Advertisement

Quick Links

Copyright
This publication, including all photographs, illustrations and software, is protected un-
der 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 au-
thor.
Version 1.0
Disclaimer
The information in this document is subject to change without notice. The manufac-
turer makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents hereof and
specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any par-
ticular purpose. The manufacturer reserves the right to revise this publication and to
make changes from time to time in the content hereof without obligation of the manu-
facturer to notify any person of such revision or changes.
Trademark Recognition
Microsoft, MS-DOS and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
MMX, Pentium, Pentium-II, Pentium-III, Celeron are registered trademarks of Intel
Corporation.
Other product names used in this manual are the properties of their respective owners
and are acknowledged.
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digi-
tal 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 in-
stalled and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference
to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not oc-
cur 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 the receiver.
Connect the equipment onto 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.
Shielded interconnect cables and a shielded AC power cable must be employed with
this equipment to ensure compliance with the pertinent RF emission limits governing
this device. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the system's manu-
facturer could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
Preface

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading
Need help?

Need help?

Do you have a question about the K7AMA3 and is the answer not in the manual?

Questions and answers

Summary of Contents for Elitegroup Computer Systems K7AMA3

  • Page 1 Preface Copyright This publication, including all photographs, illustrations and software, is protected un- der 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 au- thor.
  • Page 2 Declaration of Conformity This device complies with part 15 of the FCC rules. Operation is subject to the follow- ing conditions: − This device may not cause harmful interference, and − This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Preface CHAPTER 1 Introducing the Mainboard Introduction ....................1 Checklist .....................1 Standard Items ....................1 Features .....................2 Choosing a Computer Case ...............3 Mainboard Components ................4 CHAPTER 2 Installing the Mainboard Safety Precautions..................6 Quick Guide ....................6 Installing the Mainboard in a Case..............7 Checking Jumper Settings ................7 Setting Jumpers ....................
  • Page 4 Power Management Setup ................41 PNP/PCI Configurations................45 PC Health Status.................... 46 Frequency Control ..................47 Load Fail-Safe Defaults Option..............48 Load Optimized Defaults Option..............48 Set Password Option..................48 Save & Exit Setup Option ................49 Exit Without Saving ..................49 CHAPTER 4 Using the Mainboard Software About the Software CD-ROM ..............50...
  • Page 5: Introducing The Mainboard

    Introducing the Mainboard Thank you for choosing the K7AMA3 mainboard. The K7AMA3 is a high per- formance and high quality mainboard which is built around the latest and fastest VIA KT266A + VT8235 chipset providing superior performance be- tween the CPU, DRAM, AGP bus, and V-Link bus with pipelined, burst and concurrent operation.
  • Page 6: Features

    Processor The K7AMA3 mainboard uses an AMD 462-pin Socket A that has the following features: • Supports 100/133 MHz frontside bus (FSB) • Accommodates AMD Athlon/Duron processors Chipset The KT266A Northbridge and VT8235 Southbridge chipsets are based on cost-effective and energy efficient chipset architecture for implementing AGP/PCI desktop personal computer systems with proven reliability and performance.
  • Page 7: Choosing A Computer Case

    Onboard LAN The VT6103 is a Physical Layer device for Ethernet 10BASE-T (optional) and 100BASE-TX using category 5 Unshielded, Type 1 Shielded cables • Dual Speed – 100/10 Mbps • Half And Full Duplex • Meet All Applicable IEEE 802.3, 10Base-T and 100Base-Tx Standards •...
  • Page 9 Table of Mainboard Components Label Component AGP1 Accelerated Graphics Port ATX1 Power connector AUDIO1 Front-oriented microphone/line-out port header AUXIN1 Extra line-in connector Three volt realtime clock battery CASEFAN1 Auxiliary case cooling fan CD-in connector CNR1 Communications Networking Riser slot CPUFAN1 Cooling fan for CPU CPU Socket Socket A for AMD Athlon processor...
  • Page 10: Installing The Mainboard

    Installing the Mainboard Follow these safety precautions when installing the mainboard: • Wear a grounding strap attached to a grounded device to avoid damage from static electricity. • Discharge static electricity by touching the metal case of a safely grounded object before working on the mainboard. •...
  • Page 11: Installing The Mainboard In A Case

    Refer to the following illustration and instructions for installing the mainboard in a case: This illustration shows an ex- 2. Secure the mainboard with ample of a mainboard being screws where appropriate. installed in a tower-type case: Note: Do not overtighten the screws as this can stress the main- board.
  • Page 12: Checking Jumper Settings

    Checking Jumper Settings The following illustration shows the location of the mainboard jumpers. Pin 1 is labeled. Jumper Settings Jumper Type Description Setting (default) 3 pin Clear CMOS 1-2: Normal 2-3: Clear 3 pin CPU frequency 1-2: 100MHz select 2-3: 133 MHz JP5A 80 pin DDR/SDR...
  • Page 13 JP6A 80 pin DDR/SDR Short all JP6A/B/C/D JP6B DRAM Type JP6A/B/C/D: DDR JP6C Selector memory JP6D Open all JP6A/B/C/D: SDR memory Jumper 1 – enables you to clear the BIOS. Follow these instructions: Turn the system off. Short pins 2 and 3 on JP1. Return the jumper to the normal setting.
  • Page 14: Connecting Case Components

    After you have installed the mainboard into a case, you can begin connecting the mainboard components. Refer to the following: Connect the case power supply connector to ATX1. Connect the CPU cooling fan cable to CPUFAN1. Connect the case cooling fan connector to CASEFAN1.
  • Page 15 SPEAKER1: Internal speaker Signal Name Signal Ground J1: Case open detecting connector (optional) This connector allows the user to detect unauthorized intrusion to the case. It will alert the user with a warning message when the case is turned on. Signal Name Function Intruder...
  • Page 16: Front Panel Connector

    Front Panel Connector The front panel connector (PANEL1) provides a standard set of switch and LED connectors commonly found on ATX or micro-ATX cases. Refer to the table below for information: Function Function Hard disk LED MSG LED [dual color (positive) or single color (+)] Hard disk active LED...
  • Page 17: Installing Hardware

    Installing the Processor Caution: When installing a CPU heatsink and cooling fan make sure that you DO NOT scratch the mainboard or any of the surface-mount resistors with the clip of the cooling fan. If the clip of the cooling fan scrapes across the mainboard, you may cause serious damage to the mainboard or its components.
  • Page 18 CPU Installation Procedure The following illustration shows CPU installation components: Note: The pin-1 corner is marked with an arrow Follow these instructions to install the CPU: Pull the CPU socket locking lever away from the socket to unhook it and raise the locking lever to the upright position.
  • Page 19: Installing Memory Modules

    Connect the CPU Cooling Fan power cable connector to the CPUFAN connector. • To achieve better airflow rates and heat dissipation, we suggest that Notes: you use a high quality fan with 4800 rpm at least. • CPU fan and heatsink installation procedures may vary with the type of CPU fan/heatsink supplied.
  • Page 20 Refer to the following to install the memory modules. 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 21: Installing A Hard Disk Drive/Cd-Rom

    Installing a Hard Disk Drive/CD-ROM This section describes how to install IDE devices such as a hard disk drive and a CD-ROM drive. About IDE Devices Your mainboard has a primary and secondary IDE channel interface (IDE1 and IDE2). An IDE ribbon cable supporting two IDE devices is bundled with the main- board.
  • Page 22 Installing a CD-ROM/DVD Drive Install the CD-ROM/DVD drive into the drive cage in your system case. Plug the IDE cable into IDE1 (A). If you have already installed an HDD, use the other connec- tor on the IDE cable. Note: Ribbon cable connectors are usually keyed so that they can only be installed correctly on the device connector.
  • Page 23: Installing A Floppy Diskette Drive

    Installing a Floppy Diskette Drive The mainboard has a floppy diskette drive (FDD) interface and ships with a diskette drive ribbon cable that supports one or two floppy diskette drives. You can install a 5.25-inch drive and a 3.5-inch drive with various capacities. The floppy diskette drive cable has one type of connector for a 5.25-inch drive and another type of connector for a 3.5-inch drive.
  • Page 24: Installing Add-On Cards

    Installing Add-on Cards The slots in this mainboard are designed to hold expansion cards and connect them to the system bus. Expansion slots are a means of adding or enhancing the mainboard’s features and capabilities. With these efficient facilities, you can increase the mainboard’s capabilities by adding hardware which performs tasks that are not part of the basic system.
  • Page 25: Connecting Optional Devices

    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 con- nector is correctly seated in the slot.
  • Page 26 Refer to the following for information on connecting the mainboard’s optional devices: AUDIO1: Front Panel Audio header This header allows the user to install auxiliary front-oriented microphone and line-out ports for easier access. Signal Name Function AUD_MIC Front Panel Microphone input signal AUD_GND Ground used by Analog Audio Circuits AUD_MIC_BIAS...
  • Page 27 USB3: Front panel USB connectors The mainboard has four USB ports installed on the rear edge I/O port array. Additionally, some computer cases have USB ports at the front of the case. If you have this kind of case, use auxiliary USB connectors USB3 to connect the front-mounted ports to the mainboard.
  • Page 28: Connecting I/O Devices

    USBCR1: USB Card Reader connector This connector is for connecting internal USB card reader. You can use a card reader to read or transfer files and digital images to your computer. Signal Name Function USBVCC2 +5V dual USB2- Data signal port 2- USB2+ Data signal port 2+ Ground...
  • Page 29: External Connector Color Coding

    External Connector Color Coding Many connectors now use standard colors as shown in the table below. Connector Color Audio line-in Light blue Audio line-out Lime Microphone Pink Parallel Burgundy PS/2-compatible keyboard Purple PS/2-compatible mouse Green Serial Teal or Turquoise Black This concludes Chapter 2.
  • Page 30: Using Bios

    Using BIOS The computer uses the latest Award BIOS with support for Windows Plug and Play. The CMOS chip on the mainboard contains the ROM setup instructions for configuring the mainboard 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 31: Starting Setup

    Starting Setup The BIOS is immediately activated when you first turn on the computer. The BIOS reads system configuration in CMOS RAM and begins the process of checking out the system and configuring it through the power-on self test (POST). When these preliminaries are finished, the BIOS seeks an operating system on one of the data storage devices (hard drive, floppy drive, etc.).
  • Page 32: Updating The Bios

    BIOS Navigation Keys The BIOS navigation keys are listed below: Function Exits the current menu ←↑↓→ Scrolls through the items on a menu +/–/PU/PD Modifies the selected field's values Saves the current configuration and exits setup Displays a screen that describes all key functions Loads previously saved values to CMOS Loads a minimum configuration for troubleshooting.
  • Page 33: Using Bios

    When the installation is complete, remove the floppy diskette from the diskette drive and restart your computer. If your mainboard has a Flash BIOS jumper, reset the jumper to protect the newly installed BIOS from being overwritten. When you start the Setup Utility, the main menu appears. The main menu of the Setup Utility displays a list of the options that are available.
  • Page 34 IDE Devices (None) Your computer has two IDE channels (Primary and Secondary) and each channel can be installed with one or two devices (Master and Slave). Use these items to configure each device on the IDE channel. Press <Enter> to display the IDE submenu: CMOS Setup Utility –...
  • Page 35: Advanced Bios Setup

    Drive A/Drive B (1.44M, 3.5 in./None) These items define the characteristics of any diskette drive attached to the system. You can connect one or two diskette drives. Video (EGA/VGA) This item defines the video mode of the system. This mainboard has a built-in VGA graphics system;...
  • Page 36 for better performance. CPU L2 Cache ECC Checking (Enabled) This item enables or disables ECC (Error Correction Code) error checking on the CPU cache memory. We recommend that you leave this item at the de- fault value. Quick Power On Self Test (Enabled) Enable this item to shorten the power on testing (POST) and have your sys- tem start up faster.
  • Page 37: Advanced Chipset Setup

    Security Option (Setup) If you have installed password protection, this item defines if the password is required at system start up, or if it is only required when a user tries to enter the Setup Utility. APIC Mode (Enabled) Selecting Enabled enables the ACPI device mode reporting from the BIOS to the operating system.
  • Page 38 DRAM Clock/Drive Control Scroll to this item and press <Enter> to view the following screen: CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1984 – 2001 Award Software DRAM Clock/Drive Control Item Help Current FSB Frequency Current DRAM Frequency Menu Level DRAM Clock [By SPD] DRAM Timing [By SPD]...
  • Page 39 command after issuing the command to the DDR memory. We recommend that you leave this item at the default value. DRAM Burst Length (4) This item describes which burst lengths are supported by the devices on the mainboard. 1 level can provide faster performance but may result in instability whereas 8 level gives the most stable but slowest performance.
  • Page 40 CPU & PCI Bus Control Scroll to this item and press <Enter> to view the following screen: CMOS Setup Utility – Copyright (C) 1984 – 2001 Award Software CPU & PCI Bridge Control Item Help PCI1 Master 0 WS Write [Enabled] PCI2 Master 0 WS Write [Enabled]...
  • Page 41: Integrated Peripherals

    Integrated Peripherals These options display items that define the operation of peripheral compo- nents on the system's input/output ports. Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility Integrated Peripherals Item Help USB 2.0 Support [Enabled] OnChip IDE Device [Press Enter] Menu Level OnChip PCI Device [Press Enter] Super I/O Device...
  • Page 42 IDE Prefetch Mode (Enabled) The onboard IDE drive interfaces supports IDE prefetching, for faster drive access. If you install a primary and secondary add-in IDE interface, set this field to Disabled if the interface does not support prefetching. IDE Primary/Secondary Master/Slave PIO (Auto) Each IDE channel supports a master device and a slave device.
  • Page 43 VIA-3043 OnChip LAN (Enabled) Enables and disables the onboard LAN. Onboard LAN Boot ROM (Disabled) Use this item to enable and disable the booting from the onboard LAN or a network add-in card with a remote boot ROM installed. Press <Esc> to return to the Integrated Peripherals screen. SuperIO Device Scroll to this item and press <Enter>...
  • Page 44 chip. The options are Full and Half (default). Full-duplex means that you can transmit and send information simultaneously. Half-duplex is the transmission of data in both directions, but only one direc- tion at a time. Onboard Parallel Port (378/IRQ7) This option is used to assign the I/O address and interrupt request (IRQ) for the onboard parallel port.
  • Page 45: Power Management Setup

    Power Management Setup The Power Management Setup Menu option is used to change the values of the chipset registers for system power management. Power Management Timeouts The power-saving modes can be controlled by timeouts. If the system is inac- tive for a time, the timeouts begin counting. If the inactivity continues so that the timeout period elapses, the system enters a power-saving mode.
  • Page 46 a longer timeout. If the item is set to User Define, you can insert your own timeouts for the power-saving modes. HDD Power Down (Disable) The IDE hard drive will spin down if it is not accessed within a specified length of time.
  • Page 47 IRQ/Event Activity Detect Scroll to this item and press <Enter> to view the following screen: Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility IRQ/Event Activity Detect Item Help [OFF] LPT & COM [LPT/COM] Menu Level HDD & FDD [ON] PCI Master [OFF] PowerOn by PCI Card [Enabled] Wake Up On LAN/Ring...
  • Page 48 system every day at the specified time. IRQs Activity Monitoring Scroll to this item and press <Enter> to view the following screen: Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility IRQs Activity Monitoring Item Help Primary INTR [ON] IRQ 3 (COM2) [Enabled] Menu Level IRQ 4 (COM1)
  • Page 49: Pnp/Pci Configurations

    PNP/PCI Configurations This section describes configuring the PCI bus system. PCI (Peripheral Com- ponent Interconnect) is a system, which allows I/O devices to operate at speeds nearing CPU’s when they communicate with own special components. All the options describes in this section are important and technical and it is strongly recommended that only experienced users should make any changes to the default settings.
  • Page 50: Pc Health Status

    expansion card. Use the second item Reserved Memory Length to set the amount of reserved memory. Press <Esc> to close the Memory Resources sub-menu. PCI/VGA Palette Snoop (Disabled) This item is designed to overcome some problems that can be caused by some non-standard VGA cards.
  • Page 51: Frequency Control

    Frequency Control This item 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 installed in your system. Phoenix – AwardBIOS CMOS Setup Utility Frequency Control Item Help CPU Voltage Regulator...
  • Page 52: Load Fail-Safe Defaults Option

    Load Fail-Safe Defaults Option This option opens a dialog box that lets you install fail-safe defaults for all ap- propriate items in the Setup Utility: Press <Y> and then <Enter> to install the defaults. Press <N> and then <En- ter> to not install the defaults. The fail-safe defaults place no great demands on the system and are generally stable.
  • Page 53: Save & Exit Setup Option

    Save & Exit Setup Option Highlight this item and press <Enter> to save the changes that you have made in the Setup Utility and exit the Setup Utility. When the Save and Exit dialog box appears, press <Y> to save and exit, or press <N> to return to the main menu: Exit Without Saving Highlight this item and press <Enter>...
  • Page 54: Using The Mainboard Software

    Using the Mainboard Software The support software CD-ROM that is included in the mainboard package contains all the drivers and utility programs needed to properly run the bun- dled products. Below you can find a brief description of each software program, and the location for your mainboard version.
  • Page 55: 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 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 56: Manual Installation

    Note: The following screens are examples only. The screens and driver lists will be different according to the mainboard you are installing. The mainboard identification is located in the upper left-hand corner. Click Next. The following screen appears: Check the box next to the items you want to install. The default options are recommended.
  • Page 57: Utility Software Reference

    Insert the CD in the CD-ROM drive and locate the PATH.DOC file in the root directory. This file contains the information needed to locate the drivers for your mainboard. Look for the chipset and mainboard model; then browse to the directory and path to begin installing the drivers.
  • Page 58 MediaRing Talk – Telephony Software To install the MediaRing Talk voice modem software for the built-in modem, go directory \UTILITY\MEDIARING TALK, then MRTALK- SETUP72.EXE to install the application software. Super Voice – Fax/Modem Software To install the Super Voice voice, fax, data communication application for use with the built-in fax/modem, go the directory \UTILITY\SUPER_VOICE, then run PICSHELL.EXE to install the application software.

Table of Contents