MSI K9N2 SLI PLATINUM - Motherboard - ATX User Manual

MSI K9N2 SLI PLATINUM - Motherboard - ATX User Manual

Ms-7374 (v1.x) mainboard
Table of Contents

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K9N2 SLI Platinum
Series
MS-7374 (v1.X) Mainboard
G52-73741X1
i

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Summary of Contents for MSI K9N2 SLI PLATINUM - Motherboard - ATX

  • Page 1 K9N2 SLI Platinum Series MS-7374 (v1.X) Mainboard G52-73741X1...
  • Page 2: Trademarks

    Alternatively, please try the following help resources for further guidance. Visit the MSI website for FAQ, technical guide, BIOS updates, driver updates, an d ot h er i n f orm at i on: h t t p: / / g l o ba l .
  • Page 3: Safety Instructions

    Safety Instructions Always read the safety instructions carefully. Keep this User’s Manual for future reference. Keep this equipment away from humidity. Lay this equipment on a reliable flat surface before setting it up. The openings on the enclosure are for air convection hence protects the equip- ment from overheating.
  • Page 4: Fcc-B Radio Frequency Interference Statement

    FCC-B Radio Frequency Interference Statement T h is eq uip men t h as been tested and found to c omply 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.
  • Page 5: Weee (Waste Electrical And Electronic Equipment) Statement

    WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Statement...
  • Page 8: Table Of Contents

    CONTENTS Copyright Notice ......................ii Trademarks ........................ii Revision History ......................ii Technical Support ......................ii Safety Instructions ......................iii FCC-B Radio Frequency Interference Statement ............iv W EEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Statement ........v Chapter 1. Getting Started ..................1-1 Mainboard Specifications ...................
  • Page 9 Software Configuration ..................A-4 Hardware Setup ....................A-19 Appendix B NVIDIA RAID ..................B-1 Introduction ......................B-2 RAID Configuraiton ....................B-3 Installing Driver ....................B-7 NVIDIA RAID Utility Installation ................B-8 Using the NVMediaShield Software ..............B-11 Appendix C JM icron RAID Introduction ............C-1 Introduction ......................
  • Page 10: Chapter 1. Getting Started

    Getting Started Chapter 1 Getting Started Thank you for choosing the K9N2 SLI Platinum Series (MS-7374 v1.X) ATX mainboard. The K9N2 SLI Platinum ® Series mainboards are based on NVIDIA nForce750a SLI single chipset for optimal system efficiency. De- ® signed to fit the advanced AM D Phenom/Athlon/ Sempron series in Socket AM2/ AM2+, the K9N2 SLI...
  • Page 11: Mainboard Specifications

    Phenom/ Athlon/ Sempron series processors in AM2/ AM2+ package - Supports 4 pin CPU Fan Pin-Header with Fan Speed Control (For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=cpuform) Supported FSB - AM2 CPU supports Hyper Transport 1.0 - AM2+ CPU supports Hyper Transport 3.0 Chipset ®...
  • Page 12 Getting Started Connectors Back panel - 1 PS/2 mouse port - 1 PS/2 keyboard port - 1 1394 port (optional) - 1 Optical SPDIF-out jack - 1 DVI-D port - 1 LAN jack - 4 USB 2.0 ports - 2 ESATA ports - 6 flexible audio jacks On-Board Pinheaders - 3 USB 2.0 pinheaders...
  • Page 13: Mainboard Layout

    M S-7374 M ainboard Mainboard Layout Top : mouse Bottom:keyboard Top: DVI ports Bottom: 1394 port (optional) Optical SPDIF-out USB ports Top: LAN Jack Bottom: USB ports eSATA ports T:Line-In M:Line-Out B:Mic T:RS-Out M:CS- Out B:SS-Out Chip PCI _E1 NForce 750a SLI PCI _E2 Chip...
  • Page 14: Packing Checklist

    Getting Started Packing Checklist SLI Video Link Card MSI Driver/Utility CD MSI motherboard Power Cable SATA Cable IDE Cable external SATA Cable 1394 Bracket (Optional) Floppy Cable (Optional) Back IO Shield User’s Guide * The pictures are for reference only and may vary from the packing contents of the...
  • Page 15: Chapter 2. Hardware Setup

    Hardware Setup Chapter 2 Hardware Setup This chapter provides you with the information about hardware setup procedures. While doing the installation, be careful in holding the components and follow the installation procedures. For some components, if you install in the wrong orientation, the components will not work properly.
  • Page 16: Quick Components Guide

    M S-7374 M ainboard Quick Components Guide CPU, p.2-3 JPW3, p.2-8 CPUFAN1, p.2-14 SYSFAN2, p.2-14 JPW2, p.2-8 DDR2 DIMMs, p.2-6 Back Panel IDE1, p.2-12 I/O, p.2-10 ATX1, p.2-8 SYSFAN3, SYSFAN1, p.2-14 p.2-14 PCI Express slots, p.2-20 SATA, p.2-13 JCI1, p.2-15 JTPM1, p.2-17 CLEAR CMOS, JCOM1,...
  • Page 17: Cpu (Central Processing Unit)

    If you do not have the heat sink and cooling fan, contact your dealer to purchase and install them before turning on the computer. For the latest information about CPU, please visit http://global.msi.com.tw/index. php?func=cpuform Important Overheating Overheating will seriously damage the CPU and system.
  • Page 18 M S-7374 M ainboard CPU Installation Procedures for Socket AM2/ AM2+ 1. Please turn off the power and unplug the power cord before Open the lever installing the CPU. Sliding the plate 90 degree 2. Pull the lever s ideways away from the socket.
  • Page 19 Hardware Setup Installing CPU Cooler Set W hen you are installing the CPU, make sure the CPU has a heat sink and a cooling fan attached on the top to prevent overheating. If you do not have the heat sink and cooling fan, contact your dealer to purchase and install them before turning on the computer.
  • Page 20: Memory

    M S-7374 M ainboard Memory These DIMM slots are used for installing memory modules. For more information on compatible components, please visit http://global.msi.com. tw/index.php?func=testreport DDR2 240-pin, 1.8V 56x2=112 pin 64x2=128 pin Dual-Channel Memory Population Rules In Dual-Channel mode, the memory modules can transmit and receive data with two data bus lines simultaneously.
  • Page 21: Installing Memory Modules

    Hardware Setup Installing Memory Modules 1. The memory module has only one notch on the center and will only fit in the right orientation. 2. Insert the memory module vertically into the DIMM slot. Then push it in until the golden finger on the memory module is deeply inserted in the DIMM slot.
  • Page 22: Power Supply

    M S-7374 M ainboard Power Supply ATX 24-Pin Power Connector: ATX1 This connector allows you to connect an ATX 24-pin power supply. To connect the ATX 24-pin power supply, make sure the plug of the pin 13 power supply is inserted in the proper orientation and the pins are aligned.
  • Page 23: Important Notification About Power Issue

    Hardware Setup Important 1. Make sure that all the connectors are connected to proper ATX power sup- plies to ensure stable operation of the mainboard. 2. Power supply of 450 watts (and above) is highly recommended for system stability. 3. We recommend you to use the minimum 450 watts power supply to support the needs of SLI technology in the system.
  • Page 24: Back Panel

    M S-7374 M ainboard Back Panel Mouse DVI-D Port Line-In RS-Out USB Port ESATA Port CS-Out Line-Out SS-Out 1394 Optical USB Port Keyboard Port S/PDIF-Out (optional) M ouse/Keyboard ® ® The standard PS/2 mouse/keyboard DIN connector is for a PS/2 mouse/keyboard.
  • Page 25 Hardware Setup The standard RJ-45 LAN jack is for connection to Yellow Green / Orange the Local Area Network (LAN). You can connect a network cable to it. Color LED State condition LAN link is not established. Left Orange On (steady state) LAN link is established.
  • Page 26: Connectors

    M S-7374 M ainboard Connectors IDE Connector: IDE1 / IDE2 This connector supports IDE hard disk drives, optical disk drives and other IDE devices. IDE1 IDE2 IDE1 (Primary IDE Connector) The first hard drive should always be connected to IDE1. IDE1 can connect a Master and a Slave drive.
  • Page 27 Hardware Setup Floppy Disk Drive Connector: FDD1 This connector supports 360KB, 720KB, 1.2MB, 1.44MB or 2.88MB floppy disk drive. FDD1 Serial ATA Connector: SATA1~6 This connector is a high-speed Serial ATA interface port. Each connector can con- nect to one Serial ATA device. SATA6 SATA4/SATA2 SATA5...
  • Page 28 M S-7374 M ainboard Fan Power Connectors: CPUFAN1, SYSFAN1/ 2/ 3/ 4 The fan power connectors support system cooling fan with +12V. W hen connecting the wire to the connectors, always note that the red wire is the positive and should be connected to the +12V;...
  • Page 29 Hardware Setup Front Panel Audio Connector: JAUD1 This connector allows you to connect the front panel audio and is compliant with ® Intel Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design Guide. JAUD1 HD Audio Pin Definition SIGNAL DESCRIPTION MIC_L Microphone - Left channel Ground MIC_R Microphone - Right channel...
  • Page 30 M S-7374 M ainboard Front USB Connector: JUSB1/ JUSB2/ JUSB3 ® This connector, compliant with Intel I/O Connectivity Design Guide, is ideal for con- necting high-speed USB interface peripherals such as USB HDD, digital cameras, M P3 players, printers, modems and the like. Pin Definition SIGNAL SIGNAL...
  • Page 31 Hardware Setup IEEE1394 Connector: J1394_1 (optional) This connector allows you to connect the IEEE1394 device via an optional IEEE1394 bracket. Pin Definition SIGNAL SIGNAL TPA+ TPA- Ground Ground TPB+ TPB- J1394_1 Cable power Cable power Key (no pin) Ground IEEE1394 Bracket (optional) TPM Module Connector: JTPM1 (optional) This connector connects to a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) module (optional).
  • Page 32: Front Panel Connectors: Jfp1, Jfp2

    M S-7374 M ainboard Front Panel Connectors: JFP1, JFP2 These connectors are for electrical connection to the front panel switches and LEDs. ® The JFP1 is compliant with Intel Front Panel I/O Connectivity Design Guide. Power Power Switch JFP1 Reset Switch JFP1 Pin Definition SIGNAL...
  • Page 33: Button

    Hardware Setup Button This mainboard provides the following buttons for you to set the computer’s function. This section will explain how to change your mainboard’s function through the use of buttons. Clear CMOS Button: CLEAR CMOS There is a CMOS RAM on board that has a power supply from external battery to keep the system configuration data.
  • Page 34: Slots

    M S-7374 M ainboard Slots PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Express Slots The PCI Express slot supports the PCI Express interface expansion card. The PCI Express 2.0 x 16 supports up to 8.0 GB/s transfer rate. The PCI Express 2.0 x 8 supports up to 4.0 GB/s transfer rate. The PCI Express x 1 supports up to 250 MB/s transfer rate.
  • Page 35: Nv Sli Technology

    Hardware Setup NV SLI Technology NVIDIA SLI (Scalable Link Interface) technology allows two GPUs to run in tandem within a system to achieve up to twice the performance of a single graphics card. To utilize this technology, the two GPU cards must be connected by an SLI Video Link card.
  • Page 36 M S-7374 M ainboard 2. After the hardware installation is completed, restart the system and install the NV SLI driver/utility. A configuration panel will be provided for SLI control. Select the Enable SLI technology (recommended) item to enable the SLI function for the onboard graphics cards (concerning the details of SLI settings, please refer to your graphics card manual) .
  • Page 37 Hardware Setup NVIDIA Hybrid SLI Technology Hybrid SLI technology, based on NVIDIA’s industry-leading SLI technology, delivers multi-GPU benefits when an NVIDIA mainboard GPU is combined with an NVIDIA discrete GPU. Enabling Hybrid SLI Technology Power off the system and install the NVIDIA SLI graphic card that supports Hybrid SLI technology.
  • Page 38: Pci Interrupt Request Routing

    M S-7374 M ainboard PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) Slots The PCI slots support LAN cards, SCSI cards, USB cards, and other add-on cards that comply with PCI specifications. At 32 bits and 33 MHz, it yields a throughput rate of 133 MBps. 32-bit PCI Slot PCI Interrupt Request Routing The IRQ, acronym of interrupt request line and pronounced I-R-Q, are hardware lines...
  • Page 39: Led Status Indicators

    Hardware Setup LED Status Indicators LED1 LED2 LED3 LED12 LED13 LED14 LED15 LED16 Name Status LED1 Lights when the 12V power conn. is not connected. LED2 Lights when PCI_E1 slot is functional. LED3 Lights when PCI_E2 slot is functional. LED12 Lights when PCI_E3 slot is functional.
  • Page 40 M S-7374 M ainboard LED 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 These four LEDs allow users to identify system problems through 16 various combi- nations of LED signals. LED4 Group4 LED5 LED6 Group3 LED7 LED8 Group2 LED9 LED10 Group1 LED11 Green...
  • Page 41: Chapter 3 Bios Setup

    BIOS Setup Chapter 3 BIOS Setup This chapter provides information on the BIOS Setup program and allows you to configure the system for optimum use. You may need to run the Setup program when: ² An error message appears on the screen during the system booting up, and requests you to run SETUP.
  • Page 42: Entering Setup

    M S-7374 M ainboard Entering Setup Power on the computer and the system will start POST (Power On Self Test) process. W hen the message below appears on the screen, press <DEL> key to enter Setup. Press DEL to enter SETUP If the message disappears before you respond and you still wish to enter Setup, restart the system by turning it OFF and On or pressing the RESET button.
  • Page 43: Control Keys

    BIOS Setup Control Keys < > Move to the previous item < > Move to the next item < > Move to the item in the left hand < > Move to the item in the right hand <Enter> Select the item <Esc>...
  • Page 44: The Main Menu

    M S-7374 M ainboard The Main Menu Standard CM OS Features Use this menu for basic system configurations, such as time, date etc. Advanced BIOS Features ® Use this menu to setup the items of AMI special enhanced features. Integrated Peripherals Use this menu to specify your settings for integrated peripherals.
  • Page 45 BIOS Setup Load Fail-Safe Defaults Use this menu to load the default values set by the BIOS vendor for stable system performance. Load Optimized Defaults Use this menu to load the default values set by the mainboard manufacturer specifi- cally for optimal performance of the mainboard. Save &...
  • Page 46: Standard Cmos Features

    M S-7374 M ainboard Standard CMOS Features The items in Standard CMOS Features Menu includes some basic setup items. Use the arrow keys to highlight the item and then use the <PgUp> or <PgDn> keys to select the value you want in each item. Date (MM:DD:YY) This allows you to set the system to the date that you want (usually the current date).
  • Page 47 BIOS Setup LBA/Large M ode This allows you to enable or disable the LBA Mode. Setting to Auto enables LBA mode if the device supports it and the devices is not already formatted with LBA mode disabled. DM A M ode Select DMA Mode.
  • Page 48: Advanced Bios Features

    M S-7374 M ainboard Advanced BIOS Features Full Screen Logo Display This item enables you to show the company logo on the bootup screen. Settings are: [Enabled] Shows a still image (logo) on the full screen at boot. [Disabled] Shows the POST messages at boot. Quick Booting Setting the item to [Enabled] allows the system to boot within 10 seconds since it will skip some check items.
  • Page 49 BIOS Setup Password Check After you set the password in BIOS Setting Password menu, this item will appear. Selecting [setup] will request the password when enter the BIOS setup menu. Se- lecting [always] will request the password when enter both the operating system and the BIOS setup menu.
  • Page 50 M S-7374 M ainboard Boot Sequence Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears: 1st/ 2nd/ 3rd Boot Device The items allow you to set the first/ second/ third boot device where BIOS attempts to load the disk operating system. Boot From Other Device Setting the option to [Yes] allows the system to try to boot from other device.
  • Page 51: Integrated Peripherals

    BIOS Setup Integrated Peripherals USB Controller This setting allows you to enable/disable the onboard USB controller. USB Device Legacy Support Select [Enabled] if you need to use a USB-interfaced device in the operating system. Onboard LAN Controller This item is used to enable/disable the onboard LAN controller. LAN Option ROM This item is used to decide whether to invoke the Boot ROM of the LAN controller.
  • Page 52 M S-7374 M ainboard On-Chip ATA Devices Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears: On-Chip IDE Controller This item allows you to enable/ disable the IDE controller. PCI IDE BusMaster This item allows you to enable/ disable BIOS to used PCI busmastering for reading/ writing to IDE drives.
  • Page 53: Power Management Setup

    BIOS Setup Power Management Setup Important S3-related functions described in this section are available only when your BIOS supports S3 sleep mode. ACPI Function This item is to activate the ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Management Interface) Function. If your operating system is ACPI-aware, such as W indows 2000/ XP, select [Enabled].
  • Page 54 M S-7374 M ainboard Re-call VGA BIOS From S3 W hen ACPI Standby State is set to [S3], users can select the options in this field. Selecting [Yes] allows BIOS to call VGABIOS to initialize the VGA card when system wakes up (resumes) from S3 sleep state.
  • Page 55 BIOS Setup Resume From S3 By PS/2 M ouse This setting determines whether the system will be awakened from what power saving modes when input signal of the PS/2 mouse is detected. Resume By PCI Device (PM E#) W hen set to [Enabled], the feature allows your system to be awakened from the power saving modes through any event on PME (Power Management Event).
  • Page 56: H/W Monitor

    M S-7374 M ainboard H/W Monitor Chassis Intrusion The field enables or disables the feature of recording the chassis intrusion status and issuing a warning message if the chassis is once opened. To clear the warning message, set the field to [Reset]. The setting of the field will automatically return to [Enabled] later.
  • Page 57: Bios Setting Password

    BIOS Setup BIOS Setting Password W hen you select this function, a message as below will appear on the screen: Type the password, up to six characters in length, and press <Enter>. The password typed now will replace any previously set password from CMOS memory. You will be prompted to confirm the password.
  • Page 58: Cell Menu

    D.O.T Control D.O.T. (Dynamic Overclocking Technology) is the automatic overclocking function, ’s newly developed CoreCell included in the MSI Technology. It is designed to detect the load balance of CPU while running programs, and to adjust the best CPU frequency automatically. W hen the motherboard detects CPU is running programs, it will speed up CPU automatically to make the program run smoothly and faster.
  • Page 59 BIOS Setup [Disabled] Disable Dynamic Overclocking. [Private] 1st level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 1%. [Sergeant] 2nd level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 3%. [Captain] 3rd level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 5%. [Colonel] 4th level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 7%. [General] 5th level of overclocking, increasing the frequency by 10%.
  • Page 60 M S-7374 M ainboard Adjust CPU FSB Frequency (M Hz) This item allows you to select the CPU Front Side Bus clock frequency (in MHz). Adjust CPU Ratio This item is used to adjust CPU clock multiplier (ratio). It is available only when the processor supports this function.
  • Page 61 BIOS Setup Adjusted DRAM Frequency (MHz) This item shows the adjusted DRAM frequency. Read only. HT Configuration Press <Enter> to enter the sub-menu and the following screen appears. SB to AM2 FreqAuto Selecting [Disabled] allows users to configure the frequency (from SB to CPU) and the following related items manually.
  • Page 62 M S-7374 M ainboard Spread Spectrum This setting is used to enable or disable the Spread Spectrum feature. W hen overclocking, always set it to [Disabled]. Important 1. If you do not have any EMI problem, leave the setting at [Disabled] for optimal system stability and performance.
  • Page 63: User Settings

    BIOS Setup USER SETTINGS Save Settings 1/2 Select this item and press “Enter” to save any changes you have made to your current settings. Load Settings 1/2 Select this item and press “Enter” to load settings from the store. 3-23...
  • Page 64: Load Fail-Safe/ Optimized Defaults

    M S-7374 M ainboard Load Fail-Safe/ Optimized Defaults The two options on the main menu allow users to restore all of the BIOS settings to the default Fail-Safe or Optimized values. The Optimized Defaults are the default values set by the mainboard manufacturer specifically for optimal performance of the mainboard.
  • Page 65: Appendix A Realtek Alc888 Audio

    Appendix A Realtek ALC888 Audio The Realtek ALC888 provides 10-channel DAC that si- multaneously supports 7.1 sound playback and 2 chan- nels of independent s tereo s ound output (multiple streaming) through the Front-Out-Left and Front-Out- Right channels.
  • Page 66: Installing The Realtek Hd Audio Driver

    M S-7374 M ainboard Installing the Realtek HD Audio Driver You need to install the HD audio driver for Realtek ALC888 codec to function properly before you can get access to 2-, 4-, 6-, 8- channel or 7.1+2 channel audio operations. Follow the procedures described below to install the drivers for different operating systems.
  • Page 67 Realtek ALC888 Audio 3. Click Next to install the Realtek High Definition Audio Driver. Click here 4. Click Finish to restart the system. S el ec t t hi s option Click here...
  • Page 68: Software Configuration

    M S-7374 M ainboard Software Configuration After installing the audio driver, you are able to use the 2-, 4-, 6- or 8- channel audio feature now. Click the audio icon from the system tray at the lower-right corner of the screen to activate the HD Audio Configuration. It is also available to enable the HD Audio Configuration by clicking the Realtek HD Audio M anager from the Control Panel.
  • Page 69: Sound Effect

    Realtek ALC888 Audio Sound Effect Here you can select a sound effect you like from the Environment list. Environment Simulation You will be able to enjoy different sound experience by pulling down the arrow, several kinds of sound effect will be shown for selection. Realtek HD Audio Sound Manager also provides five popular settings “Stone Corridor”, “Bathroom”, “Sewer pipe”, “Arena”...
  • Page 70 M S-7374 M ainboard Equalizer Selection Equalizer frees users from default settings; users may create their owned preferred settings by utilizing this tool. 10 bands of equalizer, ranging from 100Hz to 16KHz. Save Reset The settings are saved 10 bands of equalizer permanently for future would go back to the de- fault setting...
  • Page 71 Realtek ALC888 Audio Frequently Used Equalizer Setting Realtek recognizes the needs that you might have. By leveraging our long experience at audio field, Realtek HD Audio Sound Manager provides you certain optimized equal- izer settings that are frequently used for your quick enjoyment. [How to Use It] Other than the buttons “Pop”...
  • Page 72 M S-7374 M ainboard Mixer In the Mixer part, you may adjust the volumes of the rear and front panels individually. 1. Adjust Volume You can adjust the volume of the speakers that you plugged in front or rear panel by select the Realtek HD Audio rear output or Realtek HD Audio front output items.
  • Page 73 Realtek ALC888 Audio W hen you are playing the first audio source (for example: use W indows Media Player to play DVD/VCD), the output will be played from the rear panel, which is the default setting. Then you must to select the Realtek HD Audio front output from the scroll list first, and use a different program to play the second audio source (for example: use Winamp to play MP3 files).
  • Page 74 M S-7374 M ainboard 3. Playback control Playback device Tool Mute This function is to let you freely decide which ports to output the sound. And this is essential when multi- streaming playback enabled. - Realtek HD Audio Rear Output - Realtek HD Audio Front Output M u te You may choose to mute single or multiple volume controls or to completely mute...
  • Page 75 Realtek ALC888 Audio 4. Recording control Recording device Tool Mute -Back Line in/Mic, Front Lin in -Realtek HD Audio Input M u te You may choose to mute single or multiple volume controls or to completely mute sound input. Tool - Show the following volume controls This is to let you freely decide which volume control items to be displayed.
  • Page 76 M S-7374 M ainboard Audio I/O In this tab, you can easily configure your multi-channel audio function and speakers. You can choose a desired multi-channel operation here. a. Headphone for the common headphone b. 2CH Speaker for Stereo-Speaker Output c. 4CH Speaker for 4-Speaker Output d.
  • Page 77 Realtek ALC888 Audio Connector Settings Click to access connector settings. Disable front panel jack detection (option) Find no function on front panel jacks? Please check if front jacks on your system are so-called AC’97 jacks. If so, please check this item to disable front panel jack detection. M ute rear panel output when front headphone plugged in.
  • Page 78 M S-7374 M ainboard S/PDIF Short for Sony/Philips Digital Interface, a standard audio file transfer format. S/PDIF allows the transfer of digital audio signals from one device to another without having to be converted first to an analog format. Maintaining the viability of a digital signal prevents the quality of the signal from degrading when it is converted to analog.
  • Page 79 Realtek ALC888 Audio Test Speakers You can select the speaker by clicking it to test its functionality. The one you select will light up and make testing sound. If any speaker fails to make sound, then check whether the cable is inserted firmly to the connector or replace the bad speakers with good ones.
  • Page 80 M S-7374 M ainboard Microphone In this tab you may set the function of the microphone. Select the Noise Suppres- sion to remove the possible noise during recording, or select Acoustic Echo Can- cellation to cancel the acoustic echo during recording. Acoustic Echo Cancellation prevents playback sound from being recorded by microphone together with your sound.
  • Page 81: D Audio Demo

    Realtek ALC888 Audio 3D Audio Demo In this tab you may adjust your 3D positional audio before playing 3D audio applica- tions like gaming. You may also select different environment to choose the most suitable environment you like. A-17...
  • Page 82 M S-7374 M ainboard Information In this tab it provides some information about this HD Audio Configuration utility, including Audio Driver Version, DirectX Version, Audio Controller & Audio Codec. You may also select the language of this utility by choosing from the Language list. Also there is a selection Show icon in system tray.
  • Page 83: Hardware Setup

    Realtek ALC888 Audio Hardware Setup Connecting the Speakers W hen you have set the Multi-Channel Audio Function mode properly in the software utility, connect your speakers to the correct phone jacks in accordance with the setting in software utility. n 2-Channel M ode for Stereo-Speaker Output Line In Line Out (Front channels) No function...
  • Page 84 M S-7374 M ainboard n 4-Channel M ode for 4-Speaker Output Line In Line Out (Front channels) Line Out (Rear channels) No function No function A-20...
  • Page 85 Realtek ALC888 Audio n 6-Channel M ode for 6-Speaker Output Line In Line Out (Front channels) Line Out (Rear channels) Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel) No function A-21...
  • Page 86 M S-7374 M ainboard n 8-Channel M ode for 8-Speaker Output Line In Line Out (Front channels) Line Out (Rear channels) Line Out (Center and Subwoofer channel) Line Out (Side channels) Important To enable 7.1 channel audio-out function on Vista operating system, you have to install the Realtek Audio Driver.
  • Page 87: Appendix Bnvidia Raid

    nVidia RAID Appendix B NVIDIA RAID NVIDIA brings Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) technology—which is used by the world’s lead- ing businesses—to the common PC desktop. This tech- nology uses multiple drives to either increase total disk space or to offer data protection. For all levels, RAID techniques optimize storage solutions by using multiple disks grouped together and treating them as a single storage resource.
  • Page 88: Introduction

    M S-7374 M ainboard Introduction System Requirement Operating System Support NVRAID supports the following operating systems: W indows XP, W indows Vista RAID Arrays NVRAID supports the following types of RAID arrays described in this section: RAID 0: RAID 0 defines a disk striping scheme that improves the disk read and write times for many applications.
  • Page 89: Raid Configuration

    nVidia RAID RAID Configuration Basic Configuration Instructions The following are the basic steps for configuring NVRAID: Non-Bootable RAID Array 1. Choose the hard disks that are to be RAID enabled in the system BIOS. (Refer the bios section for details.) 2.
  • Page 90 M S-7374 M ainboard Understanding the “Define a New Array” Window Use the Define a New Array window to • Select the RAID Mode • Set up the Striping Block • Specify which disks to use for the RAID Array The SATA ports are called channels and they are associated with adapters.
  • Page 91 nVidia RAID Using the Define a New Array Window If necessary, press the tab key to move from field to field until the appropriate field is highlighted. • Selecting the RAID Mode By default, this is set to [Mirroring]. To change to a different RAID mode, press the down arrow key until the mode that you want appears in the RAID Mode box—either [Mirroring], [Striping], [RAID5], [Spanning], or [Stripe Mirroring].
  • Page 92 M S-7374 M ainboard Completing the RAID BIOS Setup 1. After assigning your RAID array disks, press F7. The Clear disk data prompt appears. 2. Press Y if you want to wipe out all the data from the RAID array, otherwise press N.
  • Page 93: Installing Driver

    Important Please follow the instruction below to make an “NVIDIA RAID Driver” for yourself. a. Insert the MSI CD into the CD-ROM drive. b. Click the “Browse CD” on the Setup screen. c. Copy all the contents in the \\nVidia\System\M CP72\IDE\WinXP\sataraid\Floppy to a formatted floppy disk.
  • Page 94: Nvidia Raid Utility Installation

    M S-7374 M ainboard NVIDIA RAID Utility Installation Installing the NVIDIA MediaShield Software Under Windows (for Non-bootable RAID Array) The existing W indows Serial ATA driver must be upgraded to use the NVIDIA Serial ATA driver. This section describes how to run the setup application and install the RAID software which will upgrade the W indows SATA driver and install the RAID software.
  • Page 95: Initializing And Using The Disk Array

    nVidia RAID Initializing and Using the Disk Array The RAID array is now ready to be initialized under W indows. 1. Launch Computer Management by clicking “Start” --> “Settings” --> “Control Panel” then open the “Administrative Tools” folder and double click on “Computer Management”.
  • Page 96 M S-7374 M ainboard 5. Check the disk in the list if you want to make the array a dynamic disk, then click Next. The Completing the Initialize and Convert Disk W izard window appears. 6. Click Finish. The “Computer Management” window appears. The actual disks listed will depend on your system, and the unallocated partition is the total combined storage of two hard disks.
  • Page 97: Using The Nvmediashield Software

    nVidia RAID Using the NVMediaShield Software Accessing the Storage Page To access the NVIDIA Control Panel Storage page: 1. Click Star-> Programs-> NVIDIA Corporation-> NVIDIA Control Panel-> Storage. 2. The NVIDIA Control Panel - Storage page appears. B-11...
  • Page 98: Create An Array

    M S-7374 M ainboard Using the Storage Page From the Storage page, you can accomplish the following tasks: • Create an Array • Delete an Array • Rebuild an Array • Synchronize an Array • Designate a Spare Disk • Remove a Spare •...
  • Page 99 nVidia RAID Designate a Spare Disk About Spare Disks You can designate a hard drive to be used as a spare drive for a RAID 1, RAID 0+1 or RAID 5 array2. The spare drive can take over for a failed disk. MediaShield RAID supports two types of spare drives: Free Disk A free disk is a disk that is not part of any RAID array, but can be used by any...
  • Page 100 M S-7374 M ainboard Remove a Spare The Remove spare option appears only if you have a RAID array with a spare disk allocated to it. Click Remov e spare to s tart the Remove Spare W izard and then follow the instructions.
  • Page 101 nVidia RAID Specific M igrating Requirements The following table lists the disk requirements for a new RAID array for various migrating combinations. From New Array Disk Requirements m > n RAID 0 Number of disks in the new array must be greater than the original array. m =2, n =1 RAID 1 RAID 1 array must include two disks, converted from a one disk RAID 0...
  • Page 102 M S-7374 M ainboard View Storage Information • You can use the Storage page to view the following storage information about the hard drives in your system: - W hich RAID arrays are set up - The process state of each array - W hich drives are configured for each RAID array in your system - W hich drives are designated as free disks - Information about each drive, such as size and model...
  • Page 103: Appendix C Jm Icron Raid Introduction

    Appendix C JMicron RAID Introduction This appendix will assist users in configuring and enabling RAID functionality on platforms The JMicron RAID solution supports RAID level 0 (striping), RAID level 1 (mirroring), RAID level 10 (striping and mirroring) and JBOD (Concatenate).
  • Page 104: Introduction

    M S-7374 M ainboard Introduction JMicron JMB363 offers RAID level 0 (Striping), RAID level 1 (Mirroring and Duplexing), RAID level 10 (A Stripe of Mirrors) and JBOD (Concatenate). RAID 0 breaks the data into blocks which are written to separate hard drives. Spreading the hard drive I/O load across independent channels greatly improves I/O performance.
  • Page 105: Jmicron Raid Bios Utility

    JMicron RAID JMicron RAID BIOS Utility Be sure to set RAID mode for the JMicron 36x ATA Controller in BIOS before configuring the JMicron BIOS utility. After that, save the configuration and exit. During boot up (POST), press CTRL+J to enter the JMicron BIOS RAID utility. The RAID Utility menu screen will be displayed.
  • Page 106: Creating Raid Set

    M S-7374 M ainboard Creating RAID set 1. Select “Create RAID Disk Drive”. Then press <Enter>. 2. Then in the Name field, specify a RAID set name and then press the <Enter> to go to the next field. 3. Choose a 0-Striped, a 1-Mirror, or a JBOD-Concatenate combination set and then press <Enter>...
  • Page 107 JMicron RAID 4. In the Hard Disk Disk List menu, use <Space> key to select the disks you want to create for the RAID set, then click <Enter> key to finish selection. 5. Then select the block value (stripe value) for the RAID array by using the “upper arrow”...
  • Page 108 M S-7374 M ainboard 6. Then select the capacity of the RAID set in the Size field. The default value is the maximum capacity of the selected disks. Then press <Enter> to the Confirm Crea- tion field. 7. The Creation field will display a message to ask you to confirm the creation. Then press <Y>...
  • Page 109: Deleting Raid Set

    JMicron RAID Deleting RAID set 1. Select “Delete RAID Disk Drive”. Then press <Enter>. 2. In the RAID Disk Driver List menu, use <Space> key to select the RAID set you want to delete. Then press <Del> key. 3. Press “Y” to accept the deletion when a deletion message is appeared.
  • Page 110 M S-7374 M ainboard Revert HDD to non-RAID Select Revert HDD to non-RAID and press <Enter>. In the Hard Disk Driver List menu use <Space> key to select the disks you want to revert then click <Enter> key. The following screen appears, press <Y> key to remove any RAID structures from the drives.
  • Page 111: Solving A Mirror Conflict

    JMicron RAID Solving a Mirror Conflict A Mirror conflict occurs when both disks in a RAID 1 (Mirror) configuration are unplugged from the system in turn, then plugged in again. Since both disks contain exactly the same data, the system will be unable to determine which of the two is the source drive.
  • Page 112: Rebuilding A Mirror Drive

    M S-7374 M ainboard Rebuilding a Mirror drive W hen one of the disk in a RAID 1 (Mirror) configuration is unplugged from the system, then plugged in again, a dialogue box appears to ask you to rebuild the Mirror drive. Press <Y>...
  • Page 113: Installing Driver

    Important Please follow the instruction below to make an “JMicron RAID Driver” for yourself. 1. Insert the MSI CD into the CD-ROM drive. 2. Click the “Browse CD” on the Setup screen. 3. Copy all the contents in the for XP: \\nVidia\IDE\JM icron\JM B363\Floppy32 (for 32-bit O S) or Floppy64 (for 64-bit OS) to a formatted floppy disk.
  • Page 114 M S-7374 M ainboard † Existing Windows Vista/XP Driver Installation 1. Insert the MSI CD into the CD-ROM drive. 2. The CD will auto-run and the setup screen will appear. 3. Under the Driver tab, click on JMicron JMB363 Drivers.
  • Page 115: Jmicron Raid Configurer

    JMicron RAID JMicron RAID Configurer There is an application called JMRaidTool which helps you perform the following tasks of JMicron RAID. • Viewing RAID Array Configurations View an array configuration (mirrored, striped) • Creating RAID Arrays • Deleting a RAID Array •...
  • Page 116: Create Raid

    M S-7374 M ainboard Create RAID JMRaidTool supports the creation of RAID 0, 1, 0+1 and JBOD. 1. Left-click the “Create Raid” button. 2. A CREATE RAID W IZARD dialogue will display on the screen, following the descrip- tion of every step to complete the creation. Create RAID from Existing Disk You can combine the Existing Disk (Source disk may content OS and Data) with other HD (must be larger than source Disk) to be RAID.
  • Page 117 JMicron RAID Remove RAID There are two ways you can choose to remove RAID. Way 1 1. Right-click the name of the disk array you want to delete and the “Remove” menu will appear. Select the “Remove Raid” of the pop-up menu. 2.
  • Page 118: Rebuild Raid

    M S-7374 M ainboard Way2 1. Left-Click the “Remove Raid” icon on the toolbar. 2. A “REMOVE RAID” wizard dialogue will display on the screen, following the de- scription of every step to complete the deletion. Rebuild RAID RAID 1, 0+1 can be rebuilt while RAID 0, JBOD cannot be rebuilt. There are two ways you can choose to rebuild RAID.
  • Page 119 JMicron RAID 2. Select “Rebuild Raid”. 3. A “REBUILD RAID W IZARD” dialogue will display on the screen, following the description of every step to complete the rebuilding. Way 2 1. If the disk array needs to rebuild then the rebuild button will be enabling on the toolbar.
  • Page 120: Solve Mirror Conflict

    M S-7374 M ainboard 2. Left-Click the “Rebuild Raid” button on the toolbar. 3. A “REBUILD RAID W IZARD” dialogue will display on the screen, following the description of every step to complete the rebuilding. Solve Mirror Conflict If the conflict occurs, it will show the “REBUILDING RAID W IZARD” dialogue to ask you if you want to rebuild RAID, following the description of every step to rebuild the RAID.
  • Page 121: Appendix D Dual Core Center

    Dual Core Center Dual CoreCenter, the most useful and powerful utility that MSI has spent muc h researc h and ef forts to develop, helps users to monitor or configure the hard- ware status of MSI Mainboard & MSI Graphics card in windows, such as CPU/GPU clock, voltage, fan speed and temperature.
  • Page 122: Activating Dual Core Center

    Activating Dual Core Center Once you have your Dual Core Center installed (locate the setup source file in the setup CD accompanying with your mainboard, path: Utility --> MSI Utility --> Dual Core Center), it will have an icon in the system tray, a short cut icon on the desktop, and a short cut path in your “Start-up”...
  • Page 123: Main

    Dual Core Center Main Before using this utility, we have to remind you: only when installing the MSI V044 (V044 has to install with the version 8.26 or newer driver)/ V046 or V060 graphics card can activate the full function of this utility. If you install a graphics card of other brand, only hardware status of the MSI mainboard would be available.
  • Page 124 M S-7374 M ainboard AV/ Game/ Office/ Silence/ Cool MSI provides five common settings for different environments. The settings had been set to optimal values to reac h better performanc e in eac h environment. Click the button you need.
  • Page 125: Dot(Dyanmic Overclocking

    Dynamic Overclocking Technology is an automatic overclocking function, included in ’s newly developed Dual CoreCenter Technology. It is designed to detect the the MSI loading of CPU/ GPU while running programs, and to over-clock automatically. When the motherboard detects that the loading of CPU is exceed the default threshold for a time, it will speed up the CPU and fan automatically to make the system run smoother and faster.
  • Page 126: Clock

    M S-7374 M ainboard Clock In the Clock sub-menu, you can see clock status (including FSB/ CPU clock of mainboard and GPU/ memory clock of graphics card) of your system. And you can select desired value for overclocking. There will be several items for you to select for overclocking after you click button.
  • Page 127: Voltage

    Dual Core Center Voltage In the Voltage sub-menu, you can see voltage status (including Vcore, memory, GPU voltage... etc.) of your system, and you can select desired value for overclocking. It will show several items to select for overclocking after you click the button.
  • Page 128: Fan Speed

    M S-7374 M ainboard FAN Speed In the FAN Speed sub-menu, you can read fan status of your system. Select higher speed for better cooling effect. There are several sections for you to change the fan speed to a section after clicking button.
  • Page 129: Temperature

    Dual Core Center Temperature In the Temperature sub-menu, you can see temperature status of your system. On the underside, it shows the graphs of the temperatures. Only the curves of the item which the button is lit up with red color will be shown.
  • Page 130: User Profile

    M S-7374 M ainboard User Profile In the User Profile sub-menu, click the setting button that besides the user profile bar, and the next screen will appear. Here you can define the clock/ fan speed/ voltage by your need, click the button to choose a value quickly, or click the plus / minus sign button to...
  • Page 131 Dual Core Center Use the draw bar to set the max system temperature. W hen the system temperature exceeds the threshold you defined, the system will pop up a warning message and shut down the system. Use the draw bar to set the minimal fan speed. When the fan speed is lower than the threshold you defined, the system will pop up a warning message.

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