Page 3
Gigabyte's prior written permission. Specifications and features are subject to change without prior notice. Product Manual Classification In order to assist in the use of this product, Gigabyte has categorized the user manual in the following: For detailed product information and specifications, please carefully read the "Product User Manual".
Table of Content GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Layout ... 6 Block Diagram ... 7 Chapter 1 Hardware Installation ... 9 Considerations Prior to Installation ... 9 Feature Summary ... 10 Installation of the CPU and Heatsink ... 12 1-3-1 Installation of the CPU ... 12 1-3-2 Installation of the Heatsink ...
2. Damage as a result of violating the conditions recommended in the user manual. 3. Damage due to improper installation. 4. Damage due to use of uncertified components. 5. Damage due to use exceeding the permitted parameters. 6. Product determined to be an unofficial Gigabyte product. - 9 - Hardware Installation...
(Note 1) Due to standard PC architecture, a certain amount of memory is reserved for system usage and therefore the actual memory size is less than the stated amount. For example, 4 GB of memory size will instead be shown as 3.xxGB memory during system startup. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Pentium 4 LGA775 CPU ®...
Page 11
BIOS Use of licensed AWARD BIOS Supports Q-Flash Additional Features Supports @BIOS Supports EasyTune 5 (only supports Hardware Monitor function) Overclocking Over Clock via BIOS (DDR) Form Factor Micro ATX form factor; 24.4 cm x 24.4 cm - 11 - Hardware Installation...
Avoid twisting or bending motions that might cause damage to the CPU during installation.) GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Fig. 2 Remove the plastic covering on the CPU socket.
1-3-2 Installation of the Heatsink Fig.1 Please apply an even layer of heatsink paste on the surface of the installed CPU. Fig. 3 Place the heatsink atop the CPU and make sure the push pins aim to the pin hole on the motherboard.Pressing down the push pins diagonally.
DIMM slot. Then push it down. 3. Close the plastic clip at both edges of the DIMM slots to lock the DIMM module. Reverse the installation steps when you wish to remove the DIMM module. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Notch - 14 -...
Page 15
GA-8I915GL-MF supports the Dual Channel Technology. After operating the Dual Channel Technology, the bandwidth of Memory Bus will double. GA-8I915GL-MF includes 4 DIMM sockets, and each Channel has two DIMM sockets as following: Channel A : DDR 1, DDR 2...
Replace the screw to secure the slot bracket of the expansion card. Replace your computer's chassis cover. Power on the computer, if necessary, setup BIOS utility of expansion card from BIOS. Install related driver from the operating system. Installing a PCI expansion card: GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard - 16 -...
I/O Back Panel Introduction PS/2 Keyboard and PS/2 Mouse Connector To install a PS/2 port keyboard and mouse, plug the mouse to the upper port (green) and the keyboard o the lower port (purple). Parallel Port The parallel port allows connection of a printer, scanner and other peripheral devices. SPDIF_O (SPDIF Out) The SPDIF output is capable of providing digital audio to external speakers or compressed AC3 data to an external Dolby Digital Decoder.
You can use audio software to configure 2-/4-/6-/8-channel audio functioning. Connectors Introduction ATX_12V ATX (Power Connector) CPU_FAN SYS_FAN SATA0 / SATA1 / SATA2 / SATA3 F_PANEL GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard AZALIA_FP CD_IN F_USB1 / F_USB2 F1_1394 / F2_1394 COMA / COMB CLR_CMOS - 18 -...
Page 19
1/2) ATX_12V/ATX (Power Connector) With the use of the power connector, the power supply can supply enough stable power to all the components on the motherboard. Before connecting the power connector, please make sure that all components and devices are properly installed. Align the power connector with its proper location on the motherboard and connect tightly.
Page 20
The FDD connector is used to connect the FDD cable while the other end of the cable connects to the FDD drive. The types of FDD drives supported are: 360KB, 720KB, 1.2MB, 1.44MB and 2.88MB. Please connect the red power connector wire to the pin1 position. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Pin No. Definition...
Page 21
6) IDE (IDE Connector) An IDE device connects to the computer via an IDE connector. One IDE connector can connect to one IDE cable, and the single IDE cable can then connect to two IDE devices (hard drive or optical drive). If you wish to connect two IDE devices, please set the jumper on one IDE device as Master and the other as Slave (for information on settings, please refer to the instructions located on the IDE device).
F_PANEL connector according to the pin assignment below. HD (IDE Hard Disk Active LED) SPEAK (Speaker Connector) RES (Reset Switch) PW (Power Switch) MSG(Message LED/Power/Sleep LED) GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Power Message LED/ Switch Speaker Connector Power/ Sleep LED...
Page 23
9) CI (Chassis Intrusion, Case Open) This 2-pin connector allows your system to enable or disable the "Case Open" item in BIOS, if the system case begin remove. 10) AZALIA_FP(Front Audio Panel Connector) This connector is supported to connect HD(High Definition) Audio and AC'97 Audio. Check the pin assignment carefully while you connect the audio panel cable, incorrect connection between the cable and connector will make the device unable to work or even damage it.
Page 24
USB cable, incorrect connection between the cable and connector will make the device unable to work or even damage it. For optional front USB cable, please contact your local dealer.The "USB Device Wake up From S3" is only supported by rear USB ports. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Pin No. Definition...
Page 25
13) F1_1394/F2_1394 (IEEE 1394 Connector) Serial interface standard set by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, which has features like high speed, high bandwidth and hot plug. Be careful with the polarity of the IEEE1394 connector. Check the pin assignment carefully while you connect the IEEE1394 cable, incorrect connection between the cable and connector will make the device unable to work or even damage it.
Page 26
16) CLR_CMOS (Clear CMOS) You may clear the CMOS data to its default values by this jumper. To clear CMOS, temporarily short 1-2 pin. Default doesn't include the "Shunter" to prevent from improper use this jumper. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Pin No. Definition...
Page 27
17) BAT(Battery) Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced. Replace only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the manufacturer. Dispose of used batteries according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you want to erase CMOS... 1.Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord. 2.Remove the battery, wait for 30 second.
BIOS needs to be reset to its original settings. If you wish to upgrade to a new BIOS, either Gigabyte's Q-Flash or @BIOS utility can be used. Q-Flash allows the user to quickly and easily update or backup BIOS without entering the operating system.
Optimized Defaults indicates the value of the system parameters which the system would be in best performance configuration. Set Supervisor Password Change, set, or disable password. It allows you to limit access to the system and Setup, or just to Setup. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Load Fail-Safe Defaults Load Optimized Defaults Set Supervisor Password Set User Password Save &...
Page 31
Set User Password Change, set, or disable password. It allows you to limit access to the system. Save & Exit Setup Save CMOS value settings to CMOS and exit setup. Exit Without Saving Abandon all CMOS value changes and exit setup. - 31 - BIOS Setup...
Precomp Write precomp Landing Zone Landing zone Sector Number of sectors If a hard disk has not been installed, select NONE and press <Enter>. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Thu, Apr 29 2004 Item Help 22:31:24 Menu Level [None] Change the day, month,...
Page 33
Drive A / Drive B The category identifies the types of floppy disk drive A or drive B that has been installed in the computer. None No floppy drive installed 360K, 5.25" 5.25 inch PC-type standard drive; 360K byte capacity. 1.2M, 5.25"...
Select your boot device priority by USB-HDD. Select your boot device priority by LAN. Disabled Disabled this function. (Note) This item will show up when you install a processor which supports this function. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard [Press Enter] Item Help [Floppy] Menu Level [Hard Disk]...
Page 35
Password Check Setup The system will boot but will not access to Setup page if the correct password is not entered at the prompt. (Default value) System The system will not boot and will not access to Setup page if the correct password is not entered at the prompt.
F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Default On-Chip Primary PCI IDE Enabled Enable onboard 1st channel IDE port. (Default value) Disabled Disable onboard 1st channel IDE port. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard [Enabled] Item Help [Auto] Menu Level Ch.1 Master/Slave Ch.2 Master/Slave Ch.3 Master/Slave...
Page 37
On-Chip SATA Mode Disabled Disable this function. Auto BIOS will auto detect. (Default value) Combined Set On-Chip SATA mode to Combined, you can use up to 4 HDDs on the motherboard; 2 for SATA and the other for PATA IDE. Enhanced Set On-Chip SATA mode to Enhanced, the motherboard allows up to 6 HDDs to use.
Page 38
Onboard Parallel port Disabled Disable onboard LPT port. 378/IRQ7 Enable onboard LPT port and address is 378/IRQ7. (Default value) 278/IRQ5 Enable onboard LPT port and address is 278/IRQ5. 3BC/IRQ7 Enable onboard LPT port and address is 3BC/IRQ7. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard - 38 -...
Parallel Port Mode Using Parallel port as Standard Parallel Port. (Default value) Using Parallel port as Enhanced Parallel Port. Using Parallel port as Extended Capabilities Port. ECP+EPP Using Parallel port as ECP & EPP mode. ECP Mode Use DMA Set ECP Mode Use DMA to 3. (Default value) Set ECP Mode Use DMA to 1.
Page 40
When AC-power back to the system, the system will be in "Off" state. (Default value) Full-On When AC-power back to the system, the system always in "On" state. Memory When AC-power back to the system, the system will return to the Last state before AC-power off. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard - 40 -...
PnP/PCI Configurations CMOS Setup Utility-Copyright (C) 1984-2005 Award Software PnP/PCI Configurations PCI 1 IRQ Assignment PCI 2 IRQ Assignment : Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Default PCI 1 IRQ Assignment Auto Auto assign IRQ to PCI 1. (Default value) 3,4,5,7,9,10,11,12,14,15 Set IRQ 3,4,5,7,9,10,11,12,14,15 to PCI 1.
Page 42
However, some 4-pin CPU fan power cables are not designed following Intel 4-Wire fans PWM control specifications. With such CPU fans, selecting PWM will not effectively reduce the fan speed. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard C / 140 C / 158 C / 176...
MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.) CMOS Setup Utility-Copyright (C) 1984-2005 Award Software MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.) CPU Clock Ratio Memory Frequency For Memory Frequency (Mhz) : Move Enter: Select +/-/PU/PD: Value F5: Previous Values F6: Fail-Safe Default Incorrect using these features may cause your system broken. For power end-user use only. CPU Clock Ratio This setup option will automatically assign by CPU detection.
ESC: Quit F8: Q-Flash Load Optimized Defaults Selecting this field loads the factory defaults for BIOS and Chipset Features which the system automatically detects. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Load Fail-Safe Defaults Load Optimized Defaults Set Supervisor Password Set User Password Save & Exit Setup...
2-10 Set Supervisor/User Password CMOS Setup Utility-Copyright (C) 1984-2005 Award Software Standard CMOS Features Advanced BIOS Features Integrated Peripherals Power Management Setup PnP/PCI Configurations Enter Password: PC Health Status MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.) ESC: Quit F8: Q-Flash Change/Set/Disable Password Selecting this field loads the factory defaults for BIOS and Chipset Features which the system automatically detects.
MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.) ESC: Quit F8: Q-Flash Type "Y" will quit the Setup Utility without saving to RTC CMOS. Type "N" will return to Setup Utility. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Load Fail-Safe Defaults Load Optimized Defaults Set Supervisor Password Set User Password Save &...
Chapter 3 Install Drivers Pictures below are shown in Windows XP. Insert the driver CD-title that came with your motherboard into your CD-ROM drive, the driver CD-title will auto start and show the installation guide. If not, please double click the CD-ROM device icon in "My computer", and execute the Run.exe.
Software Applications This page displays all the tools that Gigabyte developed and some free software, you can choose anyone you want and press "install" to install them. Driver CD Information This page lists the contents of software and drivers in this CD-title.
Hardware Information This page lists all device you have for this motherboard. Contact Us Please see the last page for details. - 49 - Install Drivers...
Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker (M.I.T.) allows user to access and change BIOS feature settings with relative speed and ease. Through GIGABYTE M.I.T. feature the user is no longer required to switch into different modes within BIOS setup in order to change system settings such as the CPU system bus, memory timings or to enabled Gigabyte's unique C.I.A.
Enters the PC Health setting page Confirmation and Execution button Toggles between Easy and Advance Mode Display panel of CPU frequency Shows the current functions status Log on to GIGABYTE website Display EasyTune 5 Help file Quit or Minimize EasyTune 5 software...
Once you have completed this step, subsequent access to Xpress Recovery can also function by pressing the F9 key during computer power on. Verifying DMI Pool Data Boot from CD: Xpress Recovery V1.0 (C) Copy Right 2003. GIGABYTE Technology CO. , Ltd. 1. Execute Backup Utility 2. Execute Restore Utility 3. Remove Backup Image 4.
Page 54
Check System Health OK Press DEL to enter SETUP / Q-Flash, F9 For Xpress Recovery 08/16/2002-I845GE-6A69YG01C-00 Xpress Recovery V1.0 (C) Copy Right 2003. GIGABYTE Technology CO. , Ltd. 1. Execute Backup Utility 2. Execute Restore Utility 3. Remove Backup Image 4.
Page 55
1. Execute Backup Utility: Press B to Backup your System or Esc to Exit The backup utility will automatically scan your system and back up data as a backup image in your hard drive. Not all systems support access to Xpress Recovery by pressing the F9 key during computer power on.
Updating BIOS with Q-Flash Utility on Dual BIOS Motherboards. Some of Gigabyte motherboards are equipped with dual BIOS. In the BIOS menu of the motherboards supporting Q-Flash and Dual BIOS, the Q-Flash utility and Dual BIOS utility are combined in the same screen.
Page 57
Entering the Q-Flash utility: Step1: To use Q-Flash utility, you must press Del in the boot screen to enter BIOS menu. CMOS Setup Utility-Copyright (C) 1984-2004 Award Software Standard CMOS Features Advanced BIOS Features Integrated Peripherals Power Management Setup PnP/PCI Configurations PC Health Status MB Intelligent Tweaker(M.I.T.) ESC: Quit...
Page 58
Save Main BIOS to Floppy Save Backup BIOS to Floppy Enter : Run :Move After BIOS file is read, you'll see a confirmation dialog box asking you "Are you sure to update BIOS?" GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Dual BIOS Utility Main Bios 512K 512K...
Page 59
3. Press Y button on your keyboard after you are sure to update BIOS. Then it will begin to update BIOS. The progress of updating BIOS will be displayed. Please do not take out the floppy disk when it begins flashing BIOS. 4.
Page 60
Press Y on your keyboard to save and exit. Part Two: Updating BIOS with Q-Flash Utility on Single-BIOS Motherboards. This part guides users of single-BIOS motherboards how to update BIOS using the Q-Flash CMOS Setup Utility-Copyright (C) 1984-2004 Award Software Standard CMOS Features Advanced BIOS Features...
Page 61
Exploring the Q-Flash utility screen The Q-FlashBIOS utility screen consists of the following key components. Flash Type/Size...SST 49LF003A Task menu for Keep DMI Data Update BIOS from Floppy Q-Flash utility Enter : Run :Move Task menu for Q-Flash utility: Contains the names of three tasks. Blocking a task and pressing Enter key on your keyboard to enable execution of the task.
Page 62
Press Del to enter BIOS menu after system reboots and "Load BIOS Fail-Safe Defaults". See how to Load BIOS Fail-Safe Defaults, please kindly refer to Step 6 to 7 in Part One. Congratulation!! You have updated BIOS successfully!! GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Q-Flash Utility V1.30 256K...
Page 63
Please search for BIOS unzip file, downloading from internet or any other methods (such as: 8I915GL-MF.E2). Complete update process following the instruction. Utility Fig 2. Installation Complete and Run @BIOS Click Sart/ Programs/ GIGABYTE/@BIOS Fig 4. Select the desired @BIOS server - 63 - Appendix...
Page 64
III. In method I, if the BIOS file you need cannot be found in @BIOSTM server, please go onto Gigabyte's web site for downloading and updating it according to method II. IV. Please note that any interruption during updating will cause system unbooted...
4-1-4 2- / 4- / 6- / 8- Channel Audio Function Introduction This motherboard provide 6 audio connector. You are able to use 2-/ 4-/6-/8-channnels audio feature by audio software selection. Introduction of audio connectors: You may connect CD-ROM/DVD-ROM, walkman or others audio input to Line In.
Page 66
Click the icon to select the function. STEP 3: Click "Speaker Configuration" then click on the left selection bar and select "4CH Speaker" to complete 4 channel audio configuration. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Front Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out - 66 -...
Page 67
6 Channel Audio Setup STEP 1 : Connect the front channels to "Front Speaker Out", the rear channels to "Rear Speaker Out", and the Center/Subwoofer channels to "Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out". STEP 2 : Following installation of the audio driver, you find a Sound Effect icon on the lower right hand taskbar.
Page 68
"6CH Speaker" to complete 6 channel audio configuration. Sound Effect Configuration: At the sound effect menu, users can adjust sound option settings as desired. GA-8I915GL-MF Motherboard Front Speaker Out Rear Speaker Out Center/Subwoofer Speaker Out...
Page 69
Jack-Sensing Introduction Jack-Sensing provides audio connectors error-detection function. Install Microsoft DirectX8.1 or later version before to enable Jack-Sensing support for Windows 2000. After you install an audio device, a screen of a list would pop up from the audio software for you to choose the type of device you installed.
Question 6: How do I disable onboard VGA card in order to add an external VGA card? Answer: Gigabyte motherboards will auto-detect the external VGA card after it is plugged in, so you don't need to change any setting manually to disable the onboard VGA.
Page 71
Question 7: Why cannot I use the IDE 2? Answer: Please refer to the user manual and check whether you have connected any cable that is not provided with the motherboard package to the USB Over Current pin in the Front USB Panel. If the cable is your own cable, please remove it from this pin and do not connect any of your own cables to it.
Need help?
Do you have a question about the GA-8I915GL-MF and is the answer not in the manual?
Questions and answers