d. From the Open field, type
D:\bootdisk\makeboot a:
assuming that D: is your optical drive.
e. Press <Enter>, then follow screen instructions to continue.
2. Copy the original or the latest motherboard BIOS file to the bootable
floppy disk.
4.1.2 Updating the BIOS
The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) can be updated using the
AwardBIOS Flash Utility. Follow these instructions to update the BIOS using
this utility.
1. Download the latest BIOS file from the ASUS web site. Rename the file
to A8NSLI-B.BIN and save it to a floppy disk.
Save only the updated BIOS file in the floppy disk to avoid loading the
wrong BIOS file.
2. Copy the AwardBIOS Flash Utility (awdflash.exe) from the Software
folder of the support CD to the floppy disk with the latest BIOS file.
3. Boot the system in DOS mode using the bootable floppy disk you
created earlier.
4. When the A:> appears, replace the bootable floppy disk with the
floppy disk containing the new BIOS file and the Award BIOS Flash
Utility.
5. At the prompt, type
AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.01
(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved
awdflash then press
<Enter>. The Award
BIOS Flash Utility screen
appears.
For NF-KC804-A8N-SLI-00
Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V
DATE: 11/18/2004
File Name to Program:
Message: Please input File Name!
4-2
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
6. Type the BIOS file name
in the File Name to
Program field, then
press <Enter>.
AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.01
(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved
For NF-KC804-A8N-SLI-00
DATE: 11/18/2004
Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V
File Name to Program: 1001.bin
Message: Do You Want To Save Bios (Y/N)
7. Press <N> when the utility prompts you to save the current BIOS file.
The following screen appears.
8. The utility verifies the
AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.01
BIOS file in the floppy
(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved
disk and starts flashing
For NF-KC804-A8N-SLI-00
DATE: 11/18/2004
Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V
File Name to Program: 1001.bin
Program Flashing Memory - OFE00 OK
the BIOS file.
Write OK
No Update
Write Fail
Warning: Don’t Turn Off Power Or Reset System!
Do not turn off or reset the system during the flashing process!
9. The utility displays a
AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.01
(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved
Flashing Complete
message indicating that
you have successfully
flashed the BIOS file.
Remove the floppy disk
then press <F1> to
For NF-KC804-A8N-SLI-00
DATE: 11/18/2004
Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V
File Name to Program: 1001.bin
Flashing Complete
Press <F1> to Continue
restart the system.
Write OK
F1 Reset
No Update
Write Fail
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
4-3
4.1.3 Saving the current BIOS file
You can use the AwardBIOS Flash Utility to save the current BIOS file. You
can load the current BIOS file when the BIOS file gets corrupted during the
flashing process.
Make sure that the floppy disk has enough disk space to save the file.
To save the current BIOS file using the AwardBIOS Flash Utility:
1. Follow steps 1 to 6 of
AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.01
(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved
the previous section.
For NF-KC804-A8N-SLI-00
Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V
DATE: 11/18/2004
2. Press <Y> when the
utility prompts you to
save the current BIOS
File Name to Program: 1001.bin
file. The following screen Save current BIOS as:
appears.
Message:
3. Type a filename for the
AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.01
(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved
current BIOS file in the
Save current BIOS
as field, then press
<Enter>.
For NF-KC804-A8N-SLI-00
DATE: 11/18/2004
Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V
File Name to Program: 1001.bin
Checksum: DAD6H
Save current BIOS as: old.bin
Message: Please Wait!
4. The utility saves the
current BIOS file to the
floppy disk, then returns
to the BIOS flashing
process.
AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.01
(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved
For NF-KC804-A8N-SLI-00
DATE: 11/18/2004
Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V
File Name to Program: 1001.bin
Now Backup System BIOS to
File!
Message: Please Wait!
4-4
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
4.1.4 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility
The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to
restore the BIOS file when it fails or gets corrupted during the updating
process. You can update a corrupted BIOS file using the motherboard
support CD or the floppy disk that contains the updated BIOS file.
Prepare the motherboard support CD or the floppy disk containing the
updated motherboard BIOS before using this utility.
Recovering the BIOS from the support CD
To recover the BIOS from the support CD:
1. Turn on the system.
2. Insert the motherboard support CD to the optical drive.
3. The utility displays the following message and automatically checks
the CD for the BIOS file.
Award BootBlock BIOS v1.0
Copyright (c) 2000, Award Software, Inc.
BIOS ROM checksum error
Detecting IDE ATAPI device...
When found, the utility reads the BIOS file and starts flashing the
corrupted BIOS file.
Award BootBlock BIOS v1.0
Copyright (c) 2000, Award Software, Inc.
BIOS ROM checksum error
Detecting IDE ATAPI device...
Found CDROM, try to Boot from it... Pass
DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS! Doing
so can cause system boot failure!
4. Restart the system after the utility completes the updating process.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
4-5
Recovering the BIOS from a floppy disk
To recover the BIOS from the support CD:
1. Remove any CD from the optical drive, then turn on the system.
2. Insert the floppy disk with the original or updated BIOS file to the
floppy disk drive.
3. The utility displays the following message and automatically checks
the floppy disk for the original or updated BIOS file.
Award BootBlock BIOS v1.0
Copyright (c) 2000, Award Software, Inc.
BIOS ROM checksum error
Detecting IDE ATAPI device...
When no CD is found, the utility automatically checks the optical drive
for the original or updated BIOS file. The utility then updates the
corrupted BIOS file.
Award BootBlock BIOS v1.0
Copyright (c) 2000, Award Software, Inc.
BIOS ROM checksum error
Detecting IDE ATAPI device...
Found CDROM, try to Boot from it... Fail
Detecting floppy drive A media...
DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS! Doing
so can cause system boot failure!
4. Restart the system after the utility completes the updating process.
The recovered BIOS may not be the latest BIOS version for this
motherboard. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the
latest BIOS file.
4-6
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
4.1.5 ASUS EZ Flash utility
The ASUS EZ Flash feature allows you to update the BIOS without having to
go through the long process of booting from a floppy disk and using a
DOS-based utility. The EZ Flash utility is built-in the BIOS chip so it is
accessible by pressing <Alt> + <F2> during the Power-On Self Tests
(POST).
To update the BIOS using EZ Flash:
1. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS
file for the motherboard.
2. Save the BIOS file to a floppy disk, then restart the system.
3. Press <Alt> + <F2> during POST to display the following.
Insert Disk then press Enter or ESC to continue POST
4. Insert the floppy disk
AwardBIOS Flash Utility for ASUS V1.01
(C) Phoenix Technologies Ltd. All Rights Reserved
that contains the BIOS
file to the floppy disk
For NF-KC804-A8N-SLI-00
DATE: 11/18/2004
Flash Type - SST 49LF004A/B /3.3V
drive then press
<Enter>. The following
screen appears.
File Name to Program:
Message: Please wait...
5. When the correct BIOS file is found, EZ Flash performs the BIOS
update process and automatically reboots the system when done.
Do not shutdown or reset the system while updating the BIOS to
prevent system boot failure!
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
4-7
4.1.6 ASUS Update utility
The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to manage, save, and update
the motherboard BIOS in Windows® environment. The ASUS Update utility
allows you to:
• Save the current BIOS file
• Download the latest BIOS file from the Internet
• Update the BIOS from an updated BIOS file
• Update the BIOS directly from the Internet, and
• View the BIOS version information.
This utility is available in the support CD that comes with the motherboard
package.
ASUS Update requires an Internet connection either through a network
or an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Installing ASUS Update
To install ASUS Update:
1. Place the support CD in the optical drive. The Drivers menu appears.
2. Click the Utilities tab, then click Install ASUS Update
VX.XX.XX. See page 5-3 for the Utilities screen menu.
3. The ASUS Update utility is copied to your system.
Quit all Windows® applications before you update the BIOS using this
utility.
4-8
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
Updating the BIOS through the Internet
To update the BIOS through the Internet:
1. Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows® desktop by clicking
Start > Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The
ASUS Update main window appears.
2. Select Update BIOS from
the Internet option from the
drop-down menu, then click
Next.
3. Select the ASUS FTP site
nearest you to avoid network
traffic, or click Auto Select.
Click Next.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
4-9
4. From the FTP site, select the
BIOS version that you wish to
download. Click Next.
5. Follow the screen instructions to
complete the update process.
The ASUS Update utility is
capable of updating itself
through the Internet. Always
update the utility to avail all
its features.
Updating the BIOS through a BIOS file
To update the BIOS through a BIOS file:
1. Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows® desktop by
clicking Start > Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate >
ASUSUpdate. The ASUS Update main window appears.
2. Select Update BIOS from a
file option from the drop-down
menu, then click Next.
3. Locate the BIOS file from the
Open window, then click Save.
4. Follow the screen instructions to
complete the update process.
4-10
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
4.2 BIOS setup program
This motherboard supports a programmable Low-Pin Count (LPC) chip that
you can update using the provided utility described in section “4.1
Managing and updating your BIOS.”
Use the BIOS Setup program when you are installing a motherboard,
reconfiguring your system, or prompted to “Run Setup”. This section
explains how to configure your system using this utility.
Even if you are not prompted to use the Setup program, you can change
the configuration of your computer in the future. For example, you can
enable the security password feature or change the power management
settings. This requires you to reconfigure your system using the BIOS
Setup program so that the computer can recognize these changes and
record them in the CMOS RAM of the LPC chip.
The LPC chip on the motherboard stores the Setup utility. When you start
up the computer, the system provides you with the opportunity to run this
program. Press <Del> during the Power-On Self-Test (POST) to enter the
Setup utility; otherwise, POST continues with its test routines.
If you wish to enter Setup after POST, restart the system by pressing
<Ctrl+Alt+Delete>, or by pressing the reset button on the system chassis.
You can also restart by turning the system off and then back on. Do this
last option only if the first two failed.
The Setup program is designed to make it as easy to use as possible. Being
a menu-driven program, it lets you scroll through the various sub-menus
and make your selections from the available options using the navigation
keys.
•
The default BIOS settings for this motherboard apply for most
conditions to ensure optimum performance. If the system becomes
unstable after changing any BIOS settings, load the default settings
to ensure system compatibility and stability. Select the Load
Default Settings item under the Exit Menu. See section “4.7 Exit
Menu.”
•
•
The BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference
purposes only, and may not exactly match what you see on your
screen.
Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS
file for this motherboard and .
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
4-11
4.2.1 BIOS menu screen
Menu items Menu bar
Configuration fields
General help
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Main
Advanced
Power
Boot
Exit
System Time
System Date
Language
15 : 30 : 36
Wed, Nov 5 2004
[English]
Select Menu
Item Specific Help
Legacy Diskette A:
[1.44M, 3.5 in.]
Change the day, month,
year and century.
Primary IDE Master
Primary IDE Slave
Secondary IDE Master
Secondary IDE Slave
First SATA Master
Second SATA Slave
Third SATA Master
Fourth SATA Slave
HDD SMART Monitoring
[ST321122A]
[ASUS CDS520/A]
[None]
[None]
[None]
[None]
[None]
[None]
[Disabled]
Installed Memory
256MB
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
→←: Select Menu
Sub-menu items
Legend bar
4.2.2 Menu bar
The menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items:
Main
For changing the basic system configuration
Advanced For changing the advanced system settings
Power
For changing the advanced power management (APM)
configuration
Boot
Exit
For changing the system boot configuration
For selecting the exit options and loading default settings
To select an item on the menu bar, press the right or left arrow key on the
keyboard until the desired item is highlighted.
•
•
The BIOS setup screens shown in this chapter are for reference
purposes only, and may not exactly match what you see on your
screen.
Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS
information.
4-12
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
4.2.3 Legend bar
At the bottom of the Setup screen is a legend bar. The keys in the legend
bar allow you to navigate through the various setup menus. The following
table lists the keys found in the legend bar with their corresponding
functions.
Navigation Key
<F1>
Function
Displays the General Help screen
Loads setup default values
<F5>
<Esc>
Exits the BIOS setup or returns to the main menu
from a sub-menu
Left or Right arrow
Up or Down arrow
Selects the menu item to the left or right
Moves the highlight up or down between fields
Page Down or – (minus) Scrolls backward through the values for the
highlighted field
Page Up or + (plus)
Scrolls forward through the values for the highlighted
field
<Enter>
<F10>
Brings up a selection menu for the highlighted field
Saves changes and exit
4.2.4 Menu items
The highlighted item on the menu bar displays the specific items for that
menu. For example, selecting Main shows the Main menu items.
The other items (Advanced, Power, Boot, and Exit) on the menu bar have
their respective menu items.
4.2.5 Sub-menu items
A solid triangle before each item on any menu screen means that the iteam
has a sub-menu. To display the sub-menu, select the item and press
<Enter>.
4.2.6 Configuration fields
These fields show the values for the menu items. If an item is
user-configurable, you can change the value of the field opposite the item.
You cannot select an item that is not user-configurable.
A configurable field is enclosed in brackets, and is highlighted when
selected. To change the value of a field, select it then press <Enter> to
display a list of options. Refer to “4.2.7 Pop-up window.”
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
4-13
4.2.7 Pop-up window
Select a menu item then press <Enter> to display a pop-up window with
the configuration options for that item.
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Main
Advanced
Power
Boot
Exit
System Time
System Date
Language
15 : 30 : 36
Wed, Nov 5 2004
[English]
Select Menu
Item Specific Help
Legacy Diskette A:
[1.44M, 3.5 in.]
Specifies the capacity
physical size of
kette drive A.
Legacy Diskette A:
Primary IDE Maste
Primary IDE Slave
Secondary IDE Mas
Secondary IDE Sla
First SATA Master
Second SATA Slave
Third SATA Master
Fourth SATA Slave
HDD SMART Monitor
..... [ ]
Disabled
360K , 5.25 in.
..... [ ]
..... [ ]
..... [ ]
..... [ ]
..... [ ]
1.2M , 5.25 in.
720K , 3.5 in.
1.44M, 3.5 in.
2.88M, 3.5 in.
↑↓ :Move ENTER:Accept ESC:Abort
Installed Memory
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
Pop-up menu
4.2.8 General help
At the top right corner of the menu screen is a brief description of the
selected item.
4-14
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
4.3 Main menu
When you enter the BIOS Setup program, the Main menu screen appears,
giving you an overview of the basic system information.
Refer to section “4.2.1 BIOS menu screen” for information on the menu
screen items and how to navigate through them.
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Main
Advanced
Power
Boot
Exit
System Time
System Date
Language
15 : 30 : 36
Wed, Nov 5 2004
[English]
Select Menu
Item Specific Help
Legacy Diskette A:
[1.44M, 3.5 in.]
Change the day, month,
year and century.
Primary IDE Master
Primary IDE Slave
Secondary IDE Master
Secondary IDE Slave
First SATA Master
Second SATA Slave
Third SATA Master
Fourth SATA Slave
HDD SMART Monitoring
[ST321122A]
[ASUS CDS520/A]
[None]
[None]
[None]
[None]
[None]
[None]
[Disabled]
Installed Memory
256MB
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
→←: Select Menu
4.3.1 System Time [xx:xx:xxxx]
Allows you to set the system time.
4.3.2 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx]
Allows you to set the system date.
4.3.3 Language [English]
Allows you to choose the BIOS language version from the options.
Configuration options: [Français] [German] [English]
4.3.4 Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in.]
Sets the type of floppy drive installed. Configuration options: [Disabled]
[360K, 5.25 in.] [1.2M , 5.25 in.] [720K , 3.5 in.] [1.44M, 3.5 in.]
[2.88M, 3.5 in.]
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
4-15
4.3.5 Primary and Secondary IDE Master/Slave
While entering Setup, the BIOS automatically detects the presence of IDE
devices. There is a separate sub-menu for each IDE device. Select a device
item then press <Enter> to display the IDE device information.
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Main
Primary IDE Master
[Auto]
Select Menu
PIO Mode
UDMA Mode
Item Specific Help
[Auto]
Press [Enter] to
select
Primary IDE Master
Access Mode
UDMA Mode
[Auto]
[Auto]
[Auto]
Capacity
13579 MB
Cylinder
Head
26310
16
Sector
63
Transfer Mode
UDMA 4
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
The BIOS automatically detects the values opposite the dimmed items
(Capacity, Cylinder, Head, Sector and Transfer Mode). These values are not
user-configurable. These items show N/A if no IDE device is installed in the
system.
PIO Mode
Sets the PIO mode for the IDE device.
Configuration options: [Auto] [Mode 0] [Mode 1] [Mode 2] [Mode 3]
[Mode 4]
UDMA Mode
Disables or sets the UDMA mode. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Auto]
IDE Primary Master/Slave [Auto]; IDE Secondary Master/
Slave [Auto]
Select [Auto] to automatically detect an IDE hard disk drive. If automatic
detection is successful, the BIOS automatically fills in the correct values for
the remaining fields on this sub-menu. If the hard disk was already
formatted on a previous system, the setup BIOS may detect incorrect
parameters. Select [Manual] to manually enter the IDE hard disk drive
parameters. If no drive is installed select [None].
Configuration options: [None] [Auto] [Manual]
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Chapter 4: BIOS setup
Access Mode [Auto]
The default [Auto] allows automatic detection of an IDE hard disk drive.
Select [CHS] for this item if you set the IDE Primary Master/Slave to
[Manual]. Configuration options: [CHS] [LBA] [Large] [Auto]
Before attempting to configure a hard disk drive, make sure you have
the correct configuration information supplied by the drive
manufacturer. Incorrect settings may cause the system to fail to
recognize the installed hard disk.
Capacity
Displays the auto-detected hard disk capacity. This item is not
configurable.
Cylinder
Shows the number of the hard disk cylinders. This item is not configurable.
Head
Shows the number of the hard disk read/write heads. This item is not
configurable.
Sector
Shows the number of sectors per track. This item is not configurable.
Transfer Mode
Shows the Transfer mode. This item is not configurable.
After entering the IDE hard disk drive information into BIOS, use a disk
utility, such as FDISK, to partition and format new IDE hard disk drives.
This is necessary so that you can write or read data from the hard disk.
Make sure to set the partition of the Primary IDE hard disk drives to
active.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
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4.3.5 First, Second, Third, Fourth SATA Master
While entering Setup, the BIOS automatically detects the presence of Serial
ATA devices. There is a separate sub-menu for each SATA device. Select a
device item then press <Enter> to display the SATA device information.
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Main
Primary IDE Master
Select Menu
Extended IDE Drive
Access Mode
[Auto]
[Auto]
Item Specific Help
Press [Enter] to
select
Capacity
xxxxx MB
Cylinder
Head
xxxxx
xx
Precomp
Landing Zone
Sector
xx
xx
xx
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
→←: Select Menu
The BIOS automatically detects the values opposite the dimmed items
(Capacity, Cylinder, Head, Precomp, Landing Zone and Sector). These
values are not user-configurable. These items show 0 if no SATA device is
installed in the system.
Extended Drive
Selects the type of fixed disk connected to the system.
Configuration options: [None] [Auto]
Access Mode
Sets the sector addressing mode. Configuration options: [Large] [Auto]
Before attempting to configure a hard disk drive, make sure you have
the correct configuration information supplied by the drive
manufacturer. Incorrect settings may cause the system to fail to
recognize the installed hard disk.
Capacity
Displays the auto-detected hard disk capacity. This item is not
configurable.
Cylinder
Shows the number of the hard disk cylinders. This item is not configurable.
4-18
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
Head
Shows the number of the hard disk read/write heads. This item is not
configurable.
Precomp
Shows the number of precomp per track. This item is not configurable.
Landing Zone
Shows the number of landing zone per track. This item is not configurable.
Sector
Shows the number of sectors per track. This item is not configurable.
After entering the IDE hard disk drive information into BIOS, use a disk
utility, such as FDISK, to partition and format new IDE hard disk drives.
This is necessary so that you can write or read data from the hard disk.
Make sure to set the partition of the Primary IDE hard disk drives to
active.
4.3.7 HDD SMART Monitoring
Allows you to enable or disable the HDD Self-Monitoring Analysis and
Reporting Technology (SMART) feature.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
4.3.8 Installed Memory
Shows the size of installed memory.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
4-19
4.4 Advanced menu
The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU
and other system devices.
Take caution when changing the settings of the Advanced menu items.
Incorrect field values can cause the system to malfunction.
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Main
Advanced
Power
Boot
Exit
CPU Configuration
PCIPnP
Onboard Device Configuration
SLI Configuration
JumperFree Configuration
LAN Cable Status
Select Menu
Item Specific Help
Press Enter to Set
PEG Link Mode
Speech Configuration
Instant Music
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
→←: Select Menu
4.4.1 CPU Configuration
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Advanced
CPU Configuration
Select Menu
Item Specific Help
CPU Type
CPU Speed
Cache RAM
AMD Athlon(tm) 64 FX-55 Processor
3400MHz
512K
DRAM timing and
control
DRAM Configuration
Hyper Transport Frequency
AMD K8 Cool’n’Quiet control
[Auto]
[Auto]
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
→←: Select Menu
4-20
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
DRAM Configuration
The items in this sub-menu show the DRAM-related information
auto-detected by the BIOS.
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Advanced
DRAM Configuration
DRAM Over 4G Remapping
Max Memclock (MHz)
1T/2T Memory Timing
Select Menu
[Disabled]
[Auto]
[Auto]
[Auto]
[Auto]
[Auto]
[Auto]
[Auto]
[Auto]
[Auto]
[Auto]
Item Specific Help
Place an artificial
memory clock limit on
the system. Memory is
prevented from
running faster than
this frequency.
CAS# latency (Tcl)
RAS# to CAS# delay (Trcd)
Min RAS# active time (Tras)
Row precharge Time (Trp)
Row Cycle Time (Trc)
Row Refresh Cycle Time (Trfc)
Write Recovery Time (Twr)
Read-to-Write Delay (Trwt)
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
→←: Select Menu
DRAM Over 4G Remapping [Disabled]
Enables or disables DRAM remapping when using 4G of system
memory. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
Max Memclock (MHz) [Auto]
Sets the maximum operating memory clock.
Configuration options: [Auto] [DDR200] [DDR266] [DDR333]
[DDR400] [DDR400] [DDR433] [DDR466] [DDR500] [DDR533]
[DDR550] [DDR600]
1T/2T Memory Timing [Auto]
Sets the memory timing. Configuration options: [Auto] [1T] [2T]
CAS# latency (Tcl) [Auto]
Sets the CAS# latency.
Configuration options: [Auto] [2.0] [2.5] [3.0]
RAS# to CAS# delay (Trcd) [Auto]
Sets the RAS# to CAS# delay to Rd/Wr command on the same bank.
Configuration options: [Auto] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
4-21
Row precharge Time (Trp) [Auto]
Sets the Row precharge time. Precharge to Active or Auto-Refresh of
the same bank. Configuration options: [Auto] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Row Cycle Time (Trc) [Auto]
Sets the row cycle time. Configuration options: [Auto] [7] [8] [9]
[10] [11] [12] [13]
Row Refresh Cycle Time (Trfc) [Auto]
Sets the row refresh cycle time. Configuration options: [Auto] [9]
[10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]
Write Recovery Time (Twr) [Auto]
Sets the write recovery time. Configuration options: [Auto] [2] [3]
Read-to-Write Delay (Trwt) [Auto]
Sets the read-to-write delay. Configuration options: [Auto] [1] [2] [3]
[4] [5] [6]
Master ECC Enable [Disabled]
Enables or disables the master ECC function.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
Hyper Transport Frequency [Auto]
Sets the Hyper Transport frequency.
Configuration options: [Auto] [1x] [2x] [3x] [4x] [5x] [Auto]
AMD K8 Cool’n’Quiet control [Disabled]
Enables or disables the AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet! technology.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
4-22
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
4.4.2 PCIPnP
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Advanced
Frequency/Voltage control
Select Menu
Plug & Play O/S
[No]
Item Specific Help
Init Display First
[PCI Slot]
Resources Controlled By
x IRQ Resources
[Auto]
PCI/VGA Palette Snoop
[Disabled]
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
Plug & Play O/S [No]
When set to [No], the BIOS configures all the devices in the system. When
set to [Yes] and if you install a Plug and Play operating system, the
operating system configures the Plug and Play devices not required for
boot. Configuration options: [No] [Yes]
Resources Controlled By [Auto]
When set to [Auto], the BIOS automatically configures all the boot and
Plug and Play compatible devices. Set to [Manual] if you want to assign the
IRQ DMA and memory base address fields.
Configuration options: [Auto] [Manual]
When the item Resources Controlled By is set to [Auto], the item IRQ
Resources is grayed out and not user-configurable. Refer to the section
“IRQ Resources” for information on how to enable this item.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
4-23
IRQ Resources
This sub-menu is activated only when the Resources Controlled By
item is set to Manual.
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Advanced
IRQ Resources
Select Menu
IRQ-3 assigned to
IRQ-4 assigned to
IRQ-5 assigned to
IRQ-7 assigned to
IRQ-9 assigned to
IRQ-10 assigned to
IRQ-11 assigned to
IRQ-12 assigned to
IRQ-14 assigned to
IRQ-15 assigned to
[PCI Device]
[PCI Device]
[PCI Device]
[PCI Device]
[PCI Device]
[PCI Device]
[PCI Device]
[PCI Device]
[PCI Device]
[PCI Device]
Item Specific Help
Legacy ISA for devices
compliant with the
original PC AT bus
specification, PCI/ISA
PnP for devices
compliant with the
Plug and Play standard
whether designed for
PCI or ISA bus
architecture
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
IRQ-xx assigned to
When set to [PCI Device], the specific IRQ is free for use of PCI/PnP
devices. When set to [Reserved], the IRQ is reserved for legacy ISA
devices. Configuration options: [PCI Device] [Reserved]
PCI/VGA Palette Snoop [Disabled]
When set to [Enabled], the pallete snooping feature informs the PCI
devices that an ISA graphics device is installed in the system so that the
latter can function correctly. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
4.4.3 Onboard Devices Configuration
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Advanced
Onboard Device Configuration
IDE Function Setup
Select Menu
Item Specific Help
NVRAID Configuration
USB Configuration
Onboard NV LAN
[Enabled]
[Disabled]
[Enabled]
[Disabled]
[Enabled]
[Enabled]
[Enabled]
[3F8/IRQ4]
[378/IRQ7]
[ECP+EPP]
[3]
Onboard LAN Boot ROM
Onboard Marvell LAN
Onboard LAN2 Boot ROM
AC97 Audio
PCI IEEE 1394a
Silicon SATA Controller
Serial Port1 Address
Parallel Port Address
Parallel Port Mode
ECP MOde Use DMA
Game Port Address
Midi Port Address
x Midi Port IRQ
[201]
[Disabled]
10
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
4-24
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
IDE Function Setup
This sub-menu contains IDE function-related items. Select an item then
press <Enter> to edit.
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Advanced
Onboard Device Configuration
Select Menu
OnChip IDE Channel0
[Enabled]
[Enabled]
[Enabled]
[Enabled]
[Enabled]
[Enabled]
[Enabled]
[Enabled]
Item Specific Help
OnChip IDE Channel1
IDE DMA transfer access
Serial Port 1, 2
SATA DMA transfer
Serial Port 3, 4
SATA2 DMA transfer
IDE Prefetch Mode
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
OnChip IDE Channel0 [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the onchip IDE channel 0 controller .
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
OnChip IDE Channel1 [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the onchip IDE channel 1 controller .
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
IDE DMA transfer access [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the IDE DMA transfer access.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
Serial Port 1, 2 [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the SATA 1 and 2 ports.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
SATA DMA transfer [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the SATA DMA transfer access.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
Serial Port 3, 4 [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the SATA 3 and 4 ports.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
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4-25
SATA2 DMA transfer [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the SATA2 DMA transfer access.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
IDE Prefetch Mode [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the IDE prefetch mode.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
NVRAID Configuration
This sub-menu contains NVRAID function-related items. Select an item then
press <Enter> to edit.
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Advanced
NVRAID Configuration
Select Menu
RAID Enabled
[Disabled]
Disabled
Disabled
Disabled
Disabled
Disabled
Disabled
Disabled
Disabled
Item Specific Help
x IDE Primary Master RAID
x IDE Primary Slave RAID
x IDE Secondary Master RAID
x IDE Secondary Slave RAID
x First SATA Master RAID
x Second SATA Master RAID
x Third SATA Master RAID
x Fourth SATA Master RAID
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
RAID Enabled [Disabled]
Enables or disables the onboard RAID controller. When Enabled, the
succeeding items becomes user-configurable.
Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]
IDE Primary, Secondary Master/Slave RAID [Disabled]
Enables or disables the RAID function of the primary or secondary master
or slave IDE. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]
First, Second, Third, Fourth SATA Master RAID [Disabled]
Enables or disables the RAID function of the first, second, third or fourth
SATA master drive. Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]
4-26
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
USB Configuration
The items in this menu allows you to change the USB-related features.
Select an item then press <Enter> to display the configuration options.
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Advanced
USB Configuration
[Enabled]
Select Menu
USB Controller
Item Specific Help
USB2.0 Controller
USB Legacy support
[Enabled]
[Enabled]
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
USB Controller [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the onchip USB controller.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
USB 2.0 Controller [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the USB 2.0 controller.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
USB Legacy Support [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable support for USB devices on legacy
operating systems (OS). Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
Onboard NV LAN [Enabled]
Enables or disables the onboard NVIDIA® Gigabit LAN controller.
Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]
OnBoard LAN Boot ROM [Disabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the onboard LAN boot ROM.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
Onboard Marvell LAN [Disabled]
Enables or disables the onboard Marvell® Gigabit LAN controller.
Configuration options: [Enabled] [Disabled]
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4-27
OnBoard LAN2 Boot ROM [Disabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the onboard LAN 2 boot ROM. This item is
user-configurable only when the PCI Giga LAN item is Enabled.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
AC97 Audio [Enabled]
Allows you to disable or enabled the onboard AC97 audio controller.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
PCI IEEE 1394a [Enabled]
Allows you to disable or enabled the onboard PCI IEEE 1394 controller.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
Silicon SATA Controller [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the onboard Silicon Image RAID controller.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4]
Allows you to select the Serial Port1 base address.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [3F8/IRQ4] [3E8/IRQ4] [2E8/IRQ3]
Parallel Port Address [378/IRQ7]
Allows you to select the Parallel Port base addresses.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [378/IRQ7] [278/IRQ5] [3BC/IRQ7]
Parallel Port Mode [ECP+EPP]
Allows you to select the Parallel Port mode.
Configuration options: [Normal] [Bi-directional] [EPP] [ECP]
ECP Mode Use DMA [3]
Allows selection of ECP Mode. Configuration options: [1] [3]
Game Port Address [201]
Allows you to select the Game Port address or to disable the port.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [201] [209]
Midi Port Address [Disabled]
Allows you to select the Game Port address or to disable the port.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [330] [300]
Midi Port IRQ [10]
Allows you to set the Midi port IRQ address. Configuration options: [5] [10]
4-28
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
4.4.4 SLI Configuration
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Advanced
SLI Configuration
Select Menu
EZ-Plug Warning
AI-Selector
[Enabled]
[Auto]
Item Specific Help
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
EZ-Plug Warning [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the EZ-Plug warning feature.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
AI Selector [Auto]
Allows you to set the AI selector. When set to Auto, the BIOS detects the
number of PCI Express graphics cards installed. Set to Single Video Card
when using one PCI Express graphics card or set to Dual Video Cards when
using two SLI-ready graphics cards.
Configuration options: [Auto] [Single Video Card] [Dual Video Card]
•
•
We recommend to keep the setting of this item to [Auto].
When not set to [Auto], make sure that the setting is the same as
the ASUS AI Selector setting. If the BIOS setting is not the same as
the AI Selector utility, the system follows the latter.
•
See section “5.7.4 Using the ASUS AI Selector utility” on page 5-46
for details.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
4-29
4.4.5 JumperFree Configuration
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Advanced
JumperFree Configuration
Select Menu
Overclock Profile
x Overclock Options
x N.O.S. Option
x CPU Frequency
x PCI Express Clock
x DDR Voltage
[Auto]
Disable
Disable
200.00
100Mhz
Auto
Item Specific Help
x Chipset Voltage
x HT Voltage
x CPU Multiplier
x CPU Voltage
+1.5V
+1.20V
Auto
Auto
x PCI Clock Synchronization Mode
Auto
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
→←: Select Menu
Overclock Profile [Auto]
Allows selection of CPU overclocking options to achieve desired CPU
internal frequency. Select either one of the preset overclocking
configuration options:
Manual
Allows you to individually set overclocking
parameters.
Auto
Loads the optimal settings for the system.
Loads the standard settings for the system.
Standard
AI Overclock
Loads overclocking profiles with optimal
parameters for stability when overclocking.
AI N.O.S.
The ASUS AI Non-delay Overclocking System
feature intelligently determines the system
load and automatically boost the performance
for the most demanding tasks.
The following items are user-configurable only when the Overclock
Profile item is set to [Manual].
CPU Frequency [XXX] (value is auto-detected)
Indicates the frequency sent by the clock generator to the system bus and
PCI bus. The bus frequency (external frequency) multiplied by the bus
multiple equals the CPU speed. The value of this item is auto-detected by
BIOS. The values range from 200 to 400. Refer to the following table for
the correct Front Side Bus and CPU External Frequency settings.
4-30
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
Selecting a very high CPU frequency may cause the system to become
unstable! If this happens, revert to the default setting.
PCI Express Clock [100MHz]
Allows you to set the PCI Express clock. Key-in a decimal value between
100-200 MHz. Configuration options: [100Mhz] [101Mhz~[145Mhz]
DDR Voltage [Auto]
Sets the operating DDR voltage. Configuration options: [Auto] [2.60V]
[2.65V] [2.70V] [2.75V] [2.80V] [2.85V] [2.90V] [2.95V] [3.00V]
Chipset Voltage [+1.5V]
Sets the operating chipset voltage. Configuration options: [+1.5V] [+1.6V]
HT Voltage [+1.2V]
Sets the operating HT voltage. Configuration options: [+1.2V] [+1.25V]
CPU Multiplier [Auto]
Sets the operating CPU multiplier. The configuration options vary
depending on the type of CPU installed. Configuration options: [Auto] [x4]
[x4.5] [x5] [x5.5] [x6] [x6.5] [x7] [x7.5] [x7.5] [x8] [x8.5] [x9] [x9.5]
[x10] [x10.5] [x11] [x11.5] [x12] [x12.5] [x13] [x13.5] [x14] [x14.5]
[x15] [x15.5] [x16] [x16.5] [x17] [x17.5] [x18] [x18.5] [x19] [x19.5]
[x20]
CPU Voltage [Auto]
Sets the operating CPU voltage. Configuration options: [Auto]
[1.650V] [1.6375V] [1.625V] [1.6125V] [1.600V] [1.5875V]
[1.575V] [1.5625V] [1.550V] [1.5375V] [1.525V] [1.5125V]
[1.500V] [1.4875V] [1.475V] [1.4625V] [1.450V] [1.4375V]
[1.425V] [1.4125V] [1.400V] [1.3875V] [1.375V] [1.3625V]
[1.350V] [1.3375V] [1.325V] [1.3125V] [1.300V] [1.2875V]
[1.275V] [1.2625V] [1.250V] [1.2375V] [1.225V] [1.2125V]
[1.200V] [1.1875V] [1.175V] [1.1625V] [1.150V] [1.1375V]
[1.125V] [1.1125V] [1.100V] [1.0875V] [1.075V] [1.0625V]
[1.050V] [1.0375V] [1.025V] [1.0125V] [1.000V] [0.9875V]
[0.975V] [0.9625V] [0.950V] [0.9375V] [0.925V] [0.9125V]
[0.900V] [0.8875V] [0.875V] [0.8625V] [0.850V] [0.8375V]
[0.825V] [0.8125V] [0.800V]
PCI Clock Synchronization Mode [Auto]
Sets the PCI Clock Synchronization mode.
Configuration options: [Auto] [To CPU] [33.33MHz]
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4-31
The following item is user-configurable only when the AI Overclocking
item is set to [AI Overclock].
Overclock Options [Disable]
Allows you to set the oveclocking options.
Configuration options: [Disable] [Overclock 3%] [Overclock 5%]
[Overclock 8%] [Overclock 10%]
The following item is user-configurable only when the AI Overclocking
item is set to [AI N.O.S.].
N.O.S. Option [Disable]
Sets the Non-Delay Overclocking System mode.
Configuration options: [Disable] [Overclock 3%] [Overclock 5%]
[Overclock 8%] [Overclock 10%]
4.4.6 LAN Cable Status
The items in this menu displays the status of the Local Area Network
(LAN) cable.
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Advanced
JumperFree Configuration
POST Check LAN Cable [Disabled]
Select Menu
Item Specific Help
Pair
1-2
3-6
4-5
7-8
Status
Open
Open
Open
Open
Length
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Enable/Disable Speech
IC Controller
1-2
3-6
4-5
7-8
Open
Open
Open
Open
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
→←: Select Menu
POST Check LAN cable [Disabled]
Enables or disables checking of the LAN cable during the Power-On
Self-Test (POST). Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
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Chapter 4: BIOS setup
4.4.7 PEG Link Mode
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Advanced
JumperFree Configuration
[Auto]
Select Menu
PEG Link Mode
Item Specific Help
PEG Root Control
PEG Buffer Length
[Auto]
[Auto]
Enhance performance on
PCIE serial graphics
card.
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
PEG Link Mode [Disabled]
Allows you to enhance the performance of your PCI Express graphics card.
Configuration options: [Auto] [Slow] [Normal] [Fast] [Faster]
Setting to [Fastest] may cause your system to be unstable. If this
happens, revert to [Auto].
PEG Root Control [Auto]
Allows you to enable or disable the PCI Express graphics root control.
Configuration options: [Auto] [Enabled] [Disabled]
PEG Buffer Length [Auto]
Allows you to set the PCI Express graphics buffer length. For optimum
performance, set this item to Auto.
Configuration options: [Auto] [Long] [Short]
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4.4.8 Speech Configuration
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Advanced
JumperFree Configuration
Select Menu
Speech IC Reporter
Report IDE Error
Report System Booting
[Enabled]
[Disabled]
[Disabled]
Item Specific Help
Enable/Disable Speech
IC Controller
Speech IC Reporter [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the ASUS Speech POST Reporter™ feature.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
The following items appear only when Speech POST Reporter is set to
Enabled.
Report IDE Error [Disabled]
Enables or disables the report feature in the event of an IDE error.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
Report System Booting [Disabled]
Enables or disables the report after booting the system.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
4.4.9 Instant Music
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Advanced
JumperFree Configuration
Select Menu
Instant Music
x Instant Music CD-ROM Drive
[Disabled]
Primary Master
Item Specific Help
Instant Music [Disabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the ASUS Instant Music feature.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
Enabling Instant Music automatically disables the PS/2 keyboard power
up feature.
Instant Music CD-ROM Drive [Primary Master]
Allows you to select the CD-ROM drive that you wish to use for the Instant
Music CD playback. Configuration options: [Primary Master] [Primary Slave]
[Secondary Master] [Secondary Slave]
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Chapter 4: BIOS setup
4.5 Power menu
The Power menu items allow you to change the settings for the Advanced
Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) and the Advanced Power
Management (APM). Select an item then press <Enter> to display the
configuration options.
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Main
Advanced
Power
Boot
Exit
Select Menu
ACPI Suspend Type
ACPI APIC support
APM Configuration
Hardware Monitor
[S1&S3]
[Enabled]
Item Specific Help
Select the ACPI state
used for System
Suspend.
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
→←: Select Menu
4.5.1 ACPI Suspend Type [S1&S3]
Allows you to select the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface
(ACPI) state to be used for system suspend.
Configuration options: [S1 (POS)] [S3(STR)] [S1&S3]
4.5.2 ACPI APIC Support [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the Advanced Configuration and Power
Interface (ACPI) support in the Application-Specific Integrated Circuit
(ASIC). When set to Enabled, the ACPI APIC table pointer is included in the
RSDT pointer list. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
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4.5.3 APM Configuration
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Power
APM Configuration
Select Menu
Restore on AC Power Loss
[Disabled]
[Instant Off]
[Disabled]
[Disabled]
[Disabled]
0
Item Specific Help
PWR Button < 4 secs
Power On By PCI Devices
Power On By External Modems
Power-On by RTC Alarm
x Date (of Month)
x Resume Time (hh:mm:ss)
Power Up By PS/2 Mouse
Power Up By PS/2 Keyboard
Press [ENTER] to
select whether or not
to restart the system
after AC power loss.
0 : 0 : 0
[Disabled]
[Disabled]
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
→←: Select Menu
Restore on AC Power Loss [Disabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the Restore on AC Power Loss function.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
PWR Button < 4 secs [Instant-Off]
Allows you to set the event after the power button is pressed for more
than 4 seconds. Configuration options: [Suspend] [Instant-Off]
Power On By PCI Devices [Disabled]
When set to [Enabled], this parameter allows you to turn on the system
through a PCI LAN or modem card. This feature requires an ATX power
supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
Power On By External Modems [Disabled]
This allows either settings of [Enabled] or [Disabled] for powering up the
computer when the external modem receives a call while the computer is in
Soft-off mode. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
The computer cannot receive or transmit data until the computer and
applications are fully running. Thus, connection cannot be made on the
first try. Turning an external modem off and then back on while the
computer is off causes an initialization string that turns the system
power on.
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Chapter 4: BIOS setup
Power On By RTC Alarm [Disabled]
Allows you to enable or disable RTC to generate a wake event. When this
item is set to Enabled, the items Date of Month Alarm and Time (hh:mm:ss)
Alarm items become user-configurable with set values.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
Day of Month Alarm [Disabled]
To set the date of alarm, highlight this item and press <Enter> to display
the Day of Month Alarm pop-up menu. Key-in a value within the specified
range then press <Enter>. Configuration options: [Min=0] [Max=31]
Time (hh:mm:ss) Alarm [Disabled]
To set the time of alarm:
1. Highlight this item and press <Enter> to display a pop-up menu for the
hour field.
2. Key-in a value (Min=0, Max=23), then press <Enter>.
3. Press <TAB> to move to the minutes field then press <Enter>.
4. Key-in a minute value (Min=0, Max=59), then press <Enter>.
5. Press <TAB> to move to the seconds field then press <Enter>.
6. Key-in a value (Min=0, Max=59), then press <Enter>.
Power Up By PS/2 Mouse [Disabled]
When set to [Enabled], this parameter allows you to use the PS/2 mouse
to turn on the system. This feature requires an ATX power supply that
provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
Power On By PS/2 Keyboard [Disabled]
Allows you to disable the Power On by PS/2 keyboard function or set
specific keys on the PS/2 keyboard to turn on the system. This feature
requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the +5VSB lead.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Space Bar] [Ctrl-ESC] [Power Key]
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4.5.4 Hardware Monitor
The items in this sub-menu displays the hardware monitor values
automatically detected by the BIOS. It also allows you to change CPU Q-Fan
feature-related parameters. Select an item then press <Enter> to display
the configuration options.
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Power
Hardware Monitor
[Disabled]
Select Menu
Q-Fan Controller
Vcore Voltage
3.3V Voltage
5V Voltage
Item Specific Help
1.50V
3.31V
4.94V
Press [Enter] to
enable or disable
12V Voltage
11.26V
CPU Temperature
M/B Temperature
48ºC
38ºC
CPU FAN Speed
CHA1 FAN Speed
4962 RPM
0 RPM
CHIP FAN Speed
5443 RPM
x CPU Target Temperature
CPU Fan Speed warning
CPU Fan Speed warning
CHIP Fan Speed warning
20ºC
[1600 RPM]
[1200 RPM]
[Enabled]
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
Q-Fan Controller [Disabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the Q-Fan controller.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
VCORE Voltage, +12V Voltage, 3.3V Voltage, 5VCC
Voltage
The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the voltage output
through the onboard voltage regulators. These items are not
user-configurable.
CPU Temperature, M/B Temperature
The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the
motherboard and CPU temperatures. These items are not user-configurable.
CPU Fan Speed
CHA1 Fan Speed
CHIP Fan Speed
The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the
Chassis, CPU, and Chip fan speeds in rotations per minute (RPM). If the fan
is not connected to the motherboard, the field shows 0. These items are
not user-configurable.
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Chapter 4: BIOS setup
CPU Target Temperature
Allows you to set the temperature threshold before the CPU fan stops.
Configuration options: [51ºC] [54ºC] [57ºC] [60ºC] [63ºC] [66ºC] [69ºC]
[72ºC] [75ºC] [78ºC] [81ºC]
CPU Fan Speed warning [1200 RPM]
Allows you to set the CPU fan warning speed.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [800 RPM] [1200 RPM] [1600 RPM]
CHA1 Fan Speed warning [Disabled]
Allows you to set the chassis fan warning speed.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [500 RPM] [800 RPM] [1200 RPM]
CHIP Fan Speed warning [Enabled]
Enables or disables the chip fan speed warning feature.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
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4.6 Boot menu
The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Select
an item then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu.
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Main
Advanced
Power
Boot
Exit
Boot Device Priority
Removable Drives
Hard Disk Drives
CDROM Drives
Select Menu
Item Specific Help
Boot Settings Configuration
Security
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
→←: Select Menu
4.6.1 Boot Device Priority
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Power
Boot Device Priority
Select Menu
Item Specific Help
1st Boot Device
2nd Boot Device
3rd Boot Device
4th Boot Device
[Removable]
[Hard Disk]
[CDROM]
Select your boot
device priority
[Disabled]
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
1st ~ xxth Boot Device [Removable]
These items specify the boot device priority sequence from the available
devices. The number of device items that appears on the screen depends
on the number of devices installed in the system.
Configuration options: [Removable] [Hard Disk] [CDROM] [Legacy LAN]
[Disabled]
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Chapter 4: BIOS setup
4.6.2 Removable Drives
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Boot
Removable Drives
Select Menu
1. Floppy Disks
Item Specific Help
Use <↑> or <↓> to
select a device, then
press <+> to move it
up, or <-> to move it
down the list. Press
<ESC> to exit this
menu.
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
1. Floppy Disks
Allows you to assign a removable drive attached to the system.
4.6.3 Hard Disk Drives
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Boot
Hard Disk Drives
Select Menu
1. 1st Master: XXXXXXXXX
2. Bootable Add-in Cards
Item Specific Help
Use <↑> or <↓> to
select a device, then
press <+> to move it
up, or <-> to move it
down the list. Press
<ESC> to exit this
menu.
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
1. 1st Master: XXXXXXXXX
Allows you to assign hard disk drives attached to the system.
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4.6.4 CDROM Drives
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Boot
CDROM Drives
Select Menu
1. 1st Slave: XXXXXXXXX
Item Specific Help
Use <↑> or <↓> to
select a device, then
press <+> to move it
up, or <-> to move it
down the list. Press
<ESC> to exit this
menu.
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
1. 1st Slave: XXXXXXXXX
Allows you to assign optical drives attached to the system.
4.6.5 Boot Settings Configuration
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Boot
Boot Settings Configuration
Select Menu
Case Open Warning
Quick Boot
Boot Up Floppy Seek
Bootup Num-Lock
Typematic Rate Setting
x Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec)
x Typematic Delay (Msec)
OS Select For DRAM > 64MB
Full Screen LOGO
[Enabled]
[Enabled]
[Enabled]
[On]
[Disabled]
6
Item Specific Help
Press [Enter] to
enable or disable.
250
[Non-OS2]
[Enabled]
[All Errors]
Halt On
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
→←: Select Menu
Case Open Warning [Enabled]
Enables or disables the chassis open status feature. Setting to Enabled,
clears the chassis open status. Refer to section “2.7 Internal connectors”
for setting details. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
Quick Boot [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the system quick boot feature. When
Enabled, the system skips certain tests while booting.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
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Chapter 4: BIOS setup
Boot Up Floppy Seek [Enabled]
Enables or disables the chassis open status feature. Setting to Enabled,
clears the chassis open status. Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
Bootup Num-Lock [On]
Allows you to select the power-on state for the NumLock.
Configuration options: [Off] [On]
Typematic Rate Setting [Disabled]
Allows you to set the keystroke rate. Enable this item to configure the
Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) and the Typematic Delay (Msec).
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
The items Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) and Typematic Delay
(Msec) becomes user-configurable only when the item Typematic Rate
Setting is enabled.
Typematic Rate (Chars/Sec) [6]
Allows you to select the rate at which a character repeats when you hold a
key. Configuration options: [6] [8] [10] [12] [15] [20] [24] [30]
Typematic Delay (Msec) [250]
Allows you to set the delay before keystrokes begin to repeat.
Configuration options: [250] [500] [750] [1000]
OS Select for DRAM > 64MB [Non-OS2]
Set this item to OS2 only when you are running on an OS/2 operating
system with an installed RAM of greater than 64 KB.
Configuration options: [Non-OS2] [OS2]
Full Screen LOGO [Enabled]
Allows you to enable or disable the full screen logo display feature.
Configuration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
•
•
Make sure that the above item is set to [Enabled] if you want to use
the ASUS MyLogo2™ feature.
See section “5.4.1 ASUS MyLogo2™” for details.
Halt On [All Errors]
Allows you to error report type.
Configuration options: [All Errors] [No Errors] [All, But Keyboard]
[All, But Diskette] [All, But Disk/Key]
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4-43
4.6.6 Security
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Boot
Boot Settings Configuration
Select Menu
Supervisor Password
User Password
Clear
Clear
Item Specific Help
Password Check
[Setup]
Supervisor password
controls full access,
<Enter> to change
password.
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
→←: Select Menu
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
Supervisor Password
User Password
These fields allow you to set passwords:
To set a password:
1. Select an item then press <Enter>.
2. Type in a password using a combination of a maximum of eight (8)
alpha-numeric characters, then press <Enter>.
3. When prompted, confirm the password by typing the exact characters
again, then press <Enter>. The password field setting is changed to
Set.
To clear the password:
1. Select the password field and press <Enter> twice. The following
message appears:
PASSWORD DISABLED !!!
Press any key to continue...
2. Press any key to continue. The password field setting is changed to
Clear.
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Chapter 4: BIOS setup
A note about passwords
The Supervisor password is required to enter the BIOS Setup program
preventing unauthorized access. The User password is required to
boot the system preventing unauthorized use.
Forgot your password?
If you forget your password, you can clear it by erasing the CMOS Real
Time Clock (RTC) RAM. The RAM data containing the password
information is powered by the onboard button cell battery. If you need
to erase the CMOS RAM, refer to section “2.6 Jumpers” for
instructions.
Password Check
This field requires you to enter the password before entering the BIOS
setup or the system. Select [Setup] to require the password before
entering the BIOS Setup. Select [System] to require the password before
entering the system. Configuration options: [Setup] [System]
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4-45
4.7 Exit menu
The Exit menu items allow you to load the optimal or failsafe default values
for the BIOS items, and save or discard your changes to the BIOS items.
Phoenix-Award BIOS CMOS Setup Utility
Main
Advanced
Power
Boot
Exit
Select Menu
Exit & Save Changes
Exit & Discard Changes
Load Setup Default
Discard Changes
Item Specific Help
This option save data
to CMOS and exiting
the setup menu.
F1:Help
ESC: Exit
↑↓ : Select Item
-/+: Change Value
Enter: Select Sub-menu
F5: Setup Defaults
F10: Save and Exit
→←: Select Menu
Pressing <Esc> does not immediately exit this menu. Select one of the
options from this menu or <F10> from the legend bar to exit.
Exit & Save Changes
Once you are finished making your selections, choose this option from the
Exit menu to ensure the values you selected are saved to the CMOS RAM.
An onboard backup battery sustains the CMOS RAM so it stays on even
when the PC is turned off. When you select this option, a confirmation
window appears. Select Yes to save changes and exit.
If you attempt to exit the Setup program without saving your changes,
the program prompts you with a message asking if you want to save
your changes before exiting. Press <Enter> to save the changes while
exiting.
Exit & Discard Changes
Select this option only if you do not want to save the changes that you
made to the Setup program. If you made changes to fields other than
System Date, System Time, and Password, the BIOS asks for a confirmation
before exiting.
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Chapter 4: BIOS setup
Load Setup Defaults
This option allows you to load the default values for each of the
parameters on the Setup menus. When you select this option or if you
press <F5>, a confirmation window appears. Select Yes to load default
values. Select Exit & Save Changes or make other changes before
saving the values to the non-volatile RAM.
Discard Changes
This option allows you to discard the selections you made and restore the
previously saved values. After selecting this option, a confirmation appears.
Select Yes to discard any changes and load the previously saved values.
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4-48
Chapter 4: BIOS setup
This chapter describes the contents
of the support CD that comes with
the motherboard package.
Software
5
support
Chapter summary
5.1
5.2
5.4
5.5
5.6
5.7
5.8
5.9
Installing an operating system ............................................. 5-1
Support CD information........................................................ 5-1
Software information ........................................................... 5-9
RAID configurations ............................................................5-21
Creating a RAID driver disk .................................................5-40
Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology...............................................5-41
Using the NVIDIA® nTune™ utility .......................................5-43
Using the ASUS AI Selector utility ......................................5-46
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
5.1 Installing an operating system
This motherboard supports Windows® 2000/XP operating systems (OS).
Always install the latest OS version and corresponding updates to maximize
the features of your hardware.
•
Motherboard settings and hardware options vary. Use the setup
procedures presented in this chapter for reference only. Refer to
your OS documentation for detailed information.
•
Make sure that you install Windows® 2000 Service Pack 4 or the
Windows® XP Service Pack2 or later versions before installing the
drivers for better compatibility and system stability.
5.2 Support CD information
The support CD that came with the motherboard package contains the
drivers, software applications, and utilities that you can install to avail all
motherboard features.
The contents of the support CD are subject to change at any time
without notice. Visit the ASUS website(www.asus.com) for updates.
5.2.1 Running the support CD
Place the support CD to the optical drive. The CD automatically displays the
Drivers menu if Autorun is enabled in your computer.
Click an icon to
display support
CD/motherboard
information
Click an item to install
If Autorun is NOT enabled in your computer, browse the contents of
the support CD to locate the file ASSETUP.EXE from the BIN folder.
Double-click the ASSETUP.EXE to run the CD.
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5-1
5.2.2 Drivers menu
The drivers menu shows the available device drivers if the system detects
installed devices. Install the necessary drivers to activate the devices.
Nvidia Chipset Driver Program
Installs the NVIDIA® Chipset drivers for the NVIDIA® nForce™ 4 SLI chipset.
Make NVIDIA RAID Driver Disk
Creates the NVIDIA® driver disk for Serial ATA and RAID features.
Marvell Yukon Gigabit Ethernet Driver
Installs the Marvell® Yukon Gigabit Ethernet driver.
Realtek ALC850 Driver
Installs the Realtek® ALC850 audio controller and application.
Silicon Image RAID Driver
Displays the README file of the Silicon Image SATA Link™ Sil 3114 driver
driver installation.
Make Silicon SATA RAID Driver Disk
Creates the Silicon Image SATA Link™ Sil 3114 driver disk for Serial ATA
RAID.
5-2
Chapter 5: Software support
USB 2.0 Driver
Installs the Universal Serial Bus 2.0 (USB 2.0) driver.
The screen display and drivers option may not be the same for different
operating system versions.
5.2.3 Utilities menu
The Utilities menu shows the applications and other software that the
motherboard supports.
NVIDIA Chipset nTune Utility
Installs the NVIDIA® nTune™ utility that allows easy and safe system tuning
for optimum performance.
ASUS PC Probe
This smart utility monitors the fan speed, CPU temperature, and system
voltages, and alerts you of any detected problems. This utility helps you
keep your computer in healthy operating condition.
ASUS Update
Allows you to download the latest version of the BIOS from the ASUS
website.
Before using the ASUS Update, make sure that you have an Internet
connection so you can connect to the ASUS website.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
5-3
ASUS AI Booster
The ASUS AI Booster application allows you to overclock the CPU speed in a
Windows® environment.
ASUS AI Selector
The ASUS AI Selector utility allows you to set the video card mode of your
system.
Microsoft DirectX
Installs the Microsoft® DirectX 9.0 driver. The Microsoft DirectX® 9.0 is a
multimedia technology that enhances computer graphics and sound.
DirectX® improves the multimedia features of you computer so you can
enjoy watching TV and movies, capturing videos, or playing games in your
computer. Visit the Microsoft website (www.microsoft.com) for updates.
Anti-virus Utility
The anti-virus application detects and protects your computer from viruses
that destroys data.
ADOBE Acrobat Reader
Installs the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader that allows you to open, view, and
print documents in Portable Document Format (PDF).
Winbond Voice Editor
This program is for recording and customizing wave files for the ASUS
POST Reporter™. Use this program to change the default vocal POST
messages. See section “3.2 Vocal POST Messages” for a list of the default
messages.
ASUS Screen Saver
Bring life to your computer screen by installing the ASUS screen saver.
ASUS AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet Software
Installs the AMD® Cool ‘n’ Quiet! software.
5-4
Chapter 5: Software support
5.2.4 Manuals menu
The Manuals menu contains a list of supplementary user manuals. Click an
item to open the folder of the user manual.
•
•
Most user manual files are in Portable Document Format (PDF).
Install the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader from the Utilities menu
before opening a user manual file.
Some user manuals listed in this menu may not be applicable for this
motherboard model.
NVIDIA Firewall Administrator’s Guide
Allows you to open the NVIDIA® ForceWare Networking and Firewall
Administrator’s Guide.
NVIDIA RAID User’s Guide
Allows you to open the NVIDIA® RAID User’s Guide.
Sil3114 User’s Manual
Allows you to open the Silicon Image SATARaid™ Serial ATA RAID
Management Software user’s manual.
NVIDIA nTune Manual
Allows you to open the NVIDIA® nTune™ user’s manual.
NVRAID Disk Alert User’s Guide
Allows you to open the NVIDIA® RAID Disk Alert user’s manual.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
5-5
5.2.5 ASUS Contact information
Click the Contact tab to display the ASUS contact information. You can
also find this information on the inside front cover of this user guide.
5.2.6 Other information
The icons on the top right corner of the screen give additional information
on the motherboard and the contents of the support CD. Click an icon to
display the specified information.
Motherboard Info
Displays the general specifications of the motherboard.
5-6
Chapter 5: Software support
Browse this CD
Displays the support CD contents in graphical format.
Technical support Form
Displays the ASUS Technical Support Request Form that you have to fill out
when requesting technical support.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
5-7
Filelist
Displays the contents of the support CD and a brief description of each in
text format.
5-8
Chapter 5: Software support
5.4 Software information
Most of the applications in the support CD have wizards that will
conveniently guide you through the installation. View the online help or
readme file that came with the software application for more information.
5.4.1 ASUS MyLogo2™
The ASUS MyLogo2™ utility lets you customize the boot logo. The boot
logo is the image that appears on screen during the Power-On Self-Tests
(POST). The ASUS MyLogo2™ is automatically installed when you install the
ASUS Update utility from the support CD. See section “5.2.3 Utilities
menu” for details.
•
Before using the ASUS MyLogo2™, use the Award BIOS Flash utility
to make a copy of your original BIOS file, or obtain the latest BIOS
version from the ASUS website. See section “4.1.2 Updating the
BIOS”.
•
•
Make sure that the BIOS item Full Screen Logo is set to
[Enabled] if you wish to use ASUS MyLogo2. See section “4.6.5
Boot Settings Configuration”.
You can create your own boot logo image in GIF, JPG, or BMP file
formats.
To launch the ASUS MyLogo2™:
1. Launch the ASUS Update utility. Refer to section “4.1.5 ASUS Update
utility” for details.
2. Select Options from the drop down menu, then click Next.
3. Check the option Launch MyLogo to replace system boot
logo before flashing BIOS, then click Next.
4. Select Update BIOS from a file from the drop down menu, then
click Next.
5. When prompted, locate the new
BIOS file, then click Next. The
ASUS MyLogo2 window appears.
6. From the left window pane, select
the folder that contains the image
you intend to use as your boot
logo.
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5-9
7. When the logo images appear on
the right window pane, select an
image to enlarge by clicking on it.
8. Adjust the boot image to your
desired size by selecting a value
on the Ratio box.
9. When the screen returns to the ASUS Update utility, flash the original
BIOS to load the new boot logo.
10. After flashing the BIOS, restart the computer to display the new boot
logo during POST.
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Chapter 5: Software support
5.4.2 AI NET 2
The Marvell® Virtual Cable Tester™ (VCT) is a cable diagnostic utility that
reports LAN cable faults and shorts using the Time Domain Reflectometry
(TDR) technology. The VCT detects and reports open and shorted cables,
impedance mismatches, pair swaps, pair polarity problems, and pair skew
problems of up to 100 meters at one meter accuracy.
The VCT feature reduces networking and support costs through a highly
manageable and controlled network system. This utility can be incorporated
in the network systems sofware for ideal field support as well as
development diagnostics.
Using the Virtual Cable Tester™
To use the the Marvell® Virtual Cable Tester™ utility:
1. Launch the VCT utility from the Windows® desktop by clicking
Start > All Programs > Marvell > Virtual Cable Tester.
2. Click Virtual Cable
Tester from the menu
to display the screen
below.
3. Click the Run button to perform a cable test.
•
•
The VCT only runs on systems with Windows® XP or Windows® 2000
operating systems.
The Run button on the Virtual Cable Tester™ main window is
disabled if no problem is detected on the LAN cable(s) connected to
the LAN port(s).
•
If you want the system to check the LAN cable before entering the
OS, enable the POST Check LAN cable item in the BIOS. See
section “4.4.6 LAN Cable Status” for details.
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5.4.3 Audio configurations
The Realtek® ALC850 AC ‘97 audio CODEC provides 8-channel audio
capability to deliver the ultimate audio experience on your PC. The software
provides Jack-Sensing function (Line-In, Line-Out, Mic-In), S/PDIF out
support and interrupt capability. The ALC850 also includes the Realtek®
proprietary UAJ® (Universal Audio Jack) technology for three ports (Line-In,
Line-Out and Mic-In), eliminating cable connection errors and giving users
plug and play convenience.
Follow the installation wizard to install the Realtek ALC850 Audio
Driver and Application from the support CD that came with the
motherboard package.
If the Realtek audio software is correctly installed, you will find the
SoundEffect icon on the taskbar.
From the taskbar, double-click on the
SoundEffect icon to display the Realtek
Audio Control Panel.
Realtek SoundEffect icon
The Jack-sensing and UAJ® technology features are supported on the
Line-In, Line-Out, and Mic jacks only.
Sound Effect options
The Realtek® ALC850 Audio CODEC allows you to set your listening
environment, adjust the equalizer, set the karaoke, or select
pre-programmed equalizer settings for your listening pleasure.
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Chapter 5: Software support
To set the sound effect options:
1. From the Realtek Audio Control Panel, click the Sound Effect
button.
2. Click the shortcut buttons to change the acoustic environment, adjust
the equalizer, or set the karaoke to your desired settings.
3. The audio settings take effect immediately after you click on the
buttons.
4. Click the Exit (X) button on the upper-right hand corner of the window
to exit.
S/PDIF option
The Sony/Philips Digital Interface (S/PDIF) options allows you to change
your S/PDIF output settings.
To set the S/PDIF options:
1. From the Realtek Audio Control Panel, click the SPDIF button.
2. Click the option buttons to change your S/PDIF out settings.
3. Click the Exit (X) button on the upper-right hand corner of the window
to exit.
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Speaker Configuration
This option allows you to set your speaker configuration.
To set the speaker configuration:
1. From the Realtek Audio Control Panel, click the Speaker
Configuration button.
2. Select from the combo list box your current speaker setup, then click
Auto Test to test your settings.
3. Click the UAJ Automatic button to enable or disable the Universal
Audio Jack(UAJ®) technology feature.
4. Click the Exit (X) button on the upper-right hand corner of the window
to exit.
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Chapter 5: Software support
AI Audio feature
The AI Audio feature works through the connector sensing option that
allows you to check if your audio devices are connected properly.
To start the connector sensing:
1. From the Realtek Audio Control Panel, click the Connector Sensing
button.
2. Click the Bracket button to display connected audio devices.
3. Click the Option button to change sensing options.
4. Click the Start button to start connection sensing. A progress bar
displays current connector sensing status.
Make sure to exit all audio applications before starting this function.
5. When finished, the utility prompts the Realtek® EZ-connection dialog
box showing your current audio connections. The text at the bottom
of the box explains your audio connection status. An X mark denotes
an incorrect connection.
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6. If there are detected problems, make sure that your audio cables are
connected to the proper audio jack and repeat connector sensing.
7. Click the X button to exit EZ-connection dialog box.
8. Click the Exit (X) button on the upper-right hand corner of the window
to exit audio control panel.
HRTF Demo
This option shows a demo of the Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTF).
To start the HRTF demo:
1. From the Realtek Audio Control Panel, click the HRTF Demo button.
2. Click the option buttons to change the sound, moving path or EAX
settings.
3. Click the Play button to start or the Stop button to stop.
4. Click the Exit (X) button on the upper-right hand corner of the window
to exit.
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Chapter 5: Software support
General settings
This option shows the audio settings and allows you to change the
language setting or toggle the SoundEffect icon display on the Windows
taskbar.
To display the general settings:
1. From the Realtek Audio Control Panel, click the General button.
2. Click the option button to enable or disable the icon display on the
Windows taskbar.
3. Click the Language combo list box to change language display.
4. Click the Exit (X) button on the upper-right hand corner of the window
to exit.
Rear panel audio ports function variation
The functions of the Line Out (lime), Line In (blue), Mic (pink), Rear
Speaker Out (gray), Side Speaker Out (black), and Center/Subwoofer
(yellow orange) ports on the rear panel change when you select the
4-channel, 6-channel or 8-channel audio configuration as shown in the
following table. See the 8, 6, 4 or 2-channel speaker configuration on page
2-20.
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5.4.4 Using the NVIDIA® Firewall™
The motherboard supports the NVIDIA® Firewall™ (NVFirewall™) application
that protects your computer from intruders. The NVFirewall™ is classified
as a personal firewall or desktop firewall that works at the device level to
protect your system from malicious computer code by controlling the
connections to and from your computer and alerting you for attempted
intrusions. The following sections describe how to use the NVIDIA®
Firewall™.
Launching the NVFirewall™ summary
After you install the NVFirewall™ application from the motherboard support
CD, it is automatically activated with a Medium security profile as its
default setting. The setup summary of NVFirewall™ is displayed in the
summary menu.
To launch the NVFirewall™ summary menu:
1. Click the NVIDIA® Firewall™ icon from
the Windows® taskbar.
NVIDIA® Firewall™ icon
2. Double-click the icon to display
the NVFirewall™ Summary
menu.
Click to select firewall profile
Click to view profile details
Click to view the firewall log
Click to view the firewall stats
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Chapter 5: Software support
Setting security profiles
The NVFirewall™ application allows several security profiles to match your
system security needs. The following describes the NVFirewall™ security
profiles:
•
Low - allows safe incoming connections and deny those that are
known to be dangerous connections. This profile also enables some
anti-hacking features.
•
Medium - blocks most incoming connections. Incoming connections
to some ports must be set to allow file transfers using some online
messaging applications. This profile also enables some anti-hacking
features.
•
High - allows the least traffic through. Only outbound connections
are allowed. This profile also includes the “stealth mode’ feature that
makes your system invisible to intruders. This also enables some
anti-hacking features.
•
•
Lockdown - blocks all incoming and outgoing connections.
Anti-hacking only - this profile enables all anti-hacking features but
disables the firewall. This security profile is useful if you want to use a
third-party firewall application.
•
•
Custom 1, 2, 3 - these are reserved for customized profiles.
Off - deactivates the firewall.
To set a security profile:
1. From the NVFirewall™ summary
menu, click the Current
Firewall Profile combo list
box then select a security profile.
The following confirmation box
appears.
2. Click Change Profile to apply
settings or Don’t Change
Profile to return to previous
menu.
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Turning the NVFirewall™ off
Take caution when using this option, your computer becomes vulnerable
to viruses, hackers or intruders after you turn off the firewall.
To turn off the NVFirewall™:
1. From the NVIDIA Firewall™
summary menu, click the
Current Firewall Profile
combo list box then select Off.
The following confirmation box
appears.
2. Click Turn Firewall OFF.
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Chapter 5: Software support
5.5 RAID configurations
The motherboard comes with the Silicon Image Sil3114 and the NVIDIA®
SLI Southbridge RAID controllers that allow you to configure IDE and Serial
ATA hard disk drives as RAID sets. The motherboard supports the
following RAID configurations.
RAID 0 (Data striping) optimizes two identical hard disk drives to read and
write data in parallel, interleaved stacks. Two hard disks perform the same
work as a single drive but at a sustained data transfer rate, double that of
a single disk alone, thus improving data access and storage. Use of two
new identical hard disk drives is required for this setup.
RAID 1 (Data mirroring) copies and maintains an identical image of data
from one drive to a second drive. If one drive fails, the disk array
management software directs all applications to the surviving drive as it
contains a complete copy of the data in the other drive. This RAID
configuration provides data protection and increases fault tolerance to the
entire system. Use two new drives or use an existing drive and a new drive
for this setup. The new drive must be of the same size or larger than the
existing drive.
RAID 0+1 is data striping and data mirroring combined without parity
(redundancy data) having to be calculated and written. With the RAID 0+1
configuration you get all the benefits of both RAID 0 and RAID 1
configurations. Use four new hard disk drives or use an existing drive and
three new drives for this setup.
RAID 5 stripes both data and parity information across three or more hard
disk drives. Among the advantages of RAID 5 configuration include better
HDD performance, fault tolerance, and higher storage capacity. The RAID 5
configuration is best suited for transaction processing, relational database
applications, enterprise resource planning, and other business systems.
Use a minimum of three identical hard disk drives for this setup.
RAID 10 is a striped configuration with each stripe a RAID 1 array of
drives. It combines the features of both RAID 1 and RAID 0. Fault tolerance
is provided through mirroring while adding performance through striping.
This offers higher performance than a RAID 1 configuration but at a much
higher cost. A minimum of four hard disk drives is required for this setup.
JBOD (Spanning) stands for Just a Bunch of Disks and refers to hard
disk drives that are not yet configured as a RAID set. This configuration
stores the same data redundantly on multiple disks that appear as a single
disk on the operating system. Spanning does not deliver any advantage
over using separate disks independently and does not provide fault
tolerance or other RAID performance benefits.
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If you want to boot the system from a hard disk drive included in a RAID
set, copy first the RAID driver from the support CD to a floppy disk
before you install an operating system to a selected hard disk drive.
Refer to section “5.6 Creating a RAID driver disk” for details.
5.5.1 Installing hard disks
The motherboard supports Ultra DMA /133/100/66 and Serial ATA hard
disk drives. For optimal performance, install identical drives of the same
model and capacity when creating a disk array.
Installing Parallel ATA hard disks
To install IDE hard disks for a RAID configuration:
1. Set the jumpers of each hard disk as Master/Master or Slave/Slave.
2. Install the hard disks into the drive bays.
3. Connect the HDD signal cables.
4. Connect a 4-pin power cable to the power connector on each drive.
Installing Serial ATA (SATA) hard disks
To install the SATA hard disks for a RAID configuration:
1. Install the SATA hard disks into the drive bays.
2. Connect the SATA signal cables.
3. Connect a SATA power cable to the power connector on each drive.
Refer to the RAID controllers user manual in the motherboard support
CD for detailed information on RAID configurations. See section “5.2.4
Manuals menu”.
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Chapter 5: Software support
5.5.2 NVIDIA® RAID configurations
The motherboard includes a high performance IDE RAID controller
integrated in the NVIDIA® SLI southbridge chipset. It supports RAID 0, RAID
1, RAID 0+1, and JBOD with four independent Serial ATA channels.
Setting the BIOS RAID items
After installing the hard disk drives, make sure to set the necessary RAID
items in the BIOS before setting your RAID configuration.
To set the BIOS RAID items:
1. Boot the system and press <Del> during the Power-On Self-Test
(POST) to enter the BIOS Setup Utility.
2. From the Advanced > Onboard Devices Configuration >
NVRAID Configuration menu item in the BIOS set the RAID
Enabled item to Enabled. The succeeding items become
user-configurable.
3. Select and enable the IDE or SATA drive(s) that you want to configure
as RAID. See section “4.4.3 Onboard Devices Configuration” for
details.
4. Save your changes and Exit Setup.
For detailed descriptions on the NVIDIA® RAID configuration, refer to
the “NVIDIA® RAID User’s Manual” found in your motherboard support
CD.
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Entering the NVIDIA® RAID utility
To enter the NVIDIA® RAID utility:
1. Boot up your computer.
2. During POST, press <F10> to display the main menu of the utility.
The RAID BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference
only, and may not exactly match the items on your screen.
NVIDIA RAID Utility Oct 5 2004
- Define a New Array -
RAID Mode: Striping
Free Disks
Striping Block:
Array Disks
Optimal
Loc
Disk Model Name
Loc
Disk Model Name
1.0.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
1.1.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2.0.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
2.1.M XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
[→] Add
[←] Del
[F6] Back [F7] Finish [TAB] Navigate [↑↓] Select [ENTER] Popup
At the bottom of the screen are the navigation keys. These keys allow you
to move through and select menu options.
Creating a RAID Volume
To create a RAID volume:
1. From the NVIDIA® RAID utility Define a New Array menu, select RAID
Mode then press <Enter>. The following submenu appears.
Use the up or down arrow keys to
Mirroring
select a RAID mode then press
Striping
Stripe Mirroring
<Enter>.
Spanning
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Chapter 5: Software support
2. Press <TAB> select the Striping
Block then press <Enter>. The
following submenu appears:
8K
↑
16K
32K
64K
128K
Optim↓
If you selected Striping or Stripe Mirroring, use the up or down arrow
keys to select the stripe size for your RAID 0 array then press
<Enter>.The available values range from 8 KB to 128 KB. The default
selection is 128 KB. The strip value should be chosen based on the
planned drive usage.
• 8 /16 KB - low disk usage
• 64 KB - typical disk usage
• 128 KB - performance disk usage
TIP: For server systems, we recommend using a lower array block size.
For multimedia computer systems used mainly for audio and video
editing, we recommend a higher array block size for optimum
performance.
3.` Press <TAB> to select the Free Disks area. Use the left or right arrow
keys to assign the array disks.
4. Press <F7> to create RAID set. The following message box appears.
Clear disk data?
[Y] YES
[N]
5. Press <Y> to clear the selected disks or <N> to proceed without
clearing the disks. The following screen appears.
Take caution in using this option. All data on the RAID drives will be lost!
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NVIDIA RAID Utility Oct 5 2004
- Array List -
Boot
No
Id Status
Healthy
Vendor
NVIDIA
Array Model Name
MIRROR XXX.XXG
4
[Ctrl-X]Exit [↑↓]Select [B]Set Boot [N]New Array [ENTER]Detail
A new set of navigation keys is displayed on the bottom of the
screen.
6. Press <Ctrl+X> to save settings and exit.
Rebuilding a RAID array
To rebuild a RAID array:
1. From the Array List menu, use the up or down arrow keys to select a
RAID array then press <Enter>. The RAID Array details appear.
Array 1 : NVIDIA MIRROR XXX.XXG
- Array Detail -
RAID Mode: Mirroring
Striping Width: 1
Striping Block: 64K
Adapt Channel M/S
Index Disk Model Name
Capacity
2
1
1
0
Master
Master
0
1
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXX.XXGB
XXX.XXGB
[R] Rebuild [D] Delete [C] Clear Disk [ENTER] Return
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Chapter 5: Software support
A new set of navigation keys is displayed on the bottom of the
screen.
2. Press <R> to rebuild a RAID array. The following screen appears.
Array 1 : NVIDIA MIRROR XXX.XXG
- Select Disk Inside Array -
RAID Mode: Mirroring
Striping Width: 1
Striping Block: 64K
Adapt Channel M/S
Index Disk Model Name
Capacity
2
1
1
0
Master
Master
0
1
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXX.XXGB
XXX.XXGB
[↑↓] Select [F6] Back [F7] Finish
3. Use the up or down arrow keys to select a RAID array to rebuild, then
press <F7>. The following confirmation message appears.
Rebuild array?
[ENTER] OK [ESC] Cancel
4. Press <Enter> to start rebuilding array or press <Esc> to cancel.
5. After the rebuild process, the Array list menu appears.
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Deleting a RAID array
To delete a RAID array:
1. From the Array List menu, use the up or down arrow keys to select a
RAID array then press <Enter>. The RAID Array details appear.
Array 1 : NVIDIA MIRROR XXX.XXG
- Array Detail -
RAID Mode: Mirroring
Striping Width: 1
Striping Block: 64K
Adapt Channel M/S
Index Disk Model Name
Capacity
2
1
1
0
Master
Master
0
1
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXX.XXGB
XXX.XXGB
[R] Rebuild [D] Delete [C] Clear Disk [ENTER] Return
A new set of navigation keys is displayed on the bottom of the
screen.
2. Press <D> to delete a RAID array. The following confirmation message
appears.
Delete this array?
[Y] YES [N] No
3. Press <Y> to delete array or press <N> to cancel.
Take caution in using this option. All data on the RAID drives will be lost!
4. If you selected Yes, the Define a New Array menu appears.
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Chapter 5: Software support
Clearing a disk data
To clear disk data:
1. From the Array List menu, use the up or down arrow keys to select a
RAID array then press <Enter>. The RAID Array details appear.
Array 1 : NVIDIA MIRROR XXX.XXG
- Array Detail -
RAID Mode: Mirroring
Striping Width: 1
Striping Block: 64K
Adapt Channel M/S
Index Disk Model Name
Capacity
2
1
1
0
Master
Master
0
1
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXX.XXGB
XXX.XXGB
[R] Rebuild [D] Delete [C] Clear Disk [ENTER] Return
A new set of navigation keys is displayed on the bottom of the
screen.
2. Press <C> to clear disk. The following confirmation message appears.
Clear disk data?
[Y] YES
[N]
5. Press <Y> to clear the disk data or press <N> to cancel.
Take caution in using this option. All data on the RAID drives will be lost!
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5.5.3 Silicon Image RAID configurations
The Silicon Image RAID controller supports RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 10, JBOD,
and RAID 5 configurations. Use the Silicon Image RAID utility to configure a
disk array.
Setting the BIOS RAID items
After installing the hard disk drives, make sure to set the necessary RAID
items in the BIOS before setting your RAID configuration.
To set the BIOS RAID items:
1. Boot the system and press <Del> during the Power-On Self-Test
(POST) to enter the BIOS Setup Utility.
2. From the Advanced > Onboard Devices Configuration menu
item in the BIOS set the Silicon Image Controller item to RAID
Mode. See section “4.4.6 Onboard Devices Configuration” for details.
3. Save your changes and Exit Setup.
Launching the Silicon Image Array Management Software
Launch the Silicon Image Array Management software from Windows® XP by
clicking the Start button and selecting All Programs > Silicon Image
> Sam
•
•
•
For details on the Silicon Image SATARaid™ RAID configuration, refer
to the “Sil3114 User’s Manual” in your motherboard support CD.
You can only set the SATALink™ RAID 5 and JBOD configuration
using the SATALink™ SATA RAID Management Software.
Make sure to install the Silicon Image SATA Link Sil 3114 driver and
the Silicon Image RAID 5 Array Management Utility from the support
CD before usingRAID 5 configuration.
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Chapter 5: Software support
Entering the Silicon Image BIOS RAID Configuration Utility
To enter the Silicon Image BIOS RAID configuration utility:
1. Boot up your computer.
2. During POST, press <Ctrl+S> or <F4>.
The RAID BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference
only, and may not exactly match the items on your screen.
RAID Configuration Utility - Silicon Image Inc. Copyright (C) 2004
MAIN MENU
HELP
Create RAID set
Delete RAID set
Rebuild Raid1 set
Resolve Conflicts
Low Level Format
Logical Drive Info
Press “Enter” to create
RAID set
LOGICAL DRIVE
PHYSICAL DRIVE
0 XXXXXXXXXXX
1 XXXXXXXXXXX
2 XXXXXXXXXXX
3 XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
STXXXXXXXXX
STXXXXXXXXX
STXXXXXXXXX
STXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
↑↓:Select Menu
ESC:Previous Menu
Enter:Select
Ctrl-E:Exit
The Main Menu on the upper left corner allows you to select an operation
to be performed. The Main Menu options include the following:
Create RAID set - creates a new legacy RAID set or allocates spare drives.
Delete RAID set - deletes a RAID set or deallocates a spare drive.
Rebuild RAID1 set - rebuilds a RAID 1 set (e.g. swapped drives).
Resolve Conflicts - automatically restores disrupted drives on a RAID set.
Low Level Format - creates a pattern of reference marks on a drive.
Formatting the disks erases all data previously stored in the drive.
Logical Drive Info -shows the current configuration of each RAID set.
On the upper right corner of the screen is the Help message box. The
message describes the function of each menu item. At the bottom of the
screen is the legend box. The keys on the legend box allow you to navigate
through the setup menu options. The following lists the keys found in the
legend box and their corresponding functions.
↑, ↓
ESC
: Select/Move to the next item
: Previous Menu
Enter : Select
Ctrl-E : Exit
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Creating a RAID 0 set (Striped)
To create a RAID set:
1. From the Silicon Image
MAIN MENU
configuration utility
Create RAID set
RAID0
RAID1
RAID5
main menu, select
Delete RAID set
Rebuild Raid1 set
Resolve Conflicts
Low Level Format
Logical Drive Info
Create RAID set
then press <Enter> to
display an option menu.
RAID10
SPARE DRIVE
JBOD (Single)
2. Select RAID 0 then
press <Enter> to
MAIN MENU
Auto configuration
Manual configuration
display the following.
3. Select your desired method of configuration.
Auto configuration
a. Select Auto Configuration the press <Enter>.
b. The utility prompts a message to input the RAID size, use the up
or down arrow keys to set the RAID size then press <Enter>.
c. Press <Y> to confirm or <N> to return to the Main Menu.
By default, Auto configuration sets the stripe size to 64K and sets the
logical drives based on the physical drives installed.
Manual configuration
a. Select Manual
MAIN MENU
configuration and
press <Enter>. The
Auto configuration
Manual configuration
chunk size
4K
8K
following pop-up
16K
32K
menu appears.
64K
128K
b. Use the up or down
arrow keys to select
a chunk size
appropriate to your
drive usage then
press <Enter>.
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TIP: For server systems, we recommend using a lower array block size.
For multimedia computer systems used mainly for audio and video
editing, we recommend a higher array block size for optimum
performance.
c. The selection bar moves to
PHYSICAL DRIVE
the Physical Drive menu.
0 XXXXXXXXXXX
1 XXXXXXXXXXX
2 XXXXXXXXXXX
3 XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
Using the up or down arrow
keys, select a drive then
press <Enter> to set the
first drive of the RAID set.
d. Repeat step c to set the second, third, and fourth drive. The
number of available drives depend on the installed and enabled
physical drives in the system.
e. The utility prompts a message to input the RAID size, use the up
or down arrow keys to set the RAID size then press <Enter>.
f. Press <Y> to confirm or <N> to return to the Main Menu.
Creating a RAID 1 set (Mirrored)
To create a RAID 1 set:
1. From the Silicon Image
MAIN MENU
configuration utility
main menu, select
RAID0
Create RAID set
then press <Enter>. The
RAID10
following sub-menu
Create RAID set
Delete RAID set
Rebuild Raid1 set
Resolve Conflicts
Low Level Format
Logical Drive Info
RAID1
RAID5
SPARE DRIVE
JBOD (Single)
appears.
MAIN MENU
2. Select RAID 1 then
press <Enter> to
display the following.
Auto configuration
Manual configuration
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3. Select your desired method of configuration.
Auto configuration
a. Select Auto Configuration then press <Enter>.
b. The utility prompts a message to input the RAID size, use the up
or down arrow keys to set the RAID size then press <Enter>.
c. Press <Y> to confirm or <N> to return to the Main Menu.
•
•
Auto-configuration creates a RAID 1 set without a backup copy of
the current source disk data.
When migrating a single hard disk drive to a RAID 1 set, use of the
Manual configuration is recommended.
Manual configuration
a. Select Manual
PHYSICAL DRIVE
configuration and press
<Enter>. The selection
bar moves to the Physical
Drives menu.
0 XXXXXXXXXXX
1 XXXXXXXXXXX
2 XXXXXXXXXXX
3 XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
b. Using the up or down arrow
keys, select the source drive
and press <Enter>.
c. Repeat step b to select the target drive.
d. After selecting the
MAIN MENU
source and target
Auto configuration
drives, the following
Manual configuration
pop-up menu
appears.
Create with data copy
Create without data copy
•
•
•
•
The Create with data copy option allows you to copy the
current data from the source drive to the mirror drive.
Select Create with data copy if you have important data in
your source drive.
The Create without data copy option disables the disk copy
function of the Mirrored set.
If you selected Create without data copy, the RAID 1 set must
be repartitioned and reformatted to guarantee the consistency of its
contents.
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Chapter 5: Software support
MAIN MENU
e. If you selected
Create with data
copy, the following
pop-up menu
Auto configuration
Manual configuration
online copy
offline copy
appears.
The online copy option automatically copies the data to the target
drives on the background while writing to the source drives. The offline
copy option allows you to copy the contents of the source drive to the
target drives now.
f. Use the up or down arrow keys to select desired copy method,
then press <Enter>.
g. The utility prompts a message to input the RAID size, use the up
or down arrow keys to set the RAID size then press <Enter>.
h. Press <Y> to confirm or <N> to return to the Main Menu.
A copy progress appears if you previously selected offline copy.
Creating a RAID 5 set (Parity)
To create a RAID 5 set:
1. From the Silicon Image
MAIN MENU
configuration utility
Create RAID set
RAID0
RAID1
RAID5
RAID10
SPARE DRIVE
JBOD (Single)
main menu, select
Create RAID set
then press <Enter>. The
following sub-menu
appears.
Delete RAID set
Rebuild Raid1 set
Resolve Conflicts
Low Level Format
Logical Drive Info
2. Select RAID 5 then
press <Enter> to
MAIN MENU
Auto configuration
Manual configuration
display the following.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
5-35
3. Select your desired method of configuration.
Auto configuration
a. Select Auto Configuration then press <Enter>.
b. The utility prompts a message to input the RAID size, use the up
or down arrow keys to set the RAID size then press <Enter>.
c. Press <Y> to confirm or <N> to return to the Main Menu.
Manual configuration
a. Select Manual
MAIN MENU
configuration and
press <Enter>. The
Auto configuration
Manual configuration
chunk size
4K
8K
following pop-up
16K
32K
menu appears.
64K
128K
b. Use the up or down
arrow keys to select
a chunk size
appropriate to your
drive usage then press <Enter>.
TIP: For server systems, we recommend using a lower array block size.
For multimedia computer systems used mainly for audio and video
editing, we recommend a higher array block size for optimum
performance.
c. The selection bar moves to
PHYSICAL DRIVE
the Physical Drive menu.
0 XXXXXXXXXXX
1 XXXXXXXXXXX
2 XXXXXXXXXXX
3 XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
Using the up or down arrow
keys, select a drive then
press <Enter> to set the
first drive of the RAID set.
d. Repeat step c to set the second, third and fourth drive. The
number of available drives depend on the installed and enabled
physical drives in the system.
e. The utility prompts a message to input the RAID size, use the up
or down arrow keys to set the RAID size then press <Enter>.
f. Press <Y> to confirm or <N> to return to the Main Menu.
5-36
Chapter 5: Software support
Creating a RAID 10 set (Mirrored+Striped)
To create a RAID 10 set:
1. From the Silicon Image
MAIN MENU
configuration utility
Create RAID set
RAID0
RAID1
RAID5
main menu, select
Create RAID set
then press <Enter>. The
following sub-menu
appears.
Delete RAID set
Rebuild Raid1 set
Resolve Conflicts
Low Level Format
RAID10
SPARE DRIVE
JBOD (Single)
Logical Drive Info
2. Select RAID 10 then
press <Enter> to
MAIN MENU
Auto configuration
display the following.
Manual configuration
3. Select your desired
method of
configuration.
Auto configuration
a. Select Auto Configuration then press <Enter>.
b. The utility prompts a message to input the RAID size, use the up
or down arrow keys to set the RAID size then press <Enter>.
c. Press <Y> to confirm or <N> to return to the Main Menu.
Auto-configuration creates a RAID 10 set without a backup copy of the
current source disk data.
Manual configuration
a. Select Manual
MAIN MENU
configuration and
press <Enter>. The
Auto configuration
Manual configuration
chunk size
4K
8K
following pop-up
16K
32K
menu appears.
64K
128K
b. Use the up or down
arrow keys to select
a chunk size
appropriate to your
drive usage then press <Enter>.
TIP: For server systems, use of a lower array block size is
recommended. For multimedia computer systems used mainly for audio
and video editing, a higher array block size is recommended for optimum
performance.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
5-37
c. The selection bar moves to
the Physical Drive menu.
Using the up or down arrow
keys, select a drive then
press <Enter> to set the
first drive of the RAID set.
PHYSICAL DRIVE
0 XXXXXXXXXXX
1 XXXXXXXXXXX
2 XXXXXXXXXXX
3 XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
d. Repeat step c to set the second, third, and fourth drive. The
number of available drives depend on the installed and enabled
physical drives in the system.
e. After setting the
MAIN MENU
RAID drives, the
Auto configuration
following pop-up
Manual configuration
menu appears.
Create with data copy
Create without data copy
•
The Create with data copy option allows you to copy the
current data from the source drive to the mirror drive. The Create
without data copy option disables the disk copy function of the
Mirrored set.
•
•
If you selected Create without data copy , the RAID 1 set
must be repartitioned and reformatted to guarantee the consistency
of its contents.
Select Create with data copy if you have important data in
your source drive.
f. If you selected
Create with data
copy, the following
pop-up menu
MAIN MENU
Auto configuration
Manual configuration
online copy
offline copy
appears.
The online copy option automatically copies the data to the target
drives on the background while writing to the source drives. The offline
copy option allows you to copy the contents of the source drive to the
target drives now.
5-38
Chapter 5: Software support
g. Use the up or down arrow keys to select desired copy method,
then press <Enter>.
h. The utility prompts a message to input the RAID size, use the up
or down arrow keys to set the RAID size then press <Enter>.
i. Press <Y> to confirm or <N> to return to the Main Menu. A copy
progress appears if you previously selected offline copy.
•
You can also create a RAID set using the SATARAID5 GUI utility
under a Windows® environment.
• For details on the Silicon Image SATARaid™ RAID 5 configuration,
refer to the “Sil3114 User’s Manual” found in your motherboard
support CD.
Creating a JBOD set (Spanning)
To create a JBOD set:
1. From the Silicon Image
configuration utility
main menu, select
MAIN MENU
Create RAID set
Delete RAID set
Rebuild Raid1 set
Resolve Conflicts
Low Level Format
Logical Drive Info
RAID0
RAID1
RAID5
Create RAID set
then press <Enter>.
RAID10
SPARE DRIVE
JBOD (Single)
2. From the sub-menu
Select JBOD then press
<Enter>.
3. The selection bar moves to the
Physical Drive menu. Using the
up or down arrow keys, select a
drive then press <Enter>
PHYSICAL DRIVE
0 XXXXXXXXXXX
1 XXXXXXXXXXX
2 XXXXXXXXXXX
3 XXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
XXXXXXMB
to set a drive for the RAID set.
4. The utility prompts a message
to input the RAID size, use the
up or down arrow keys to set
the RAID size then press <Enter>.
5. Press <Y> to confirm or <N> to return to the Main Menu.
•
•
Configure a JBOD (Single) set when using a single Serial ATA drive;
otherwise, the system will not recognize the drive.
You can also create a RAID set using the SATARAID5 GUI utility
under a Windows® environment.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
5-39
5.6 Creating a RAID driver disk
A floppy disk with the RAID driver is required when installing Windows®
2000/XP operating system on a hard disk drive that is included in a RAID
set.
To create a RAID driver disk:
1. Place the motherboard support CD into the CD-ROM drive.
2. When the Drivers menu appears, select the RAID driver disk you
want to create:
• Click Make NVIDIA RAID Driver to create an NVIDIA® RAID
driver disk.
• Click Make Silicon SATA RAID Driver Disk to create a
Silicon Image SATARaid™ RAID driver disk.
Or
Browse the contents of the support CD to locate the driver disk
utility.
• Go to \Drivers\Chipset\WINXP_2K\Driver_Disk for the
NVIDIA® RAID driver disk utility.
• Go to \Drivers\Sil3114 for the Silicon Image RAID driver disk
utility.
Refer to section “5.2.2 Drivers menu” for details.
4. Insert floppy disk to floppy disk drive.
5. Follow succeeding screen information to complete process.
6. Write-protect the floppy disk to avoid computer virus infection.
To install the RAID driver:
1. During the OS installation, the system prompts you to press the F6
key to install third-party SCSI or RAID driver.
2. Press <F6> then insert the floppy disk with RAID driver into the floppy
disk drive.
3. Follow the succeeding screen instructions to complete the installation.
Due to chipset limitation, the Serial ATA ports supported by the NVIDIA
chipset doesn’t support Serial Optical Disk Drives (Serial ODD) under
DOS.
5-40
Chapter 5: Software support
5.7 Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology
The motherboard supports the AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology that
dynamically and automatically change the CPU speed, voltage, and amount
of power depending on the task the CPU performs.
5.7.1 Enabling Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology
To enable Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ Technology:
1. Turn on the system and enter BIOS by pressing the <Del> key during
the Power On Self-Tests (POST).
2. In the Advanced > CPU Configuration > AMD CPU Cool &
Quiet Configuration menu, select the item Cool N’Quiet and set
it to Enabled. See section “4.4 Advanced Menu” in the user guide.
3. In the Power menu, select the item ACPI 2.0 Support and set it
to Yes. See section “4.5 Power Menu” in the user guide.
4. Save your changes and exit BIOS Setup.
5. Reboot your computer and set your Power Option Properties
depending on your operating system.
Windows® 2000/XP
1. From the Windows® 2000/XP operating system, click the Start
button. Select Settings, then Control Panel.
2. Make sure the Control Panel is set to Classic View.
3. Double-click the Display icon in
the Control Panel then select the
Screen Saver tab.
4. Click the Power... button. The
following dialog box appears.
5. From the Power schemes
combo list box, select Minimal
Power Management.
6. Click OK to effect settings.
Make sure to install the Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ driver and application before
using this feature.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
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5.7.2 Launching the Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ software
The motherboard support CD includes the Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ software that
enables you to view your system’s real-time CPU Frequency and voltage.
Make sure to install the Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ software from the motherboard
support CD. Refer to section “5.2.3 Utilities menu”, for details.
To launch the Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ program:
1. If you are using Windows® 98SE/ME/2000, click the Start button.
Select Programs > ASUS > Cool & Quiet > Cool & Quiet.
2. If you are using Windows® XP, click the Start button. Select All
Programs > ASUS > Cool & Quiet > Cool & Quiet.
3. The Cool ‘n’ Quiet!™ technology screen appears and displays the
current CPU Frequency and CPU Voltage.
5-42
Chapter 5: Software support
5.8 Using the NVIDIA® nTune™ utility
The motherboard supports the NVIDIA® nTune™ utility that allows easy and
safe system tuning for optimum performance. This utility provides the
safest and easiest way to tweak voltages or change system bus speeds
and memory timings for maximum system performance.
Follow the NVIDIA Chipset Driver Program installation wizard to
install the NVIDIA® nTune™ utility from the motherboard support CD.
After you have successfully installed the utility in your computer, launch
the nTune™ utility from the Windows® desktop by clicking Start > All
Programs > NVIDIA Corporation > nTune > nTune from the
Windows® taskbar.
5.8.1 Managing your nForce™ system
The Manage my nForce™ system menu allows you to benchmark and
automatically tune your system, manage your nTune™ profiles, monitor
your system, troubleshoot performance, create a log, get online support or
update the BIOS. This menu also provides shortcuts to manage your
nForceware™ settings.
Click to launch Manage
my nForce™ system menu
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
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5.8.2 Clock control
The Clock control menu allows dynamic modifications for system bus
speeds and memory controller timing. The system bus speed includes the
front side bus (FSB) and AGP bus.
Click to launch the
Clock control menu
5.8.3 Voltage/Fan control
The Voltage/Fan control menu allows tweaking options for the CPU and
memory voltage. This menu also allows dynamic modifications for the CPU
and auxiliary fan speeds.
Click to launch the
Voltage/Fan menu
5-44
Chapter 5: Software support
5.8.4 Information
The information page displays related information about the processor,
memory, motherboard, nForce™ profile, version information, and the
calculated system performance results.
Click to launch the
Information page
5.8.5 Other options
Other option buttons allow you to easily save or revert your settings and
save or load nTune™ profiles.
Click to save settings and exit
Click to save settings only
Click to revert changes
Click to load saved nTune™ profile
Click to save settings in a profile
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
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5.9 Using the ASUS AI Selector utility
The motherboard support CD comes with the ASUS AI Selector that allows
you to set the video card mode of your system.
Follow the AI Selector installation wizard to install the AI Selector utility
from the motherboard support CD.
Use this utility only when you have two graphics cards installed in your
system.
5.9.1 Launching the ASUS AI Selector
After you have successfully installed the utility in your computer, launch
the AI Selector utility from the Windows® desktop by clicking Start > All
Programs > ASUS > AI Selector > AI Selector from the Windows®
taskbar.
Click for help
Click to minimize
Click to exit
Click to select
SLI mode
Rotate knob to
select SLI mode
Video card status
Single Video Card mode - the primary (blue) PCI slot works at the
bandwidth of PCI Express x16.
Dual Video Card mode - the primary (blue) PCI slot and secondary
(black) PCI slot works at the bandwidth of PCI Express x8. The combined
bandwidth of these maintain the bandwidth of PCI Express x16.
5-46
Chapter 5: Software support
The utility prompts you to restart your system after setting the video card
mode.
Click Yes to implement settings and restart your system or No to return
to the AI Selector menu.
5.9.2 Using the SLI mode
To use SLI mode:
1. Set the SLI Multi-GPU feature in Display Properties. See section
“6.2.4 Enabling the multi-GPU feature in Windows” on page 6-6 for
details.
2. Select Dual video card.
3. When prompted, click Yes to restart your system.
•
•
When the SLI mode is disabled, the multi-monitor feature is enabled.
Use the NVIDIA nView utility to set your multi-monitor setup.
Refer to section “4.4.4 SLI Configuration” on page 4-29 for BIOS
details.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
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5-48
Chapter 5: Software support
This chapter tells how to install
SLI-ready PCI Express graphics cards.
NVIDIA® SLI™
6
technology
support
Chapter summary
6.1
6.2
Overview............................................................................... 6-1
Dual graphics cards setup .................................................... 6-3
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
6.1 Overview
The motherboard supports the NVIDIA® SLI™ (Scalable Link Interface)
technology that allows you to install two identical PCI Express™ x16
graphics cards. Follow the installation procedures in this section.
6.1.1 Requirements
•
•
•
You should have two identical SLI-ready graphics cards that are
NVIDIA® certified.
Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) for a list of qualified
SLI-ready graphics cards for this motherboard.
Make sure that your graphics card driver supports the NVIDIA SLI
technology. Download the latest driver from the NVIDIA website
(www.nvidia.com).
•
Make sure that your power supply unit (PSU) can provide at least the
minimum power required by your system. See “8. ATX power
connectors” on page 2-25 for details.
•
The NVIDIA SLI technology supports Windows® XP™ operating
system only.
•
•
Visit the NVIDIA website for the supported 3D applications.
Visit the NVIDIA zone website (http://www.nzone.com/
object/nzone_sli_certified.html) for the latest certified
graphics card list.
6.1.2 ASUS Certified SLI Graphics cards
Use only ASUS certified PCI Express x16 SLI graphics cards to ensure
optimum peformance.
GeForce 6800 Ultra models
Vendor
Model Number
ASUS
Extreme N6800Ultra (EN6800Ultra)
BFGO68256UX
BFG
eVGA
256-P2-N377-AX/BX
Gainward
Gigabyte
Leadtek
MSI
PowerPack! Ultra/2600 PCX “Golden Sample”
GV-NX68U256D-B
WinFast PX6800 Ultra
MS-8974
XFX/Pine
XFX GeForce 6800 Ultra
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
6-1
GeForce 6800 GT models
Vendor Model Number
ASUS
EN6800GT
BFG
BFG BFGO68256GTOCX
256-P2-N376-AX/BX
GV-NX68T256DH
eVGA
Gigabyte
Leadtek
XFX/Pine
WinFast PX6800 GT
XFX GeForce 6800GT PCI-E (PV-T45G-UD)
GeForce 6600 GT models
Vendor Model Number
Albatron
GF6600GT
AOpen
Asus
Aeolus 6600GT-DV128
Extreme N6600GT
BFG
BFGR6600GTOCX
Chaintech
eVGA
SE6600G
128-P2-N368-AX/BX
NX66T128D
Gigabyte
Leadtek
MSI
WinFast PX6600GT
MS-8983 NX6600GT-VTD128E/NX6600GT-TD128E
GeForce 6600GT
Palit
Prolink
Sparkle
XFX/Pine
PV-NV43E(128LD)
SPPX43
XFX GeForce 6600GT PCI-E ( PV-T43G-ND )
6-2
Chapter 6: NVIDIA® SLI™ technology support
6.2 Dual graphics card setup
6.2.1 Installing SLI-ready graphics cards
Install only identical SLI-ready graphics cards that are ASUS and NVIDIA®
certified. Different types of graphics cards will not work together
properly.
To install the graphics cards:
1. Prepare two graphics cards. Each graphics card should have
goldfingers for the SLI connector.
Goldfingers
2. Remove the metal bracket covers opposite the two PCI Express x16
slots.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
6-3
3. Insert one graphics card into the blue slot labeled PCIEX16_1. Make
sure that the card is properly seated on the slot.
4. Insert the second graphics card into the black slot labeled
PCIEX16_2. Make sure that the card is properly seated on the slot.
If required, connect an auxiliary power source to the PCI Express
graphics cards.
6-4
Chapter 6: NVIDIA® SLI™ technology support
5. Align and insert the SLI connector to the goldfingers on each graphics
card. Make sure that the connector is firmly in place.
SLI connector
6. If using a 20-pin ATX power connector, connect a 4-pin ATX power
cable to the EZ Plug™ labeled EZ_PLUG on your motherboard.
ASUS EZ
Plug™
The onboard red warning LED lights up if you do not plug a 4-pin ATX
power cable to the EZ Plug.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
6-5
7. Remove any of the two bracket
covers between the graphics
cards.
Bracket slot
8. Align and insert the retention
bracket into the slot then
secure it with a screw.
Make sure that the retention
bracket firmly supports the
two graphics cards.
Retention bracket
9. Connect a VGA cable or a DVI-I cable to the graphics card
installed on the blue PCI Express slot.
6.2.2 Installing the device drivers
Refer to the documentation that came with your graphics card package to
install the device drivers.
Make sure that your PCI Express graphics card driver supports the
NVIDIA SLI technology. Download the latest driver from the NVIDIA
website (www.nvidia.com).
6.2.3 Installing the ASUS AI Selector utility
Install the ASUS AI Selector utility using the motherboard support CD.
Follow the steps described in section “5.2.3 Utilities menu” to install the
ASUS AI Selector utility.
6-6
Chapter 6: NVIDIA® SLI™ technology support
6.2.4 Enabling the multi-GPU feature in Windows
After installing your graphics cards and the device drivers, enable the
Multi-Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) feature in the NVIDIA nView
properties.
To enable the multi-GPU feature:
1. Click the NVIDIA Settings
icon on your Windows taskbar.
NVIDIA Settings icon
2. From the pop-up menu, select
nView Desktop Manager
then click nView Properties.
3. From the nView Desktop Manager
window, select the Desktop
Management tab.
4. Click Properties to display the
Display Properties dialog box.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
6-7
5. From the Display Properties
dialog box, select the Settings
tab then click Advanced.
6. Select the NVIDIA GeForce
tab.
7. Click the slider to display the following
screen, then select the SLI
multi-GPU item.
Slider
6-8
Chapter 6: NVIDIA® SLI™ technology support
8. Click the Enable SLI multi-GPU check box.
9. Click OK when done.
6.2.5 Setting the ASUS AI Selector utility
From the AI Selector utility, select Dual video Cards then click Yes to
restart your system. Refer to the Table 1 below the AI Selector card
settings. See section “5.9 Using the ASUS AI Selector utility” on page 5-46
for details.
Table 1
AI Selector settings
Setting
Slot A
Card Type Speed
Slot B
Card Type Speed
Single Video Card
any PCI x16
x16
–
–
graphics card
Dual Video Card SLI mode
SLI-ready
graphics card
x8
SLI-ready
graphics card
x8
x8
Multi-monitor any PCI x16
mode graphics card
x8
any PCI x16
graphics card
When the SLI mode is disabled, the multi-monitor mode is enabled. Use
the NVIDIA nView utility to set your multi-monitor setup.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
6-9
6-10
Chapter 6: NVIDIA® SLI™ technology support
This chapter describes the contents
of the support CD that comes with
the motherboard package.
Appendix
Chapter summary
A.1
Using the SATA extension module .......................................A-1
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
A.1 Using the SATA extension module
Your motherboard package comes with a 2-port Serial ATA extension
module that allows you to externally connect two Serial ATA hard drives.
A.1.1 Installing the 2-port SATA extension module
To install your 2-port Serial ATA extension module:
1. Select an available expansion card slot on the rear panel of your
chassis.
2. Place the 2-port Serial ATA extension module on the available slot and
secure it with a screw.
3. Select any two (2) SATA connectors on your motherboard.
4. Connect one end of the first SATA signal cable to one of the selected
SATA connectors.
5. Connect the other end of the SATA signal cable to the SATA
connector on the extension module labeled SATA_CON3.
6. Connect one end of the second Serial ATA signal cable to another
SATA connector.
7. Connect the other end of the second SATA signal cable to the SATA
connector on the extension module labeled SATA_CON4.
8. Connect a 4-pin ATX power plug to the SATA extension module power
connector labeled PWR_CON1.
9. You can now connect two SATA hard disks to the rear panel of your
chassis.
ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
A-1
A.1.2 Installing SATA hard drives
To install Serial ATA hard drives:
1. Connect one end of the first SATA signal cable to the SATA
connector labeled SATA 1.
2. Connect the other end of the SATA signal cable to the SATA
connector on the first drive.
3. Connect one end of the second SATA signal cable to the other
SATA connector labeled SATA 2.
4. Connect the other end of the second SATA signal cable to the
SATA connector on the second drive.
5. Connect the 4-pin ATX SATA power plug to the SATA
extension module.
Your Serial ATA power plug comes with one (1) 4-pin ATX power
connector and two (2) Serial ATA power connectors.
6. Connect one SATA power connector to the first drive.
7. Connect the other Serial ATA power connector to the second drive.
3 5 1
6
2
7
4
A-2
Appendix
|