ECS A790GXM-AD3 Manual
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ECS A790GXM-AD3 Manual

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  • Page 3 Preface Copyright This publication, including all photographs, illustrations and software, is protected under international copyright laws, with all rights reserved. Neither this manual, nor any of the material contained herein, may be reproduced without written consent of the author. Version 1.0 Disclaimer The information in this document is subject to change without notice.

  • Page 4: Declaration Of Conformity

    Declaration of Conformity This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the following conditions: • This device may not cause harmful interference, and • This device must accept any interference received, including interfer- ence that may cause undesired operation Canadian Department of Communications This class B digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference- causing Equipment Regulations.

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    T T T T T ABLE OF CONTENTS ABLE OF CONTENTS ABLE OF CONTENTS ABLE OF CONTENTS ABLE OF CONTENTS Preface Chapter 1 Introducing the Motherboard Introduction....................1 Feature.....................2 Motherboard Components..............4 Chapter 2 7 7 7 7 7 Installing the Motherboard Safety Precautions................7 Choosing a Computer Case...............7 Installing the Motherboard in a Case..........7...
  • Page 6 Integrated Peripherals..............32 Power Management Setup.............33 PCI/PnP Setup................34 PC Health Status................35 M.I.B. (MB Intelligent Bios)............37 Load Default Settings..............39 Supervisor Password..............39 User Password................40 Save & Exit Setup .................40 Exit Without Saving...............40 Updating the BIOS................41 Chapter 4 43 43 43 43 Using the Motherboard Software About the Software CD-ROM............43 Auto-installing under Windows XP/Vista........43 Running Setup................44...

  • Page 7: Introducing The Motherboard

    Chapter 1 Introducing the Motherboard Introduction Thank you for choosing the A790GXM-AD3 motherboard. This motherboard is a high performance, enhanced function motherboard that supports socket for Phenom processor (socket AM3) for high-end business or personal desktop markets. The motherboard incorporates the AMD 790GX Northbridge (NB) and SB750 Southbridge (SB) chipsets.

  • Page 8: Feature

    Feature Processor This motherboard uses a socket AM3 that carries the following features: • Accommodates AMD Phenom II processor (socket AM3) • Supports HyperTransport (HT) 3.0 interface speeds HyperTransport Technology is a point-to-point link between two devices, it enables integrated circuits to exchange information at much higher speeds than currently available interconnect technologies.

  • Page 9: Onboard Lan

    Memory • Supports DDR3 1333/1066/800 DDR3 SDRAM with Dual-channel architecture • Accommodates four unbuffered DIMMs • Up to 8 GB per DIMM with maximum memory size up to 32 GB Audio • All DACs support 192K/96K/48K/44.1KHz DAC sample rate • High-quality analog differential CD input •...

  • Page 10: Motherboard Components

    Motherboard Components The above image is for reference only; please take the actual motherboard for detailed parts. Introducing the Motherboard...
  • Page 11 Table of Motherboard Components LABEL COMPONENTS 1. CPU Socket Socket for AMD Phenom II processor (socket AM3) CPU cooling fan connector 2. CPU_FAN 240-pin DDR3 SDRAM slots 3. DIMM1~4 4. ATX_POWER Standard 24-pin ATX power connector Power cooling fan connector 5.
  • Page 12 Memo Introducing the Motherboard...

  • Page 13: Installing The Motherboard

    Chapter 2 Installing the Motherboard Safety Precautions • Follow these safety precautions when installing the motherboard • Wear a grounding strap attached to a grounded device to avoid dam- age from static electricity • Discharge static electricity by touching the metal case of a safely grounded object before working on the motherboard •...
  • Page 14 Do not over-tighten the screws as this can stress the motherboard. Installing the Motherboard...

  • Page 15: Installing Hardware

    Installing Hardware Installing the Processor Caution: When installing a CPU heatsink and cooling fan, make sure that you DO NOT scratch the motherboard or any of the surface- mount resistors with the clip of the cooling fan. If the clip of the cooling fan scrapes across the motherboard, you may cause serious damage to the motherboard or its components.

  • Page 16: Installing Memory Modules

    CPU Installation Procedure The following illustration shows CPU installation components. Install your CPU. Pull up the lever away from the socket and lift up to 90-degree angle. Locate the CPU cut edge (the corner with the pin hold noticeably missing). Align and insert the CPU correctly.

  • Page 17: Installation Procedure

    Installation Procedure Refer to the following to install the memory modules. This motherboard supports unbuffered DDR3 SDRAM only. Push the latches on each side of the DIMM slot down. Align the memory module with the slot. The DIMM slots are keyed with notches and the DIMMs are keyed with cutouts so that they can only be installed correctly.
  • Page 18 Table A: DDR3 (memory module) QVL (Qualified Vendor List) The following DDR3 1333/1066/800 memory modules have been tested and quali- fied for use with this motherboard. Type Size Vendor Module Nam e 1 GB HYNIX HYMT112U64NF8-S65 AA DDR 3 800 2 GB HYNIX HYMT125U64ZNF8-S6 AA...

  • Page 19: Expansion Slots

    Expansion Slots Installing Add-on Cards The slots on this motherboard are designed to hold expansion cards and connect them to the system bus. Expansion slots are a means of adding or enhancing the motherboard’s features and capabilities. With these efficient facilities, you can increase the motherboard’s capabilities by adding hardware that performs tasks that are not part of the basic system.
  • Page 20 Follow these instructions to install an add-on card: Remove a blanking plate from the system case corresponding to the slot you are going to use. Install the edge connector of the add-on card into the expansion slot. Ensure that the edge connector is correctly seated in the slot. Secure the metal bracket of the card to the system case with a screw.

  • Page 21: Connecting Optional Devices

    Connecting Optional Devices Refer to the following for information on connecting the motherboard’s optional devices: SATA1~6: Serial ATA connectors These connectors are used to support the new Serial ATA devices for the highest data transfer rates (3.0 Gb/s), simpler disk drive cabling and easier PC assembly. It elimi- nates limitations of the current Parallel ATA interface.

  • Page 22: F_Usb1~3: Front Panel Usb Headers

    F_USB1~3: Front Panel USB headers The motherboard has six USB ports installed on the rear edge I/O port array. Addi- tionally, some computer cases have USB ports at the front of the case. If you have this kind of case, use auxiliary USB connector to connect the front-mounted ports to the motherboard.

  • Page 23: Installing A Hard Disk Drive/Cd-Rom/Sata Hard Drive

    Installing a Hard Disk Drive/CD-ROM/SATA Hard Drive This section describes how to install IDE devices such as a hard disk drive and a CD- ROM drive. About IDE Devices Your motherboard has one IDE interface. An IDE ribbon cable supporting two IDE devices is bundled with the motherboard.
  • Page 24 Refer to the illustration below for proper installation: Attach either cable end to the connector on the motherboard. Attach the other cable end to the SATA hard drive. Attach the SATA power cable to the SATA hard drive and connect the other end to the power supply.

  • Page 25: Connecting I/O Devices

    Connecting I/O Devices The backplane of the motherboard has the following I/O ports: PS2 Mouse Use the upper PS/2 port to connect a PS/2 pointing device. PS2 Keyboard Use the lower PS/2 port to connect a PS/2 keyboard. CLRCOMS_BTN Use the CLR_CMOS button to clear CMOS. VGA Port Connect your monitor to the VGA port.

  • Page 26: Connecting Case Components

    Connecting Case Components After you have installed the motherboard into a case, you can begin connecting the motherboard components. Refer to the following: Connect the CPU cooling fan cable to CPU_FAN. Connect the standard power supply connector to ATX_POWER. Connect the power cooling fan connector to PWR_FAN. Connect the system cooling fan connector to SYS_FAN.

  • Page 27: Connecting 8-Pin Power Cable

    Connecting 8-pin power cable The ATX12V power connector is used to provide power to the CPU. When installing 8-pin power cable, the latches of power cable and the ATX12V match per- fectly. 8-pin power cable CPU_FAN: Cooling FAN Power Connector Function Signal Name System Ground...

  • Page 28: Front Panel Header

    SPK: Internal speaker Signal Name Signal ATX4P: Auxiliary Power Connector for Graphics Interface Signal Name +12V Make sure to connect a 4-pin ATX power cable to ATX4P; otherwise, the system will be unstable. ATX12V: ATX 12V Power Connector Signal Name Signal Name Ground +12V...
  • Page 29 Hard Drive Activity LED Connecting pins 1 and 3 to a front panel mounted LED provides visual indication that data is being read from or written to the hard drive. For the LED to function properly, an IDE drive should be connected to the onboard IDE interface. The LED will also show activity for devices connected to the SCSI (hard drive activity LED) connector.
  • Page 30 Memo Installing the Motherboard...

  • Page 31: Using Bios

    Chapter 3 Using BIOS About the Setup Utility The computer uses the latest “American Megatrends Inc. ” BIOS with support for Windows Plug and Play. The CMOS chip on the motherboard contains the ROM setup instructions for configuring the motherboard BIOS. The BIOS (Basic Input and Output System) Setup Utility displays the system’s configuration status and provides you with options to set system parameters.

  • Page 32: Using Bios

    Press the delete key to access the BIOS Setup Utility. CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2005, American Megatrends, Inc. Standard CMOS Setup M.I.B. (MB Intelligent Bios) Advanced Setup Load Default Settings Advanced Chipset Setup Supervisor Password Integrated Peripherals User Password Power Management Setup Save &...

  • Page 33: Standard Cmos Setup

    For the purpose of better product maintenance, the manufacture reserves the right to change the BIOS items presented in this manual. The BIOS setup screens shown in this chapter are for reference only and may differ from the actual BIOS. Please visit the manufacture’s website for updated manual.
  • Page 34 Type (Auto) Use this item to configure the type of the IDE device that you specify. If the feature is enabled, it will enhance hard disk performance by reading or writing more data during each transfer. LBA/Large Mode (Auto) Use this item to set the LBA/Large mode to enhance hard disk performance by optimizing the area the hard disk is visited each time.

  • Page 35: Advanced Setup

    Advanced Setup This page sets up more advanced information about your system. Handle this page with caution. Any changes can affect the operation of your computer. CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2005, American Megatrends, Inc. Advanced Setup Help Item AMD C&Q Enabled Enhanced Halt (C1E)
  • Page 36 Hard Disk Drives (Press Enter) Scroll to this item and press <Enter> to view the following screen: CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2005, American Megatrends, Inc. Hard Disk Drives Hard Disk Drives Help Item 1st Drive TOSHIBA TransMemory Specifies the boot sequence from the available devices.

  • Page 37: Advanced Chipset Setup

    Advanced Chipset Setup This page sets up more advanced information about your system. Handle this page with caution. Any changes can affect the operation of your computer. CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2005, American Megatrends, Inc. Advanced Chipset Setup Help Item Internal Graphics Mode GFX Clock Override...

  • Page 38: Integrated Peripherals

    Integrated Peripherals This page sets up some parameters for peripheral devices connected to the system. CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2005, American Megatrends, Inc. Integrated Peripherals Help Item Onboard IDE Controller Enabled SATA Configuration Native IDE Onboard SATA Mode Enabled DISABLED: disables the Onboard AUDIO Function...

  • Page 39: Power Management Setup

    Power Management Setup This page sets up some parameters for system power management operation. CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2005, American Megatrends, Inc. Power Management Setup Help Item ACPI Suspend Type PWRON After PWR-Fail Power Off Select the ACPI Resume By RING Disabled state used for...

  • Page 40: Pci/Pnp Setup

    Resume on RTC Alarm (Disabled) The system can be turned off with a software command. If you enable this item, the system can automatically resume at a fixed time based on the system’s RTC (realtime clock). Use the items below this one to set the date and time of the wake-up alarm. You must use an ATX power supply in order to use this feature.

  • Page 41: Pc Health Status

    PC Health Status On motherboards support hardware monitoring, this item lets you monitor the parameters for critical voltages, temperatures and fan speeds. CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2005, American Megatrends, Inc. PC Health Status Help Item -=- System Hardware Monitor-=- Smart Fan Function Press Enter Shutdown Temperature...
  • Page 42 DeltaT1 (+3) This item specifies the range that controls CPU temperature and keeps it from going so high or so low when smart fan works. SMART Fan Slope PWM value (4 PWM value/°C) This item is used to set the Slope Select PWM of the smart fan. Press <Esc>...

  • Page 43: Mb Intelligent Bios)

    M.I.B. (MB Intelligent Bios) This page enables you to set the clock speed and system bus for your system. The clock speed and system bus are determined by the kind of processor you have in- stalled in your system. CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2005, American Megatrends, Inc. M.I.B.
  • Page 44 DRAM Timing Mode (Auto) This item enables you to specify the DRAM timing mode to be configured automati- cally or manually. Bank Interleaving (Auto) This item is used to set the bank interleaving. Channel Interleaving (XOR of Address bits) This item is used to set the channel interleaving. Memory CLK (400 MHz, N/A) This item is used to set the memory clock mode.

  • Page 45: Load Default Settings

    Voltage Function (Disabled) Use this item to enable or disable the Voltage Function. If enable, users can increase the hardware voltage through BIOS settings. Warning: Please pay attention that doing overvoltage may result in damage to hardware. AMD Phenom (tm) II X3 720 Processor Speed (2800MHz) This is display-only field and displays the information of the CPU installed in your computer.

  • Page 46: User Password

    User Password This page helps you install or change a password. CMOS Setup Utility - Copyright (C) 1985-2005, American Megatrends, Inc. User Password Help Item User Password : Not Installed Change User Password Press Enter Install or Change the password. : Move Enter : Select +/-/: Value...

  • Page 47: Updating The Bios

    Updating the BIOS You can download and install updated BIOS for this motherboard from the manufacturer’s Web site. New BIOS provides support for new peripherals, improve- ments in performance, or fixes for known bugs. Install new BIOS as follows: If your motherboard has a BIOS protection jumper, change the setting to allow BIOS flashing.
  • Page 48 Memo Using BIOS...

  • Page 49: Using The Motherboard Software

    Chapter 4 Using the Motherboard Software About the Software CD-ROM The support software CD-ROM that is included in the motherboard package contains all the drivers and utility programs needed to properly run the bundled products. Below you can find a brief description of each software program, and the location for your motherboard version.

  • Page 50: Running Setup

    Setup Tab Setup Click the Setup button to run the software installation program. Select from the menu which software you want to install. Browse CD The Browse CD button is the standard Windows command that allows you to open Windows Explorer and show the contents of the support CD.
  • Page 51 Click Next. The following screen appears: Check the box next to the items you want to install. The default options are recom - mended. Click Next run the Installation Wizard. An item installation screen appears: Follow the instructions on the screen to install the items. 1.
  • Page 52 Method 1. Run Reboot Setup Windows Vista will block startup programs by default when installing drivers after the system restart. You must select taskbar icon Run Blocked Program and run Reboot Setup to install the next driver, until you finish all drivers installation. Method 2.
  • Page 53 Select Classic View. Set User Account. Select Turn User Account Control on or off and press Continue. Using the Motherboard Software...

  • Page 54: Manual Installation

    These software(s) are subject to change at anytime without prior notice. Please refer to the support CD for available software. Please go to ECS website to download AMD Cool “n” Quiet technol- ogy. Using the Motherboard Software...

  • Page 55: Hdmi Audio Setting Sop

    HDMI Audio setting SOP OS: XP system 1. Control Panel-->Sound and Audio Device Properties a. Audio--> Sound playback--> Default device--> HD Audio Output b. Audio--> Sound playback--> Default device--> HDMI Audio Output a. User Playback Audio speaker function working b. User Playback HDMI speaker function working Using the Motherboard Software...
  • Page 56 OS: Vista system Control Panel--> Soundback--> Sound--> Digital Output Device (HDMI) --> Set Default 1. Volume --> Playback 2. Digital Output Device (HDMI) --> Set Default --> OK User HDMI Playback function working Using the Motherboard Software...
  • Page 57 3. Speaker --> Set Default --> OK User Speaker Palyback function working 4. SPDIF-Out --> Set Default --> OK User SPDIF-Out Playback function working This concludes chapter 4. Using the Motherboard Software...
  • Page 58 Memo Using the Motherboard Software...

  • Page 59: Ati Crossfirex

    Edi- tion graphics card and a CrossFireX ready graphics card. Visit the ECS website (www.ecs.com.tw) for a list of qualified CrossFireX ready graphics card for this motherboard. Make sure that your graphics card driver supports the ATI CrossFireX technology. Download the latest driver from the ATI website (www.ati.com).

  • Page 60: Technology Support

    3. Connect the two CrossFireX Edition graphics cards installed on PCIE16X_1 and PCIE16X_2 slots with the CrossFire Bridge. 4. Connect the external cable to the corresponding port on your monitor. 5. Connect an auxiliary power source from the power supply to the graphics cards. Table A: Supported PCI Express VGA Card List for CrossFireX Func- tion...
  • Page 61 7. Enable the CrossFireX function in Catalyst Control Center. View The Catalyst Control Center provides two views; one is Standard view for begin- ners, the other is Advance view for advanced users to access and configure the complete features of the software. To enable CrossFireX •...

  • Page 62: Hybrid Graphics Technology

    ® Hybrid Graphics Technology The Hybrid Graphics ® technology provides significant display performance boost to AMD-based systems by inserting the external PCI Express graphics card and enabling both the discrete GPU and the 790GX graphics core to render simultaneously ® mode.
  • Page 63 While if display by OnBoard, you must enter the BIOS, set the Init Display First in Advanced Chipset Setup to OnBoard. Then press F10 to save the configuration and exit the BIOS. After entering OS, enter Catalyst Control Center to enable CrossFire. 3.
  • Page 64 4. Enter Catalyst Control Center, you can see the option of CrossFire , click it ® and select Enable CrossFire , then Hybrid Graphics starts. Note: You can only use either the CrossFireX™ technology or the Hybrid ® Graphics technology since AMD does not support the case for Hybrid Graphics ®...

  • Page 65: Setting Up Amd Sb750 Raid Configuration

    Chapter 6 Setting Up AMD SB750 RAID Configuration Setting Up a bootable RAID Array This section explains how to configure a bootable AMD RAID array. Setting Up the BIOS Start your computer, then press Delete to enter the BIOS setup. The BIOS CMOS Setup Utility screen appears.
  • Page 66 Press F10 to save the configuration and exit. The PC reboots. Enter the RAID BIOS Setup by pressing Ctrl-F when prompted, and proceed to set up the AMD RAID BIOS as described in the next section. Configuring the AMD RAID BIOS The AMD RAID BIOS set up lets you choose the RAID type and which hard drives you want to make part of the array.
  • Page 67 Select [2], then select LD 1 in the following page. The Define LD Menu screen appears (Figure 1.4). Figure 1.4 Define LD Menu Using the Define a New Array Screen If necessary, press the tab key to move from field to field until the appropriate field is highlighted.
  • Page 68 Assigning the Disks 1. Select the Assignment to Y to designate a free disk to be used as a RAID array disk. Figure 1.5 illustrates the Define a New Array screen after two disks have been assigned as RAID 0 array disks. Figure 1.5 FastBuild Utility—Array Disks Assigned 2.
  • Page 69 Press ESC to exit. The Main Menu screen appears (Figure 1.7). Figure 1.7 Main Menu Press Y to reboot. The following screen appears (Figure 1.8). Figure 1.8 AMD RAID Configuration...
  • Page 70 Installing the RAID Drivers Your system may come with a Windows install CD that already includes AMD RAID drivers. If so, then this section is not relevant. If that is not the case (or you are trying to install a new version of Windows), then you will need an AMD RAID driver F6 install floppy.
  • Page 71 The following Windows Setup screen appears: Figure 1.11 Windows Setup—Selected SCSI Adapter Select “ATI AHCI Compatible RAID Controller-x86 platform” and press Enter for 32-bit OS or Select “ATI AHCI Compatible RAID Controller-x64 platform” and press Enter for 64-bit OS. The following Windows Setup screen appears listing both drivers:. Figure 1.12 Windows Setup—AMD drives listed Press Enter to continue with Windows XP Installation.
  • Page 72 Memo AMD RAID Configuration...

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