DFI LanParty nF4 User Manual
  1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. DFI Manuals
  4. Motherboard
  5. LanParty nF4
  6. User manual

DFI LanParty nF4 User Manual

Hide thumbs
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

System Board
User's Manual
84750510

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading

Related Manuals for DFI LanParty nF4

Summary of Contents for DFI LanParty nF4

  • Page 1 System Board User’s Manual 84750510...
  • Page 2 Copyright This publication contains information that is protected by copyright. No part of it may be reproduced in any form or by any means or used to make any transformation/adaptation without the prior written permission from the copyright holders. This publication is provided for informational purposes only. The manufacturer makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents or use of this manual and specifically disclaims any express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any...

  • Page 3: Fcc And Doc Statement On Class B

    FCC and DOC Statement on Class B This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a residential installation.
  • Page 4 About this Manual This user’s manual contains detailed information about the system board. If, in some cases, some information doesn’t match those shown in the multilingual manual, the multilingual manual should al- ways be regarded as the most updated version. The multilingual manual is included in the system board package.

  • Page 5: Table Of Contents

    Table of Contents Chapter 1 - Introduction Specifications........................... Special Features of the System Board..............Package Checklist........................Chapter 2 - Hardware Installation System Board Layout ......................System Memory.......................... CPU............................... Jumper Settings..........................Rear Panel I/O Ports......................I/O Connectors.......................... SLI Technology..........................Dual Xpress Graphics......................Chapter 3 - BIOS Setup Award BIOS Setup Utility....................
  • Page 6 Introduction Appendix A - System Error Messages POST Beep..........................Error Messages......................... Appendix B - Troubleshooting Troubleshooting Checklist....................Notice This user’s manual is for the following system boards. • LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR • LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-DR • LANPARTY UT nF4 SLI-D •...
  • Page 7 Setting of the Award BIOS) to "2.8V". 3. Insert DIMMs in DIMM 2 and DIMM 4. 4. Always check DFI's website for the latest BIOS. Newer updates may be available for enhancing memory compatibility. Q: How can I obtain good performance on an overclocked system? A: Insert two identical broad bandwidth memories in DIMM 2 and DIMM 4.

  • Page 8: Chapter 1 - Introduction

    Introduction Chapter 1 - Introduction Specifications Processor • AMD Athlon 64 FX / Athlon 64 / Sempron • Socket 939 Front Side Bus • 2000MT/s HyperTransport interface Chipset • NVIDIA nForce4 SLI (for “nF4 SLI” models only) Supports NVIDIA SLI (Scalable Link Interface) •...
  • Page 9 Introduction The other PCI Express x16 slot (PCIE4) will run at x2 bandwidth. Refer to chapter 2 for more information about NVIDIA SLI technology. BIOS • Award BIOS • CMOS Reloaded • CPU/DRAM overclocking • CPU/DRAM/Chipset overvoltage • 4Mbit flash memory Energy Efficient Design •...
  • Page 10 Introduction Onboard LAN Features • Dual Gigabit LAN - Vitesse VSC8201 Gigabit Phy and Marvell 88E8001 Gigabit PCI (for “nF4 SLI” and “nF4 Ultra” models only) Single Gigabit LAN - Vitesse VSC8201 Gigabit Phy (for “nF4” model only) • Fully compliant to IEEE 802.3 (10BASE-T), 802.3u (100BASE-TX) and 802.3ab (1000BASE-T) standards •...
  • Page 11 Introduction • 2 RJ45 LAN ports (for “nF4 SLI” and “nF4 Ultra” models only) 1 RJ45 LAN port (for “nF4” model only) • 6 USB 2.0/1.1 ports I/O Connectors • 2 connectors for 4 additional external USB 2.0/1.1 ports • 1 connector for 1 external IEEE 1394 port •...

  • Page 12: Special Features Of The System Board

    Introduction Special Features of the System Board AMD Athlon The system board supports the AMD Athlon 64 processor. AMD Athlon 64 provides superior computing for many software applications by allowing both 32-bit and 64-bit applications to run simultaneously on the same platform. The operating system and software are able to process more data and access a tremendous amount of memory which improves the overall system performance.
  • Page 13 Introduction ® NVIDIA ActiveArmor ® NVIDIA ActiveArmor is built into the chipset to enhance network security. It protects the system’s networking connection especially during large file downloads. ActiveArmor is activated the minute you turn on the PC. It performs a thorough inspection of the data packets that flow in and out of your network connection and only allows good packets to pass through the firewall.
  • Page 14 Introduction S/PDIF S/PDIF is a standard audio file transfer format that transfers digital audio signals to a device without having to be converted first to an analog format. This prevents the quality of the audio signal from degrading whenever it is converted to analog. S/PDIF is usually found on digital audio equipment such as a DAT machine or audio processing device.
  • Page 15 Introduction IrDA Interface The system board is equipped with an IrDA connector for wireless connectivity between your computer and peripheral devices. The IRDA (Infrared Data Association) specification suppor ts data transfers of 115K baud at a distance of 1 meter. USB Ports The system board supports USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 ports.
  • Page 16 Introduction RTC Timer to Power-on the System The RTC installed on the system board allows your system to automatically power-on on the set date and time. ACPI STR The system board is designed to meet the ACPI (Advanced Configuration and Power Interface) specification. ACPI has energy saving features that enables PCs to implement Power Management and Plug-and-Play with operating systems that support OS Direct ®...

  • Page 17: Package Checklist

    Introduction Package Checklist One system board One Karajan audio module One SLI bridge (for “nF4 SLI” models only) Two IDE round cables One floppy round cable Four Serial ATA data cables (for “DR” models only) Two Serial ATA data cables (for “D” models only) One Serial ATA power cable One I/O shield One SATA driver diskette (for NVRAID and Silicon Image Sil...

  • Page 18: Chapter 2 - Hardware Installation

    Hardware Installation Chapter 2 - Hardware Installation System Board Layout Mouse PS/2 power select (JP7) DDR 1 DRAM 4V Fan 2 select (JP17) S/PDIF ATX power select (JP52) DDR 2 S/PDIF CPU fan DDR 3 Line-in, DRAM Center/ Power LED Subwoofer Front R/L, Rear R/L...

  • Page 19: 2.2 System Memory

    Hardware Installation Warning: Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can damage your system board, processor, disk drives, add-in boards, and other components. Perform the upgrade instruction procedures described at an ESD workstation only. If such a station is not available, you can provide some ESD protection by wearing an antistatic wrist strap and attaching it to a metal part of the system chassis.
  • Page 20 Hardware Installation The system board supports the following memory interface. Single Channel (SC) Data will be accessed in chunks of 64 bits (8B) from the memory channels. Dual Channel (DC) Data will be accessed in chunks of 128 bits from the memory channels.
  • Page 21 Hardware Installation The integrated memory controller in AMD's 64-bit Socket 939 series CPU will directly catch data transmission from DDR RAM without passing through the Northbridge. Therefore when using 4 identical double side DIMMs or using 2 DIMMs in non-dual channels, the memory speed will reduce to DDR333.

  • Page 22: Installing The Dim Module

    Hardware Installation 2.2.1 Installing the DIM Module A DIM module simply snaps into a DIMM socket on the system board. Pin 1 of the DIM module must correspond with Pin 1 of the socket. Notch Pin 1 1. Pull the “tabs” which are at the ends of the socket to the side. 2.

  • Page 23: Cpu

    Hardware Installation Overview The system board is equipped with a surface mount 939-pin CPU socket. This socket is exclusively designed for installing an AMD CPU. Installing the CPU 1. Make sure the PC and all other peripheral devices connected to it has been powered down.
  • Page 24 Hardware Installation 4. Unlock the socket by pushing the lever sideways, away from the socket, then lifting it up to a 90 angle. Make sure the lever is lifted to at least this angle otherwise the CPU will not fit in properly. Lever 5.
  • Page 25 Hardware Installation 6. Insert the CPU into the socket until it is seated in place. The CPU will fit in only one orientation and can easily be inserted without exerting any force. Important: Do not force the CPU into the socket. Forcing the CPU into the socket may bend the pins and damage the CPU.
  • Page 26 Hardware Installation Installing the Fan and Heat Sink The CPU must be kept cool by using a CPU fan with heat sink. Without sufficient air circulation across the CPU and heat sink, the CPU will overheat damaging both the CPU and system board. Note: •...
  • Page 27 Hardware Installation 3. Place the heat sink on top of the CPU. Now hook one side of the retention clip onto the retention module base by fitting the holes on the retention clip into the retaining tabs of the retention module base.
  • Page 28 Hardware Installation 4. Hook the other side of the retention clip (the one near the retention lever) so that the holes on the retention clip also fit into the retaining tabs of the retention module base. Note: You will not be able to secure the fan and heat sink assembly in place if it did not fit properly onto the retention module base.

  • Page 29: Jumper Settings

    Hardware Installation Jumper Settings Clear CMOS Data 1-2 On: Normal 2-3 On: (default) Clear CMOS Data If you encounter the following, a) CMOS data becomes corrupted. b) You forgot the supervisor or user password. c) You are unable to boot-up the computer system because the processor’s ratio/clock was incorrectly set in the BIOS.
  • Page 30 Hardware Installation 4. After powering-on the system, press <Del> to enter the main menu of the BIOS. 5. Select the Genie BIOS Setting submenu and press <Enter>. 6. Set the processor’s clock/ratio to its default setting or an appro- priate bus clock or ratio. Refer to the Genie BIOS Setting section in chapter 3 for more information.
  • Page 31 Hardware Installation PS/2 Power Select 2-3 On: 5VSB 1-2 On: 5V (default) JP7 is used to select the power of the PS/2 keyboard/mouse port. Selecting 5VSB will allow you to use the PS/2 keyboard or PS/2 mouse to wake up the system. BIOS Setting Configure the PS/2 keyboard/mouse wake up function in the Integrated Peripherals submenu of the BIOS.

  • Page 32: Usb Power Select

    Hardware Installation USB Power Select USB 1-6 (JP5) 1-2 On: 5V 2-3 On: 5VSB (default) USB 7-10 (JP6) 2-3 On: 5VSB 1-2 On: 5V (default) JP5 and JP6 are used to select the power of the USB ports. Selecting 5VSB will allow you to use the USB keyboard or USB mouse to wake up the system..
  • Page 33 Hardware Installation Speaker On/Off Select Buzzer 2-3 On: 1-2 On: Speaker On Speaker Off (default) The system board is equipped with a buzzer which serves as the PC’s speaker. By default the buzzer is “on” allowing you to hear the system’s beep messages and warnings.
  • Page 34 Hardware Installation Safe Boot 2-3 On: 1-2 On: Safe boot Default JP1 is used to safely reboot the system whenever the system hangs and you are unable to restart the system. 1. Power-off the system and unplug the power cord. 2.
  • Page 35 Hardware Installation S/PDIF-out Settings JP52 1-2 On: 2-3 On: S/PDIF-out via S/PDIF-out via nForce4 ALC850 JP52 is used to select the controller that will send signal to the S/PDIF-out port.
  • Page 36 Hardware Installation DRAM 4V Select JP17 1-2 On: 2-3 On: Default Expand DRAM's Voltage up to 4V Attention: The DRAM voltage as originally supported by the spec is up to 2.85V only. Jumper JP17 allows you to select beyond the defined spec.
  • Page 37 Hardware Installation 5. Run the Award BIOS setup utility to select the DRAM's voltage in the "DRAM Voltage Control" field of the Genie BIOS Setting submenu. When the jumper is at pins 1 and 2 (default) the options in the "DRAM Voltage Control"...

  • Page 38: Rear Panel I/O Ports

    Hardware Installation Rear Panel I/O Ports Front R/L (Line-out) PS/2 Line-in Mic-in LAN 1 LAN 2 Mouse 1394_1 S/PDIF-in PS/2 USB 1-2 USB 3-4 USB 5-6 S/PDIF-out Rear R/L Center/ Side R/L Subwoofer Karajan audio module The rear panel I/O ports consist of the following: •...
  • Page 39 Hardware Installation PS/2 Mouse and PS/2 Keyboard Ports PS/2 Mouse PS/2 Keyboard The system board is equipped with an onboard PS/2 mouse (Green) and PS/2 keyboard (Purple) ports - both at location CN2 of the system board. The PS/2 mouse port uses IRQ12. If a mouse is not connected to this port, the system will reserve IRQ12 for other expansion cards.
  • Page 40 Hardware Installation S/PDIF-in/out Jacks S/PDIF-in S/PDIF-out SPDIF out SPDIF in The system board is equipped with an onboard S/PDIF-in RCA jack (red) and a S/PDIF-out RCA jack (yellow) at locations CN5 and CN7 respectively. The S/PDIF connector at location J3 is used to connect to optical S/PDIF ports.
  • Page 41 Hardware Installation Karajan Audio Module Line-in Mic-in Front R/L (Line-out) Rear R/L Side R/L Center/ Subwoofer Karajan audio module Karajan audio connector Installing the Karajan Audio Module The system board comes with the Karajan audio module already installed on the board. The module is stabilized by means of the module holder.
  • Page 42 Hardware Installation To install: 1. Fit the module holder onto the Karajan audio module. 2. Align the module’s plugs above the mounting holes then insert the plugs from the top through to the bottom of the system board. While at it, the 14-pin connector at the solder side of the module must also insert into the Karajan audio connector at location J7 of the system board.
  • Page 43 Hardware Installation Mounting holes Karajan audio connector (J7) Karajan Audio Jacks • Line-in (Light Blue) This jack is used to connect any audio devices such as Hi-fi set, CD player, tape player, AM/FM radio tuner, synthesizer, etc. • Front Right/Left Jack - Line-out (Lime) This jack is used to connect to the front right and front left speakers of the audio system.
  • Page 44 Hardware Installation Front Audio The front audio connector (J4) on the Karajan audio module allows you to connect to the line-out and mic-in jacks that are at the front panel of your system. Using this connector will disable the rear au- dio’s line-out and mic-in functions.
  • Page 45 Hardware Installation IEEE 1394 1394_1 1394_2 1 The system board is equipped with an onboard IEEE 1394 port at location CN3 (IEEE 1394_1) of the system board. It is also equipped with an IEEE 1394 connector at location J8 (1394_2) for connecting an additional 1394 device. The 1394 port may come mounted on a card-edge bracket.
  • Page 46 Hardware Installation Universal Serial Bus Ports USB 2 USB 1 USB 4 USB 3 USB 6 USB 5 USB 7-8 USB 9-10 The system board supports 10 USB 2.0/1.1 ports. USB allows data exchange between your computer and a wide range of simultaneously accessible external Plug and Play peripherals.
  • Page 47 Hardware Installation Driver Installation You may need to install the proper drivers in your operating system to use the USB device. Refer to your operating system’s manual or documentation for more information. Refer to chapter 4 for more information about installing the USB 2.0 driver.

  • Page 48: Rj45 Lan Port

    Hardware Installation RJ45 LAN Port LAN 1 LAN 2 LAN 1 which is controlled by the Vitesse VSC8201 Gigabit Phy chip is at location CN4 and LAN 2 which is controlled by the Marvell 88E8001 Gigabit PCI chip is at location CN6. LAN 2 is present on the “nF4 SLI”...

  • Page 49: I/O Connectors

    Hardware Installation I/O Connectors CD-in Internal Audio Connector Ground Ground Left audio Right audio channel channel Audio codec Line-in Front R/L Mic-in Center/Subwoofer Rear R/L Side R/L The CD-in (J2) connector on the Karajan audio module used to receive audio from a CD-ROM drive, TV tuner or MPEG card.

  • Page 50: Floppy Disk Drive Connector

    Hardware Installation Floppy Disk Drive Connector The system board is equipped with a 90 floppy disk drive connector that supports two standard floppy disk drives. To prevent improper floppy cable installation, the floppy disk header has a keying mechanism. The 34-pin connector on the floppy cable can be placed into the header only if pin 1 of the connector is aligned with pin 1 of the header.

  • Page 51: Serial Ata Connectors

    Hardware Installation Serial ATA Connectors Four Serial ATA ports supported by the nForce4 chip SATA 3 SATA 4 (J11) (J13) SATA 1 SATA 2 (J2) (J10) • SATA speed up to 3Gb/s (for “nF4 SLI” and “nF4 Ultra” models only) SATA speed up to 1.5Gb/s (for “nF4”...
  • Page 52 Hardware Installation 4. When the system powers-up, the NVRAID BIOS status message screen will appear. Press the <F10> key to enter the utility. The utility allows you to build a RAID system on Serial ATA drives and Parallel ATA drives. 5.
  • Page 53 Hardware Installation Configuring RAID The following describes the basic steps on configuring RAID. 1. Set the “Sil3114 S-ATA RAID Control” field to “SATA RAID”. (Genie BIOS Setting submenu of the Award BIOS.) 2. Reboot the PC. 3. When the system powers-up, the Sil3114 SataRAID BIOS status message screen will appear.

  • Page 54: Ide Disk Drive Connector

    Hardware Installation IDE Disk Drive Connector IDE 2 IDE 1 The system board is equipped with two shrouded PCI IDE headers that will interface four Enhanced IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) disk drives. To prevent improper IDE cable installation, each shrouded PCI IDE header has a keying mechanism.
  • Page 55 Hardware Installation Note: Refer to your disk drive user’s manual for information about selecting proper drive switch settings. Adding a Second IDE Disk Drive When using two IDE drives, one must be set as the master and the other as the slave. Follow the instructions provided by the drive manufacturer for setting the jumpers and/or switches on the drives.
  • Page 56 Hardware Installation Serial (COM) Port The system board is equipped with a 9-pin connector for connecting an external serial port. The serial port cable is an optional item and must be purchased separately. Insert the connector that is attached to the serial port cable to the 9-pin connector then install the serial port bracket to an available bracket slot at the rear of the system chassis.

  • Page 57: Irda Connector

    Hardware Installation IrDA Connector IRRX Ground N. C. IRTX Connect the cable connector from the IrDA module to the IrDA connector (J5). Note: The sequence of the pin functions on some IrDA cable may be reversed from the pin function defined on the system board. Make sure to connect the cable connector to the IrDA connector according to their pin functions.

  • Page 58: Cooling Fan Connectors

    Hardware Installation Cooling Fan Connectors Sense Power Ground Fan 2 Sense Power Ground Ground Power Sense CPU fan Fan 3 N. C. Ground Ground Power N. C. Power Fan 5 Fan 4 Connect the CPU fan’s cable connector to the CPU fan connector (J31) on the system board.
  • Page 59 Hardware Installation LEDs DRAM Power LED Standby Power LED Diagnostic LEDs and connector DRAM Power LED This LED will light when the system’s power is on. Standby Power LED This LED will light when the system is in the standby mode. Diagnostic LEDs LED 1 to LED 4 are diagnostic LEDs.
  • Page 60 Hardware Installation J15 which is present only on the LANPARTY nF4 SLI-DR system board is used to connect to the 4 diagnostic LEDs that are on the FrontX device. The pin function of the connector is shown below.

  • Page 61: Power Connectors

    Hardware Installation Power Connectors Ground Ground 4-pin +12V +12V +12V 1 2 2 4 +3.3VDC +12VDC +5VDC +12VDC +5VDC +5VDC +5VSB PWR_OK +5VDC PS_ON# +5VDC -12VDC +3.3VDC +3.3VDC +3.3VDC Ground Ground Ground +12V Ground 5V/12V +12V (HDD-type) 5V/12V (FDD-type) Use a power supply that complies with the ATX12V Power Supply Design Guide Version 1.1.
  • Page 62 Hardware Installation The system board requires a minimum of 300 Watt power supply to operate. Your system configuration (CPU power, amount of memory, add-in cards, peripherals, etc.) may exceed the minimum power requirement. To ensure that adequate power is provided, we strongly recommend that you use a minimum of 400 Watt (or greater) power supply.

  • Page 63: Front Panel Connectors

    Hardware Installation Front Panel Connectors RESET SPEAKER HD-LED PWR-LED ATX-SW HD-LED: Primary/Secondary IDE LED This LED will light when the hard drive is being accessed. RESET: Reset Switch This switch allows you to reboot without having to power off the system thus prolonging the life of the power supply or system.
  • Page 64 Hardware Installation PWR-LED: Power/Standby LED When the system’s power is on, this LED will light. When the system is in the S1 (POS - Power On Suspend) or S3 (STR - Suspend To RAM) state, it will blink every second. Note: If a system did not boot-up and the Power/Standby LED did not light after it was powered-on, it may indicate that the CPU...
  • Page 65 Hardware Installation EZ Touch Switches Reset Switch Power Switch The presence of the power switch and reset switch on the system board are user-friendly especially to DIY users. They provide convenience in powering on and/or resetting the system while fine tuning the system board before it is installed into the system chassis.
  • Page 66 Hardware Installation PCI Express Slots PCI Express x4 PCI Express x16 PCI Express x1 PCI Express x16 Install PCI Express x16 graphics card, that comply to the PCI Express specifications, into the PCI Express x16 slot. For “SLI” models which support the NVIDIA SLI technology, refer to the next section (SLI Technology) for more information.

  • Page 67: Sli Technology

    Hardware Installation SLI Technology (for “nF4 SLI” models only) ® The NVIDIA (Scalable Link Interface) technology connects two identical SLI-ready PCI Express x16 graphics cards in a single and scalable system. Using the SLI bridge to connect two identical graphics cards will provide extreme performance allowing you to enjoy games with the most visual effects and the most graphics demanding multimedia utilities.

  • Page 68: Setting The Jumpers

    Hardware Installation Setting the Jumpers The jumpers in the illustration below are used to switch between SLI mode and Single VGA mode. SLI Mode 2-3 On: SLI mode The illustration below shows the bandwidth of the PCI Express slots when set in SLI mode. Bandwidth PCIE2 PCIE1...
  • Page 69 Hardware Installation Single VGA Mode 1-2 On: Single VGA mode The illustration below shows the bandwidth of the PCI Express slots when set in Single VGA mode. Bandwidth PCIE2 PCIE1 PCIE3 PCIE4...
  • Page 70 Hardware Installation Removing the Jumper Caps The steps below will guide you on how to use the provided jumper cap clipper. The clipper is a gripping device for removing the jumper caps. Hook Arm of the clipper Hook Position the clipper above the jumper cap. Handle the clipper as shown in the illustration below.
  • Page 71 Hardware Installation This will easily remove the jumper cap. In order for the jumper cap to come off from the hook, slightly open the arms of the clipper.
  • Page 72 Hardware Installation Installing the Graphics Cards Important: Use two identical NVIDIA SLI-ready PCI Express x16 graphics cards. 1. To install the first graphics card, remove the screw of the bracket that is opposite the PCIE1 slot then remove the bracket. 2.
  • Page 73 Hardware Installation 7. The distinctive feature of an SLI-ready graphics card is the presence of the SLI connector (goldfingers) on the card. 8. Align the SLI bridge (included in the system board package) above the SLI connector of the graphics cards then insert the bridge until it is properly seated in place.

  • Page 74: Dual Xpress Graphics

    Hardware Installation 9. Connect a 4-pin power cable from the power supply unit to the 5V/12V connector that is on the system board. Power cable 5V/12V connector Dual Xpress Graphics (for “Ultra” models only) The Dual Xpress Graphics (DXG) technology supports the following: •...
  • Page 75 Hardware Installation Horizontal Stretch Mode - Multiple Display Support Under non-SLI mode, the system board can support simultaneous display of up to 4 monitors by connecting monitors to two identical or non-identical PCI Express graphics cards. Install all necessary utility drivers then open the Display Properties dialog box.

  • Page 76: Chapter 3 - Bios Setup

    BIOS Setup Chapter 3 - BIOS Setup Award BIOS Setup Utility The Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) is a program that takes care of the basic level of communication between the processor and peripherals. In addition, the BIOS also contains codes for various advanced features found in this system board.

  • Page 77: Bios Setup

    BIOS Setup Standard CMOS Features Use the arrow keys to highlight “Standard CMOS Features” and press <Enter>. A screen similar to the one below will appear. The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical to this one. Date The date format is <day>, <month>, <date>, <year>.
  • Page 78 BIOS Setup Primary IDE Master, Primary IDE Slave, Secondary IDE Master and Secondary IDE Slave Move the cursor to a field then press <Enter>. The following screen will appear. The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical to this one.
  • Page 79 BIOS Setup IDE HDD Auto-Detection Detects the parameters of the drive. The parameters will automati- cally be shown on the screen. Primary IDE Master/Slave and Secondary IDE Master/Slave The drive type information should be included in the documentation from your hard disk vendor. If you select ”Auto”, the BIOS will auto- detect the HDD &...
  • Page 80 BIOS Setup Sector This field displays the number sectors per track. Drive A and Drive B These fields identify the types of floppy disk drives installed. None No floppy drive is installed 360K, 5.25 in. 5-1/4 in. standard drive; 360KB capacity 1.2M, 5.25 in.
  • Page 81 BIOS Setup Extended Memory Displays the amount of extended memory detected during boot-up. Total Memory Displays the total memory available in the system.

  • Page 82: Advanced Bios Features

    BIOS Setup Advanced BIOS Features The Advanced BIOS Features allows you to configure your system for basic operation. Some entries are defaults required by the system board, while others, if enabled, will improve the performance of your system or let you set some features according to your preference. The screen above list all the fields available in the Advanced BIOS Features submenu, for ease of reference in this manual.
  • Page 83 BIOS Setup Removable Device Priority This field is used to select the boot sequence of the removable devices. Move the cursor to this field then press <Enter>. Use the Up or Down arrow keys to select a device then press <+> to move it up or <->...
  • Page 84 BIOS Setup Hard Disk Boot Priority This field is used to select the boot sequence of the hard drives. Move the cursor to this field then press <Enter>. Use the Up or Down arrow keys to select a device then press <+> to move it up or <->...
  • Page 85 BIOS Setup Network Boot Priority This field is used to select the boot sequence of the network. Move the cursor to this field then press <Enter>. Use the Up or Down arrow keys to select a device then press <+> to move it up or <- >...
  • Page 86 BIOS Setup First Boot Device, Second Boot Device, Third Boot Device and Boot Other Device Select the drive to boot first, second and third in the “First Boot Device” “Second Boot Device” and “Third Boot Device” fields respectively. The BIOS will boot the operating system according to the sequence of the drive selected.
  • Page 87 BIOS Setup Typematic Rate Setting Disabled Continually holding down a key on your keyboard will cause the BIOS to report that the key is down. Enabled The BIOS will not only report that the key is down, but will first wait for a moment, and, if the key is still down, it will begin to report that the key has been depressed repeatedly.
  • Page 88 BIOS Setup MPS Version Control for OS This field is used to select the MPS version that the system board is using. OS Select for DRAM > 64MB Select the “OS2” option only if the system that is running an OS/2 operating system has greater than 64MB RAM.

  • Page 89: Advanced Chipset Features

    BIOS Setup Advanced Chipset Features The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical to this one. This section gives you functions to configure the system based on the specific features of the chipset. The chipset manages bus speeds and access to system memory resources.
  • Page 90 BIOS Setup CPU Thermal-Throttling Thermal throttling regulates the thermal environment by alternating between running the processor at full speed and placing the processor in a sleep state whenever the upper limits of the thermal envelop are reached. System BIOS Cacheable When this field is enabled, accesses to the system BIOS ROM addressed at F0000H-FFFFFH are cached, provided that the cache controller is enabled.

  • Page 91: Integrated Peripherals

    BIOS Setup Integrated Peripherals The screen above list all the fields available in the Integrated Peripherals submenu, for ease of reference in this manual. In the actual CMOS setup, you have to use the scroll bar to view the fields. The settings on the screen are for reference only.
  • Page 92 BIOS Setup OnChip IDE Channel0 and OnChip IDE Channel1 These fields allow you to enable or disable the primary and second- ary IDE controller. The default is Enabled. Select Disabled if you want to add a different hard drive controller. Primary Master/Slave PIO and Secondary Master/Slave PIO PIO means Programmed Input/Output.
  • Page 93 BIOS Setup Serial-ATA 2 This field is used to enable or disable the second channel (SATA 3 and SATA 4) of the Serial ATA supported by the NVIDIA nForce 4 chipset. IDE Prefetch Mode This allows data and addresses to be stored in the internal buffer of the chip, thus reducing access time.
  • Page 94 BIOS Setup RAID Enable This field is used to enable or disable the RAID function of Parallel ATA drives and Serial ATA drives (drives connected to SATA 1 to SATA 4). IDE Primary Master RAID and IDE Primary Slave RAID These fields are used to enable or disable the RAID function of primary IDE’s master and slave channels.
  • Page 95 BIOS Setup AC97 Audio Auto Select this option when using the onboard audio. Disabled Select this option when using a PCI sound card. Power On By Button Set this field to Enabled if you are using the power button to power-on the system.
  • Page 96 BIOS Setup KB Power On Password Move the cursor to this field and press <Enter>. Enter your pass- word. You can enter up to 5 characters. Type in exactly the same password to confirm, then press <Enter>. The power button will not function once a keyboard password has been set in this field.

  • Page 97: Power Management Setup

    BIOS Setup Power Management Setup The Power Management Setup allows you to configure your system to most effectively save energy. The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical to this one. ACPI Function This function should be enabled only in operating systems that ®...
  • Page 98 BIOS Setup Power Management This field allows you to select the type (or degree) of power saving by changing the length of idle time that elapses before the “HDD Power Down” field is activated. Min Saving Minimum power saving time for the “HDD Power Down”...
  • Page 99 BIOS Setup HDD Down In Suspend The default setting is Disabled. When enabled, the hard drive will be powered off once the system enters the Suspend mode. Soft-Off by PBTN This field allows you to select the method of powering off your system.
  • Page 100 BIOS Setup Power-On By Alarm Enabled When Enabled, you can set the time you would like the Soft Power Down (Soft-Off) PC to power-on in the “Time (dd:hh:mm) of Alarm” field. However, if the system is being accessed by incoming calls or the net- work prior to the time set in the field, the system will give priority to the incoming calls or network.
  • Page 101 BIOS Setup PnP/PCI Configurations This section describes configuring the PCI bus system. It covers some very technical items and it is strongly recommended that only experienced users should make any changes to the default settings. The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical to this one.
  • Page 102 BIOS Setup Resources Controlled By The Award Plug and Play BIOS has the capability to automatically configure all of the boot and Plug and Play compatible devices. Auto(ESCD) The system will automatically detect the settings for you. Manual Choose the specific IRQ in the “IRQ Resources” field.

  • Page 103: Pc Health Status

    BIOS Setup PC Health Status The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical to this one. Shutdown Temperature You can prevent the system from overheating by selecting a tem- perature in this field. If the system detected that its temperature exceeded the one set in this field, it will automatically shutdown.
  • Page 104 BIOS Setup On If CPUTemp” field to allow the CPU fan to rotate full speed at the selected lower temperature. Fan 2 Fully On If PWMTemp This field is used to select the system temperature that would allow Fan 2 to rotate at full speed. Fan 2 Turn Off If PWMTemp This field is used to select the system temperature that would allow Fan 2 to rotate at a start speed which is the slowest speed.

  • Page 105: Genie Bios Setting

    BIOS Setup Genie BIOS Setting The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical to this one. DRAM Configuration Move the cursor to this field and press <Enter>. The following screen will appear. The settings on the screen are for reference only. Your version may not be identical to this one.
  • Page 106 BIOS Setup DRAM Frequency Set (Mhz) This field is used to set a memory clock limit on the system. This will prevent the memory speed from running faster than this frequency. Command Per Clock (CPC) This field is used to enable the DRAM commands and address that will be driven for 2 clock cycles and select the second phase of the 2 clock command and address.
  • Page 107 BIOS Setup Row Refresh Cyc Time (Trfc) This field is used to select the row refresh cycle time. Auto refresh active to RAS# active or RAS# to auto refresh - similar to Trc. Row to Row Delay (Trrd) This field is used to select the row to row delay time of different banks.
  • Page 108 BIOS Setup DRAM Drive Strength This field is used to select a level of the DRAM drive strength. Max Async Latency This field is used to select the DRAM maximum asynchronous latency time. Read Preamble Time This field is used to select the time prior to the max-read DOS return when the DOS receiver is turned on.
  • Page 109 BIOS Setup FSB Bus Frequency This field provides several options for selecting the FSB of the CPU. The available options allow you to adjust the CPU’s bus clock by 1MHz increment. Important: Selecting a bus frequency other than the default setting may result to the CPU’s or system’s instability and are not guaranteed to provide better system performance.
  • Page 110 BIOS Setup CPU Core Voltage This field will show the CPU’s current voltage. LDT Bus Voltage This field will show the LDT bus voltage. Chipset Voltage This field will show the chipset’s current voltage. DRAM 2.5V Voltage This field will show the DRAM’s current voltage. CPU VID Control This field allows you to manually adjust to a higher core voltage that is supplied to the CPU.
  • Page 111 BIOS Setup DRAM Voltage Control This field allows you to manually select higher voltage supplied to the DRAM. If you want to use the DRAM’s default voltage, leave this field in its default setting. Important: Although this function is supported, we do not recommend that you use a higher voltage because unstable current may be supplied to the system board causing damage.

  • Page 112: Cmos Reloaded

    BIOS Setup CMOS Reloaded The CMOS Reloaded submenu allows you to save different configu- rations and when needed, allows you to conveniently restore one of these previously saved configurations. Highlight CMOS Reloaded in the main menu then press <Enter>. The screen above list all the fields available in the CMOS Reloaded submenu, for ease of reference in this manual.
  • Page 113 BIOS Setup Auto Save Bootable Setting This field is used to automatically save the last bootable setting from CMOS to an area in the SEEPROM referred to as the backup bank. To use this function: 1. Set this field to Enabled. 2.
  • Page 114 BIOS Setup Saving, Loading and Naming BIOS Settings For overclockers who require different sets of settings for various system environments or operating systems, CMOS Reloaded allows you to save, load and name up to four sets of BIOS settings - in the “User Defined Setting Bank #1”...
  • Page 115 BIOS Setup Load from this Bank To load the setting saved in the bank, move the cursor to “Load from this Bank” then press <Enter>. The setting in this bank will replace the current setting. Make sure to save before you exit the BIOS setup utility by selecting “Y”...

  • Page 116: Load Optimized Defaults

    BIOS Setup Load Optimized Defaults The “Load Optimized Defaults” option loads optimized settings from the BIOS ROM. Use the default values as standard values for your system. Highlight this option in the main menu and press <Enter>. Type <Y> and press <Enter> to load the Setup default values.

  • Page 117: Set Supervisor Password

    BIOS Setup Set Supervisor Password If you want to protect your system and setup from unauthorized entry, set a supervisor’s password with the “System” option selected in the Advanced BIOS Features. If you want to protect access to setup only, but not your system, set a supervisor’s password with the “Setup”...

  • Page 118: Set User Password

    BIOS Setup Set User Password If you want another user to have access only to your system but not to setup, set a user’s password with the “System” option se- lected in the Advanced BIOS Features. If you want a user to enter a password when trying to access setup, set a user’s password with the “Setup”...
  • Page 119 BIOS Setup Save & Exit Setup When all the changes have been made, highlight “Save & Exit Setup” and press <Enter>. Type “Y” and press <Enter>. The modifications you have made will be written into the CMOS memory, and the system will reboot. You will once again see the initial diagnostics on the screen.

  • Page 120: Exit Without Saving

    BIOS Setup Exit Without Saving When you do not want to save the changes you have made, highlight “Exit Without Saving” and press <Enter>. Type “Y” and press <Enter>. The system will reboot and you will once again see the initial diagnostics on the screen. If you wish to make any changes to the setup, press <Ctrl>...

  • Page 121: Nvraid Bios

    BIOS Setup NVRAID BIOS The NVRAID BIOS utility, suppor ted by the NVIDIA nForce4 chipset, is used to configure and manage RAID on Serial ATA drives (SATA 1 to SATA 4) and Parallel ATA drives. After you power up the system and all drives have been detected, the NVRAID BIOS status message screen will appear.

  • Page 122: Updating The Bios

    Updating the BIOS To update the BIOS, you will need the new BIOS file and a flash utility, AWDFLASH.EXE. You can download them from DFI’s web site or contact technical support or your sales representative. 1. Save the new BIOS file along with the flash utility AWDFLASH.EXE to a floppy disk.
  • Page 123 BIOS Setup 6. The following will appear. Do You Want to Save BIOS (Y/N) This question refers to the current existing BIOS in your system. We recommend that you save the current BIOS and its flash utility; just in case you need to reinstall the BIOS. To save the current BIOS, press <Y>...

  • Page 124: Chapter 4 - Supported Softwares

    Supported Software Chapter 4 - Supported Software Drivers, Utilities and Software Applications The CD that came with the system board contains drivers, utilities and software applications required to enhance the performance of the system board. Inser t the CD into a CD-ROM drive. The autorun screen (Mainboard Utility CD) will appear.

  • Page 125: Supported Software

    Supported Software Microsoft DirectX 9 To install, please follow the steps below. 1. On the left side of the autorun screen, click the “TOOLS” icon. 2. Click “Microsoft DirectX 9” on the main menu. The following screen will appear. 3. Click “I accept the agreement” then click “Next”. 4.
  • Page 126 Supported Software NVIDIA Windows nForce Drivers The NVIDIA Windows nForce Drivers contains the following. • NVIDIA SMBus Driver • NVIDIA Ethernet Driver • NVIDIA IDE Driver • NVIDIA Audio Driver To install NVIDIA Windows nForce Drivers, please follow the steps below.
  • Page 127 Supported Software 3. The following screen will appear. Select the drivers you want to install. The drivers will be installed automatically. Make sure you have selected “NVIDIA IDE Driver” because this driver will replace Windows ATA drivers enabling the processor and other system level hardware to be more productive and efficient.
  • Page 128 Supported Software 5. When prompted about installing NVIDIA Firewall and ForceWare Network Access Manager, click “Yes”. 6. Click “Next” to install NVIDIA Firewall and ForceWare Network Access Manager.
  • Page 129 Supported Software 7. Select the type of setup you prefer then click “Next”. 8. Click “Yes” to activate Firewall.
  • Page 130 Supported Software 9. Click “Finish” to exit setup. NVIDIA ForceWare Network Access Manager After completing installation, the “NVIDIA web-based...” icon is automatically created on your desktop. Double-click this icon to launch the NVIDIA ForceWare Network Access Manager utility. The utility allows you to configure the Ethernet interface features and personal Firewall for optimized security.
  • Page 131 Supported Software RAID Driver for NVIDIA nForce4 The steps below describe configuring RAID on Serial ATA and Parallel ATA drives. Run the Award BIOS setup utility then go to the Integrated Peripherals submenu - “RAID Config” section of the BIOS. Set the “RAID Enable”...
  • Page 132 Supported Software Warning: Treat the hard drives' cables with extreme caution especially while creating RAID. A damaged cable will ruin the entire installation process and operating system. The system will not boot and you will lost all data in the hard drives. Please give special attention to this warning because there is no way of recovering back the data.
  • Page 133 Supported Software RAID Driver for Silicon Image Sil 3114 (for “DR” models only) The steps below describe configuring RAID on Serial ATA supported by the Silicon Image Sil 3114 chip. Set the “Sil3114 S-ATA RAID Control” field to “SATA RAID” (Genie BIOS Setting submenu of the Award BIOS.) 2.
  • Page 134 Supported Software 5. Locate for the drive where you inserted the diskette then select the Silicon Image controller. Press <Enter> to install the driver. 6. If you need to install other devices, please do so at this time otherwise please proceed to the next step. 7.
  • Page 135 Supported Software nTune NVIDIA nTune is an easy monitoring application that allows tuning of gaming performance, setting the system to quiet operation when playing DVD and monitoring the system functions. nTune is the safest way to change the bus speeds, memory timings and adjust voltages. Click “Benchmark and automatically tune my system”...
  • Page 136 Supported Software Click “NView” to configure desktop management. Click “NVMixer” for audio tuning.

  • Page 137: Installation Notes

    2. All steps or procedures to install software drivers are subject to change without notice as the softwares are occassionally updated. Please go to DFI's web site at "http://www.dfi.com/support1/ download2.asp" for the latest version of the drivers or software applications.
  • Page 138 System Error Message Appendix A - System Error Message When the BIOS encounters an error that requires the user to correct something, either a beep code will sound or a message will be displayed in a box in the middle of the screen and the message, PRESS F1 TO CONTINUE, CTRL-ALT-ESC or DEL TO ENTER SETUP, will be shown in the information box at the bottom.
  • Page 139 System Error Message setting than indicated in Setup. Determine which setting is correct, either turn off the system and change the jumper or enter Setup and change the VIDEO selection. FLOPPY DISK(S) fail (80) Unable to reset floppy subsystem. FLOPPY DISK(S) fail (40) Floppy type mismatch.

  • Page 140: Troubleshooting

    Troubleshooting Appendix B - Troubleshooting B.1 Troubleshooting Checklist This chapter of the manual is designed to help you with problems that you may encounter with your personal computer. To efficiently troubleshoot your system, treat each problem individually. This is to ensure an accurate diagnosis of the problem in case a problem has multiple causes.

  • Page 141: Power Supply

    Troubleshooting The picture seems to be constantly moving. 1. The monitor has lost its vertical sync. Adjust the monitor’s vertical sync. 2. Move away any objects, such as another monitor or fan, that may be creating a magnetic field around the display. 3.

  • Page 142: Hard Drive

    Troubleshooting Hard Drive Hard disk failure. 1. Make sure the correct drive type for the hard disk drive has been entered in the BIOS. 2. If the system is configured with two hard drives, make sure the bootable (first) hard drive is configured as Master and the sec- ond hard drive is configured as Slave.

  • Page 143: System Board

    Troubleshooting 3. Verify that the attached serial device works by attaching it to a serial port that is working and configured correctly. If the serial device does not work, either the cable or the serial device has a problem. If the serial device works, the problem may be due to the onboard I/O or the address setting.

Table of Contents