Asus Motherboard A8V-X Product Manual
Motherboard A8V-X
i i Copyright © 2006 ASUST eK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (âASUSâ). Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modiï¬ed or altered, unless such repair , modiï¬cation of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the product is defaced or missing. ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL âAS ISâ WITHOUT W ARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED T O THE IMPLIED W ARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANT ABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A P ARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT , SPECIAL, INCIDENT AL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DA T A, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE), EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT . SPECIFICA TIONS AND INFORMA TION CONT AINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR INFORMA TIONAL USE ONL Y , AND ARE SUBJECT T O CHANGE A T ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THA T MA Y APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTW ARE DESCRIBED IN IT . Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identiï¬cation or explanation and to the ownersʼ beneï¬t, without intent to infringe. E 2 2 1 0 F i r s t E d i t i o n J a n u a r y 2 0 0 6
i i i Contents Notices ................................................................................................ vi Safety information ............................................................................. vii About this guide ................................................................................. viii How this guide is organized .................................................... viii Where to ï¬nd more information ............................................. viii Conventions used in this guide ................................................ ix Typography ......................................................................................... ix A8V-X speciï¬cations summary ............................................................. x Chapter 1: Product introduction 1.1 Welcome! .............................................................................. 1-2 1.2 Package contents ................................................................. 1-2 1.3 Special features .................................................................... 1-3 1.3.1 Product highlights ................................................... 1-3 1.3.2 Innovative ASUS features ....................................... 1-5 1.4 Before you proceed .............................................................. 1-6 1.5 Motherboard overview .......................................................... 1-7 1.5.1 Placement direction ................................................ 1-7 1.5.2 Screw holes ............................................................. 1-7 1.5.3 Motherboard layout ................................................ 1-8 1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU) .............................................. 1-9 1.6.1 Overview ................................................................. 1-9 1.6.2 Installling the CPU ................................................... 1-9 1.6.3 Installing the heatsink and fan .............................. 1-11 1.7 System memory .................................................................. 1-13 1.7.1 Overview ............................................................... 1-13 1.7.2 Memory Conï¬gurations ......................................... 1-13 1.7.3 Installing a DIMM ................................................... 1-16 1.7.4 Removing a DIMM .................................................. 1-16 1.8 Expansion slots ................................................................... 1-17 1.8.1 Installing an expansion card .................................. 1-17 1.8.2 Conï¬guring an expansion card .............................. 1-17 1.8.3 Interrupt assignments ........................................... 1-18 1.8.4 PCI slots ................................................................ 1-19 1.8.5 PCI Express x16 slot ............................................. 1-19
i v Contents 1.8.6 PCI Express x1 slot ............................................... 1-19 1.9 Jumpers .............................................................................. 1-20 1.10 Connectors ......................................................................... 1-22 1.10.1 Rear panel connectors .......................................... 1-22 1.10.2 Internal connectors ............................................... 1-23 Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ........................................ 2-2 2.1.1 Creating a bootable ï¬oppy disk .............................. 2-2 2.1.2 ASUS EZ Flash utility ............................................... 2-3 2.1.3 AFUDOS utility ........................................................ 2-4 2.1.4 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility ................................ 2-6 2.1.5 ASUS Update utility ................................................ 2-8 2.2 BIOS setup program ............................................................ 2-11 2.2.1 BIOS menu screen ................................................. 2-12 2.2.2 Menu bar ............................................................... 2-12 2.2.3 Navigation keys ..................................................... 2-12 2.2.4 Menu items ........................................................... 2-13 2.2.5 Sub-menu items .................................................... 2-13 2.2.6 Conï¬guration ï¬elds ............................................... 2-13 2.2.7 Pop-up window ...................................................... 2-13 2.2.8 Scroll bar ............................................................... 2-13 2.2.9 General help .......................................................... 2-13 2.3 Main menu ........................................................................... 2-14 2.3.1 System Time ........................................................ 2-14 2.3.2 System Date ........................................................ 2-14 2.3.3 Legacy Diskette A .............................................. 2-14 2.3.4 Primary and Secondary IDE Master/Slave ............. 2-15 2.3.5 System Information .............................................. 2-16 2.4 Advanced menu .................................................................. 2-17 2.4.1 JumperFree Conï¬guration ..................................... 2-17 2.4.2 USB Conï¬guration ................................................. 2-18 2.4.3 CPU Conï¬guration ................................................. 2-19
v Contents 2.4.4 Chipset .................................................................. 2-19 2.4.5 Onboard Devices Conï¬guration ............................. 2-25 2.4.6 PCI PnP .................................................................. 2-26 2.5 Power menu ........................................................................ 2-28 2.5.1 Suspend Mode .................................................... 2-28 2.5.2 Repost Video on S3 Resume ................................ 2-28 2.5.3 ACPI 2.0 Suppot ................................................... 2-28 2.5.4 ACPI APIC Suppot .................................................. 2-28 2.5.5 APM Conï¬guration ................................................ 2-29 2.5.6 Hardware Monitor .................................................. 2-31 2.6 Boot menu .......................................................................... 2-32 2.6.1 Boot Device Priority .............................................. 2-32 2.6.2 Boot Settings Conï¬guration ................................ 2-33 2.6.3 Security ................................................................. 2-34 2.7 Exit menu ............................................................................ 2-37 Chapter 3: Software support 3.1 Installing an operating system .............................................. 3-2 3.2 Support CD information ........................................................ 3-2 3.2.1 Running the support CD .......................................... 3-2 3.2.2 Drivers menu ........................................................... 3-3 3.2.3 Utilities menu .......................................................... 3-4 3.2.4 Manual ..................................................................... 3-5 3.2.5 ASUS Contact information ...................................... 3-6
v i Notices F e d e r a l C o m m u n i c a t i o n s C o m m i s s i o n S t a t e m e n t This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: ⢠This device may not cause harmful interference, and ⢠This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation. 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 in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturerʼs instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur 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 receiver. ⢠Connect the equipment to 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. C a n a d i a n D e p a r t m e n t o f C o m m u n i c a t i o n s S t a t e m e n t This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications. This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003. The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modiï¬cations to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the userʼs authority to operate this equipment.
v i i The symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the product (electrical and electronic equipment) should not be placed in municipal waste. Check local regulations for disposal of electronic products. Safety information E l e c t r i c a l s a f e t y ⢠To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet before relocating the system. ⢠When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected. If possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you add a device. ⢠Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard, ensure that all power cables are unplugged. ⢠Seek professional assistance before using an adapter or extension cord. These devices could interrupt the grounding circuit. ⢠Make sure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your area. If you are not sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you are using, contact your local power company. ⢠If the power supply is broken, do not try to fix it by yourself. Contact a qualified service technician or your retailer. O p e r a t i o n s a f e t y ⢠Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read all the manuals that came with the package. ⢠Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected and the power cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately. ⢠To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from connectors, slots, sockets and circuitry. ⢠Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any area where it may become wet. ⢠Place the product on a stable surface. ⢠If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualified service technician or your retailer.
v i i i About this guide This user guide contains the information you need when installing and conï¬guring the motherboard. H o w t h i s g u i d e i s o r g a n i z e d This manual contains the following parts: ⢠C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new technology it supports. It also lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when installing system components. It includes description of the jumpers and connectors on the motherboard. ⢠C h a p t e r 2 : B I O S s e t u p This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided. ⢠C h a p t e r 3 : S o f t w a r e s u p p o r t This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the motherboard package. W h e r e t o f i n d m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software updates. 1 . A S U S w e b s i t e s The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information. 2 . O p t i o n a l d o c u m e n t a t i o n Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty ï¬yers, that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not part of the standard package.
i x C o n v e n t i o n s u s e d i n t h i s g u i d e To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual. Typography DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to complete a task. CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to complete a task. NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a task. IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task. Bold text Indicates a menu or an item to select Italics Used to emphasize a word or a phrase <Key> Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater- than sign means that you must press the enclosed key Example: <Enter> means that you must press the Enter or Return key <Key1> <Key2> < Key3> If you must press two or more keys simultaneously, the key names are linked with a plus sign ( ) Example: <Ctrl> <Alt> <D> Command Means that you must type the command exactly as shown, then supply the required item or value enclosed in brackets Example: At the DOS prompt, type the command line: Afudos/iA8V-X.ROM
x A8V-X speciï¬cations summary (continued on the next page) C P U C h i p s e t S y s t e m B u s M e m o r y E x p a n s i o n s l o t s S t o r a g e A u d i o L A N U S B S p e c i a l f e a t u r e s Socket 939 for AMD Sempron⢠/AMD Athlon⢠64/ AMD Athlon⢠64FX/AMD Athlon⢠64 X2 processor Supports AMD 64 architecture that enables simultaneous 32-bit and 64-bit architecture Supports AMD Cool Ê»nʼ Quiet! Technology Northbridge: VIA ® K8T800 Pro Southbridge: VIA ® VT8251 2000/1600 MT/s Dual-channel memory architecture 4 x 184-pin DIMM sockets support ECC/non-ECC unbufferred 400/333/266 MHz DDR memory modules Supports up to 4 GB system memory 1 x AGP 8X slot 2 x PCI Express x1 slots 3 x PCI slots VIA ® VT8251 Southbridge supports: - 2 x Utral DMA 133/100/66/33 connectors for up to four IDE devices - 4 x Serial ATA (3Gb/s) with RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0 1, RAID 5 and JBOD ADI AD1986A SoundMAX 6-channel CODEC 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF out port Supports Audio Sensing and Enumeration Technology Realtek RTL8201CL 10/100 LAN controller Supports up to 8 USB 2.0 ports ASUS C.P.R. ASUS JumperFree ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 ASUS MyLogo SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection): FSB tuning from 200MHz up to 300MHz at 1MHz increment ASUS EZ Flash
x i 1 x Parallel port 1 x LAN (RJ-45) port 4 x USB 2.0 ports 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF out port 1 x Serial (COM) port 1 x PS/2 keyboard port 1 x PS/2 mouse port 6-channel audio ports 4 Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.3 1 x Floppy disk drive connector 2 x IDE connectors 4 x Serial ATA connectors 1 x CPU fan connector 1 x Chassis fan connector 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF port 1 x 20-pin ATX power connector 1 x 4-pin ATX 12 V power connector 2 x USB 2.0 connectors for four additional USB 2.0 ports 1 x GAME/MIDI connector 1 x Chassis intrusion connector 1 x Front panel high-deï¬nition audio connector Internal audio (CD/AUX) connectors System panel connector ATX power supply (with 20-pin and 4-pin 12 V plugs) ATX 12 V 2.0 compliant ATX form factor: 12 in x 8.3 in (30.5 cm x 21.0 cm) Device drivers ASUS PC Probe ASUS Live Update Utility Antivirus software (OEM version) Wfm2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PME, PXE, RPL A8V-X speciï¬cations summary *Speciï¬cations are subject to change without notice. R e a r p a n e l B I O S f e a t u r e s I n t e r n a l c o n n e c t o r s P o w e r R e q u i r e m e n t F o r m F a c t o r S u p p o r t C D c o n t e n t s M a n a g e a b i l i t y
x i i
1 Product introduction This chapter describes the motherboard features and the new technologies it supports.
1 - 2 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1.1 Welcome! Thank you for buying an ASUS ® A8V-X motherboard! The motherboard delivers a host of new features and latest technologies, making it another standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards! Before you start installing the motherboard, and hardware devices on it, check the items in your package with the list below. If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer. 1.2 Package contents Check your motherboard package for the following items. Motherboard ASUS A8V-X motherboard Cables 1 x Serial ATA signal cable 1 x Serial ATA power cable 1 x Ultra DMA/133 cable 1 x Floppy disk drive cable Accessories I/O shield Application CDs ASUS motherboard support CD Documentation User guide
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 3 1.3 Special features 1 . 3 . 1 P r o d u c t h i g h l i g h t s L a t e s t p r o c e s s o r a n d 6 4 - b i t c o m p u t i n g t e c h n o l o g y The AMD Athlon⢠64FX, Athlon⢠64, Athlon⢠64 X2, and AMD Sempron⢠desktop processors are based on AMDʼs 64-bit and 32-bit architecture, which represents the landmark introduction of the industryʼs ï¬rst x86- 64 technology. These processors provide a dramatic leap forward in compatibility, performance, investment protection, and reduced total cost of ownership and development. See page 1-9 for details. H y p e r T r a n s p o r t ⢠T e c h n o l o g y HyperTransport⢠Technology is a high-speed, low latency, point-to-point link designed to increase the communication speed between integrated circuits in computers, networking and telecommunicatons equipment up to 48 times faster than other existing technologies. A M D C o o l Ê» n ʼ Q u i e t ! ⢠T e c h n o l o g y The motherboard supports the AMD Cool Ê»nʼ Quiet!⢠Technology that dynamically and automatically changes the CPU speed, voltage and amount of power depending on the task the CPU performs. D u a l C h a n n e l D D R m e m o r y s u p p o r t Employing the Double Data Rate (DDR) memory technology, the motherboard supports up to 4GB of system memory using DDR400/333/266 DIMMs. The ultra-fast 400MHz memory bus delivers the required bandwidth for the latest 3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications. See page 1-13.
1 - 4 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n S e r i a l A T A 3 G b / s t e c h n o l o g y The motherboard supports the Serial ATA 3Gb/s technology through the Serial ATA interfaces. The Serial ATA II 3Gb/s speciï¬cation provides twice the bandwidth of the current Serial ATA products with a host of new features, including Native Command Queuing (NCQ), and Power Management (PM) Implementation Algorithm. The Serial ATA allows for thinner, more ï¬exible cables with lower pin count, reduced voltage requirement. See pages 1-25 for details. P C I E x p r e s s ⢠i n t e r f a c e Th e m o th er b oa rd fu ll y s up p or ts PC I E xp r es s, the latest I/O interconnect technology that speeds up the PCI bus. PCI Express features point-to-point serial interconnections between devices and allows higher clockspeeds by carrying data in packets. This high speed interface is software compatible with existing PCI speciï¬cations. See page 1-19 for details. A D I S o u n d M A X H i g h - D e f i n i t i o n a u d i o The onboard 6-channel AD1986A High Deï¬nition audio CODEC enables high-quality audio which automatically detects and identiï¬es what type of peripherals are plugged into the audio I/O jacks. It also notiï¬es the user of inappropriate connection. See pages 1-26 and 1-27 for details. S / P D I F d i g i t a l s o u n d r e a d y The mo the rbo ard sup por ts t he S/P DIF Out fu nct ion thr oug h th e S /PD IF int erf ace s o n th e r ear pan el. Th e S /PDI F t ech nolo gy tur ns y our co mpu ter int o a hi gh- end ent ert ainm ent sy ste m wi th dig ital co nne ctiv ity to po werf ul aud io and sp eake r s yst ems. Se e p age 1-23 for details. U S B 2 . 0 t e c h n o l o g y The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 speciï¬cation, dramatically increasing the connection speed from the 12 Mbps bandwidth on USB 1.1 to a fast 480 Mbps on USB 2.0. USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1.1. See pages 1-21, 1-23 and 1-27 for details. A G P 8 X s u p p o r t The AGP 8X (AGP 3.0) VGA interface speciï¬cation enables enhanced graphics performance with high bandwidth speeds up to 2.12 GB/s.
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 5 1 . 3 . 2 I n n o v a t i v e A S U S f e a t u r e s C r a s h F r e e B I O S 2 Thi s f eat ure all ows yo u to re sto re the ori gin al B IOS da ta f rom th e s uppo rt CD in cas e wh en the BI OS c ode s a nd d ata ar e c orru pte d. This pr ote cti on eli min ate s t he n eed to buy a rep lac emen t R OM chip . S ee deta ils on pa ge 2-6. A S U S M y L o g o ⢠This new feature present in the motherboard allows you to personalize and add style to your system with customizable boot logos. C . P . R . ( C P U P a r a m e t e r R e c a l l ) The C.P.R. feature of the motherboard BIOS allows automatic re-setting to the BIOS default settings in case the system hangs due to overclocking. When the system hangs due to overclocking, C.P.R. eliminates the need to open the system chassis and clear the RTC data. Simply shut down and reboot the system, and the BIOS automatically restores the CPU previous setting for each parameter. A S U S E Z F l a s h B I O S With the ASUS EZ Flash, you can easily update the system BIOS even before loading the operating system. No need to use a DOS-based utility or boot from a ï¬oppy disk. See page 2-3 for details. T e m p e r a t u r e , f a n , a n d v o l t a g e m o n i t o r i n g The CPU temperature is monitored by the ASIC (integrated in the ITE Super I/O) to prevent overheating and damage. The system fan rotations per minute (RPM) is monitored for timely failure detection. The ASIC monitors the voltage levels to ensure stable supply of current for critical components. See section â2.5.4 Hardware Monitorâ on page 2-31.
1 - 6 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1.4 Before you proceed Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings. ⢠Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any component. ⢠Use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or to a metal object, such as the power supply case, before handling components to avoid damaging them due to static electricity ⢠Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them. ⢠Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded antistatic pad or in the bag that came with the component. ⢠Before you install or remove any component, ensure that the ATX power supply is switched off or the power cord is detached from the power supply. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to the motherboard, peripherals, and/or components. Onboard LEDs The motherboard comes with a green standby power LED that lights up to indicate that the system is ON, in sleep mode, or in soft-off mode. This is a reminder that you should shut down the system and unplug the power cable before removing or plugging in any motherboard component. A8V- X ® A8V -X Onboard LED SB_PWR ON Standby Power OFF Powered Off
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 7 A8 V-X ® 1.5 Motherboard overview Before you install the motherboard, study the conï¬guration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard ï¬ts into it. Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the motherboard. Failure to do so can cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components. Do not overtighten the screws! Doing so can damage the motherboard. 1 . 5 . 1 P l a c e m e n t d i r e c t i o n When installing the motherboard, make sure that you place it into the chassis in the correct orientation. The edge with external ports goes to the rear part of the chassis as indicated in the image below. 1 . 5 . 2 S c r e w h o l e s Place six (6) screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the chassis. Place this side towards the rear of the chassis
1 - 8 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1 . 5 . 3 M o t h e r b o a r d l a y o u t P ANEL A 8V - X ® CR2032 3V Lithium Cell CMOS Powe r AUX CD 4Mbit BIOS AAFP A TX12V CLRTC A TXPWR USB56 SB_PWR CHA_F AN USBPW1234 USBPW5678 21.1cm (8.3in) 30.5cm (12in) SA T A1 FLOPPY USB78 SA T A3 P ARALLEL PORT COM1 SPDIF_O PS/2KBMS T : M ouse B: Keyboard Below:Mic In Center:Line Out T op:Line In F_USB12 RJ-45 T op: USB3 USB4 Bottom: GAME DDR DIMM_A1 (64 bit,184-pin module) DDR DIMM_A2 (64 bit,184-pin module) DDR DIMM_B1 (64 bit,184-pin module) DDR DIMM_B2 (64 bit,184-pin module) PCIEX1_1 PCIEX1_2 AGP PCI1 PCI2 PCI3 ITE IT8712F-A AD1986A Socket 939 CPU_F AN VIA VT8251 PRI_IDE RTL8201CL SA T A2 SA T A4 SPDIF_OUT SEC_IDE VIA K8T800 PRO KBPWR CHASISS
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 9 1 . 6 . 2 I n s t a l l l i n g t h e C P U To install a CPU: 1. Locate the CPU socket on the motherboard. 1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU) 1 . 6 . 1 O v e r v i e w The motherboard comes with a surface mount 939-pin Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket designed for the AMD Athlon⢠64FX, AMD Athlon⢠64 X2, AMD Athlon 64⢠or AMD Sempron⢠processor. The 128-bit-wide data paths of these processors can run applications faster than processors with only 32-bit or 64-bit wide data paths. Before installing the CPU, make sure that the socket box is facing towards you and the load lever is on your left. Take note of the marked corner (with gold triangle) on the CPU. This mark should match a speciï¬c corner on the socket to ensure correct installation. Gold triangle A8V -X CPU Socket 939 A8V- X ®
1 - 1 0 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 2. Unlock the socket by pressing the lever sideways, then lift it up to a 90°-100° angle. Make sure that the socket lever is lifted up to 90°-100° angle, otherwise the CPU does not ï¬t in completely. 3. Position the CPU above the socket such that the CPU corner with the gold triangle matches the socket corner with a small triangle. 4. Carefully insert the CPU into the socket until it ï¬ts in place. The CPU ï¬ts only in one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU into the socket to prevent bending the pins and damaging the CPU! 5. When the CPU is in place, push down the socket lever to secure the CPU. The lever clicks on the side tab to indicate that it is locked.
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 1 1 1 . 6 . 3 I n s t a l l i n g t h e h e a t s i n k a n d f a n The AMD Athlon⢠64, AMD Athlon⢠64FX or AMD Athlon⢠64 X2 processors require a specially designed heatsink and fan assembly to ensure optimum thermal condition and performance. Follow these steps to install the CPU heatsink and fan. 1. Place the heatsink on top of the installed CPU, making sure that the heatsink ï¬ts properly on the retention module base. Make sure that you use only qualiï¬ed heatsink and fan assembly. ⢠The retention module base is already installed on the motherboard upon purchase. ⢠You do not have to remove the retention module base when installing the CPU or installing other motherboard components. ⢠If you purchased a separate CPU heatsink and fan assembly, make sure that a Thermal Interface Material is properly applied to the CPU heatsink or CPU before you install the heatsink and fan assembly. Your boxed CPU heatsink and fan assembly should come with installation instructions for the CPU, heatsink, and the retention mechanism. If the instructions in this section do not match the CPU documentation, follow the latter. R e t e n t i o n M o d u l e B a s e C P U H e a t s i n k C P U F a n R e t e n t i o n b r a c k e t l o c k R e t e n t i o n b r a c k e t
1 - 1 2 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n A8V -X CPU Fan Connector GND Rotation 12V CPU_F AN A8V- X ® 2. Attach one end of the retention bracket to the retention module base. 3. Align the other end of the retention bracket (near the retention bracket lock) to the retention module base. A clicking sound denotes that the retention bracket is in place. 4. Push down the retention bracket lock on the retention mechanism to secure the heatsink and fan to the module base. 5. When the fan and heatsink assembly is in place, connect the CPU fan cable to the connector on the motherboard labeled CPU_FAN. Make sure that the fan and heatsink assembly perfectly ï¬ts the retention mechanism module base, otherwise you cannot snap the retention bracket in place. 1 3 4 5 2 Do not forget to connect the CPU fan connector! Hardware monitoring errors can occur if you fail to plug this connector.
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 1 3 Channel Sockets Channel A DIMM_A1 and DIMM_A2 Channel B DIMM_B1 and DIMM_B2 1.7 System memory 1 . 7 . 1 O v e r v i e w The motherboard comes with four 184-pin Double Data Rate (DDR) Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMM) sockets. The following ï¬gure illustrates the location of the sockets: 1 . 7 . 2 M e m o r y C o n f i g u r a t i o n s You may install 64MB, 128MB, 256 MB, 512 MB and 1 GB unbuffered ECC or non-ECC DDR DIMMs into the DIMM sockets using the memory conï¬gurations in this section. ⢠Always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency. For optimum compatibility, it is recommended that you obtain memory modules from the same vendor. Refer to the DDR400 Qualiï¬ed Vendors List on Page 1-15 for details. ⢠If you installed four 1 GB memory modules, the system may detect less than 3GB of total memory because of address space allocation for other critical functions. This limitation applies to Windows XP 32- bit version operating system since it does not support PAE(Physical Address Extension) mode. ⢠If you install Windows XP 32-bit version operating system, we recommend that you install less than 3GB of total memory. ⢠Due to CPU limitation, install on Channel B slots for a single-channel memory conï¬guration. A8V- X ® A8V -X 184-pin DDR DIMM Sockets DIMM_A1 DIMM_A2 DIMM_B1 DIMM_B2 80 Pins 1 0 4 Pi n s
1 - 1 4 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n T a b l e 1 R e c o m m e n d e d m e m o r y c o n f i g u r a t i o n s * Use only identical DDR DIMM pairs. * For dual-channel conï¬guration (3), you may: ⢠install identical DIMMs in all four sockets OR ⢠install identical DIMM pair in DIMM_A1 and DIMM_B1 (blue sockets) Sockets Mode DIMM_A1 DIMM_A2 DIMM_B1 DIMM_B2 Single-channel (1) â â Populated â Dual-channel* (1) Populated â Populated â (2) Populated Populated Populated Populated
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 1 5 Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) for the latest DDR400 Qualiï¬ed Vendors List. Side(s): SS - Single Sided DS - Double Sided DIMM Support: A - supports one module inserted into either slot, in a Single-channel memory conï¬guration. B - supports one pair of modules inserted into either the blue slots or the black slots as one pair of Dual-channel memory conï¬guration. C - support for 4 modules inserted into the blue and black slots as two pairs of Dual-channel memory conï¬guration. 256MB KINGSTON KVR400X72C3A/256 N/A SS V58C2256804SAT5(ECC) V V V 512MB KINGSTON KVR400X72C3A/512 N/A DS V58C2256804SAT5(ECC) V V V 1024MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/1G N/A DS HYB25D512800BE-5B V V V 1024MB KINGSTON KHX3200ULK2/1G N/A DS Heat-Sink Package 256MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/256 N/A SS D3208DL3T-5A V V 256MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/256 N/A SS A2S56D30BTP V V V 512MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/512 N/A DS V58C2256804SAT5 V V V 512MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/512 N/A SS HY5DU12822BT-D43 V V V 1024MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/1G N/A DS HYB25D512800BE-5B V V V 256MB SAMSUNG M381L3223ETM-CCC SAMSUNG SS K4H560838E-TCCC(ECC) V V V 512MB SAMSUNG M381L6423ETM-CCC SAMSUNG DS K4H560838E-TCCC(ECC) V V V 256MB SAMSUNG M368L3223ETM-CCC SAMSUNG SS K4H560838E-TCCC V V 256MB SAMSUNG M368L3223FTN-CCC SAMSUNG SS K4H560838F-TCCC V V 512MB SAMSUNG M368L6423FTN-CCC SAMSUNG DS K4H560838F-TCCC V V V 512MB SAMSUNG M368L6523BTM-CCC SAMSUNG SS K4H510838B-TCCC V V 256MB MICRON MT8VDDT3264AG-40BCB MICRON SS MT46V32M8TG-5BC V V V 512MB MICRON MT16VDDT6464AG-40BCB MICRON DS MT46V32M8TG-5BC V V V 256MB Inï¬neon HYS64D32300HU-5-C Inï¬neon SS HYB25D256800CE-5C V V V 512MB Inï¬neon HYS64D64320HU-5-C Inï¬neon DS HYB25D256800CE-5C V V V 256MB Inï¬neon HYS64D32301HU-5-C Inï¬neon SS HYB25D512160CE-5C V V V 512MB Inï¬neon HYS64D64300HU-5-C Inï¬neon SS HYB25D512800CE-5C V V V 1024MB Inï¬neon HYS64D128320HU-5-C Inï¬neon DS HYB25D512800CE-5B V V V 256MB CORSAIR CMX256A-3200C2PT N/A SS W942508BH-5 V V V 512MB CORSAIR CMXP512-3200XL N/A DS Heat-Sink Package V V 512MB CORSAIR CMX512-3200C2 N/A DS Heat-Sink Package V V 512MB CORSAIR VS512MB400 N/A DS VS32M8-5 V V V 1024MB CORSAIR TWINX2048-3200C2 N/A DS Heat-Sink Package V V V 256MB Hynix HYMD232646D8J-D43 N/A SS HY5DU56822DT-D43 V V V 512MB Hynix HYMD264646D8J-D43 N/A DS HY5DU56822DT-D43 V V V D D R 4 0 0 Q u a l i f i e d V e n d o r s L i s t DIMM support Size Vendor Model Brand Side(s) Component A B C
1 - 1 6 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1 . 7 . 4 R e m o v i n g a D I M M Follow these steps to remove a DIMM. 1. Simultaneously press the retaining clips outward to unlock the DIMM. 2. Remove the DIMM from the socket. Support the DIMM lightly with your ï¬ngers when pressing the retaining clips. The DIMM might get damaged when it ï¬ips out with extra force. 1 . 7 . 3 I n s t a l l i n g a D I M M 3. Firmly insert the DIMM into the socket until the retaining clips snap back in place and the DIMM is properly seated. 1. Unlock a DIMM socket by pressing the retaining clips outward. 2. Align a DIMM on the socket such that the notch on the DIMM matches the break on the socket. L o c k e d R e t a i n i n g C l i p Make sure to unplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to both the motherboard and the components. A DDR DIMM is keyed with a notch so that it ï¬ts in only one direction. DO NOT force a DIMM into a socket to avoid damaging the DIMM. U n l o c k e d r e t a i n i n g c l i p D D R D I M M n o t c h 1 2 1 D D R D I M M n o t c h 1 2 1 3
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 1 7 1.8 Expansion slots In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following sub-sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support. 1 . 8 . 1 I n s t a l l i n g a n e x p a n s i o n c a r d To install an expansion card: 1. Before installing the expansion card, read the documentation that came with it and make the necessary hardware settings for the card. 2. Remove the system unit cover (if your motherboard is already installed in a chassis). 3. Remove the bracket opposite the slot that you intend to use. Keep the screw for later use. 4. Align the card connector with the slot and press ï¬rmly until the card is completely seated on the slot. 5. Secure the card to the chassis with the screw you removed earlier. 6. Replace the system cover. 1 . 8 . 2 C o n f i g u r i n g a n e x p a n s i o n c a r d After installing the expansion card, conï¬gure the card by adjusting the software settings. 1. Turn on the system and change the necessary BIOS settings, if any. See Chapter 2 for information on BIOS setup. 2. Assign an IRQ to the card. Refer to the tables on the next page. 3. Install the software drivers for the expansion card. Make sure to unplug the power cord before adding or removing expansion cards. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components. We recommended to install the memory modules ï¬rst before installing an AGP 8X card.
1 - 1 8 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1 . 8 . 3 I n t e r r u p t a s s i g n m e n t s S t a n d a r d i n t e r r u p t a s s i g n m e n t s IRQ Priority Standard Function 0 1 System Timer 1 2 Keyboard Controller 2 â Re-direct to IRQ#9 3 11 IRQ holder for PCI steering* 4 12 Communications Port (COM1)* 5 13 IRQ holder for PCI steering* 6 14 Floppy Disk Controller 7 15 Printer Port (LPT1)* 8 3 System CMOS/Real Time Clock 9 4 IRQ holder for PCI steering* 10 5 IRQ holder for PCI steering* 11 6 IRQ holder for PCI steering* 12 7 PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port* 13 8 Numeric Data Processor 14 9 Primary IDE Channel 15 10 Secondary IDE Channel * These IRQs are usually available for ISA or PCI devices. When using PCI cards on shared slots, ensure that the drivers support âShare IRQâ or that the cards do not need IRQ assignments. Otherwise, conï¬icts will arise between the two PCI groups, making the system unstable and the card inoperable. I R Q a s s i g n m e n t s f o r t h i s m o t h e r b o a r d A B C D E F G H PCI slot 1 shared â â â â â â â PCI slot 2 â shared â â â â â â PCI slot 3 â â shared â â â â â PCI E x1 slot 1 shared â â â â â â â PCI E x1 slot 2 shared â â â â â â â AGP 8X slot shared â â â â â â â Onboard USB controller 1 shared â â â â â â â Onboard USB controller 2 shared â â â â â â â Onboard USB controller 3 â shared â â â â â â Onboard USB controller 4 â shared â â â â â â O n bo a r d U S B 2 .0 c o n t r o l l er â â shared â â â â â Onboard LAN shared â â â â â â â
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 1 9 1 . 8 . 5 P C I E x p r e s s x 1 s l o t This motherboard supports PCI Express x1 network cards, SCSI cards and other cards that comply with the PCI Express speciï¬cations. The ï¬gure shows a network card installed on the PCI Express x1 slot. 1 . 8 . 4 P C I s l o t s The PCI slots support cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with PCI speciï¬cations. The ï¬gure shows a LAN card installed on a PCI slot. 1 . 8 . 6 A G P s l o t The Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot supports AGP8X/4X cards. When you buy an AGP card, make sure that you ask for one with 1.5V speciï¬cation. Note the notches on the card golden ï¬ngers to ensure that they ï¬t the AGP slot on your motherboard. Install only 1.5 V or 0.8 V AGP cards on this motherboard! 3.3V AGP cards are not supported in this motherboard. A8V- X ® A8V -X Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) Keyed for 1.5v
1 - 2 0 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1.9 Jumpers 1 . C l e a r R T C R A M ( C L R T C ) This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS. You can clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The onboard button cell battery powers the RAM data in CMOS, which include system setup information such as system passwords. To erase the RTC RAM: 1. Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord. 2. Remove the onboard battery. 3. Move the jumper cap from pins 1-2 (default) to pins 2-3. Keep the cap on pins 2-3 for about 5~10 seconds, then move the cap back to pins 1-2. 4. Re-install the battery. 5. Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer. 6. Hold down the <Del> key during the boot process and enter BIOS setup to re-enter data. Except when clearing the RTC RAM, never remove the cap on CLRTC jumper default position. Removing the cap will cause system boot failure! You do not need to clear the RTC when the system hangs due to overclocking. For system failure due to overclocking, use the C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall) feature. Shut down and reboot the system so the BIOS can automatically reset parameter settings to default values. A8V- X ® A8V -X Clear RTC RAM CLRTC Normal Clear CMOS (Default) 1 2 2 3
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 2 1 3 . K e y b o a r d p o w e r ( 3 - p i n K B P W R ) This jumper allows you to enable or disable the keyboard wake-up feature. Set this jumper to pins 2-3 ( 5VSB) if you wish to wake up the computer when you press a key on the keyboard (the default is the Space Bar). This feature requires an ATX power supply that can supply at least 1A on the 5VSB lead, and a corresponding setting in the BIOS. 2 . U S B d e v i c e w a k e - u p ( 3 - p i n U S B P W 1 2 3 4 , U S B P W 5 6 7 8 ) Set these jumpers to 5V to wake up the computer from S1 sleep mode (CPU stopped, DRAM refreshed, system running in low power mode) using the connected USB devices. Set to 5VSB to wake up from S3 and S4 sleep modes (no power to CPU, DRAM in slow refresh, power supply in reduced power mode). ⢠The USB device wake-up feature requires a power supply that can provide 500mA on the 5VSB lead for each USB port; otherwise, the system would not power up. ⢠The total current consumed must NOT exceed the power supply capability ( 5VSB) whether under normal condition or in sleep mode. A8V- X ® 3 2 2 1 A8V -X USB Device Wake Up 5V (Default) 5VSB USBPW5678 5V (Default) 5VSB USBPW1234 2 1 3 2 A8V- X ® A8V -X Keyboard Power Setting 3 2 2 1 5V (Default) 5VSB KBPWR
1 - 2 2 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1.10 Connectors 1 . 1 0 . 1 R e a r p a n e l c o n n e c t o r s 1. PS/2 mouse port (green). This port is for a PS/2 mouse. 2. Parallel port. This 25-pin port connects a parallel printer, a scanner, or other devices. 3. LAN RJ-45 port. This port allows Gigabit connection to a Local Area Network (LAN) through a network hub. Refer to the table below for the LAN port LED indications. SPEED LED LED LAN port SPEED L A N p o r t L E D i n d i c a t i o n s 4. Line In port (light blue). This port connects the tape, CD, DVD player, or other audio sources. 5. Line Out port (lime). This port connects a headphone or a speaker. 6. Microphone port (pink). This port connects a microphone. SPEED LED Status Description GREEN(Right) 10 Mbps connection ORANGE(Left) 100 Mbps connection Refer to the audio conï¬guration table on the next page for the function of the audio ports 2, 4, or 6-channel conï¬guration. 1 1 1 4 5 6 7 2 3 9 10 8
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 2 3 Light Blue Line In Back Surround Back Surround Lime Line Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out Pink Mic In Mic In Center/Base Port 2-channel 4-channel 6-channel 1 . 1 0 . 2 I n t e r n a l c o n n e c t o r s 7. USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices. 8. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices. 9. Serial port. This 9-pin serial port is for serial devices. 10. Coaxial S/PDIF Out port. This port connects an external audio output device via a coaxial S/PDIF cable. 11. PS/2 keyboard port (purple). This port is for a PS/2 keyboard. 1 . F l o p p y d i s k d r i v e c o n n e c t o r ( 3 4 - 1 p i n F L O P P Y ) This connector is for the provided ï¬oppy disk drive (FDD) signal cable. Insert one end of the cable to this connector, then connect the other end to the signal connector at the back of the ï¬oppy disk drive. The Pin 5 on the connector is removed to prevent incorrect cable connection when using an FDD cable with a covered Pin 5. A8V- X ® A8V -X Floppy Disk Drive Connector NOTE: Orient the red markings on the floppy ribbon cable to PIN 1. FLOPPY PIN 1 A u d i o 2 , 4 , o r 6 - c h a n n e l c o n f i g u r a t i o n
1 - 2 4 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 2 . I D E c o n n e c t o r s ( 4 0 - 1 p i n P R I _ I D E , S E C _ I D E ) These connectors are for Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cables. The Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cable has three connectors: a blue connector for the primary IDE connector on the motherboard, a black connector for an Ultra DMA 133/100/66 IDE slave device (optical drive/hard disk drive), and a gray connector for an Ultra DMA 133/100/66 IDE master device (hard disk drive). If you install two hard disk drives, you must conï¬gure the second drive as a slave device by setting its jumper accordingly. Refer to the hard disk documentation for the jumper settings. ⢠The Pin 20 on the IDE connector is removed to match the covered hole on the Ultra DMA cable connector. This prevents incorrect insertion when you connect the IDE cable. ⢠Use the 80-conductor IDE cable for UltraDMA133/100/66 IDE devices. A8V -X IDE Connectors SEC_IDE PRI_IDE NOTE: Orient the red markings (usually zigzag) on the IDE ribbon cable to PIN 1. A8V- X ®
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 2 5 3 . S e r i a l A T A c o n n e c t o r s ( 7 - p i n S A T A 1 , S A T A 2 , S A T A 3 , S A T A 4 ) These connectors are for the Serial ATA signal cables for Serial ATA devices. The current Serial ATA I interface allows up to 150 MB/s data transfer rate while Serial ATA II allows up to 300 MB/s data transfer rate, faster than the standard parallel ATA with 133 MB/s (Ultra DMA/133) Important notes on Serial ATA ⢠The Serial ATA RAID feature (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0 1, RAID 5 and JBOD) is available only if you are using Windows ® 2003 Server/ Windows ® XP/Windows ® 2000. ⢠Install the Windows ® 2000 Service Pack 4 or the Windows ® XP Service Pack1 when using Serial ATA. ⢠For detailed instructions on how to conï¬gure RAID 0, RAID1, RAID0 1, RAID 5 and JBOD, refer to the RAID manual in the support CD. A8V- X ® A8V -X SA T A Connectors SA T A2 GN D RS A T A_ TX P2 RS A T A_ TX N2 GN D RS A T A_ RX P2 RS A T A_ RX N2 GN D SA T A4 GN D RS A T A_ TX P4 RS A T A_ TX N4 GN D RS A T A_ RX P4 RS A T A_ RX N4 GN D SA T A1 GN D RS A T A_ TX P1 RS A T A_ TX N1 GN D RS A T A_ RX P1 RS A T A_ RX N1 GN D SA T A3 GN D RS A T A_ TX P3 RS A T A_ TX N3 GN D RS A T A_ RX P3 RS A T A_ RX N3 GN D
1 - 2 6 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 6 . I n t e r n a l a u d i o c o n n e c t o r s ( 4 - p i n A U X , C D ) These connectors allow you to receive stereo audio input from sound sources such as a CD-ROM, TV-tuner, or MPEG card. 5 . C P U a n d C h a s s i s f a n c o n n e c t o r s ( 3 - p i n C P U _ F A N , 3 - p i n C H A _ F A N ) The fa n c onne cto rs supp ort co oli ng f ans of 35 0mA~ 2000mA (24 W max.) or a total of 1A~3.48A (41.76 W max.) at 12V. Connect the fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard, making sure that the black wire of each cable matches the ground pin of the connector. Do not forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors. Lack of sufï¬cient air ï¬ow inside the system may damage the motherboard components. These are not jumpers! DO NOT place jumper caps on the fan connectors! A8V- X ® A8V -X Fan Connectors CHA_F AN GND Rotation 12V CPU_F AN GND Rotation 12V A8V- X ® Right Audio Channel Left Audio Channel Ground Ground A8V -X Internal Audio Connectors AUX (White) CD (Black)
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 2 7 Never connect a 1394 cable to the USB connectors. Doing so will damage the motherboard! 7 . U S B c o n n e c t o r s ( 1 0 - 1 p i n U S B 5 6 , U S B 7 8 ) These connectors are for USB 2.0 ports. Connect the USB/GAME module cable to any of these connectors, then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis. These USB connectors comply with USB 2.0 speciï¬cation that supports up to 480 Mbps connection speed. The USB/GAME port module is purchased separately. 8 . F r o n t p a n e l a u d i o c o n n e c t o r ( 1 0 - 1 p i n A A F P ) This connector is for a chassis-mounted front panel audio I/O module that supports high-deï¬nition audio standard. Connect one end of the front panel audio I/O module cable to this connector. A8V- X ® A8V -X USB 2.0 Connectors USB56 USB 5V USB_P6- USB_P6 GND NC USB 5V USB_P5- USB_P5 GND 1 USB78 USB 5V USB_P8- USB_P8 GND NC USB 5V USB_P7- USB_P7 GND 1 A8V- X ® A8V -X Analog Front Panel Connector AAFP Legacy AC 97 compliant definition Azalia compliant definition SENSE2_RETUR PORT1 L PORT2 R PORT2 L SENSE1_RETUR SENSE_SEND PORT1 R PRESENCE# GND BLINE_OUT_L MIC2 Line out_R Line out_L BLINE_OUT_R NC MICPWR 5V A AGND
1 - 2 8 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 9 . A T X p o w e r c o n n e c t o r s ( 2 0 - p i n A T X P W R , 4 - p i n A T X 1 2 V ) These connectors are for an ATX power supply plugs. The power supply plugs are designed to ï¬t these connectors in only one orientation. Find the proper orientation and push down ï¬rmly until the connectors completely ï¬t. ⢠Use of an ATX 12 V Speciï¬cation 2.0-compliant power supply unit (PSU) that provides a minimum power of 350 W is recommended for a fully-conï¬gured system. ⢠Do not forget to connect the 4-pin ATX 12 V power plug; otherwise, the system will not boot up. ⢠Use of a PSU with a higher power output is recommended when conï¬guring a system with more power-consuming devices. The system may become unstable or may not boot up if the power is inadequate. ⢠You must install a PSU with a higher power rating if you intend to install additional devices. A8V- X ® A8V -X A TX Power Connectors A TXPWR A TX12V 12V DC GND 12V DC GND 3.3VDC -12.0VDC COM PS_ON# COM COM COM -5.0VDC 5.0VDC 5.0VDC PWR_OK 12.0VDC 3.3VDC 3.3VDC COM 5.0VDC COM 5.0VDC COM 5VSB
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 2 9 1 0 . G A M E / M I D I p o r t c o n n e c t o r ( 1 6 - 1 p i n G A M E ) This connector is for a GAME/MIDI port. Connect the USB/GAME module cable to this connector, then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis. The GAME/MIDI port connects a joystick or game pad for playing games, and MIDI devices for playing or editing audio ï¬les. The USB/GAME port module is purchased separately. A8V -X GAME Connector GAME 5V 5V J2B1 J2CX MIDI_OUT J2CY J2B2 MIDI_IN J1B1 J1CX GND GND J1CY J1B2 5V A8V- X ® 1 1 . D i g i t a l a u d i o c o n n e c t o r ( 4 - 1 p i n S P D I F _ O U T ) This connector is for an additional Sony/Philips Digital Interface (S/PDIF) port(s). Connect the S/PDIF module cable to this connector, then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis. The S/PDIF module is purchased separately. A8V- X ® A8V -X Digital Audio Connector 5V SPDIFOUT GND SPDIF_OUT
1 - 3 0 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1 2 . S y s t e m p a n e l c o n n e c t o r ( 2 0 - p i n P A N E L ) This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions. The sytem panel connector is color-coded for easy connection. Refer to the connector description below for details. ⢠System power LED (Green 3-pin PLED) This 3-pin connector is for the system power LED. Connect the chassis power LED cable to this connector. The system power LED lights up when you turn on the system power, and blinks when the system is in sleep mode. ⢠System warning speaker (Orange 4-pin SPEAKER) This 4-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted system warning speaker. The speaker allows you to hear system beeps and warnings. ⢠Hard disk drive activity (Red 2-pin IDE_LED) This 2-pin connector is for the HDD Activity LED. Connect the HDD Activity LED cable to this connector. The IDE LED lights up or ï¬ashes when data is read from or written to the HDD. ⢠Power/Soft-off button (Yellow 2-pin PWRSW) This connector is for the system power button. Pressing the power button turns the system ON or puts the system in SLEEP or SOFT-OFF mode depending on the BIOS settings. Pressing the power switch for more than four seconds while the system is ON turns the system OFF. ⢠Reset button (Blue 2-pin RESET) This 2-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted reset button for system reboot without turning off the system power. A8V- X ® A8V -X System Panel Connector * Requires an A TX power supply . PLED- PWR 5V Speaker PLED Ground RESET Ground Reset Ground Ground PLED IDE_LED- IDE_LED IDE_LED SPEAKER PWRSW P ANEL
2 BIOS setup This chapter tells how to change the system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.
2-2 Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS The following utilities allow you to manage and update the motherboard Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) setup. 1. ASUS AFUDOS (Updates the BIOS in DOS mode using a bootable ï¬oppy disk.) 2. ASUS EZ Flash (Updates the BIOS using a ï¬oppy disk during POST.) 3. ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 (Updates the BIOS using a bootable ï¬oppy disk or the motherboard support CD when the BIOS ï¬le fails or gets corrupted.) 4. ASUS Update (Updates the BIOS in Windows ® environment.) Refer to the corresponding sections for details on these utilities. 2.1.1 Creating a bootable ï¬oppy disk 1. Do either one of the following to create a bootable ï¬oppy disk. DOS environment a. Insert a 1.44MB ï¬oppy disk into the drive. b. At the DOS prompt, type format A:/S then press <Enter>. Windows ® XP environment a. Insert a 1.44 MB ï¬oppy disk to the ï¬oppy disk drive. b. Click Start from the Windows ® desktop, then select My Computer. c. Select the 3 1/2 Floppy Drive icon. d. Click File from the menu, then select Format. A Format 3 1/2 Floppy Disk window appears. e. Select Create an MS-DOS startup disk from the format options ï¬eld, then click Start. Windows ® 2000 environment To create a set of boot disks for Windows ® 2000: a. Insert a formatted, high density 1.44 MB ï¬oppy disk into the drive. b. Insert the Windows ® 2000 CD to the optical drive. c. Click Start, then select Run. Save a copy of the original motherboard BIOS ï¬le to a bootable ï¬oppy disk in case you need to restore the BIOS in the future. Copy the original motherboard BIOS using the ASUS Update or AFUDOS utilities.
ASUS A8V-X 2-3 d. From the Open ï¬eld, type D:\bootdisk\makeboot a: assuming that D: is your optical drive. e. Press <Enter>, then follow screen instructions to continue. 2. Copy the original or the latest motherboard BIOS ï¬le to the bootable ï¬oppy disk. 2.1.2 ASUS EZ Flash utility The ASUS EZ Flash feature allows you to update the BIOS without having to go through the long process of booting from a ï¬oppy disk and using a DOS-based utility. The EZ Flash utility is built-in the BIOS chip so it is accessible by pressing <Alt> <F2> during the Power-On Self Tests (POST). To update the BIOS using EZ Flash: 1. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS ï¬le for the motherboard and rename the same to A8V-X.ROM. 2. Save the BIOS ï¬le to a ï¬oppy disk, then restart the system. 3. Press <Alt> <F2> during POST to display the following. EZFlash starting BIOS update Checking for ï¬oppy... 4. Insert the ï¬oppy disk that contains the BIOS ï¬le to the ï¬oppy disk drive. When the correct BIOS ï¬le is found, EZ Flash performs the BIOS update process and automatically reboots the system when done. EZFlash starting BIOS update Checking for ï¬oppy... Floppy found! Reading ï¬le âA8V-X.ROMâ. Completed. Start erasing....... Start programming... Flashed successfully. Rebooting. ⢠Do not shutdown or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent system boot failure! ⢠A âFloppy not found!â error message appears if there is no ï¬oppy disk in the drive. A âA8V-X.ROM not found!â error message appears if the correct BIOS ï¬le is not found in the ï¬oppy disk. Make sure that you rename the BIOS ï¬le to A8V-X.ROM.
2-4 Chapter 2: BIOS setup Updating the BIOS ï¬le To update the BIOS ï¬le using the AFUDOS utility: 1. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) and download the latest BIOS ï¬le for the motherboard. Save the BIOS ï¬le to a bootable ï¬oppy disk. 2.1.3 AFUDOS utility The AFUDOS utility allows you to update the BIOS ï¬le in DOS environment using a bootable ï¬oppy disk with the updated BIOS ï¬le. This utility also allows you to copy the current BIOS ï¬le that you can use as backup when the BIOS fails or gets corrupted during the updating process. Copying the current BIOS To copy the current BIOS ï¬le using the AFUDOS utility: The utility returns to the DOS prompt after copying the current BIOS ï¬le. 3. Press <Enter>. The utility copies the current BIOS ï¬le to the ï¬oppy disk. A:\>afudos /oOLDBIOS1.ROM AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.10 Cop yrig ht (C ) 20 02 A meri can M egat rend s, I nc. All r ight s re serv ed. Reading ï¬ash ..... done A:\> Main ï¬lename Extension name 1. Copy the AFUDOS utility (afudos.exe) from the motherboard support CD to the bootable ï¬oppy disk you created earlier. 2. Boot the system in DOS mode, then at the prompt type: afudos /o[ï¬lename] where the [ï¬lename] is any user-assigned ï¬lename not more than eight alphanumeric characters for the main ï¬lename and three alphanumeric characters for the extension name. A:\>afudos /oOLDBIOS1.ROM ⢠Make sure that the ï¬oppy disk is not write-protected and has at least 600 KB free space to save the ï¬le. ⢠The succeeding BIOS screens are for reference only. The actual BIOS screen displays may not be exactly the same as shown.
ASUS A8V-X 2-5 5. The utility returns to the DOS prompt after the BIOS update process is completed. Reboot the system from the hard disk drive. 2. Copy the AFUDOS utility (afudos.exe) from the motherboard support CD to the bootable ï¬oppy disk you created earlier. 3. Boot the system in DOS mode, then at the prompt type: afudos /i[ï¬lename] where [ï¬lename] is the latest or the original BIOS ï¬le on the bootable ï¬oppy disk. A:\>afudos /iA8V-X.ROM AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.19 Co py ri gh t (C ) 2 00 3 American Megatrends, Inc. All rights reserved. WARNING!! Do not turn off power during ï¬ash BIOS Reading ï¬le ..... done Erasing ï¬ash .... done Search bootblock version: 0% 100% A:\>afudos /iA8V-X.ROM 4. The utility veriï¬es the ï¬le and starts updating the BIOS. Do not shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent system boot failure! Write the BIOS ï¬lename on a piece of paper. You need to type the exact BIOS ï¬lename at the DOS prompt. A:\>afudos /iA8V-X.ROM AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.19 Co py ri gh t (C ) 2 00 3 American Megatrends, Inc. All rights reserved. WARNING!! Do not turn off power during ï¬ash BIOS Reading ï¬le ..... done Erasing ï¬ash .... done Search bootblock version: 0% 100% Advance Check ........ Erasing ï¬ash ..... done Writing ï¬ash ..... done Verifying ï¬ash ... done Please restart your computer
2-6 Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2.1.4 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to restore the BIOS ï¬le when it fails or gets corrupted during the updating process. You can update a corrupted BIOS ï¬le using the motherboard support CD or the ï¬oppy disk that contains the updated BIOS ï¬le. Recovering the BIOS from a ï¬oppy disk To recover the BIOS from a ï¬oppy disk: 1. Turn on the system. 2. Insert the ï¬oppy disk with the original or updated BIOS ï¬le to the ï¬oppy disk drive. 3. The utility displays the following message and automatically checks the ï¬oppy disk for the original or updated BIOS ï¬le. Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery... Checking for ï¬oppy... 4. Restart the system after the utility completes the updating process. Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery... Checking for ï¬oppy... Floppy found! Reading ï¬le âA8V-X.ROMâ. Completed. Start ï¬ashing... When found, the utility reads the BIOS ï¬le and starts ï¬ashing the corrupted BIOS ï¬le. DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS! Doing so can cause system boot failure! ⢠Prepare the motherboard support CD or the ï¬oppy disk containing the updated motherboard BIOS before using this utility. ⢠Make sure that you rename the original or updated BIOS ï¬le in the ï¬oppy disk to A8V-X.ROM.
ASUS A8V-X 2-7 The recovered BIOS may not be the latest BIOS version for this motherboard. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS ï¬le. Recovering the BIOS from the support CD To recover the BIOS from the support CD: 1. Remove any ï¬oppy disk from the ï¬oppy disk drive, then turn on the system. 2. Insert the support CD to the optical drive. 3. The utility displays the following message and automatically checks the ï¬oppy disk for the original or updated BIOS ï¬le. 4. Restart the system after the utility completes the updating process. DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS! Doing so can cause system boot failure! Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery... Checking for ï¬oppy... Floppy not found! Checking for CD-ROM... CD-ROM found! Reading ï¬le âA8V-X.ROMâ. Completed. Start ï¬ashing... When no ï¬oppy disk is found, the utility automatically checks the optical drive for the original or updated BIOS ï¬le. The utility then updates the corrupted BIOS ï¬le. Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery... Checking for ï¬oppy...
2-8 Chapter 2: BIOS setup Installing ASUS Update To install ASUS Update: 1. Place the support CD in the optical drive. The Drivers menu appears. 2. Click the Utilities tab, then click Install ASUS Update VX.XX.XX. See page 3-4 for the Utilities screen menu. 3. The ASUS Update utility is copied to your system. 2.1.5 ASUS Update utility The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to manage, save, and update the motherboard BIOS in Windows ® environment. The ASUS Update utility allows you to: ⢠Save the current BIOS ï¬le ⢠Download the latest BIOS ï¬le from the Internet ⢠Update the BIOS from an updated BIOS ï¬le ⢠Update the BIOS directly from the Internet, and ⢠View the BIOS version information. This utility is available in the support CD that comes with the motherboard package. ASUS Update requires an Internet connection either through a network or an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Quit all Windows ® applications before you update the BIOS using this utility.
ASUS A8V-X 2-9 3. Select the ASUS FTP site nearest you to avoid network trafï¬c, or click Auto Select. Click Next. Updating the BIOS through the Internet To update the BIOS through the Internet: 1. Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows ® desktop by clicking Start > Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The ASUS Update main window appears. 2. Select Update BIOS from the Internet option from the drop-down menu, then click Next.
2-10 Chapter 2: BIOS setup Updating the BIOS through a BIOS ï¬le To update the BIOS through a BIOS ï¬le: 1. Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows ® desktop by clicking Start > Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The ASUS Update main window appears. 2. Select Update BIOS from a ï¬le option from the drop-down menu, then click Next. 4. From the FTP site, select the BIOS version that you wish to download. Click Next. 5. Follow the screen instructions to complete the update process. The ASUS Update utility is capable of updating itself through the Internet. Always update the utility to avail all its features. 3. Locate the BIOS ï¬le from the Open window, then click Open. 4. Follow the screen instructions to complete the update process.
ASUS A8V-X 2-11 2.2 BIOS setup program This motherboard supports a programmable ï¬rmware chip that you can update using the provided utility described in section â2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS.â Use the BIOS Setup program when you are installing a motherboard, reconï¬guring your system, or prompted to âRun Setupâ. This section explains how to conï¬gure your system using this utility. Even if you are not prompted to use the Setup program, you can change the conï¬guration of your computer in the future. For example, you can enable the security password feature or change the power management settings. This requires you to reconï¬gure your system using the BIOS Setup program so that the computer can recognize these changes and record them in the CMOS RAM of the ï¬rmware hub. The ï¬rmware hub on the motherboard stores the Setup utility. When you start up the computer, the system provides you with the opportunity to run this program. Press <Del> during the Power-On Self-Test (POST) to enter the Setup utility; otherwise, POST continues with its test routines. If you wish to enter Setup after POST, restart the system by pressing <Ctrl> <Alt> <Del>, or by pressing the reset button on the system chassis. You can also restart by turning the system off and then back on. Do this last option only if the ï¬rst two failed. The Setup program is designed to make it as easy to use as possible. Being a menu-driven program, it lets you scroll through the various sub-menus and make your selections from the available options using the navigation keys. ⢠The default BIOS settings for this motherboard apply for most conditions to ensure optimum performance. If the system becomes unstable after changing any BIOS settings, load the default settings to ensure system compatibility and stability. Select the Load Default Settings item under the Exit Menu. See section â2.7 Exit Menu.â ⢠The BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference purposes only, and may not exactly match what you see on your screen. ⢠Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS ï¬le for this motherboard and .
2-12 Chapter 2: BIOS setup System Time [11:51:19] System Date [Thu 05/07/2004] Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in] Primary IDE Master :[ST320413A] Primary IDE Slave :[Not Detected] Secondary IDE Master :[Not Detected] Secondary IDE Slave :[Not Detected] Third IDE Master :[Not Detected] Third IDE Slave :[Not Detected] Fourth IDE Master :[Not Detected] Fourth IDE Slave :[Not Detected] System Information 2.2.2 Menu bar The menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items: Main For changing the basic system conï¬guration Advanced For changing the advanced system settings Power For changing the advanced power management (APM) conï¬guration Boot For changing the system boot conï¬guration Exit For selecting the exit options and loading default settings 2.2.1 BIOS menu screen To select an item on the menu bar, press the right or left arrow key on the keyboard until the desired item is highlighted. Some of the navigation keys differ from one screen to another. Navigation keys General help Menu bar Sub-menu items Conï¬guration ï¬elds Menu items 2.2.3 Navigation keys At the bottom right corner of a menu screen are the navigation keys for that particular menu. Use the navigation keys to select items in the menu and change the settings. Use [ENTER], [TAB] or [SHIFT-TAB] to select a ï¬eld. Use [] or [-] to conï¬gure system time.
ASUS A8V-X 2-13 2.2.4 Menu items The highlighted item on the menu bar displays the speciï¬c items for that menu. For example, selecting Main shows the Main menu items. The other items (Advanced, Power, Boot, and Exit) on the menu bar have their respective menu items. 2.2.5 Sub-menu items A solid triangle before each item on any menu screen means that the iteam has a sub-menu. To display the sub-menu, select the item and press <Enter>. 2.2.6 Conï¬guration ï¬elds These ï¬elds show the values for the menu items. If an item is user- conï¬gurable, you can change the value of the ï¬eld opposite the item. You cannot select an item that is not user-conï¬gurable. A conï¬gurable ï¬eld is enclosed in brackets, and is highlighted when selected. To change the value of a ï¬eld, select it then press <Enter> to display a list of options. Refer to â2.2.7 Pop-up window.â 2.2.7 Pop-up window Select a menu item then press <Enter> to display a pop-up window with the conï¬guration options for that item. 2.2.8 Scroll bar A scroll bar appears on the right side of a menu screen when there are items that do not ï¬t on the screen. Press the U p/ D o wn a rr ow ke y s o r <P a g e U p > / <Page Down> keys to display the other items on the screen. 2.2.9 General help At the top right corner of the menu screen is a brief description of the selected item. System Time [11:10:19] System Date [Thu 03/27/2003] Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in] Language [English] Primary IDE Master :[ST320413A] Primary IDE Slave :[ASUS CD-S340] Secondary IDE Master :[Not Detected] Secondary IDE Slave :[Not Detected] Third IDE Master :[Not Detected] Fourth IDE Master :[Not Detected] IDE Configuration System Information Use [ENTER], [TAB] or [SHIFT-TAB] to select a field. Use [ ] or [-] to configure system time. Select Screen Select Item - Change Field Tab Select Field F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit Main menu items Scroll bar Select Screen Select Item - Change Option F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit Advanced Chipset settings WARNING: Setting wrong values in the sections below may cause system to malfunction. Configure DRAM Timing by SPD [Enabled] Memory Acceleration Mode [Auto] DRAM Idle Timer [Auto] DRAm Refresh Rate [Auto] Graphic Adapter Priority [AGP/PCI] Graphics Aperture Size [ 64 MB] Spread Spectrum [Enabled] ICH Delayed Transaction [Enabled] MPS Revision [1.4] Pop-up window
2-14 Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2.3 Main menu When you enter the BIOS Setup program, the Main menu screen appears, giving you an overview of the basic system information. 2.3.1 System Time [xx:xx:xxxx] Allows you to set the system time. 2.3.2 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx] Allows you to set the system date. 2.3.3 Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in.] Sets the type of ï¬oppy drive installed. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [360K, 5.25 in.] [1.2M , 5.25 in.] [720K , 3.5 in.] [1.44M, 3.5 in.] [2.88M, 3.5 in.] Refer to section â2.2.1 BIOS menu screenâ for information on the menu screen items and how to navigate through them. System Time [11:51:19] System Date [Thu 05/07/2004] Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in] Primary IDE Master :[ST320413A] Primary IDE Slave :[Not Detected] Secondary IDE Master :[Not Detected] Secondary IDE Slave :[Not Detected] Third IDE Master :[Not Detected] Third IDE Slave :[Not Detected] Fourth IDE Master :[Not Detected] Fourth IDE Slave :[Not Detected] System Information Use [ENTER], [TAB] or [SHIFT-TAB] to select a ï¬eld. Use [ ] or [-] to conï¬gure system time.
ASUS A8V-X 2-15 2.3.4 Primary, Secondary, Third and Fourth IDE Master/Slave While entering Setup, the BIOS automatically detects the presence of IDE devices. There is a separate sub-menu for each IDE device. Select a device item then press <Enter> to display the IDE device information. The BIOS automatically detects the values opposite the dimmed items (Device, Vendor, Size, LBA Mode, Block Mode, PIO Mode, Async DMA, Ultra DMA, and SMART monitoring). These values are not user-conï¬gurable. These items show N/A if no IDE device is installed in the system. Type [Auto] Selects the type of IDE drive. Setting to Auto allows automatic selection of the appropriate IDE device type. Select CDROM if you are speciï¬cally conï¬guring a CD-ROM drive. Select ARMD (ATAPI Removable Media Device) if your device is either a ZIP, LS-120, or MO drive. Conï¬guration options: [Not Installed] [Auto] [CDROM] [ARMD] LBA/Large Mode [Auto] Enables or disables the LBA mode. Setting to Auto enables the LBA mode if the device supports this mode, and if the device was not previously formatted with LBA mode disabled. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Auto] Block (Multi-sector Transfer) [Auto] Enables or disables data multi-sectors transfers. When set to Auto, the data transfer from and to the device occurs multiple sectors at a time if the device supports multi-sector transfer feature. When set to [Disabled], the data transfer from and to the device occurs one sector at a time. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Auto] Primary IDE Master Device : Hard Disk Vendor : ST320413A Size : 20.0GB LBA Mode : Supported Block Mode : 16 Sectors PIO Mode : Supported Async DMA : MultiWord DMA-2 Ultra DMA : Ultra DMA-5 SMART Monitoring: Supported Type [Auto] LBA/Large Mode [Auto] Block(Multi-sector Transfer) [Auto] PIO Mode [Auto] DMA Mode [Auto] Smart Monitoring [Auto] 32Bit Data Transfer [Disabled]
2-16 Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2.3.5 System Information This menu gives you an overview of the general system speciï¬cations. The BIOS automatically detects the items in this menu. AMI BIOS Displays the auto-detected BIOS information Processor Displays the auto-detected CPU speciï¬cation System Memory Displays the auto-detected system memory AMIBIOS Version : 0203 Build Date : 09/06/05 Processor Type : AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3200 Speed : 2000 MHz Count : 1 System Memory Size : 512MB PIO Mode [Auto] Selects the PIO mode. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [0] [1] [2] [3] [4] DMA Mode [Auto] Selects the DMA mode. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [SWDMA0] [SWDMA1] [SWDMA2] [MWDMA0] [MWDMA1] [MWDMA2] [UDMA0] [UDMA1] [UDMA2] [UDMA3] [UDMA4] [UDMA5] SMART Monitoring [Auto] Sets the Smart Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [Disabled] [Enabled] 32Bit Data Transfer [Disabled] Enables or disables 32-bit data transfer. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
ASUS A8V-X 2-17 2.4 Advanced menu The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system devices. Take caution when changing the settings of the Advanced menu items. Incorrect ï¬eld values can cause the system to malfunction. JumperFree Conï¬guration USB Conï¬guration CPU Conï¬guration Chipset Onboard Devices Conï¬guration PCI PnP 2.4.1 JumperFree Conï¬guration Conï¬g System Frequency/Voltage CPU FSB Frequency [200 MHz] Adjust CPU FSB Frequency CPU FSB Frequency [XXX] (value is auto-detected) Indicates the frequency sent by the clock generator to the system bus and PCI bus. The bus frequency (external frequency) multiplied by the bus multiple equals the CPU speed. The value of this item is auto-detected by BIOS. The values range from 200 to 300. Use the < > and <-> keys to adjust the value.
2-18 Chapter 2: BIOS setup USB 1.1 Ports Conï¬guration [USB 8 Ports] Allows you to conï¬gure the USB 1.1 ports. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [USB 2 Ports] [USB 4 Ports] [USB 6 Ports] [USB 8 Ports] USB 2.0 Ports Enable [Enable] Allows you to enable or disable the USB 2.0 ports. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enable] Legacy USB Support [Auto] Allows you to enable or disable support for USB devices on legacy operating systems (OS). Setting to Auto allows the system to detect the presence of USB devices at startup. If detected, the USB controller legacy mode is enabled. If no USB device is detected, the legacy USB support is disabled. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] [Auto] USB 2.0 Controller Mode [HiSpeed] Allows you to conï¬gure the USB 2.0 controller in HiSpeed (480 Mbps) or Full Speed (12 Mbps). Conï¬guration options: [HiSpeed] [Full Speed] BIOS EHCI Hand-Off [Enabled] Allows you to enable or disable the BIOS EHCI hand-off support. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] The Module Version and USB Devices Enabled items show the auto-detected values. If no USB device is detected, the item shows None. 2.4.2 USB Conï¬guration The items in this menu allows you to change the USB-related features. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the conï¬guration options. USB Conï¬guration Module Version - 2.24.0-10.4 USB Devices Enabled: None USB 1.1 Ports Conï¬guration [USB 8 Ports] USB 2.0 Ports Enable [Enable] Legacy USB Support [Auto] USB 2.0 Controller Mode [HiSpeed] BIOS EHCI Hand-Off [Enabled]
ASUS A8V-X 2-19 2.4.3 CPU Conï¬guration The items in this menu show the CPU-related information that the BIOS automatically detects. CPU Conï¬guration AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3200 Revision: D0 Speed : 2000MHz Cache L1: 64KB Cache L2: 512KB Current FSB Multiplier: 10x Cool NâQuiet [Disabled] Enabled/Disabled Cool NâQuiet Cool NʼQuiet [Disabled] Enables or disables the AMD Cool Ê»nʼ Quiet! technology feature. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] NorthBridge Conï¬guration AGP Bridge VIA K8T800 Pro Conï¬guration SouthBridge VIA VT8251 Conï¬guration HyperTransport Conï¬guration 2.4.4 Chipset The items in this menu show the chipset-related information.
2-20 Chapter 2: BIOS setup NorthBridge Chipset Memory Conï¬guration ECC Conï¬guration NorthBridge Conï¬guration Memory Conï¬guration Memclock Mode [Auto] Allows you to set the memory clock mode. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [Limit] Memclock Value [100 MHz] Allows you to set the memory clock value. This item appears only when the Memoryclock Mode is set to Limit. Conï¬guration options: [100 MHz] [133 MHz] [166 MHz] [183 MHz] [200 MHz] [216 MHz] [233 MHz] [250 MHz] MCT Timing Mode [Auto] Allows you to set the MCT timing mode. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [Manual] Memory Conï¬guration Memclock Mode [Auto] MCT Timing Mode [Manual] CAS Latency (CL) [Auto] TRAS [8 CLK] TRP [4 CLK] TRCD [4 CLK] TRRD [Auto] TRC [Auto] TRFC [Auto] TRWT [Auto] User Conï¬g Mode [Auto] Burst Length [4 Beats] CAS Latency (CL) [Auto] Sets the CAS Latency. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [2.0] [2.5] [3.0] TRAS [8 CLK] Sets the TRAS. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] [7 CLK] [8 CLK] [9 CLK] [10 CLK] [11 CLK] [12 CLK] [13 CLK] [14 CLK] [15 CLK] Th e f o ll o wi n g i te m s a pp e ar on l y w h en th e M C T T im i ng Mo d e i s s et to Ma n u al .
ASUS A8V-X 2-21 TRP [4 CLK] Sets the TRP. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [2 CLK] [3 CLK] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] TRCD [4 CLK] Sets the TRCD. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [2 CLK] [3 CLK] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] TRRD [Auto] Sets the TRRD. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [2T] [3T] [4T] TRC [Auto] Sets the TRC. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [7T] [8T] [9T] [10T] [11T] [12T] [13T] [14T] [15T] [16T] [17T] [18T] [19T] [20T] [21T] [22T] TRFC [Auto] Sets the TRFC. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [9T] [10T] [11T] [12T] [13T] [14T] [15T] [16T] [17T] [18T] [19T] [20T] [21T] [22T] [23T] [24T] TRWT [4 CLK] Sets the TRWT. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [1 CLK] [2 CLK] [3 CLK] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] User Conï¬g Mode [Auto] Sets the user conï¬g mode. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [Manual] Read Preamble [9.5ns] Sets the read preamble. Conï¬guration options: [2.0ns] [2.5ns] [3.0ns] [3.5ns] [4.0ns] [4.5ns] [5.0ns] [5.5ns] [6.0ns] [6.5ns] [7.0ns] [7.5ns] [8.0ns] [8.5ns] [9.0ns] [9.5ns] Async Latency [11.0ns] Sets the async latency. The following items appear only when the User Conï¬g Mode is set to Manual.
2-22 Chapter 2: BIOS setup Conï¬guration options: [4.0ns] [5.0ns] [6.0ns] [7.0ns] [8.0ns] [9.0ns] [10.0ns] [11.0ns] CMD-ADDR Timing Mode [2T] Sets the CMD-ADDR timing mode. Conï¬guration options: [1T] [2T] Burst Length [4 Beats] Allows you to set the burst length. Conï¬guration options: [8 Beats] [4 Beats] [2 Beats] ECC Conï¬guration DRAM ECC Enable [Disabled] Allows you to enable or disable the DRAM ECC. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] ECC Conï¬guration DRAM ECC Enable [Disabled] L2 Cache BG Scrub [Disabled] Data Cache BG Scrub [Disabled] The following items appear only when the DRAM ECC Enable is set to Enabled. MCA DRAM ECC Logging [Disabled] Enables or disables the MCA DRAM ECC logging. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] ECC Chip Kill [Disabled] Enables or disables the ECC Chip Kill function. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] DRAM SCRUB REDIRECT [Disabled] Enables or disables the DRAM SCRUB REDIRECT. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
ASUS A8V-X 2-23 AGP Bridge VIA K8T800 Pro Conï¬guration Primary Graphics Adapter [AGP] AGP Mode [AGP 8X] AGP Fast Write [Disabled] Graphics Aperture Size [64MB] AGP 3.0 Calibration Cycle [Disabled] DBI Output for AGP Trans [Disabled] AGP Bridge VIA K8T800 Pro Conï¬guration Primary Graphics Adapter [AGP] Sets the primary graphics adapter. Conï¬guration options: [PCI] [AGP] AGP Mode [AGP 8X] Sets the AGP graphics mode. Conï¬guration options: [8X] [4X] AGP Fast Write [Disabled] Enables or disables the AGP Fast Write feature. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] DRAM BG SCRUB [Disabled] Disables or sets the DRAM BG SCRUB. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [40ns] [80ns] [160ns] [320ns] [640ns] [1.28us] [2.56us] [5.12us] [10.2us] [20.5us] [41.0us] [81.9us] [163.8us] [327.7us] [655.4us] [1.31ms] [2.62ms] [5.24ms] [10.49ms] [20.97ms] [42.00ms] [84.00ms] L2 Cache BG Scrub [Disabled] Disables or sets the L2 Cache BG Scrub. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [40ns] [80ns] [160ns] [320ns] [640ns] [1.28us] [2.56us] [5.12us] [10.2us] [20.5us] [41.0us] [81.9us] [163.8us] [327.7us] [655.4us] [1.31ms] [2.62ms] [5.24ms] [10.49ms] [20.97ms] [42.00ms] [84.00ms] Data Cache BG Scrub [Disabled] Disables or sets the Data Cache BG Scrub. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [40ns] [80ns] [160ns] [320ns] [640ns] [1.28us] [2.56us] [5.12us] [10.2us] [20.5us] [41.0us] [81.9us] [163.8us] [327.7us] [655.4us] [1.31ms] [2.62ms] [5.24ms] [10.49ms] [20.97ms] [42.00ms] [84.00ms]
2-24 Chapter 2: BIOS setup Serial ATA IDE Controller [SATA] LAN Controller [Enabled] LAN OptionROM Execute [Disabled] OnChip Audio Select [HD Audio] SouthBridge VIA VT8251 Conï¬guration Serial ATA IDE Controller [SATA] Disables or sets the Serial ATA mode. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [SATA] [RAID] [AHCI] RAID/AHCI BIOS Execute [Disabled] Enables or disables the RAID/AHCI BIOS execute feature. This item appears only when the Serial ATA IDE Controller item is set to RAID or AHCI.Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] LAN Controller [Enabled] Enables or disables the onchip LAN controller. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] LAN OptionROM Execute [Disabled] Enables or disables the onchip LAN option ROM execute controller. This item appears only when the LAN Controller item is Enabled. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] OnChip Audio Select [HD Audio] Disables or sets the high-deï¬nition audio feature. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [HD Audio] Graphics Aperture Size [64MB] Sets the graphics aperture size. Conï¬guration options: [256MB] [128MB] [64MB] [32MB] AGP 3.0 Calibration Cycle [Disabled] Enables or disables the AGP 3.0 calibration cycle. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] DBI Output for AGP Trans [Disabled] Enables or disables the DBI output for AGP transfer. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
ASUS A8V-X 2-25 2.4.5 Onboard Devices Conï¬guration Onboard Floppy Controller [Enabled] Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4] Serial Port1 Mode [Normal] Parallel Port Address [378] Parallel Port Mode [Normal] Parallel Port IRQ [IRQ7] Onboard Game Port [Disabled] Onboard MIDI Port [Disabled] Onboard Floppy Controller [Enabled] Enables or disables the onboard ï¬oppy controller. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4] Allows you to select the Serial Port1 base address. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [3F8/IRQ4] [3E8/IRQ4] [2E8/IRQ3] Serial Port1 Mode [Normal] Allows you to select the Serial Port1 mode. This item appears only when the Serial Port1 item is not Disabled. Conï¬guration options: [Normal] [IrDA] [ASK IR] LDT to AGP Local Frequency [1000 MHz] LDT to AGP Local (Upstream) [16 BIT] LDT to AGP Width (Downstream) [16 BIT] HyperTransport Conï¬guration LDT to AGP Local Frequency [1000 MHz] Sets the LDT to AGP frequency. Conï¬guration options: [200 MHz] [400 MHz] [600 MHz] [800 MHz] [1000 MHz] LDT to AGP Local (Upstream) [16 BIT] Conï¬guration options: [8 BIT] [16 BIT] LDT to AGP Local (Downstream) [16 BIT] Conï¬guration options: [8 BIT] [16 BIT]
2-26 Chapter 2: BIOS setup COMA Duplex Mode [Half Duplex] Allows you to select the COMA duplex mode. This appears only when the Serial Port1 Mode is not set to Normal. Conï¬guration options: [Full Duplex] [Half Duplex] Parallel Port Address [378] Allows you to select the Parallel Port base addresses. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [378] [278] [3BC] Parallel Port Mode [Normal] Allows you to select the Parallel Port mode. Conï¬guration options: [Normal] [EPP] [ECP] [EPP ECP] ECP Mode DMA Channel [DMA3] Appears only when the Parallel Port Mode is set to [ECP]. This item allows you to set the Parallel Port ECP DMA. Conï¬guration options: [DMA0] [DMA1] [DMA3] EPP Version [1.9] Allows selection of the Parallel Port EPP version. This item appears only when the Parallel Port Mode is set to EPP. Conï¬guration options: [1.9] [1.7] Parallel Port IRQ [IRQ7] Conï¬guration options: [IRQ5] [IRQ7] Onboard Game Port [Disabled] Allows you to enable or disable the Game port. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Onboard MIDI Port [Disabled] Allows you to enable or disable the MIDI port. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] 2.4.6 PCI PnP The PCI PnP menu items allow you to change the advanced settings for PCI/PnP devices. The menu includes setting IRQ and DMA channel resources for either PCI/PnP or legacy ISA devices, and setting the memory size block for legacy ISA devices.
ASUS A8V-X 2-27 Plug and Play O/S [No] When set to [No], BIOS conï¬gures all the devices in the system. When set to [Yes] and if you install a Plug and Play operating system, the operating system conï¬gures the Plug and Play devices not required for boot. Conï¬guration options: [No] [Yes] PCI Latency Timer [64] Allows you to select the value in units of PCI clocks for the PCI device latency timer register. Conï¬guration options: [32] [64] [96] [128] [160] [192] [224] [248] Allocate IRQ to PCI VGA [Yes] When set to [Yes], BIOS assigns an IRQ to PCI VGA card if the card requests for an IRQ. When set to [No], BIOS does not assign an IRQ to the PCI VGA card even if requested. Conï¬guration options: [No] [Yes] Palette Snooping [Disabled] When set to [Enabled], the pallete snooping feature informs the PCI devices that an ISA graphics device is installed in the system so that the latter can function correctly. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] IRQ-xx assigned to [PCI Device] When set to [PCI Device], the speciï¬c IRQ is free for use of PCI/PnP devices. When set to [Reserved], the IRQ is reserved for legacy ISA devices. Conï¬guration options: [PCI Device] [Reserved] Take caution when changing the settings of the PCI PnP menu items. Incorrect ï¬eld values can cause the system to malfunction. Advanced PCI/PnP Settings WARNING: Setting wrong values in below sections may cause system to malfunction. Plug And Play O/S [No] PCI Latency Timer [64] Allocate IRQ to PCI VGA [Yes] Palette Snooping [Disabled] IRQ-3 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-4 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-5 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-7 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-9 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-10 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-11 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-14 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-15 assigned to [PCI Device]
2-28 Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2.5 Power menu The Power menu items allow you to change the settings for the Advanced Power Management (APM). Select an item then press <Enter> to display the conï¬guration options. 2.5.1 Suspend Mode [Auto] Allows you to select the Advanced Conï¬guration and Power Interface (ACPI) state to be used for system suspend. Conï¬guration options: [S1 (POS) Only] [S3 Only] [Auto] 2.5.2 Repost Video on S3 Resume [No] Determines whether to invoke VGA BIOS POST on S3/STR resume. Conï¬guration options: [No] [Yes] 2.5.3 ACPI 2.0 Support [No] Allows you to add more tables for Advanced Conï¬guration and Power Interface (ACPI) 2.0 speciï¬cations. Conï¬guration options: [No] [Yes] 2.5.4 ACPI APIC Support [Enabled] Allows you to enable or disable the Advanced Conï¬guration and Power Interface (ACPI) support in the Application-Speciï¬c Integrated Circuit (ASIC). When set to Enabled, the ACPI APIC table pointer is included in the RSDT pointer list. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Suspend Mode [Auto] Repost Video on S3 Resume [No] ACPI 2.0 Support [No] ACPI APIC Support [Enabled] APM Conï¬guration Hardware Monitor
ASUS A8V-X 2-29 2.5.5 APM Conï¬guration APM Conï¬guration Power Management/APM [Enabled] Restore on AC Power Loss [Power Off] Resume On Ring [Disabled] Resume On LAN [Disabled] Resume On PME# [Disabled] Resume On KBC [Disabled] Wake-Up Key [Any Key] Resume On PS/2 Mouse [Disabled] Resume On RTC Alarm [Disabled] Power Management/APM [Enabled] Enables or disables the Advanced Power Management feature. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] The computer cannot receive or transmit data until the computer and applications are fully running. Thus, connection cannot be made on the ï¬rst try. Turning an external modem off and then back on while the computer is off causes an initialization string that turns the system power on. Resume On LAN [Disabled] When set to [Enabled], this parameter allows you to turn on the system through a PCI LAN or modem card. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the 5VSB lead. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Restore On AC Power Loss [Power Off] When set to Power Off, the system goes into off state after an AC power loss. When set to Power On, the system goes on after an AC power loss. When set to Last State, the system goes into either off or on state, whatever the system state was before the AC power loss. Conï¬guration options: [Power Off] [Power On] [Last State] Resume On Ring [Disabled] This allows either settings of [Enabled] or [Disabled] for powering up the computer when the external modem receives a call while the computer is in Soft-off mode. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] The following items appear only when the Power Management/APM feature is Enabled.
2-30 Chapter 2: BIOS setup Resume On PME# [Disabled] When set to [Enabled], this parameter allows you to turn on the system through a PME# device. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the 5VSB lead. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Resume On KBC [Disabled] Allows you to use speciï¬c keys on the keyboard to turn on the system. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the 5VSB lead. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Wake-Up Key [Any Key] Sets the keyboard wake-up key. This item is conï¬gurable only when the Resume On KBC item is Enabled. Conï¬guration options: [Any Key] [Speciï¬c Key] Wake-Up Password Sets the wake-up password. This item appears only when the Wake-Up Password item is set to Speciï¬c Key. Key in your desired password then press <Enter> Resume On By PS/2 Mouse [Disabled] When set to [Enabled], this parameter allows you to use the PS/2 mouse to turn on the system. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the 5VSB lead. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Resume On By RTC Alarm [Disabled] Allows you to enable or disable RTC to generate a wake event. When this item is set to Enabled, the items RTC Alarm Date, RTC Alarm Hour, RTC Alarm Minute, and RTC Alarm Second appear with set values. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
ASUS A8V-X 2-31 2.5.6 Hardware Monitor Hardware Monitor CPU Temperature [51ºC/122.5ºF] MB Temperature [41ºC/105.5ºF] CPU Fan Speed [3813 RPM] Chassis Fan Speed [N/A] VCORE Voltage [ 1.320V] 3.3V Voltage [ 3.345V] 5V Voltage [ 5.094V] 12V Voltage [11.880V] CPU Temperature [xxxC/xxxF] MB Temperature [xxxC/xxxF] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the motherboard and CPU temperatures. Select Disabled if you do not wish to display the detected temperatures. CPU Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [N/A] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU fan speed in rotations per minute (RPM). If the fan is not connected to the motherboard, the ï¬eld shows N/A. Chassis Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [N/A] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the chassis fan speed in rotations per minute (RPM). If the fan is not connected to the chassis, the speciï¬c ï¬eld shows N/A. VCORE Voltage, 3.3V Voltage, 5V Voltage, 12V Voltage The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the voltage output through the onboard voltage regulators.
2-32 Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2.6 Boot menu The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu. Select Screen Select Item Enter Go to Sub-screen F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit APM Conï¬guration Boot Device Priority Boot Settings Conï¬guration Security 2.6.1 Boot Device Priority 1st ~ xxth Boot Device [1st Floppy Drive] These items specify the boot device priority sequence from the available devices. The number of device items that appears on the screen depends on the number of devices installed in the system. Conï¬guration options: [xxxxx Drive] [Disabled] Select Screen Select Item Enter Go to S ub-screen F1 General Help F10 Save an d Exit ESC Exit Boot Device Priority 1st Boot Device [1st FLOPPY DRIVE] 2nd Boot Device [PM-ST330620A] 3rd Boot Device [PS-ASUS CD-S360]
ASUS A8V-X 2-33 2.6.2 Boot Settings Conï¬guration Select Screen Select Item - Change Option F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit Boot Settings Conï¬guration Quick Boot [Enabled] Full Screen Logo [Enabled] AddOn ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS] Bootup Num-Lock [On] PS/2 Mouse Support [Auto] Wait For âF1â If Error [Enabled] Hit âDELâ Message Display [Enabled] Interrupt 19 Capture [Disabled] Allows BIOS to skip certain tests while booting. This will decrease the time needed to boot the system. Set this item to [Enabled] to use the ASUS MyLogo⢠feature. Quick Boot [Enabled] Enabling this item allows the BIOS to skip some power on self tests (POST) while booting to decrease the time needed to boot the system. When set to [Disabled], BIOS performs all the POST items. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Full Screen Logo [Enabled] This allows you to enable or disable the full screen logo display feature. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Add On ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS] Sets the display mode for option ROM. Conï¬guration options: [Force BIOS] [Keep Current] Bootup Num-Lock [On] Allows you to select the power-on state for the NumLock. Conï¬guration options: [Off] [On] PS/2 Mouse Support [Auto] Allows you to enable or disable support for PS/2 mouse. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] [Auto] Wait for Ê»F1ʼ If Error [Enabled] When set to Enabled, the system waits for the F1 key to be pressed when error occurs. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Hit Ê»DELʼ Message Display [Enabled] When set to Enabled, the system displays the message âPress DEL to run Setupâ during POST. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
2-34 Chapter 2: BIOS setup If you forget your BIOS password, you can clear clear it by erasing the CMOS Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM. See section â2.6 Jumpersâ for information on how to erase the RTC RAM. Interrupt 19 Capture [Disabled] When set to [Enabled], this function allows the option ROMs to trap Interrupt 19. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] 2.6.3 Security The Security menu items allow you to change the system security settings. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the conï¬guration options. Select Screen Select Item - Change Option F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit Security Settings Supervisor Password : Not Installed User Password : Not Installed Change Supervisor Password Change User Password Chassis Intrusion Control [Disabled] <Enter> to change password. <Enter> again to disabled password. Change Supervisor Password Select this item to set or change the supervisor password. The Supervisor Password item on top of the screen shows the default Not Installed. After you set a password, this item shows Installed. To set a Supervisor Password: 1. Select the Change Supervisor Password item and press <Enter>. 2. From the password box, type a password composed of at least six letters and/or numbers, then press <Enter>. 3. Conï¬rm the password when prompted. The message âPassword Installedâ appears after you successfully set your password. To clear the supervisor password, select the Change Supervisor Password then press <Enter>. The message âPassword Uninstalledâ appears.
ASUS A8V-X 2-35 After you have set a supervisor password, the other items appear to allow you to change other security settings. User Access Level (Full Access] This item allows you to select the access restriction to the Setup items. Conï¬guration options: [No Access] [View Only] [Limited] [Full Access] No Access prevents user access to the Setup utility. View Only allows access but does not allow change to any ï¬eld. Limited allows changes only to selected ï¬elds, such as Date and Time. Full Access allows viewing and changing all the ï¬elds in the Setup utility. Change User Password Select this item to set or change the user password. The User Password item on top of the screen shows the default Not Installed. After you set a password, this item shows Installed. To set a User Password: 1. Select the Change User Password item and press <Enter>. 2. On the password box that appears, type a password composed of at least six letters and/or numbers, then press <Enter>. 3. Conï¬rm the password when prompted. The message âPassword Installedâ appears after you set your password successfully. Select Screen Select Item - Change Option F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit Security Settings Supervisor Password : Installed User Password : Not Installed Change Supervisor Password User Access Level [Full Access] Change User Password Password Check [Setup] Chassis Intrusion Control [Disabled]
2-36 Chapter 2: BIOS setup Clear User Password Select this item to clear the user password. Password Check [Setup] When set to [Setup], BIOS checks for user password when accessing the Setup utility. When set to [Always], BIOS checks for user password both when accessing Setup and booting the system. Conï¬guration options: [Setup] [Always] Chassis Intrusion Control [Disabled] Allows you to enable or disable the chassis intrusion control feature. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
ASUS A8V-X 2-37 Exit & Discard Changes Select this option only if you do not want to save the changes that you made to the Setup program. If you made changes to ï¬elds other than System Date, System Time, and Password, the BIOS asks for a conï¬rmation before exiting. Discard Changes This option allows you to discard the selections you made and restore the previously saved values. After selecting this option, a conï¬rmation appears. Select Ok to discard any changes and load the previously saved values. Load Setup Defaults This option allows you to load the default values for each of the parameters on the Setup menus. When you select this option or if you press <F5>, a conï¬rmation window appears. Select Ok to load default values. Select Exit & Save Changes or make other changes before saving the values to the non-volatile RAM. Exit & Save Changes Once you are ï¬nished making your selections, choose this option from the Exit menu to ensure the values you selected are saved to the CMOS RAM. An onboard backup battery sustains the CMOS RAM so it stays on even when the PC is turned off. When you select this option, a conï¬rmation window appears. Select Ok to save changes and exit. 2.7 Exit menu Pressing <Esc> does not immediately exit this menu. Select one of the options from this menu or <F10> from the legend bar to exit. Exit system setup after saving the changes. F10 key can be used for this operation. Select Screen Select Item Enter Go to Sub-screen F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit The Exit menu items allow you to load the optimal or failsafe default values for the BIOS items, and save or discard your changes to the BIOS items. Exit Options Exit & Save Changes Exit & Discard Changes Discard Changes Load Setup Defaults If you attempt to exit the Setup program without saving your changes, the program prompts you with a message asking if you want to save your changes before exiting. Press <Enter> to save the changes while exiting.
2-38 Chapter 2: BIOS setup
3 Software support This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the motherboard package.
3-2 Chapter 3: Software support If Autorun is NOT enabled in your computer, browse the contents of the support CD to locate the ï¬le ASSETUP.EXE from the BIN folder. Double- click the ASSETUP.EXE to run the CD. 3.1 Installing an operating system This motherboard supports Windows ® 2000/XP operating systems (OS). Always install the latest OS version and corresponding updates to maximize the features of your hardware. 3.2 Support CD information The support CD that came with the motherboard package contains the drivers, software applications, and utilities that you can install to avail all motherboard features. 3 . 2 . 1 R u n n i n g t h e s u p p o r t C D Place the support CD to the optical drive. The CD automatically displays the Drivers menu if Autorun is enabled in your computer. ⢠Motherboard settings and hardware options vary. Use the setup procedures presented in this chapter for reference only. Refer to your OS documentation for detailed information. ⢠Make sure that you install Windows ® 2000 Service Pack 4 or the Windows ® XP Service Pack 2 or later versions before installing the drivers for better compatibility and system stability. The contents of the support CD are subject to change at any time without notice. Visit the ASUS website(www.asus.com) for updates. C l i c k a n i t e m t o i n s t a l l C l i c k a n i c o n t o d i s p l a y s u p p o r t C D / m o t h e r b o a r d i n f o r m a t i o n
ASUS A8V-X 3-3 3 . 2 . 2 D r i v e r s m e n u The drivers menu shows the available device drivers if the system detects installed devices. Install the necessary drivers to activate the devices. V I A 4 i n 1 d r i v e r s This item installs the following drivers: - VIA Registry (INF) driver - VIA ATAPI vendor support driver - VIA PCI IRQ Miniport driver. M a k e V I A 8 2 5 1 R A I D D r i v e r D i s k Allows you to create a RAID driver disk for the VIA 8251 RAID conï¬guration. S o u n d M A X A u d i o D r i v e r Installs the ADI ® SoundMAX audio controller and application. V I A R h i n e F a m i l y F a s t E t h e r n e t A d a p t e r D r i v e r Installs the VIA Fast Ethernet LAN driver that provides up to 10/100 Mbps data transfer rates. U S B 2 . 0 D r i v e r Installs the USB 2.0 driver. C o o l Ê» n ʼ Q u i e t D r i v e r Launches the AMD Cool Ê»nʼ Quiet!⢠Technology driver installation wizard.
3-4 Chapter 3: Software support 3 . 2 . 3 U t i l i t i e s m e n u The Utilities menu shows the applications and other software that the motherboard supports. A S U S P C P r o b e This smart utility monitors the fan speed, CPU temperature, and system voltages, and alerts you of any detected problems. This utility helps you keep your computer in healthy operating condition. M i c r o s o f t D i r e c t X 9 . 0 c Installs the Microsoft ® DirectX 9.0 driver. The Microsoft DirectX ® 9.0 is a multimedia technology that enhances computer graphics and sound. DirectX ® improves the multimedia features of you computer so you can enjoy watching TV and movies, capturing videos, or playing games in your computer. Visit the Microsoft website (www.microsoft.com) for updates. A S U S U p d a t e Allows you to download the latest version of the BIOS from the ASUS website. Before using the ASUS Update, make sure that you have an Internet connection so you can connect to the ASUS website. N o r t o n I n t e r n e t S e c u r i t y 2 0 0 5 Installs the Norton Internet Security 2005 application that detects and protects your computer from viruses that destroys data.
ASUS A8V-X 3-5 3 . 2 . 4 M a n u a l The manual menu contains a VT8251 RAID Manual. Install Adobe® Acrobat® Reader before openning the manual. A D O B E A c r o b a t R e a d e r Installs the Adobe ® Acrobat ® Reader that allows you to open, view, and print documents in Portable Document Format (PDF). A S U S S c r e e n S a v e r Bring life to your computer screen by installing the ASUS screen saver. C o o l ʻ n ʼ Q u i e t S o f t w a r e Installs the ASUS AMD Cool ʻnʼ Quiet! software.
3-6 Chapter 3: Software support 3 . 2 . 5 A S U S C o n t a c t i n f o r m a t i o n Click the Contact tab to display the ASUS contact information. You can also ï¬nd this information on the inside front cover of this user guide.
i i Copyright © 2006 ASUST eK COMPUTER INC. All Rights Reserved. No part of this manual, including the products and software described in it, may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form or by any means, except documentation kept by the purchaser for backup purposes, without the express written permission of ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. (âASUSâ). Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modiï¬ed or altered, unless such repair , modiï¬cation of alteration is authorized in writing by ASUS; or (2) the serial number of the product is defaced or missing. ASUS PROVIDES THIS MANUAL âAS ISâ WITHOUT W ARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED T O THE IMPLIED W ARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANT ABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A P ARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT , SPECIAL, INCIDENT AL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DA T A, INTERRUPTION OF BUSINESS AND THE LIKE), EVEN IF ASUS HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY DEFECT OR ERROR IN THIS MANUAL OR PRODUCT . SPECIFICA TIONS AND INFORMA TION CONT AINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR INFORMA TIONAL USE ONL Y , AND ARE SUBJECT T O CHANGE A T ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY ASUS. ASUS ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY ERRORS OR INACCURACIES THA T MA Y APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTW ARE DESCRIBED IN IT . Products and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are used only for identiï¬cation or explanation and to the ownersʼ beneï¬t, without intent to infringe. E 2 2 1 0 F i r s t E d i t i o n J a n u a r y 2 0 0 6
i i i Contents Notices ................................................................................................ vi Safety information ............................................................................. vii About this guide ................................................................................. viii How this guide is organized .................................................... viii Where to ï¬nd more information ............................................. viii Conventions used in this guide ................................................ ix Typography ......................................................................................... ix A8V-X speciï¬cations summary ............................................................. x Chapter 1: Product introduction 1.1 Welcome! .............................................................................. 1-2 1.2 Package contents ................................................................. 1-2 1.3 Special features .................................................................... 1-3 1.3.1 Product highlights ................................................... 1-3 1.3.2 Innovative ASUS features ....................................... 1-5 1.4 Before you proceed .............................................................. 1-6 1.5 Motherboard overview .......................................................... 1-7 1.5.1 Placement direction ................................................ 1-7 1.5.2 Screw holes ............................................................. 1-7 1.5.3 Motherboard layout ................................................ 1-8 1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU) .............................................. 1-9 1.6.1 Overview ................................................................. 1-9 1.6.2 Installling the CPU ................................................... 1-9 1.6.3 Installing the heatsink and fan .............................. 1-11 1.7 System memory .................................................................. 1-13 1.7.1 Overview ............................................................... 1-13 1.7.2 Memory Conï¬gurations ......................................... 1-13 1.7.3 Installing a DIMM ................................................... 1-16 1.7.4 Removing a DIMM .................................................. 1-16 1.8 Expansion slots ................................................................... 1-17 1.8.1 Installing an expansion card .................................. 1-17 1.8.2 Conï¬guring an expansion card .............................. 1-17 1.8.3 Interrupt assignments ........................................... 1-18 1.8.4 PCI slots ................................................................ 1-19 1.8.5 PCI Express x16 slot ............................................. 1-19
i v Contents 1.8.6 PCI Express x1 slot ............................................... 1-19 1.9 Jumpers .............................................................................. 1-20 1.10 Connectors ......................................................................... 1-22 1.10.1 Rear panel connectors .......................................... 1-22 1.10.2 Internal connectors ............................................... 1-23 Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ........................................ 2-2 2.1.1 Creating a bootable ï¬oppy disk .............................. 2-2 2.1.2 ASUS EZ Flash utility ............................................... 2-3 2.1.3 AFUDOS utility ........................................................ 2-4 2.1.4 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility ................................ 2-6 2.1.5 ASUS Update utility ................................................ 2-8 2.2 BIOS setup program ............................................................ 2-11 2.2.1 BIOS menu screen ................................................. 2-12 2.2.2 Menu bar ............................................................... 2-12 2.2.3 Navigation keys ..................................................... 2-12 2.2.4 Menu items ........................................................... 2-13 2.2.5 Sub-menu items .................................................... 2-13 2.2.6 Conï¬guration ï¬elds ............................................... 2-13 2.2.7 Pop-up window ...................................................... 2-13 2.2.8 Scroll bar ............................................................... 2-13 2.2.9 General help .......................................................... 2-13 2.3 Main menu ........................................................................... 2-14 2.3.1 System Time ........................................................ 2-14 2.3.2 System Date ........................................................ 2-14 2.3.3 Legacy Diskette A .............................................. 2-14 2.3.4 Primary and Secondary IDE Master/Slave ............. 2-15 2.3.5 System Information .............................................. 2-16 2.4 Advanced menu .................................................................. 2-17 2.4.1 JumperFree Conï¬guration ..................................... 2-17 2.4.2 USB Conï¬guration ................................................. 2-18 2.4.3 CPU Conï¬guration ................................................. 2-19
v Contents 2.4.4 Chipset .................................................................. 2-19 2.4.5 Onboard Devices Conï¬guration ............................. 2-25 2.4.6 PCI PnP .................................................................. 2-26 2.5 Power menu ........................................................................ 2-28 2.5.1 Suspend Mode .................................................... 2-28 2.5.2 Repost Video on S3 Resume ................................ 2-28 2.5.3 ACPI 2.0 Suppot ................................................... 2-28 2.5.4 ACPI APIC Suppot .................................................. 2-28 2.5.5 APM Conï¬guration ................................................ 2-29 2.5.6 Hardware Monitor .................................................. 2-31 2.6 Boot menu .......................................................................... 2-32 2.6.1 Boot Device Priority .............................................. 2-32 2.6.2 Boot Settings Conï¬guration ................................ 2-33 2.6.3 Security ................................................................. 2-34 2.7 Exit menu ............................................................................ 2-37 Chapter 3: Software support 3.1 Installing an operating system .............................................. 3-2 3.2 Support CD information ........................................................ 3-2 3.2.1 Running the support CD .......................................... 3-2 3.2.2 Drivers menu ........................................................... 3-3 3.2.3 Utilities menu .......................................................... 3-4 3.2.4 Manual ..................................................................... 3-5 3.2.5 ASUS Contact information ...................................... 3-6
v i Notices F e d e r a l C o m m u n i c a t i o n s C o m m i s s i o n S t a t e m e n t This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: ⢠This device may not cause harmful interference, and ⢠This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation. 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 in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with manufacturerʼs instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur 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 receiver. ⢠Connect the equipment to 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. C a n a d i a n D e p a r t m e n t o f C o m m u n i c a t i o n s S t a t e m e n t This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class B limits for radio noise emissions from digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications. This class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003. The use of shielded cables for connection of the monitor to the graphics card is required to assure compliance with FCC regulations. Changes or modiï¬cations to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the userʼs authority to operate this equipment.
v i i The symbol of the crossed out wheeled bin indicates that the product (electrical and electronic equipment) should not be placed in municipal waste. Check local regulations for disposal of electronic products. Safety information E l e c t r i c a l s a f e t y ⢠To prevent electrical shock hazard, disconnect the power cable from the electrical outlet before relocating the system. ⢠When adding or removing devices to or from the system, ensure that the power cables for the devices are unplugged before the signal cables are connected. If possible, disconnect all power cables from the existing system before you add a device. ⢠Before connecting or removing signal cables from the motherboard, ensure that all power cables are unplugged. ⢠Seek professional assistance before using an adapter or extension cord. These devices could interrupt the grounding circuit. ⢠Make sure that your power supply is set to the correct voltage in your area. If you are not sure about the voltage of the electrical outlet you are using, contact your local power company. ⢠If the power supply is broken, do not try to fix it by yourself. Contact a qualified service technician or your retailer. O p e r a t i o n s a f e t y ⢠Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read all the manuals that came with the package. ⢠Before using the product, make sure all cables are correctly connected and the power cables are not damaged. If you detect any damage, contact your dealer immediately. ⢠To avoid short circuits, keep paper clips, screws, and staples away from connectors, slots, sockets and circuitry. ⢠Avoid dust, humidity, and temperature extremes. Do not place the product in any area where it may become wet. ⢠Place the product on a stable surface. ⢠If you encounter technical problems with the product, contact a qualified service technician or your retailer.
v i i i About this guide This user guide contains the information you need when installing and conï¬guring the motherboard. H o w t h i s g u i d e i s o r g a n i z e d This manual contains the following parts: ⢠C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new technology it supports. It also lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when installing system components. It includes description of the jumpers and connectors on the motherboard. ⢠C h a p t e r 2 : B I O S s e t u p This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided. ⢠C h a p t e r 3 : S o f t w a r e s u p p o r t This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the motherboard package. W h e r e t o f i n d m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software updates. 1 . A S U S w e b s i t e s The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information. 2 . O p t i o n a l d o c u m e n t a t i o n Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty ï¬yers, that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not part of the standard package.
i x C o n v e n t i o n s u s e d i n t h i s g u i d e To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual. Typography DANGER/WARNING: Information to prevent injury to yourself when trying to complete a task. CAUTION: Information to prevent damage to the components when trying to complete a task. NOTE: Tips and additional information to help you complete a task. IMPORTANT: Instructions that you MUST follow to complete a task. Bold text Indicates a menu or an item to select Italics Used to emphasize a word or a phrase <Key> Keys enclosed in the less-than and greater- than sign means that you must press the enclosed key Example: <Enter> means that you must press the Enter or Return key <Key1> <Key2> < Key3> If you must press two or more keys simultaneously, the key names are linked with a plus sign ( ) Example: <Ctrl> <Alt> <D> Command Means that you must type the command exactly as shown, then supply the required item or value enclosed in brackets Example: At the DOS prompt, type the command line: Afudos/iA8V-X.ROM
x A8V-X speciï¬cations summary (continued on the next page) C P U C h i p s e t S y s t e m B u s M e m o r y E x p a n s i o n s l o t s S t o r a g e A u d i o L A N U S B S p e c i a l f e a t u r e s Socket 939 for AMD Sempron⢠/AMD Athlon⢠64/ AMD Athlon⢠64FX/AMD Athlon⢠64 X2 processor Supports AMD 64 architecture that enables simultaneous 32-bit and 64-bit architecture Supports AMD Cool Ê»nʼ Quiet! Technology Northbridge: VIA ® K8T800 Pro Southbridge: VIA ® VT8251 2000/1600 MT/s Dual-channel memory architecture 4 x 184-pin DIMM sockets support ECC/non-ECC unbufferred 400/333/266 MHz DDR memory modules Supports up to 4 GB system memory 1 x AGP 8X slot 2 x PCI Express x1 slots 3 x PCI slots VIA ® VT8251 Southbridge supports: - 2 x Utral DMA 133/100/66/33 connectors for up to four IDE devices - 4 x Serial ATA (3Gb/s) with RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0 1, RAID 5 and JBOD ADI AD1986A SoundMAX 6-channel CODEC 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF out port Supports Audio Sensing and Enumeration Technology Realtek RTL8201CL 10/100 LAN controller Supports up to 8 USB 2.0 ports ASUS C.P.R. ASUS JumperFree ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 ASUS MyLogo SFS (Stepless Frequency Selection): FSB tuning from 200MHz up to 300MHz at 1MHz increment ASUS EZ Flash
x i 1 x Parallel port 1 x LAN (RJ-45) port 4 x USB 2.0 ports 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF out port 1 x Serial (COM) port 1 x PS/2 keyboard port 1 x PS/2 mouse port 6-channel audio ports 4 Mb Flash ROM, AMI BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.3 1 x Floppy disk drive connector 2 x IDE connectors 4 x Serial ATA connectors 1 x CPU fan connector 1 x Chassis fan connector 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF port 1 x 20-pin ATX power connector 1 x 4-pin ATX 12 V power connector 2 x USB 2.0 connectors for four additional USB 2.0 ports 1 x GAME/MIDI connector 1 x Chassis intrusion connector 1 x Front panel high-deï¬nition audio connector Internal audio (CD/AUX) connectors System panel connector ATX power supply (with 20-pin and 4-pin 12 V plugs) ATX 12 V 2.0 compliant ATX form factor: 12 in x 8.3 in (30.5 cm x 21.0 cm) Device drivers ASUS PC Probe ASUS Live Update Utility Antivirus software (OEM version) Wfm2.0, DMI 2.0, WOL by PME, WOR by PME, PXE, RPL A8V-X speciï¬cations summary *Speciï¬cations are subject to change without notice. R e a r p a n e l B I O S f e a t u r e s I n t e r n a l c o n n e c t o r s P o w e r R e q u i r e m e n t F o r m F a c t o r S u p p o r t C D c o n t e n t s M a n a g e a b i l i t y
x i i
1 Product introduction This chapter describes the motherboard features and the new technologies it supports.
1 - 2 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1.1 Welcome! Thank you for buying an ASUS ® A8V-X motherboard! The motherboard delivers a host of new features and latest technologies, making it another standout in the long line of ASUS quality motherboards! Before you start installing the motherboard, and hardware devices on it, check the items in your package with the list below. If any of the above items is damaged or missing, contact your retailer. 1.2 Package contents Check your motherboard package for the following items. Motherboard ASUS A8V-X motherboard Cables 1 x Serial ATA signal cable 1 x Serial ATA power cable 1 x Ultra DMA/133 cable 1 x Floppy disk drive cable Accessories I/O shield Application CDs ASUS motherboard support CD Documentation User guide
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 3 1.3 Special features 1 . 3 . 1 P r o d u c t h i g h l i g h t s L a t e s t p r o c e s s o r a n d 6 4 - b i t c o m p u t i n g t e c h n o l o g y The AMD Athlon⢠64FX, Athlon⢠64, Athlon⢠64 X2, and AMD Sempron⢠desktop processors are based on AMDʼs 64-bit and 32-bit architecture, which represents the landmark introduction of the industryʼs ï¬rst x86- 64 technology. These processors provide a dramatic leap forward in compatibility, performance, investment protection, and reduced total cost of ownership and development. See page 1-9 for details. H y p e r T r a n s p o r t ⢠T e c h n o l o g y HyperTransport⢠Technology is a high-speed, low latency, point-to-point link designed to increase the communication speed between integrated circuits in computers, networking and telecommunicatons equipment up to 48 times faster than other existing technologies. A M D C o o l Ê» n ʼ Q u i e t ! ⢠T e c h n o l o g y The motherboard supports the AMD Cool Ê»nʼ Quiet!⢠Technology that dynamically and automatically changes the CPU speed, voltage and amount of power depending on the task the CPU performs. D u a l C h a n n e l D D R m e m o r y s u p p o r t Employing the Double Data Rate (DDR) memory technology, the motherboard supports up to 4GB of system memory using DDR400/333/266 DIMMs. The ultra-fast 400MHz memory bus delivers the required bandwidth for the latest 3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications. See page 1-13.
1 - 4 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n S e r i a l A T A 3 G b / s t e c h n o l o g y The motherboard supports the Serial ATA 3Gb/s technology through the Serial ATA interfaces. The Serial ATA II 3Gb/s speciï¬cation provides twice the bandwidth of the current Serial ATA products with a host of new features, including Native Command Queuing (NCQ), and Power Management (PM) Implementation Algorithm. The Serial ATA allows for thinner, more ï¬exible cables with lower pin count, reduced voltage requirement. See pages 1-25 for details. P C I E x p r e s s ⢠i n t e r f a c e Th e m o th er b oa rd fu ll y s up p or ts PC I E xp r es s, the latest I/O interconnect technology that speeds up the PCI bus. PCI Express features point-to-point serial interconnections between devices and allows higher clockspeeds by carrying data in packets. This high speed interface is software compatible with existing PCI speciï¬cations. See page 1-19 for details. A D I S o u n d M A X H i g h - D e f i n i t i o n a u d i o The onboard 6-channel AD1986A High Deï¬nition audio CODEC enables high-quality audio which automatically detects and identiï¬es what type of peripherals are plugged into the audio I/O jacks. It also notiï¬es the user of inappropriate connection. See pages 1-26 and 1-27 for details. S / P D I F d i g i t a l s o u n d r e a d y The mo the rbo ard sup por ts t he S/P DIF Out fu nct ion thr oug h th e S /PD IF int erf ace s o n th e r ear pan el. Th e S /PDI F t ech nolo gy tur ns y our co mpu ter int o a hi gh- end ent ert ainm ent sy ste m wi th dig ital co nne ctiv ity to po werf ul aud io and sp eake r s yst ems. Se e p age 1-23 for details. U S B 2 . 0 t e c h n o l o g y The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 speciï¬cation, dramatically increasing the connection speed from the 12 Mbps bandwidth on USB 1.1 to a fast 480 Mbps on USB 2.0. USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB 1.1. See pages 1-21, 1-23 and 1-27 for details. A G P 8 X s u p p o r t The AGP 8X (AGP 3.0) VGA interface speciï¬cation enables enhanced graphics performance with high bandwidth speeds up to 2.12 GB/s.
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 5 1 . 3 . 2 I n n o v a t i v e A S U S f e a t u r e s C r a s h F r e e B I O S 2 Thi s f eat ure all ows yo u to re sto re the ori gin al B IOS da ta f rom th e s uppo rt CD in cas e wh en the BI OS c ode s a nd d ata ar e c orru pte d. This pr ote cti on eli min ate s t he n eed to buy a rep lac emen t R OM chip . S ee deta ils on pa ge 2-6. A S U S M y L o g o ⢠This new feature present in the motherboard allows you to personalize and add style to your system with customizable boot logos. C . P . R . ( C P U P a r a m e t e r R e c a l l ) The C.P.R. feature of the motherboard BIOS allows automatic re-setting to the BIOS default settings in case the system hangs due to overclocking. When the system hangs due to overclocking, C.P.R. eliminates the need to open the system chassis and clear the RTC data. Simply shut down and reboot the system, and the BIOS automatically restores the CPU previous setting for each parameter. A S U S E Z F l a s h B I O S With the ASUS EZ Flash, you can easily update the system BIOS even before loading the operating system. No need to use a DOS-based utility or boot from a ï¬oppy disk. See page 2-3 for details. T e m p e r a t u r e , f a n , a n d v o l t a g e m o n i t o r i n g The CPU temperature is monitored by the ASIC (integrated in the ITE Super I/O) to prevent overheating and damage. The system fan rotations per minute (RPM) is monitored for timely failure detection. The ASIC monitors the voltage levels to ensure stable supply of current for critical components. See section â2.5.4 Hardware Monitorâ on page 2-31.
1 - 6 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1.4 Before you proceed Take note of the following precautions before you install motherboard components or change any motherboard settings. ⢠Unplug the power cord from the wall socket before touching any component. ⢠Use a grounded wrist strap or touch a safely grounded object or to a metal object, such as the power supply case, before handling components to avoid damaging them due to static electricity ⢠Hold components by the edges to avoid touching the ICs on them. ⢠Whenever you uninstall any component, place it on a grounded antistatic pad or in the bag that came with the component. ⢠Before you install or remove any component, ensure that the ATX power supply is switched off or the power cord is detached from the power supply. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to the motherboard, peripherals, and/or components. Onboard LEDs The motherboard comes with a green standby power LED that lights up to indicate that the system is ON, in sleep mode, or in soft-off mode. This is a reminder that you should shut down the system and unplug the power cable before removing or plugging in any motherboard component. A8V- X ® A8V -X Onboard LED SB_PWR ON Standby Power OFF Powered Off
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 7 A8 V-X ® 1.5 Motherboard overview Before you install the motherboard, study the conï¬guration of your chassis to ensure that the motherboard ï¬ts into it. Make sure to unplug the power cord before installing or removing the motherboard. Failure to do so can cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components. Do not overtighten the screws! Doing so can damage the motherboard. 1 . 5 . 1 P l a c e m e n t d i r e c t i o n When installing the motherboard, make sure that you place it into the chassis in the correct orientation. The edge with external ports goes to the rear part of the chassis as indicated in the image below. 1 . 5 . 2 S c r e w h o l e s Place six (6) screws into the holes indicated by circles to secure the motherboard to the chassis. Place this side towards the rear of the chassis
1 - 8 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1 . 5 . 3 M o t h e r b o a r d l a y o u t P ANEL A 8V - X ® CR2032 3V Lithium Cell CMOS Powe r AUX CD 4Mbit BIOS AAFP A TX12V CLRTC A TXPWR USB56 SB_PWR CHA_F AN USBPW1234 USBPW5678 21.1cm (8.3in) 30.5cm (12in) SA T A1 FLOPPY USB78 SA T A3 P ARALLEL PORT COM1 SPDIF_O PS/2KBMS T : M ouse B: Keyboard Below:Mic In Center:Line Out T op:Line In F_USB12 RJ-45 T op: USB3 USB4 Bottom: GAME DDR DIMM_A1 (64 bit,184-pin module) DDR DIMM_A2 (64 bit,184-pin module) DDR DIMM_B1 (64 bit,184-pin module) DDR DIMM_B2 (64 bit,184-pin module) PCIEX1_1 PCIEX1_2 AGP PCI1 PCI2 PCI3 ITE IT8712F-A AD1986A Socket 939 CPU_F AN VIA VT8251 PRI_IDE RTL8201CL SA T A2 SA T A4 SPDIF_OUT SEC_IDE VIA K8T800 PRO KBPWR CHASISS
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 9 1 . 6 . 2 I n s t a l l l i n g t h e C P U To install a CPU: 1. Locate the CPU socket on the motherboard. 1.6 Central Processing Unit (CPU) 1 . 6 . 1 O v e r v i e w The motherboard comes with a surface mount 939-pin Zero Insertion Force (ZIF) socket designed for the AMD Athlon⢠64FX, AMD Athlon⢠64 X2, AMD Athlon 64⢠or AMD Sempron⢠processor. The 128-bit-wide data paths of these processors can run applications faster than processors with only 32-bit or 64-bit wide data paths. Before installing the CPU, make sure that the socket box is facing towards you and the load lever is on your left. Take note of the marked corner (with gold triangle) on the CPU. This mark should match a speciï¬c corner on the socket to ensure correct installation. Gold triangle A8V -X CPU Socket 939 A8V- X ®
1 - 1 0 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 2. Unlock the socket by pressing the lever sideways, then lift it up to a 90°-100° angle. Make sure that the socket lever is lifted up to 90°-100° angle, otherwise the CPU does not ï¬t in completely. 3. Position the CPU above the socket such that the CPU corner with the gold triangle matches the socket corner with a small triangle. 4. Carefully insert the CPU into the socket until it ï¬ts in place. The CPU ï¬ts only in one correct orientation. DO NOT force the CPU into the socket to prevent bending the pins and damaging the CPU! 5. When the CPU is in place, push down the socket lever to secure the CPU. The lever clicks on the side tab to indicate that it is locked.
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 1 1 1 . 6 . 3 I n s t a l l i n g t h e h e a t s i n k a n d f a n The AMD Athlon⢠64, AMD Athlon⢠64FX or AMD Athlon⢠64 X2 processors require a specially designed heatsink and fan assembly to ensure optimum thermal condition and performance. Follow these steps to install the CPU heatsink and fan. 1. Place the heatsink on top of the installed CPU, making sure that the heatsink ï¬ts properly on the retention module base. Make sure that you use only qualiï¬ed heatsink and fan assembly. ⢠The retention module base is already installed on the motherboard upon purchase. ⢠You do not have to remove the retention module base when installing the CPU or installing other motherboard components. ⢠If you purchased a separate CPU heatsink and fan assembly, make sure that a Thermal Interface Material is properly applied to the CPU heatsink or CPU before you install the heatsink and fan assembly. Your boxed CPU heatsink and fan assembly should come with installation instructions for the CPU, heatsink, and the retention mechanism. If the instructions in this section do not match the CPU documentation, follow the latter. R e t e n t i o n M o d u l e B a s e C P U H e a t s i n k C P U F a n R e t e n t i o n b r a c k e t l o c k R e t e n t i o n b r a c k e t
1 - 1 2 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n A8V -X CPU Fan Connector GND Rotation 12V CPU_F AN A8V- X ® 2. Attach one end of the retention bracket to the retention module base. 3. Align the other end of the retention bracket (near the retention bracket lock) to the retention module base. A clicking sound denotes that the retention bracket is in place. 4. Push down the retention bracket lock on the retention mechanism to secure the heatsink and fan to the module base. 5. When the fan and heatsink assembly is in place, connect the CPU fan cable to the connector on the motherboard labeled CPU_FAN. Make sure that the fan and heatsink assembly perfectly ï¬ts the retention mechanism module base, otherwise you cannot snap the retention bracket in place. 1 3 4 5 2 Do not forget to connect the CPU fan connector! Hardware monitoring errors can occur if you fail to plug this connector.
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 1 3 Channel Sockets Channel A DIMM_A1 and DIMM_A2 Channel B DIMM_B1 and DIMM_B2 1.7 System memory 1 . 7 . 1 O v e r v i e w The motherboard comes with four 184-pin Double Data Rate (DDR) Dual Inline Memory Modules (DIMM) sockets. The following ï¬gure illustrates the location of the sockets: 1 . 7 . 2 M e m o r y C o n f i g u r a t i o n s You may install 64MB, 128MB, 256 MB, 512 MB and 1 GB unbuffered ECC or non-ECC DDR DIMMs into the DIMM sockets using the memory conï¬gurations in this section. ⢠Always install DIMMs with the same CAS latency. For optimum compatibility, it is recommended that you obtain memory modules from the same vendor. Refer to the DDR400 Qualiï¬ed Vendors List on Page 1-15 for details. ⢠If you installed four 1 GB memory modules, the system may detect less than 3GB of total memory because of address space allocation for other critical functions. This limitation applies to Windows XP 32- bit version operating system since it does not support PAE(Physical Address Extension) mode. ⢠If you install Windows XP 32-bit version operating system, we recommend that you install less than 3GB of total memory. ⢠Due to CPU limitation, install on Channel B slots for a single-channel memory conï¬guration. A8V- X ® A8V -X 184-pin DDR DIMM Sockets DIMM_A1 DIMM_A2 DIMM_B1 DIMM_B2 80 Pins 1 0 4 Pi n s
1 - 1 4 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n T a b l e 1 R e c o m m e n d e d m e m o r y c o n f i g u r a t i o n s * Use only identical DDR DIMM pairs. * For dual-channel conï¬guration (3), you may: ⢠install identical DIMMs in all four sockets OR ⢠install identical DIMM pair in DIMM_A1 and DIMM_B1 (blue sockets) Sockets Mode DIMM_A1 DIMM_A2 DIMM_B1 DIMM_B2 Single-channel (1) â â Populated â Dual-channel* (1) Populated â Populated â (2) Populated Populated Populated Populated
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 1 5 Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) for the latest DDR400 Qualiï¬ed Vendors List. Side(s): SS - Single Sided DS - Double Sided DIMM Support: A - supports one module inserted into either slot, in a Single-channel memory conï¬guration. B - supports one pair of modules inserted into either the blue slots or the black slots as one pair of Dual-channel memory conï¬guration. C - support for 4 modules inserted into the blue and black slots as two pairs of Dual-channel memory conï¬guration. 256MB KINGSTON KVR400X72C3A/256 N/A SS V58C2256804SAT5(ECC) V V V 512MB KINGSTON KVR400X72C3A/512 N/A DS V58C2256804SAT5(ECC) V V V 1024MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/1G N/A DS HYB25D512800BE-5B V V V 1024MB KINGSTON KHX3200ULK2/1G N/A DS Heat-Sink Package 256MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/256 N/A SS D3208DL3T-5A V V 256MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/256 N/A SS A2S56D30BTP V V V 512MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/512 N/A DS V58C2256804SAT5 V V V 512MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/512 N/A SS HY5DU12822BT-D43 V V V 1024MB KINGSTON KVR400X64C3A/1G N/A DS HYB25D512800BE-5B V V V 256MB SAMSUNG M381L3223ETM-CCC SAMSUNG SS K4H560838E-TCCC(ECC) V V V 512MB SAMSUNG M381L6423ETM-CCC SAMSUNG DS K4H560838E-TCCC(ECC) V V V 256MB SAMSUNG M368L3223ETM-CCC SAMSUNG SS K4H560838E-TCCC V V 256MB SAMSUNG M368L3223FTN-CCC SAMSUNG SS K4H560838F-TCCC V V 512MB SAMSUNG M368L6423FTN-CCC SAMSUNG DS K4H560838F-TCCC V V V 512MB SAMSUNG M368L6523BTM-CCC SAMSUNG SS K4H510838B-TCCC V V 256MB MICRON MT8VDDT3264AG-40BCB MICRON SS MT46V32M8TG-5BC V V V 512MB MICRON MT16VDDT6464AG-40BCB MICRON DS MT46V32M8TG-5BC V V V 256MB Inï¬neon HYS64D32300HU-5-C Inï¬neon SS HYB25D256800CE-5C V V V 512MB Inï¬neon HYS64D64320HU-5-C Inï¬neon DS HYB25D256800CE-5C V V V 256MB Inï¬neon HYS64D32301HU-5-C Inï¬neon SS HYB25D512160CE-5C V V V 512MB Inï¬neon HYS64D64300HU-5-C Inï¬neon SS HYB25D512800CE-5C V V V 1024MB Inï¬neon HYS64D128320HU-5-C Inï¬neon DS HYB25D512800CE-5B V V V 256MB CORSAIR CMX256A-3200C2PT N/A SS W942508BH-5 V V V 512MB CORSAIR CMXP512-3200XL N/A DS Heat-Sink Package V V 512MB CORSAIR CMX512-3200C2 N/A DS Heat-Sink Package V V 512MB CORSAIR VS512MB400 N/A DS VS32M8-5 V V V 1024MB CORSAIR TWINX2048-3200C2 N/A DS Heat-Sink Package V V V 256MB Hynix HYMD232646D8J-D43 N/A SS HY5DU56822DT-D43 V V V 512MB Hynix HYMD264646D8J-D43 N/A DS HY5DU56822DT-D43 V V V D D R 4 0 0 Q u a l i f i e d V e n d o r s L i s t DIMM support Size Vendor Model Brand Side(s) Component A B C
1 - 1 6 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1 . 7 . 4 R e m o v i n g a D I M M Follow these steps to remove a DIMM. 1. Simultaneously press the retaining clips outward to unlock the DIMM. 2. Remove the DIMM from the socket. Support the DIMM lightly with your ï¬ngers when pressing the retaining clips. The DIMM might get damaged when it ï¬ips out with extra force. 1 . 7 . 3 I n s t a l l i n g a D I M M 3. Firmly insert the DIMM into the socket until the retaining clips snap back in place and the DIMM is properly seated. 1. Unlock a DIMM socket by pressing the retaining clips outward. 2. Align a DIMM on the socket such that the notch on the DIMM matches the break on the socket. L o c k e d R e t a i n i n g C l i p Make sure to unplug the power supply before adding or removing DIMMs or other system components. Failure to do so may cause severe damage to both the motherboard and the components. A DDR DIMM is keyed with a notch so that it ï¬ts in only one direction. DO NOT force a DIMM into a socket to avoid damaging the DIMM. U n l o c k e d r e t a i n i n g c l i p D D R D I M M n o t c h 1 2 1 D D R D I M M n o t c h 1 2 1 3
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 1 7 1.8 Expansion slots In the future, you may need to install expansion cards. The following sub-sections describe the slots and the expansion cards that they support. 1 . 8 . 1 I n s t a l l i n g a n e x p a n s i o n c a r d To install an expansion card: 1. Before installing the expansion card, read the documentation that came with it and make the necessary hardware settings for the card. 2. Remove the system unit cover (if your motherboard is already installed in a chassis). 3. Remove the bracket opposite the slot that you intend to use. Keep the screw for later use. 4. Align the card connector with the slot and press ï¬rmly until the card is completely seated on the slot. 5. Secure the card to the chassis with the screw you removed earlier. 6. Replace the system cover. 1 . 8 . 2 C o n f i g u r i n g a n e x p a n s i o n c a r d After installing the expansion card, conï¬gure the card by adjusting the software settings. 1. Turn on the system and change the necessary BIOS settings, if any. See Chapter 2 for information on BIOS setup. 2. Assign an IRQ to the card. Refer to the tables on the next page. 3. Install the software drivers for the expansion card. Make sure to unplug the power cord before adding or removing expansion cards. Failure to do so may cause you physical injury and damage motherboard components. We recommended to install the memory modules ï¬rst before installing an AGP 8X card.
1 - 1 8 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1 . 8 . 3 I n t e r r u p t a s s i g n m e n t s S t a n d a r d i n t e r r u p t a s s i g n m e n t s IRQ Priority Standard Function 0 1 System Timer 1 2 Keyboard Controller 2 â Re-direct to IRQ#9 3 11 IRQ holder for PCI steering* 4 12 Communications Port (COM1)* 5 13 IRQ holder for PCI steering* 6 14 Floppy Disk Controller 7 15 Printer Port (LPT1)* 8 3 System CMOS/Real Time Clock 9 4 IRQ holder for PCI steering* 10 5 IRQ holder for PCI steering* 11 6 IRQ holder for PCI steering* 12 7 PS/2 Compatible Mouse Port* 13 8 Numeric Data Processor 14 9 Primary IDE Channel 15 10 Secondary IDE Channel * These IRQs are usually available for ISA or PCI devices. When using PCI cards on shared slots, ensure that the drivers support âShare IRQâ or that the cards do not need IRQ assignments. Otherwise, conï¬icts will arise between the two PCI groups, making the system unstable and the card inoperable. I R Q a s s i g n m e n t s f o r t h i s m o t h e r b o a r d A B C D E F G H PCI slot 1 shared â â â â â â â PCI slot 2 â shared â â â â â â PCI slot 3 â â shared â â â â â PCI E x1 slot 1 shared â â â â â â â PCI E x1 slot 2 shared â â â â â â â AGP 8X slot shared â â â â â â â Onboard USB controller 1 shared â â â â â â â Onboard USB controller 2 shared â â â â â â â Onboard USB controller 3 â shared â â â â â â Onboard USB controller 4 â shared â â â â â â O n bo a r d U S B 2 .0 c o n t r o l l er â â shared â â â â â Onboard LAN shared â â â â â â â
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 1 9 1 . 8 . 5 P C I E x p r e s s x 1 s l o t This motherboard supports PCI Express x1 network cards, SCSI cards and other cards that comply with the PCI Express speciï¬cations. The ï¬gure shows a network card installed on the PCI Express x1 slot. 1 . 8 . 4 P C I s l o t s The PCI slots support cards such as a LAN card, SCSI card, USB card, and other cards that comply with PCI speciï¬cations. The ï¬gure shows a LAN card installed on a PCI slot. 1 . 8 . 6 A G P s l o t The Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) slot supports AGP8X/4X cards. When you buy an AGP card, make sure that you ask for one with 1.5V speciï¬cation. Note the notches on the card golden ï¬ngers to ensure that they ï¬t the AGP slot on your motherboard. Install only 1.5 V or 0.8 V AGP cards on this motherboard! 3.3V AGP cards are not supported in this motherboard. A8V- X ® A8V -X Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) Keyed for 1.5v
1 - 2 0 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1.9 Jumpers 1 . C l e a r R T C R A M ( C L R T C ) This jumper allows you to clear the Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM in CMOS. You can clear the CMOS memory of date, time, and system setup parameters by erasing the CMOS RTC RAM data. The onboard button cell battery powers the RAM data in CMOS, which include system setup information such as system passwords. To erase the RTC RAM: 1. Turn OFF the computer and unplug the power cord. 2. Remove the onboard battery. 3. Move the jumper cap from pins 1-2 (default) to pins 2-3. Keep the cap on pins 2-3 for about 5~10 seconds, then move the cap back to pins 1-2. 4. Re-install the battery. 5. Plug the power cord and turn ON the computer. 6. Hold down the <Del> key during the boot process and enter BIOS setup to re-enter data. Except when clearing the RTC RAM, never remove the cap on CLRTC jumper default position. Removing the cap will cause system boot failure! You do not need to clear the RTC when the system hangs due to overclocking. For system failure due to overclocking, use the C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall) feature. Shut down and reboot the system so the BIOS can automatically reset parameter settings to default values. A8V- X ® A8V -X Clear RTC RAM CLRTC Normal Clear CMOS (Default) 1 2 2 3
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 2 1 3 . K e y b o a r d p o w e r ( 3 - p i n K B P W R ) This jumper allows you to enable or disable the keyboard wake-up feature. Set this jumper to pins 2-3 ( 5VSB) if you wish to wake up the computer when you press a key on the keyboard (the default is the Space Bar). This feature requires an ATX power supply that can supply at least 1A on the 5VSB lead, and a corresponding setting in the BIOS. 2 . U S B d e v i c e w a k e - u p ( 3 - p i n U S B P W 1 2 3 4 , U S B P W 5 6 7 8 ) Set these jumpers to 5V to wake up the computer from S1 sleep mode (CPU stopped, DRAM refreshed, system running in low power mode) using the connected USB devices. Set to 5VSB to wake up from S3 and S4 sleep modes (no power to CPU, DRAM in slow refresh, power supply in reduced power mode). ⢠The USB device wake-up feature requires a power supply that can provide 500mA on the 5VSB lead for each USB port; otherwise, the system would not power up. ⢠The total current consumed must NOT exceed the power supply capability ( 5VSB) whether under normal condition or in sleep mode. A8V- X ® 3 2 2 1 A8V -X USB Device Wake Up 5V (Default) 5VSB USBPW5678 5V (Default) 5VSB USBPW1234 2 1 3 2 A8V- X ® A8V -X Keyboard Power Setting 3 2 2 1 5V (Default) 5VSB KBPWR
1 - 2 2 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1.10 Connectors 1 . 1 0 . 1 R e a r p a n e l c o n n e c t o r s 1. PS/2 mouse port (green). This port is for a PS/2 mouse. 2. Parallel port. This 25-pin port connects a parallel printer, a scanner, or other devices. 3. LAN RJ-45 port. This port allows Gigabit connection to a Local Area Network (LAN) through a network hub. Refer to the table below for the LAN port LED indications. SPEED LED LED LAN port SPEED L A N p o r t L E D i n d i c a t i o n s 4. Line In port (light blue). This port connects the tape, CD, DVD player, or other audio sources. 5. Line Out port (lime). This port connects a headphone or a speaker. 6. Microphone port (pink). This port connects a microphone. SPEED LED Status Description GREEN(Right) 10 Mbps connection ORANGE(Left) 100 Mbps connection Refer to the audio conï¬guration table on the next page for the function of the audio ports 2, 4, or 6-channel conï¬guration. 1 1 1 4 5 6 7 2 3 9 10 8
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 2 3 Light Blue Line In Back Surround Back Surround Lime Line Out Front Speaker Out Front Speaker Out Pink Mic In Mic In Center/Base Port 2-channel 4-channel 6-channel 1 . 1 0 . 2 I n t e r n a l c o n n e c t o r s 7. USB 2.0 ports 3 and 4. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices. 8. USB 2.0 ports 1 and 2. These two 4-pin Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports are available for connecting USB 2.0 devices. 9. Serial port. This 9-pin serial port is for serial devices. 10. Coaxial S/PDIF Out port. This port connects an external audio output device via a coaxial S/PDIF cable. 11. PS/2 keyboard port (purple). This port is for a PS/2 keyboard. 1 . F l o p p y d i s k d r i v e c o n n e c t o r ( 3 4 - 1 p i n F L O P P Y ) This connector is for the provided ï¬oppy disk drive (FDD) signal cable. Insert one end of the cable to this connector, then connect the other end to the signal connector at the back of the ï¬oppy disk drive. The Pin 5 on the connector is removed to prevent incorrect cable connection when using an FDD cable with a covered Pin 5. A8V- X ® A8V -X Floppy Disk Drive Connector NOTE: Orient the red markings on the floppy ribbon cable to PIN 1. FLOPPY PIN 1 A u d i o 2 , 4 , o r 6 - c h a n n e l c o n f i g u r a t i o n
1 - 2 4 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 2 . I D E c o n n e c t o r s ( 4 0 - 1 p i n P R I _ I D E , S E C _ I D E ) These connectors are for Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cables. The Ultra DMA 133/100/66 signal cable has three connectors: a blue connector for the primary IDE connector on the motherboard, a black connector for an Ultra DMA 133/100/66 IDE slave device (optical drive/hard disk drive), and a gray connector for an Ultra DMA 133/100/66 IDE master device (hard disk drive). If you install two hard disk drives, you must conï¬gure the second drive as a slave device by setting its jumper accordingly. Refer to the hard disk documentation for the jumper settings. ⢠The Pin 20 on the IDE connector is removed to match the covered hole on the Ultra DMA cable connector. This prevents incorrect insertion when you connect the IDE cable. ⢠Use the 80-conductor IDE cable for UltraDMA133/100/66 IDE devices. A8V -X IDE Connectors SEC_IDE PRI_IDE NOTE: Orient the red markings (usually zigzag) on the IDE ribbon cable to PIN 1. A8V- X ®
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 2 5 3 . S e r i a l A T A c o n n e c t o r s ( 7 - p i n S A T A 1 , S A T A 2 , S A T A 3 , S A T A 4 ) These connectors are for the Serial ATA signal cables for Serial ATA devices. The current Serial ATA I interface allows up to 150 MB/s data transfer rate while Serial ATA II allows up to 300 MB/s data transfer rate, faster than the standard parallel ATA with 133 MB/s (Ultra DMA/133) Important notes on Serial ATA ⢠The Serial ATA RAID feature (RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0 1, RAID 5 and JBOD) is available only if you are using Windows ® 2003 Server/ Windows ® XP/Windows ® 2000. ⢠Install the Windows ® 2000 Service Pack 4 or the Windows ® XP Service Pack1 when using Serial ATA. ⢠For detailed instructions on how to conï¬gure RAID 0, RAID1, RAID0 1, RAID 5 and JBOD, refer to the RAID manual in the support CD. A8V- X ® A8V -X SA T A Connectors SA T A2 GN D RS A T A_ TX P2 RS A T A_ TX N2 GN D RS A T A_ RX P2 RS A T A_ RX N2 GN D SA T A4 GN D RS A T A_ TX P4 RS A T A_ TX N4 GN D RS A T A_ RX P4 RS A T A_ RX N4 GN D SA T A1 GN D RS A T A_ TX P1 RS A T A_ TX N1 GN D RS A T A_ RX P1 RS A T A_ RX N1 GN D SA T A3 GN D RS A T A_ TX P3 RS A T A_ TX N3 GN D RS A T A_ RX P3 RS A T A_ RX N3 GN D
1 - 2 6 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 6 . I n t e r n a l a u d i o c o n n e c t o r s ( 4 - p i n A U X , C D ) These connectors allow you to receive stereo audio input from sound sources such as a CD-ROM, TV-tuner, or MPEG card. 5 . C P U a n d C h a s s i s f a n c o n n e c t o r s ( 3 - p i n C P U _ F A N , 3 - p i n C H A _ F A N ) The fa n c onne cto rs supp ort co oli ng f ans of 35 0mA~ 2000mA (24 W max.) or a total of 1A~3.48A (41.76 W max.) at 12V. Connect the fan cables to the fan connectors on the motherboard, making sure that the black wire of each cable matches the ground pin of the connector. Do not forget to connect the fan cables to the fan connectors. Lack of sufï¬cient air ï¬ow inside the system may damage the motherboard components. These are not jumpers! DO NOT place jumper caps on the fan connectors! A8V- X ® A8V -X Fan Connectors CHA_F AN GND Rotation 12V CPU_F AN GND Rotation 12V A8V- X ® Right Audio Channel Left Audio Channel Ground Ground A8V -X Internal Audio Connectors AUX (White) CD (Black)
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 2 7 Never connect a 1394 cable to the USB connectors. Doing so will damage the motherboard! 7 . U S B c o n n e c t o r s ( 1 0 - 1 p i n U S B 5 6 , U S B 7 8 ) These connectors are for USB 2.0 ports. Connect the USB/GAME module cable to any of these connectors, then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis. These USB connectors comply with USB 2.0 speciï¬cation that supports up to 480 Mbps connection speed. The USB/GAME port module is purchased separately. 8 . F r o n t p a n e l a u d i o c o n n e c t o r ( 1 0 - 1 p i n A A F P ) This connector is for a chassis-mounted front panel audio I/O module that supports high-deï¬nition audio standard. Connect one end of the front panel audio I/O module cable to this connector. A8V- X ® A8V -X USB 2.0 Connectors USB56 USB 5V USB_P6- USB_P6 GND NC USB 5V USB_P5- USB_P5 GND 1 USB78 USB 5V USB_P8- USB_P8 GND NC USB 5V USB_P7- USB_P7 GND 1 A8V- X ® A8V -X Analog Front Panel Connector AAFP Legacy AC 97 compliant definition Azalia compliant definition SENSE2_RETUR PORT1 L PORT2 R PORT2 L SENSE1_RETUR SENSE_SEND PORT1 R PRESENCE# GND BLINE_OUT_L MIC2 Line out_R Line out_L BLINE_OUT_R NC MICPWR 5V A AGND
1 - 2 8 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 9 . A T X p o w e r c o n n e c t o r s ( 2 0 - p i n A T X P W R , 4 - p i n A T X 1 2 V ) These connectors are for an ATX power supply plugs. The power supply plugs are designed to ï¬t these connectors in only one orientation. Find the proper orientation and push down ï¬rmly until the connectors completely ï¬t. ⢠Use of an ATX 12 V Speciï¬cation 2.0-compliant power supply unit (PSU) that provides a minimum power of 350 W is recommended for a fully-conï¬gured system. ⢠Do not forget to connect the 4-pin ATX 12 V power plug; otherwise, the system will not boot up. ⢠Use of a PSU with a higher power output is recommended when conï¬guring a system with more power-consuming devices. The system may become unstable or may not boot up if the power is inadequate. ⢠You must install a PSU with a higher power rating if you intend to install additional devices. A8V- X ® A8V -X A TX Power Connectors A TXPWR A TX12V 12V DC GND 12V DC GND 3.3VDC -12.0VDC COM PS_ON# COM COM COM -5.0VDC 5.0VDC 5.0VDC PWR_OK 12.0VDC 3.3VDC 3.3VDC COM 5.0VDC COM 5.0VDC COM 5VSB
A S U S A 8 V - X 1 - 2 9 1 0 . G A M E / M I D I p o r t c o n n e c t o r ( 1 6 - 1 p i n G A M E ) This connector is for a GAME/MIDI port. Connect the USB/GAME module cable to this connector, then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis. The GAME/MIDI port connects a joystick or game pad for playing games, and MIDI devices for playing or editing audio ï¬les. The USB/GAME port module is purchased separately. A8V -X GAME Connector GAME 5V 5V J2B1 J2CX MIDI_OUT J2CY J2B2 MIDI_IN J1B1 J1CX GND GND J1CY J1B2 5V A8V- X ® 1 1 . D i g i t a l a u d i o c o n n e c t o r ( 4 - 1 p i n S P D I F _ O U T ) This connector is for an additional Sony/Philips Digital Interface (S/PDIF) port(s). Connect the S/PDIF module cable to this connector, then install the module to a slot opening at the back of the system chassis. The S/PDIF module is purchased separately. A8V- X ® A8V -X Digital Audio Connector 5V SPDIFOUT GND SPDIF_OUT
1 - 3 0 C h a p t e r 1 : P r o d u c t i n t r o d u c t i o n 1 2 . S y s t e m p a n e l c o n n e c t o r ( 2 0 - p i n P A N E L ) This connector supports several chassis-mounted functions. The sytem panel connector is color-coded for easy connection. Refer to the connector description below for details. ⢠System power LED (Green 3-pin PLED) This 3-pin connector is for the system power LED. Connect the chassis power LED cable to this connector. The system power LED lights up when you turn on the system power, and blinks when the system is in sleep mode. ⢠System warning speaker (Orange 4-pin SPEAKER) This 4-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted system warning speaker. The speaker allows you to hear system beeps and warnings. ⢠Hard disk drive activity (Red 2-pin IDE_LED) This 2-pin connector is for the HDD Activity LED. Connect the HDD Activity LED cable to this connector. The IDE LED lights up or ï¬ashes when data is read from or written to the HDD. ⢠Power/Soft-off button (Yellow 2-pin PWRSW) This connector is for the system power button. Pressing the power button turns the system ON or puts the system in SLEEP or SOFT-OFF mode depending on the BIOS settings. Pressing the power switch for more than four seconds while the system is ON turns the system OFF. ⢠Reset button (Blue 2-pin RESET) This 2-pin connector is for the chassis-mounted reset button for system reboot without turning off the system power. A8V- X ® A8V -X System Panel Connector * Requires an A TX power supply . PLED- PWR 5V Speaker PLED Ground RESET Ground Reset Ground Ground PLED IDE_LED- IDE_LED IDE_LED SPEAKER PWRSW P ANEL
2 BIOS setup This chapter tells how to change the system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.
2-2 Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS The following utilities allow you to manage and update the motherboard Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) setup. 1. ASUS AFUDOS (Updates the BIOS in DOS mode using a bootable ï¬oppy disk.) 2. ASUS EZ Flash (Updates the BIOS using a ï¬oppy disk during POST.) 3. ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 (Updates the BIOS using a bootable ï¬oppy disk or the motherboard support CD when the BIOS ï¬le fails or gets corrupted.) 4. ASUS Update (Updates the BIOS in Windows ® environment.) Refer to the corresponding sections for details on these utilities. 2.1.1 Creating a bootable ï¬oppy disk 1. Do either one of the following to create a bootable ï¬oppy disk. DOS environment a. Insert a 1.44MB ï¬oppy disk into the drive. b. At the DOS prompt, type format A:/S then press <Enter>. Windows ® XP environment a. Insert a 1.44 MB ï¬oppy disk to the ï¬oppy disk drive. b. Click Start from the Windows ® desktop, then select My Computer. c. Select the 3 1/2 Floppy Drive icon. d. Click File from the menu, then select Format. A Format 3 1/2 Floppy Disk window appears. e. Select Create an MS-DOS startup disk from the format options ï¬eld, then click Start. Windows ® 2000 environment To create a set of boot disks for Windows ® 2000: a. Insert a formatted, high density 1.44 MB ï¬oppy disk into the drive. b. Insert the Windows ® 2000 CD to the optical drive. c. Click Start, then select Run. Save a copy of the original motherboard BIOS ï¬le to a bootable ï¬oppy disk in case you need to restore the BIOS in the future. Copy the original motherboard BIOS using the ASUS Update or AFUDOS utilities.
ASUS A8V-X 2-3 d. From the Open ï¬eld, type D:\bootdisk\makeboot a: assuming that D: is your optical drive. e. Press <Enter>, then follow screen instructions to continue. 2. Copy the original or the latest motherboard BIOS ï¬le to the bootable ï¬oppy disk. 2.1.2 ASUS EZ Flash utility The ASUS EZ Flash feature allows you to update the BIOS without having to go through the long process of booting from a ï¬oppy disk and using a DOS-based utility. The EZ Flash utility is built-in the BIOS chip so it is accessible by pressing <Alt> <F2> during the Power-On Self Tests (POST). To update the BIOS using EZ Flash: 1. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS ï¬le for the motherboard and rename the same to A8V-X.ROM. 2. Save the BIOS ï¬le to a ï¬oppy disk, then restart the system. 3. Press <Alt> <F2> during POST to display the following. EZFlash starting BIOS update Checking for ï¬oppy... 4. Insert the ï¬oppy disk that contains the BIOS ï¬le to the ï¬oppy disk drive. When the correct BIOS ï¬le is found, EZ Flash performs the BIOS update process and automatically reboots the system when done. EZFlash starting BIOS update Checking for ï¬oppy... Floppy found! Reading ï¬le âA8V-X.ROMâ. Completed. Start erasing....... Start programming... Flashed successfully. Rebooting. ⢠Do not shutdown or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent system boot failure! ⢠A âFloppy not found!â error message appears if there is no ï¬oppy disk in the drive. A âA8V-X.ROM not found!â error message appears if the correct BIOS ï¬le is not found in the ï¬oppy disk. Make sure that you rename the BIOS ï¬le to A8V-X.ROM.
2-4 Chapter 2: BIOS setup Updating the BIOS ï¬le To update the BIOS ï¬le using the AFUDOS utility: 1. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) and download the latest BIOS ï¬le for the motherboard. Save the BIOS ï¬le to a bootable ï¬oppy disk. 2.1.3 AFUDOS utility The AFUDOS utility allows you to update the BIOS ï¬le in DOS environment using a bootable ï¬oppy disk with the updated BIOS ï¬le. This utility also allows you to copy the current BIOS ï¬le that you can use as backup when the BIOS fails or gets corrupted during the updating process. Copying the current BIOS To copy the current BIOS ï¬le using the AFUDOS utility: The utility returns to the DOS prompt after copying the current BIOS ï¬le. 3. Press <Enter>. The utility copies the current BIOS ï¬le to the ï¬oppy disk. A:\>afudos /oOLDBIOS1.ROM AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.10 Cop yrig ht (C ) 20 02 A meri can M egat rend s, I nc. All r ight s re serv ed. Reading ï¬ash ..... done A:\> Main ï¬lename Extension name 1. Copy the AFUDOS utility (afudos.exe) from the motherboard support CD to the bootable ï¬oppy disk you created earlier. 2. Boot the system in DOS mode, then at the prompt type: afudos /o[ï¬lename] where the [ï¬lename] is any user-assigned ï¬lename not more than eight alphanumeric characters for the main ï¬lename and three alphanumeric characters for the extension name. A:\>afudos /oOLDBIOS1.ROM ⢠Make sure that the ï¬oppy disk is not write-protected and has at least 600 KB free space to save the ï¬le. ⢠The succeeding BIOS screens are for reference only. The actual BIOS screen displays may not be exactly the same as shown.
ASUS A8V-X 2-5 5. The utility returns to the DOS prompt after the BIOS update process is completed. Reboot the system from the hard disk drive. 2. Copy the AFUDOS utility (afudos.exe) from the motherboard support CD to the bootable ï¬oppy disk you created earlier. 3. Boot the system in DOS mode, then at the prompt type: afudos /i[ï¬lename] where [ï¬lename] is the latest or the original BIOS ï¬le on the bootable ï¬oppy disk. A:\>afudos /iA8V-X.ROM AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.19 Co py ri gh t (C ) 2 00 3 American Megatrends, Inc. All rights reserved. WARNING!! Do not turn off power during ï¬ash BIOS Reading ï¬le ..... done Erasing ï¬ash .... done Search bootblock version: 0% 100% A:\>afudos /iA8V-X.ROM 4. The utility veriï¬es the ï¬le and starts updating the BIOS. Do not shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS to prevent system boot failure! Write the BIOS ï¬lename on a piece of paper. You need to type the exact BIOS ï¬lename at the DOS prompt. A:\>afudos /iA8V-X.ROM AMI Firmware Update Utility - Version 1.19 Co py ri gh t (C ) 2 00 3 American Megatrends, Inc. All rights reserved. WARNING!! Do not turn off power during ï¬ash BIOS Reading ï¬le ..... done Erasing ï¬ash .... done Search bootblock version: 0% 100% Advance Check ........ Erasing ï¬ash ..... done Writing ï¬ash ..... done Verifying ï¬ash ... done Please restart your computer
2-6 Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2.1.4 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 utility The ASUS CrashFree BIOS 2 is an auto recovery tool that allows you to restore the BIOS ï¬le when it fails or gets corrupted during the updating process. You can update a corrupted BIOS ï¬le using the motherboard support CD or the ï¬oppy disk that contains the updated BIOS ï¬le. Recovering the BIOS from a ï¬oppy disk To recover the BIOS from a ï¬oppy disk: 1. Turn on the system. 2. Insert the ï¬oppy disk with the original or updated BIOS ï¬le to the ï¬oppy disk drive. 3. The utility displays the following message and automatically checks the ï¬oppy disk for the original or updated BIOS ï¬le. Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery... Checking for ï¬oppy... 4. Restart the system after the utility completes the updating process. Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery... Checking for ï¬oppy... Floppy found! Reading ï¬le âA8V-X.ROMâ. Completed. Start ï¬ashing... When found, the utility reads the BIOS ï¬le and starts ï¬ashing the corrupted BIOS ï¬le. DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS! Doing so can cause system boot failure! ⢠Prepare the motherboard support CD or the ï¬oppy disk containing the updated motherboard BIOS before using this utility. ⢠Make sure that you rename the original or updated BIOS ï¬le in the ï¬oppy disk to A8V-X.ROM.
ASUS A8V-X 2-7 The recovered BIOS may not be the latest BIOS version for this motherboard. Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS ï¬le. Recovering the BIOS from the support CD To recover the BIOS from the support CD: 1. Remove any ï¬oppy disk from the ï¬oppy disk drive, then turn on the system. 2. Insert the support CD to the optical drive. 3. The utility displays the following message and automatically checks the ï¬oppy disk for the original or updated BIOS ï¬le. 4. Restart the system after the utility completes the updating process. DO NOT shut down or reset the system while updating the BIOS! Doing so can cause system boot failure! Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery... Checking for ï¬oppy... Floppy not found! Checking for CD-ROM... CD-ROM found! Reading ï¬le âA8V-X.ROMâ. Completed. Start ï¬ashing... When no ï¬oppy disk is found, the utility automatically checks the optical drive for the original or updated BIOS ï¬le. The utility then updates the corrupted BIOS ï¬le. Bad BIOS checksum. Starting BIOS recovery... Checking for ï¬oppy...
2-8 Chapter 2: BIOS setup Installing ASUS Update To install ASUS Update: 1. Place the support CD in the optical drive. The Drivers menu appears. 2. Click the Utilities tab, then click Install ASUS Update VX.XX.XX. See page 3-4 for the Utilities screen menu. 3. The ASUS Update utility is copied to your system. 2.1.5 ASUS Update utility The ASUS Update is a utility that allows you to manage, save, and update the motherboard BIOS in Windows ® environment. The ASUS Update utility allows you to: ⢠Save the current BIOS ï¬le ⢠Download the latest BIOS ï¬le from the Internet ⢠Update the BIOS from an updated BIOS ï¬le ⢠Update the BIOS directly from the Internet, and ⢠View the BIOS version information. This utility is available in the support CD that comes with the motherboard package. ASUS Update requires an Internet connection either through a network or an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Quit all Windows ® applications before you update the BIOS using this utility.
ASUS A8V-X 2-9 3. Select the ASUS FTP site nearest you to avoid network trafï¬c, or click Auto Select. Click Next. Updating the BIOS through the Internet To update the BIOS through the Internet: 1. Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows ® desktop by clicking Start > Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The ASUS Update main window appears. 2. Select Update BIOS from the Internet option from the drop-down menu, then click Next.
2-10 Chapter 2: BIOS setup Updating the BIOS through a BIOS ï¬le To update the BIOS through a BIOS ï¬le: 1. Launch the ASUS Update utility from the Windows ® desktop by clicking Start > Programs > ASUS > ASUSUpdate > ASUSUpdate. The ASUS Update main window appears. 2. Select Update BIOS from a ï¬le option from the drop-down menu, then click Next. 4. From the FTP site, select the BIOS version that you wish to download. Click Next. 5. Follow the screen instructions to complete the update process. The ASUS Update utility is capable of updating itself through the Internet. Always update the utility to avail all its features. 3. Locate the BIOS ï¬le from the Open window, then click Open. 4. Follow the screen instructions to complete the update process.
ASUS A8V-X 2-11 2.2 BIOS setup program This motherboard supports a programmable ï¬rmware chip that you can update using the provided utility described in section â2.1 Managing and updating your BIOS.â Use the BIOS Setup program when you are installing a motherboard, reconï¬guring your system, or prompted to âRun Setupâ. This section explains how to conï¬gure your system using this utility. Even if you are not prompted to use the Setup program, you can change the conï¬guration of your computer in the future. For example, you can enable the security password feature or change the power management settings. This requires you to reconï¬gure your system using the BIOS Setup program so that the computer can recognize these changes and record them in the CMOS RAM of the ï¬rmware hub. The ï¬rmware hub on the motherboard stores the Setup utility. When you start up the computer, the system provides you with the opportunity to run this program. Press <Del> during the Power-On Self-Test (POST) to enter the Setup utility; otherwise, POST continues with its test routines. If you wish to enter Setup after POST, restart the system by pressing <Ctrl> <Alt> <Del>, or by pressing the reset button on the system chassis. You can also restart by turning the system off and then back on. Do this last option only if the ï¬rst two failed. The Setup program is designed to make it as easy to use as possible. Being a menu-driven program, it lets you scroll through the various sub-menus and make your selections from the available options using the navigation keys. ⢠The default BIOS settings for this motherboard apply for most conditions to ensure optimum performance. If the system becomes unstable after changing any BIOS settings, load the default settings to ensure system compatibility and stability. Select the Load Default Settings item under the Exit Menu. See section â2.7 Exit Menu.â ⢠The BIOS setup screens shown in this section are for reference purposes only, and may not exactly match what you see on your screen. ⢠Visit the ASUS website (www.asus.com) to download the latest BIOS ï¬le for this motherboard and .
2-12 Chapter 2: BIOS setup System Time [11:51:19] System Date [Thu 05/07/2004] Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in] Primary IDE Master :[ST320413A] Primary IDE Slave :[Not Detected] Secondary IDE Master :[Not Detected] Secondary IDE Slave :[Not Detected] Third IDE Master :[Not Detected] Third IDE Slave :[Not Detected] Fourth IDE Master :[Not Detected] Fourth IDE Slave :[Not Detected] System Information 2.2.2 Menu bar The menu bar on top of the screen has the following main items: Main For changing the basic system conï¬guration Advanced For changing the advanced system settings Power For changing the advanced power management (APM) conï¬guration Boot For changing the system boot conï¬guration Exit For selecting the exit options and loading default settings 2.2.1 BIOS menu screen To select an item on the menu bar, press the right or left arrow key on the keyboard until the desired item is highlighted. Some of the navigation keys differ from one screen to another. Navigation keys General help Menu bar Sub-menu items Conï¬guration ï¬elds Menu items 2.2.3 Navigation keys At the bottom right corner of a menu screen are the navigation keys for that particular menu. Use the navigation keys to select items in the menu and change the settings. Use [ENTER], [TAB] or [SHIFT-TAB] to select a ï¬eld. Use [] or [-] to conï¬gure system time.
ASUS A8V-X 2-13 2.2.4 Menu items The highlighted item on the menu bar displays the speciï¬c items for that menu. For example, selecting Main shows the Main menu items. The other items (Advanced, Power, Boot, and Exit) on the menu bar have their respective menu items. 2.2.5 Sub-menu items A solid triangle before each item on any menu screen means that the iteam has a sub-menu. To display the sub-menu, select the item and press <Enter>. 2.2.6 Conï¬guration ï¬elds These ï¬elds show the values for the menu items. If an item is user- conï¬gurable, you can change the value of the ï¬eld opposite the item. You cannot select an item that is not user-conï¬gurable. A conï¬gurable ï¬eld is enclosed in brackets, and is highlighted when selected. To change the value of a ï¬eld, select it then press <Enter> to display a list of options. Refer to â2.2.7 Pop-up window.â 2.2.7 Pop-up window Select a menu item then press <Enter> to display a pop-up window with the conï¬guration options for that item. 2.2.8 Scroll bar A scroll bar appears on the right side of a menu screen when there are items that do not ï¬t on the screen. Press the U p/ D o wn a rr ow ke y s o r <P a g e U p > / <Page Down> keys to display the other items on the screen. 2.2.9 General help At the top right corner of the menu screen is a brief description of the selected item. System Time [11:10:19] System Date [Thu 03/27/2003] Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in] Language [English] Primary IDE Master :[ST320413A] Primary IDE Slave :[ASUS CD-S340] Secondary IDE Master :[Not Detected] Secondary IDE Slave :[Not Detected] Third IDE Master :[Not Detected] Fourth IDE Master :[Not Detected] IDE Configuration System Information Use [ENTER], [TAB] or [SHIFT-TAB] to select a field. Use [ ] or [-] to configure system time. Select Screen Select Item - Change Field Tab Select Field F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit Main menu items Scroll bar Select Screen Select Item - Change Option F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit Advanced Chipset settings WARNING: Setting wrong values in the sections below may cause system to malfunction. Configure DRAM Timing by SPD [Enabled] Memory Acceleration Mode [Auto] DRAM Idle Timer [Auto] DRAm Refresh Rate [Auto] Graphic Adapter Priority [AGP/PCI] Graphics Aperture Size [ 64 MB] Spread Spectrum [Enabled] ICH Delayed Transaction [Enabled] MPS Revision [1.4] Pop-up window
2-14 Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2.3 Main menu When you enter the BIOS Setup program, the Main menu screen appears, giving you an overview of the basic system information. 2.3.1 System Time [xx:xx:xxxx] Allows you to set the system time. 2.3.2 System Date [Day xx/xx/xxxx] Allows you to set the system date. 2.3.3 Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in.] Sets the type of ï¬oppy drive installed. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [360K, 5.25 in.] [1.2M , 5.25 in.] [720K , 3.5 in.] [1.44M, 3.5 in.] [2.88M, 3.5 in.] Refer to section â2.2.1 BIOS menu screenâ for information on the menu screen items and how to navigate through them. System Time [11:51:19] System Date [Thu 05/07/2004] Legacy Diskette A [1.44M, 3.5 in] Primary IDE Master :[ST320413A] Primary IDE Slave :[Not Detected] Secondary IDE Master :[Not Detected] Secondary IDE Slave :[Not Detected] Third IDE Master :[Not Detected] Third IDE Slave :[Not Detected] Fourth IDE Master :[Not Detected] Fourth IDE Slave :[Not Detected] System Information Use [ENTER], [TAB] or [SHIFT-TAB] to select a ï¬eld. Use [ ] or [-] to conï¬gure system time.
ASUS A8V-X 2-15 2.3.4 Primary, Secondary, Third and Fourth IDE Master/Slave While entering Setup, the BIOS automatically detects the presence of IDE devices. There is a separate sub-menu for each IDE device. Select a device item then press <Enter> to display the IDE device information. The BIOS automatically detects the values opposite the dimmed items (Device, Vendor, Size, LBA Mode, Block Mode, PIO Mode, Async DMA, Ultra DMA, and SMART monitoring). These values are not user-conï¬gurable. These items show N/A if no IDE device is installed in the system. Type [Auto] Selects the type of IDE drive. Setting to Auto allows automatic selection of the appropriate IDE device type. Select CDROM if you are speciï¬cally conï¬guring a CD-ROM drive. Select ARMD (ATAPI Removable Media Device) if your device is either a ZIP, LS-120, or MO drive. Conï¬guration options: [Not Installed] [Auto] [CDROM] [ARMD] LBA/Large Mode [Auto] Enables or disables the LBA mode. Setting to Auto enables the LBA mode if the device supports this mode, and if the device was not previously formatted with LBA mode disabled. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Auto] Block (Multi-sector Transfer) [Auto] Enables or disables data multi-sectors transfers. When set to Auto, the data transfer from and to the device occurs multiple sectors at a time if the device supports multi-sector transfer feature. When set to [Disabled], the data transfer from and to the device occurs one sector at a time. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Auto] Primary IDE Master Device : Hard Disk Vendor : ST320413A Size : 20.0GB LBA Mode : Supported Block Mode : 16 Sectors PIO Mode : Supported Async DMA : MultiWord DMA-2 Ultra DMA : Ultra DMA-5 SMART Monitoring: Supported Type [Auto] LBA/Large Mode [Auto] Block(Multi-sector Transfer) [Auto] PIO Mode [Auto] DMA Mode [Auto] Smart Monitoring [Auto] 32Bit Data Transfer [Disabled]
2-16 Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2.3.5 System Information This menu gives you an overview of the general system speciï¬cations. The BIOS automatically detects the items in this menu. AMI BIOS Displays the auto-detected BIOS information Processor Displays the auto-detected CPU speciï¬cation System Memory Displays the auto-detected system memory AMIBIOS Version : 0203 Build Date : 09/06/05 Processor Type : AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3200 Speed : 2000 MHz Count : 1 System Memory Size : 512MB PIO Mode [Auto] Selects the PIO mode. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [0] [1] [2] [3] [4] DMA Mode [Auto] Selects the DMA mode. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [SWDMA0] [SWDMA1] [SWDMA2] [MWDMA0] [MWDMA1] [MWDMA2] [UDMA0] [UDMA1] [UDMA2] [UDMA3] [UDMA4] [UDMA5] SMART Monitoring [Auto] Sets the Smart Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [Disabled] [Enabled] 32Bit Data Transfer [Disabled] Enables or disables 32-bit data transfer. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
ASUS A8V-X 2-17 2.4 Advanced menu The Advanced menu items allow you to change the settings for the CPU and other system devices. Take caution when changing the settings of the Advanced menu items. Incorrect ï¬eld values can cause the system to malfunction. JumperFree Conï¬guration USB Conï¬guration CPU Conï¬guration Chipset Onboard Devices Conï¬guration PCI PnP 2.4.1 JumperFree Conï¬guration Conï¬g System Frequency/Voltage CPU FSB Frequency [200 MHz] Adjust CPU FSB Frequency CPU FSB Frequency [XXX] (value is auto-detected) Indicates the frequency sent by the clock generator to the system bus and PCI bus. The bus frequency (external frequency) multiplied by the bus multiple equals the CPU speed. The value of this item is auto-detected by BIOS. The values range from 200 to 300. Use the < > and <-> keys to adjust the value.
2-18 Chapter 2: BIOS setup USB 1.1 Ports Conï¬guration [USB 8 Ports] Allows you to conï¬gure the USB 1.1 ports. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [USB 2 Ports] [USB 4 Ports] [USB 6 Ports] [USB 8 Ports] USB 2.0 Ports Enable [Enable] Allows you to enable or disable the USB 2.0 ports. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enable] Legacy USB Support [Auto] Allows you to enable or disable support for USB devices on legacy operating systems (OS). Setting to Auto allows the system to detect the presence of USB devices at startup. If detected, the USB controller legacy mode is enabled. If no USB device is detected, the legacy USB support is disabled. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] [Auto] USB 2.0 Controller Mode [HiSpeed] Allows you to conï¬gure the USB 2.0 controller in HiSpeed (480 Mbps) or Full Speed (12 Mbps). Conï¬guration options: [HiSpeed] [Full Speed] BIOS EHCI Hand-Off [Enabled] Allows you to enable or disable the BIOS EHCI hand-off support. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] The Module Version and USB Devices Enabled items show the auto-detected values. If no USB device is detected, the item shows None. 2.4.2 USB Conï¬guration The items in this menu allows you to change the USB-related features. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the conï¬guration options. USB Conï¬guration Module Version - 2.24.0-10.4 USB Devices Enabled: None USB 1.1 Ports Conï¬guration [USB 8 Ports] USB 2.0 Ports Enable [Enable] Legacy USB Support [Auto] USB 2.0 Controller Mode [HiSpeed] BIOS EHCI Hand-Off [Enabled]
ASUS A8V-X 2-19 2.4.3 CPU Conï¬guration The items in this menu show the CPU-related information that the BIOS automatically detects. CPU Conï¬guration AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor 3200 Revision: D0 Speed : 2000MHz Cache L1: 64KB Cache L2: 512KB Current FSB Multiplier: 10x Cool NâQuiet [Disabled] Enabled/Disabled Cool NâQuiet Cool NʼQuiet [Disabled] Enables or disables the AMD Cool Ê»nʼ Quiet! technology feature. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] NorthBridge Conï¬guration AGP Bridge VIA K8T800 Pro Conï¬guration SouthBridge VIA VT8251 Conï¬guration HyperTransport Conï¬guration 2.4.4 Chipset The items in this menu show the chipset-related information.
2-20 Chapter 2: BIOS setup NorthBridge Chipset Memory Conï¬guration ECC Conï¬guration NorthBridge Conï¬guration Memory Conï¬guration Memclock Mode [Auto] Allows you to set the memory clock mode. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [Limit] Memclock Value [100 MHz] Allows you to set the memory clock value. This item appears only when the Memoryclock Mode is set to Limit. Conï¬guration options: [100 MHz] [133 MHz] [166 MHz] [183 MHz] [200 MHz] [216 MHz] [233 MHz] [250 MHz] MCT Timing Mode [Auto] Allows you to set the MCT timing mode. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [Manual] Memory Conï¬guration Memclock Mode [Auto] MCT Timing Mode [Manual] CAS Latency (CL) [Auto] TRAS [8 CLK] TRP [4 CLK] TRCD [4 CLK] TRRD [Auto] TRC [Auto] TRFC [Auto] TRWT [Auto] User Conï¬g Mode [Auto] Burst Length [4 Beats] CAS Latency (CL) [Auto] Sets the CAS Latency. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [2.0] [2.5] [3.0] TRAS [8 CLK] Sets the TRAS. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] [7 CLK] [8 CLK] [9 CLK] [10 CLK] [11 CLK] [12 CLK] [13 CLK] [14 CLK] [15 CLK] Th e f o ll o wi n g i te m s a pp e ar on l y w h en th e M C T T im i ng Mo d e i s s et to Ma n u al .
ASUS A8V-X 2-21 TRP [4 CLK] Sets the TRP. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [2 CLK] [3 CLK] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] TRCD [4 CLK] Sets the TRCD. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [2 CLK] [3 CLK] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] TRRD [Auto] Sets the TRRD. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [2T] [3T] [4T] TRC [Auto] Sets the TRC. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [7T] [8T] [9T] [10T] [11T] [12T] [13T] [14T] [15T] [16T] [17T] [18T] [19T] [20T] [21T] [22T] TRFC [Auto] Sets the TRFC. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [9T] [10T] [11T] [12T] [13T] [14T] [15T] [16T] [17T] [18T] [19T] [20T] [21T] [22T] [23T] [24T] TRWT [4 CLK] Sets the TRWT. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [1 CLK] [2 CLK] [3 CLK] [4 CLK] [5 CLK] [6 CLK] User Conï¬g Mode [Auto] Sets the user conï¬g mode. Conï¬guration options: [Auto] [Manual] Read Preamble [9.5ns] Sets the read preamble. Conï¬guration options: [2.0ns] [2.5ns] [3.0ns] [3.5ns] [4.0ns] [4.5ns] [5.0ns] [5.5ns] [6.0ns] [6.5ns] [7.0ns] [7.5ns] [8.0ns] [8.5ns] [9.0ns] [9.5ns] Async Latency [11.0ns] Sets the async latency. The following items appear only when the User Conï¬g Mode is set to Manual.
2-22 Chapter 2: BIOS setup Conï¬guration options: [4.0ns] [5.0ns] [6.0ns] [7.0ns] [8.0ns] [9.0ns] [10.0ns] [11.0ns] CMD-ADDR Timing Mode [2T] Sets the CMD-ADDR timing mode. Conï¬guration options: [1T] [2T] Burst Length [4 Beats] Allows you to set the burst length. Conï¬guration options: [8 Beats] [4 Beats] [2 Beats] ECC Conï¬guration DRAM ECC Enable [Disabled] Allows you to enable or disable the DRAM ECC. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] ECC Conï¬guration DRAM ECC Enable [Disabled] L2 Cache BG Scrub [Disabled] Data Cache BG Scrub [Disabled] The following items appear only when the DRAM ECC Enable is set to Enabled. MCA DRAM ECC Logging [Disabled] Enables or disables the MCA DRAM ECC logging. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] ECC Chip Kill [Disabled] Enables or disables the ECC Chip Kill function. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] DRAM SCRUB REDIRECT [Disabled] Enables or disables the DRAM SCRUB REDIRECT. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
ASUS A8V-X 2-23 AGP Bridge VIA K8T800 Pro Conï¬guration Primary Graphics Adapter [AGP] AGP Mode [AGP 8X] AGP Fast Write [Disabled] Graphics Aperture Size [64MB] AGP 3.0 Calibration Cycle [Disabled] DBI Output for AGP Trans [Disabled] AGP Bridge VIA K8T800 Pro Conï¬guration Primary Graphics Adapter [AGP] Sets the primary graphics adapter. Conï¬guration options: [PCI] [AGP] AGP Mode [AGP 8X] Sets the AGP graphics mode. Conï¬guration options: [8X] [4X] AGP Fast Write [Disabled] Enables or disables the AGP Fast Write feature. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] DRAM BG SCRUB [Disabled] Disables or sets the DRAM BG SCRUB. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [40ns] [80ns] [160ns] [320ns] [640ns] [1.28us] [2.56us] [5.12us] [10.2us] [20.5us] [41.0us] [81.9us] [163.8us] [327.7us] [655.4us] [1.31ms] [2.62ms] [5.24ms] [10.49ms] [20.97ms] [42.00ms] [84.00ms] L2 Cache BG Scrub [Disabled] Disables or sets the L2 Cache BG Scrub. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [40ns] [80ns] [160ns] [320ns] [640ns] [1.28us] [2.56us] [5.12us] [10.2us] [20.5us] [41.0us] [81.9us] [163.8us] [327.7us] [655.4us] [1.31ms] [2.62ms] [5.24ms] [10.49ms] [20.97ms] [42.00ms] [84.00ms] Data Cache BG Scrub [Disabled] Disables or sets the Data Cache BG Scrub. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [40ns] [80ns] [160ns] [320ns] [640ns] [1.28us] [2.56us] [5.12us] [10.2us] [20.5us] [41.0us] [81.9us] [163.8us] [327.7us] [655.4us] [1.31ms] [2.62ms] [5.24ms] [10.49ms] [20.97ms] [42.00ms] [84.00ms]
2-24 Chapter 2: BIOS setup Serial ATA IDE Controller [SATA] LAN Controller [Enabled] LAN OptionROM Execute [Disabled] OnChip Audio Select [HD Audio] SouthBridge VIA VT8251 Conï¬guration Serial ATA IDE Controller [SATA] Disables or sets the Serial ATA mode. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [SATA] [RAID] [AHCI] RAID/AHCI BIOS Execute [Disabled] Enables or disables the RAID/AHCI BIOS execute feature. This item appears only when the Serial ATA IDE Controller item is set to RAID or AHCI.Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] LAN Controller [Enabled] Enables or disables the onchip LAN controller. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] LAN OptionROM Execute [Disabled] Enables or disables the onchip LAN option ROM execute controller. This item appears only when the LAN Controller item is Enabled. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] OnChip Audio Select [HD Audio] Disables or sets the high-deï¬nition audio feature. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [HD Audio] Graphics Aperture Size [64MB] Sets the graphics aperture size. Conï¬guration options: [256MB] [128MB] [64MB] [32MB] AGP 3.0 Calibration Cycle [Disabled] Enables or disables the AGP 3.0 calibration cycle. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] DBI Output for AGP Trans [Disabled] Enables or disables the DBI output for AGP transfer. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
ASUS A8V-X 2-25 2.4.5 Onboard Devices Conï¬guration Onboard Floppy Controller [Enabled] Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4] Serial Port1 Mode [Normal] Parallel Port Address [378] Parallel Port Mode [Normal] Parallel Port IRQ [IRQ7] Onboard Game Port [Disabled] Onboard MIDI Port [Disabled] Onboard Floppy Controller [Enabled] Enables or disables the onboard ï¬oppy controller. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Serial Port1 Address [3F8/IRQ4] Allows you to select the Serial Port1 base address. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [3F8/IRQ4] [3E8/IRQ4] [2E8/IRQ3] Serial Port1 Mode [Normal] Allows you to select the Serial Port1 mode. This item appears only when the Serial Port1 item is not Disabled. Conï¬guration options: [Normal] [IrDA] [ASK IR] LDT to AGP Local Frequency [1000 MHz] LDT to AGP Local (Upstream) [16 BIT] LDT to AGP Width (Downstream) [16 BIT] HyperTransport Conï¬guration LDT to AGP Local Frequency [1000 MHz] Sets the LDT to AGP frequency. Conï¬guration options: [200 MHz] [400 MHz] [600 MHz] [800 MHz] [1000 MHz] LDT to AGP Local (Upstream) [16 BIT] Conï¬guration options: [8 BIT] [16 BIT] LDT to AGP Local (Downstream) [16 BIT] Conï¬guration options: [8 BIT] [16 BIT]
2-26 Chapter 2: BIOS setup COMA Duplex Mode [Half Duplex] Allows you to select the COMA duplex mode. This appears only when the Serial Port1 Mode is not set to Normal. Conï¬guration options: [Full Duplex] [Half Duplex] Parallel Port Address [378] Allows you to select the Parallel Port base addresses. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [378] [278] [3BC] Parallel Port Mode [Normal] Allows you to select the Parallel Port mode. Conï¬guration options: [Normal] [EPP] [ECP] [EPP ECP] ECP Mode DMA Channel [DMA3] Appears only when the Parallel Port Mode is set to [ECP]. This item allows you to set the Parallel Port ECP DMA. Conï¬guration options: [DMA0] [DMA1] [DMA3] EPP Version [1.9] Allows selection of the Parallel Port EPP version. This item appears only when the Parallel Port Mode is set to EPP. Conï¬guration options: [1.9] [1.7] Parallel Port IRQ [IRQ7] Conï¬guration options: [IRQ5] [IRQ7] Onboard Game Port [Disabled] Allows you to enable or disable the Game port. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Onboard MIDI Port [Disabled] Allows you to enable or disable the MIDI port. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] 2.4.6 PCI PnP The PCI PnP menu items allow you to change the advanced settings for PCI/PnP devices. The menu includes setting IRQ and DMA channel resources for either PCI/PnP or legacy ISA devices, and setting the memory size block for legacy ISA devices.
ASUS A8V-X 2-27 Plug and Play O/S [No] When set to [No], BIOS conï¬gures all the devices in the system. When set to [Yes] and if you install a Plug and Play operating system, the operating system conï¬gures the Plug and Play devices not required for boot. Conï¬guration options: [No] [Yes] PCI Latency Timer [64] Allows you to select the value in units of PCI clocks for the PCI device latency timer register. Conï¬guration options: [32] [64] [96] [128] [160] [192] [224] [248] Allocate IRQ to PCI VGA [Yes] When set to [Yes], BIOS assigns an IRQ to PCI VGA card if the card requests for an IRQ. When set to [No], BIOS does not assign an IRQ to the PCI VGA card even if requested. Conï¬guration options: [No] [Yes] Palette Snooping [Disabled] When set to [Enabled], the pallete snooping feature informs the PCI devices that an ISA graphics device is installed in the system so that the latter can function correctly. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] IRQ-xx assigned to [PCI Device] When set to [PCI Device], the speciï¬c IRQ is free for use of PCI/PnP devices. When set to [Reserved], the IRQ is reserved for legacy ISA devices. Conï¬guration options: [PCI Device] [Reserved] Take caution when changing the settings of the PCI PnP menu items. Incorrect ï¬eld values can cause the system to malfunction. Advanced PCI/PnP Settings WARNING: Setting wrong values in below sections may cause system to malfunction. Plug And Play O/S [No] PCI Latency Timer [64] Allocate IRQ to PCI VGA [Yes] Palette Snooping [Disabled] IRQ-3 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-4 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-5 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-7 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-9 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-10 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-11 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-14 assigned to [PCI Device] IRQ-15 assigned to [PCI Device]
2-28 Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2.5 Power menu The Power menu items allow you to change the settings for the Advanced Power Management (APM). Select an item then press <Enter> to display the conï¬guration options. 2.5.1 Suspend Mode [Auto] Allows you to select the Advanced Conï¬guration and Power Interface (ACPI) state to be used for system suspend. Conï¬guration options: [S1 (POS) Only] [S3 Only] [Auto] 2.5.2 Repost Video on S3 Resume [No] Determines whether to invoke VGA BIOS POST on S3/STR resume. Conï¬guration options: [No] [Yes] 2.5.3 ACPI 2.0 Support [No] Allows you to add more tables for Advanced Conï¬guration and Power Interface (ACPI) 2.0 speciï¬cations. Conï¬guration options: [No] [Yes] 2.5.4 ACPI APIC Support [Enabled] Allows you to enable or disable the Advanced Conï¬guration and Power Interface (ACPI) support in the Application-Speciï¬c Integrated Circuit (ASIC). When set to Enabled, the ACPI APIC table pointer is included in the RSDT pointer list. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Suspend Mode [Auto] Repost Video on S3 Resume [No] ACPI 2.0 Support [No] ACPI APIC Support [Enabled] APM Conï¬guration Hardware Monitor
ASUS A8V-X 2-29 2.5.5 APM Conï¬guration APM Conï¬guration Power Management/APM [Enabled] Restore on AC Power Loss [Power Off] Resume On Ring [Disabled] Resume On LAN [Disabled] Resume On PME# [Disabled] Resume On KBC [Disabled] Wake-Up Key [Any Key] Resume On PS/2 Mouse [Disabled] Resume On RTC Alarm [Disabled] Power Management/APM [Enabled] Enables or disables the Advanced Power Management feature. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] The computer cannot receive or transmit data until the computer and applications are fully running. Thus, connection cannot be made on the ï¬rst try. Turning an external modem off and then back on while the computer is off causes an initialization string that turns the system power on. Resume On LAN [Disabled] When set to [Enabled], this parameter allows you to turn on the system through a PCI LAN or modem card. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the 5VSB lead. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Restore On AC Power Loss [Power Off] When set to Power Off, the system goes into off state after an AC power loss. When set to Power On, the system goes on after an AC power loss. When set to Last State, the system goes into either off or on state, whatever the system state was before the AC power loss. Conï¬guration options: [Power Off] [Power On] [Last State] Resume On Ring [Disabled] This allows either settings of [Enabled] or [Disabled] for powering up the computer when the external modem receives a call while the computer is in Soft-off mode. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] The following items appear only when the Power Management/APM feature is Enabled.
2-30 Chapter 2: BIOS setup Resume On PME# [Disabled] When set to [Enabled], this parameter allows you to turn on the system through a PME# device. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the 5VSB lead. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Resume On KBC [Disabled] Allows you to use speciï¬c keys on the keyboard to turn on the system. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the 5VSB lead. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Wake-Up Key [Any Key] Sets the keyboard wake-up key. This item is conï¬gurable only when the Resume On KBC item is Enabled. Conï¬guration options: [Any Key] [Speciï¬c Key] Wake-Up Password Sets the wake-up password. This item appears only when the Wake-Up Password item is set to Speciï¬c Key. Key in your desired password then press <Enter> Resume On By PS/2 Mouse [Disabled] When set to [Enabled], this parameter allows you to use the PS/2 mouse to turn on the system. This feature requires an ATX power supply that provides at least 1A on the 5VSB lead. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Resume On By RTC Alarm [Disabled] Allows you to enable or disable RTC to generate a wake event. When this item is set to Enabled, the items RTC Alarm Date, RTC Alarm Hour, RTC Alarm Minute, and RTC Alarm Second appear with set values. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
ASUS A8V-X 2-31 2.5.6 Hardware Monitor Hardware Monitor CPU Temperature [51ºC/122.5ºF] MB Temperature [41ºC/105.5ºF] CPU Fan Speed [3813 RPM] Chassis Fan Speed [N/A] VCORE Voltage [ 1.320V] 3.3V Voltage [ 3.345V] 5V Voltage [ 5.094V] 12V Voltage [11.880V] CPU Temperature [xxxC/xxxF] MB Temperature [xxxC/xxxF] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the motherboard and CPU temperatures. Select Disabled if you do not wish to display the detected temperatures. CPU Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [N/A] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the CPU fan speed in rotations per minute (RPM). If the fan is not connected to the motherboard, the ï¬eld shows N/A. Chassis Fan Speed [xxxxRPM] or [N/A] The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects and displays the chassis fan speed in rotations per minute (RPM). If the fan is not connected to the chassis, the speciï¬c ï¬eld shows N/A. VCORE Voltage, 3.3V Voltage, 5V Voltage, 12V Voltage The onboard hardware monitor automatically detects the voltage output through the onboard voltage regulators.
2-32 Chapter 2: BIOS setup 2.6 Boot menu The Boot menu items allow you to change the system boot options. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the sub-menu. Select Screen Select Item Enter Go to Sub-screen F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit APM Conï¬guration Boot Device Priority Boot Settings Conï¬guration Security 2.6.1 Boot Device Priority 1st ~ xxth Boot Device [1st Floppy Drive] These items specify the boot device priority sequence from the available devices. The number of device items that appears on the screen depends on the number of devices installed in the system. Conï¬guration options: [xxxxx Drive] [Disabled] Select Screen Select Item Enter Go to S ub-screen F1 General Help F10 Save an d Exit ESC Exit Boot Device Priority 1st Boot Device [1st FLOPPY DRIVE] 2nd Boot Device [PM-ST330620A] 3rd Boot Device [PS-ASUS CD-S360]
ASUS A8V-X 2-33 2.6.2 Boot Settings Conï¬guration Select Screen Select Item - Change Option F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit Boot Settings Conï¬guration Quick Boot [Enabled] Full Screen Logo [Enabled] AddOn ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS] Bootup Num-Lock [On] PS/2 Mouse Support [Auto] Wait For âF1â If Error [Enabled] Hit âDELâ Message Display [Enabled] Interrupt 19 Capture [Disabled] Allows BIOS to skip certain tests while booting. This will decrease the time needed to boot the system. Set this item to [Enabled] to use the ASUS MyLogo⢠feature. Quick Boot [Enabled] Enabling this item allows the BIOS to skip some power on self tests (POST) while booting to decrease the time needed to boot the system. When set to [Disabled], BIOS performs all the POST items. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Full Screen Logo [Enabled] This allows you to enable or disable the full screen logo display feature. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Add On ROM Display Mode [Force BIOS] Sets the display mode for option ROM. Conï¬guration options: [Force BIOS] [Keep Current] Bootup Num-Lock [On] Allows you to select the power-on state for the NumLock. Conï¬guration options: [Off] [On] PS/2 Mouse Support [Auto] Allows you to enable or disable support for PS/2 mouse. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] [Auto] Wait for Ê»F1ʼ If Error [Enabled] When set to Enabled, the system waits for the F1 key to be pressed when error occurs. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] Hit Ê»DELʼ Message Display [Enabled] When set to Enabled, the system displays the message âPress DEL to run Setupâ during POST. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
2-34 Chapter 2: BIOS setup If you forget your BIOS password, you can clear clear it by erasing the CMOS Real Time Clock (RTC) RAM. See section â2.6 Jumpersâ for information on how to erase the RTC RAM. Interrupt 19 Capture [Disabled] When set to [Enabled], this function allows the option ROMs to trap Interrupt 19. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled] 2.6.3 Security The Security menu items allow you to change the system security settings. Select an item then press <Enter> to display the conï¬guration options. Select Screen Select Item - Change Option F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit Security Settings Supervisor Password : Not Installed User Password : Not Installed Change Supervisor Password Change User Password Chassis Intrusion Control [Disabled] <Enter> to change password. <Enter> again to disabled password. Change Supervisor Password Select this item to set or change the supervisor password. The Supervisor Password item on top of the screen shows the default Not Installed. After you set a password, this item shows Installed. To set a Supervisor Password: 1. Select the Change Supervisor Password item and press <Enter>. 2. From the password box, type a password composed of at least six letters and/or numbers, then press <Enter>. 3. Conï¬rm the password when prompted. The message âPassword Installedâ appears after you successfully set your password. To clear the supervisor password, select the Change Supervisor Password then press <Enter>. The message âPassword Uninstalledâ appears.
ASUS A8V-X 2-35 After you have set a supervisor password, the other items appear to allow you to change other security settings. User Access Level (Full Access] This item allows you to select the access restriction to the Setup items. Conï¬guration options: [No Access] [View Only] [Limited] [Full Access] No Access prevents user access to the Setup utility. View Only allows access but does not allow change to any ï¬eld. Limited allows changes only to selected ï¬elds, such as Date and Time. Full Access allows viewing and changing all the ï¬elds in the Setup utility. Change User Password Select this item to set or change the user password. The User Password item on top of the screen shows the default Not Installed. After you set a password, this item shows Installed. To set a User Password: 1. Select the Change User Password item and press <Enter>. 2. On the password box that appears, type a password composed of at least six letters and/or numbers, then press <Enter>. 3. Conï¬rm the password when prompted. The message âPassword Installedâ appears after you set your password successfully. Select Screen Select Item - Change Option F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit Security Settings Supervisor Password : Installed User Password : Not Installed Change Supervisor Password User Access Level [Full Access] Change User Password Password Check [Setup] Chassis Intrusion Control [Disabled]
2-36 Chapter 2: BIOS setup Clear User Password Select this item to clear the user password. Password Check [Setup] When set to [Setup], BIOS checks for user password when accessing the Setup utility. When set to [Always], BIOS checks for user password both when accessing Setup and booting the system. Conï¬guration options: [Setup] [Always] Chassis Intrusion Control [Disabled] Allows you to enable or disable the chassis intrusion control feature. Conï¬guration options: [Disabled] [Enabled]
ASUS A8V-X 2-37 Exit & Discard Changes Select this option only if you do not want to save the changes that you made to the Setup program. If you made changes to ï¬elds other than System Date, System Time, and Password, the BIOS asks for a conï¬rmation before exiting. Discard Changes This option allows you to discard the selections you made and restore the previously saved values. After selecting this option, a conï¬rmation appears. Select Ok to discard any changes and load the previously saved values. Load Setup Defaults This option allows you to load the default values for each of the parameters on the Setup menus. When you select this option or if you press <F5>, a conï¬rmation window appears. Select Ok to load default values. Select Exit & Save Changes or make other changes before saving the values to the non-volatile RAM. Exit & Save Changes Once you are ï¬nished making your selections, choose this option from the Exit menu to ensure the values you selected are saved to the CMOS RAM. An onboard backup battery sustains the CMOS RAM so it stays on even when the PC is turned off. When you select this option, a conï¬rmation window appears. Select Ok to save changes and exit. 2.7 Exit menu Pressing <Esc> does not immediately exit this menu. Select one of the options from this menu or <F10> from the legend bar to exit. Exit system setup after saving the changes. F10 key can be used for this operation. Select Screen Select Item Enter Go to Sub-screen F1 General Help F10 Save and Exit ESC Exit The Exit menu items allow you to load the optimal or failsafe default values for the BIOS items, and save or discard your changes to the BIOS items. Exit Options Exit & Save Changes Exit & Discard Changes Discard Changes Load Setup Defaults If you attempt to exit the Setup program without saving your changes, the program prompts you with a message asking if you want to save your changes before exiting. Press <Enter> to save the changes while exiting.
2-38 Chapter 2: BIOS setup
3 Software support This chapter describes the contents of the support CD that comes with the motherboard package.
3-2 Chapter 3: Software support If Autorun is NOT enabled in your computer, browse the contents of the support CD to locate the ï¬le ASSETUP.EXE from the BIN folder. Double- click the ASSETUP.EXE to run the CD. 3.1 Installing an operating system This motherboard supports Windows ® 2000/XP operating systems (OS). Always install the latest OS version and corresponding updates to maximize the features of your hardware. 3.2 Support CD information The support CD that came with the motherboard package contains the drivers, software applications, and utilities that you can install to avail all motherboard features. 3 . 2 . 1 R u n n i n g t h e s u p p o r t C D Place the support CD to the optical drive. The CD automatically displays the Drivers menu if Autorun is enabled in your computer. ⢠Motherboard settings and hardware options vary. Use the setup procedures presented in this chapter for reference only. Refer to your OS documentation for detailed information. ⢠Make sure that you install Windows ® 2000 Service Pack 4 or the Windows ® XP Service Pack 2 or later versions before installing the drivers for better compatibility and system stability. The contents of the support CD are subject to change at any time without notice. Visit the ASUS website(www.asus.com) for updates. C l i c k a n i t e m t o i n s t a l l C l i c k a n i c o n t o d i s p l a y s u p p o r t C D / m o t h e r b o a r d i n f o r m a t i o n
ASUS A8V-X 3-3 3 . 2 . 2 D r i v e r s m e n u The drivers menu shows the available device drivers if the system detects installed devices. Install the necessary drivers to activate the devices. V I A 4 i n 1 d r i v e r s This item installs the following drivers: - VIA Registry (INF) driver - VIA ATAPI vendor support driver - VIA PCI IRQ Miniport driver. M a k e V I A 8 2 5 1 R A I D D r i v e r D i s k Allows you to create a RAID driver disk for the VIA 8251 RAID conï¬guration. S o u n d M A X A u d i o D r i v e r Installs the ADI ® SoundMAX audio controller and application. V I A R h i n e F a m i l y F a s t E t h e r n e t A d a p t e r D r i v e r Installs the VIA Fast Ethernet LAN driver that provides up to 10/100 Mbps data transfer rates. U S B 2 . 0 D r i v e r Installs the USB 2.0 driver. C o o l Ê» n ʼ Q u i e t D r i v e r Launches the AMD Cool Ê»nʼ Quiet!⢠Technology driver installation wizard.
3-4 Chapter 3: Software support 3 . 2 . 3 U t i l i t i e s m e n u The Utilities menu shows the applications and other software that the motherboard supports. A S U S P C P r o b e This smart utility monitors the fan speed, CPU temperature, and system voltages, and alerts you of any detected problems. This utility helps you keep your computer in healthy operating condition. M i c r o s o f t D i r e c t X 9 . 0 c Installs the Microsoft ® DirectX 9.0 driver. The Microsoft DirectX ® 9.0 is a multimedia technology that enhances computer graphics and sound. DirectX ® improves the multimedia features of you computer so you can enjoy watching TV and movies, capturing videos, or playing games in your computer. Visit the Microsoft website (www.microsoft.com) for updates. A S U S U p d a t e Allows you to download the latest version of the BIOS from the ASUS website. Before using the ASUS Update, make sure that you have an Internet connection so you can connect to the ASUS website. N o r t o n I n t e r n e t S e c u r i t y 2 0 0 5 Installs the Norton Internet Security 2005 application that detects and protects your computer from viruses that destroys data.
ASUS A8V-X 3-5 3 . 2 . 4 M a n u a l The manual menu contains a VT8251 RAID Manual. Install Adobe® Acrobat® Reader before openning the manual. A D O B E A c r o b a t R e a d e r Installs the Adobe ® Acrobat ® Reader that allows you to open, view, and print documents in Portable Document Format (PDF). A S U S S c r e e n S a v e r Bring life to your computer screen by installing the ASUS screen saver. C o o l ʻ n ʼ Q u i e t S o f t w a r e Installs the ASUS AMD Cool ʻnʼ Quiet! software.
3-6 Chapter 3: Software support 3 . 2 . 5 A S U S C o n t a c t i n f o r m a t i o n Click the Contact tab to display the ASUS contact information. You can also ï¬nd this information on the inside front cover of this user guide.