ASUS CROSSHAIR V2 User Manual

Motherboard

Crosshair

E2711

Second Edition V2 July 2006

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. (“ASUS”).

Product warranty or service will not be extended if: (1) the product is repaired, modied or altered, unless such repair, modi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 “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ASUS, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF USE OR DATA, 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.

SPECIFICATIONS AND INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MANUAL ARE FURNISHED FOR INFORMATIONAL USE ONLY, AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT 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 THAT MAY APPEAR IN THIS MANUAL, INCLUDING THE PRODUCTS AND SOFTWARE 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 identication or explanation and to the owners’ benet, without intent to infringe.

iii

Contents

Notices ......................................................................................................... vi

Safety information ..................................................................................... vii

About this guide ....................................................................................... viii

Crosshair specications summary ............................................................ x

Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.1 Welcome! ...................................................................................... 1-1

1.2 Package contents ......................................................................... 1-1

1.3 Special features ............................................................................ 1-2

1.3.1 Product highlights ........................................................... 1-2

1.3.2 ASUS Unique features .................................................. 1-5

Chapter 2: Hardware information

2.1 Before you proceed ..................................................................... 2-1

2.2 Motherboard overview ................................................................. 2-2

2.2.1 Placement direction ........................................................ 2-2

2.2.2 Screw holes .................................................................... 2-2

2.2.3 Motherboard layout ......................................................... 2-3

2.2.4 Audio card layout ............................................................ 2-3

2.2.5 Layout contents ............................................................... 2-4

2.3 Central Processing Unit (CPU) ................................................... 2-6

2.3.1 Installing the CPU ........................................................... 2-6

2.3.2 Installing the heatsink and fan ........................................ 2-8

2.3.3 Installing the optional fan ...............................................2-11

2.4 System memory ......................................................................... 2-12

2.4.1 Overview ....................................................................... 2-12

2.4.2 Memory congurations .................................................. 2-12

2.4.3 Installing a DIMM .......................................................... 2-19

2.4.4 Removing a DIMM ........................................................ 2-19

2.5 Expansion slots .......................................................................... 2-20

2.5.1 Installing an expansion card ......................................... 2-20

2.5.2 Conguring an expansion card ..................................... 2-20

2.5.3 Interrupt assignments ................................................... 2-21

2.5.4 PCI slots ........................................................................ 2-22

2.5.5 PCI Express x4 slot ....................................................... 2-22

2.5.6 PCI Express x16 slots ................................................... 2-22

Contents

2.6 Jumper ........................................................................................ 2-23

2.7 Audio Card and EL I/O Installation ........................................... 2-24

2.7.1 Audio Card Installation .................................................. 2-24

2.7.2 EL I/O Installation .......................................................... 2-24

2.8 Connectors ................................................................................. 2-25

2.8.1 Rear panel connectors .................................................. 2-25

2.8.2 Internal connectors ....................................................... 2-28

2.8.3 Onboard switches ......................................................... 2-35

Chapter 3: Powering up

3.1 Starting up for the rst time ........................................................ 3-1

3.2 Powering off the computer .......................................................... 3-2

3.2.1 Using the OS shut down function .................................... 3-2

3.2.2 Using the dual function power switch .............................. 3-2

Chapter 4: BIOS setup

4.1 Managing and updating your BIOS ............................................ 4-1

4.1.1 ASUS Update utility ........................................................ 4-1

4.1.2 Creating a bootable oppy disk ....................................... 4-4

4.1.3 ASUS EZ Flash 2 utility ................................................... 4-5

4.1.4 Updating the BIOS .......................................................... 4-6

4.1.5 Saving the current BIOS le ............................................ 4-8

4.1.6 ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3 utility ...................................... 4-9

4.2 BIOS setup program .................................................................. 4-10

4.2.1 BIOS menu screen .........................................................4-11

4.2.2 Menu bar ........................................................................4-11

4.2.3 Legend bar .................................................................... 4-12

4.2.4 Menu items ................................................................... 4-12

4.2.5 Sub-menu items ............................................................ 4-12

4.2.6 Conguration elds ....................................................... 4-12

4.2.7 Pop-up window ............................................................. 4-13

4.2.8 General help ................................................................. 4-13

4.3 Main menu .................................................................................. 4-14

4.3.1 System Time ................................................................ 4-14

4.3.2 System Date ................................................................ 4-14

4.3.3 Language ..................................................................... 4-14

4.3.4 Legacy Diskette A ........................................................ 4-14

4.3.5 Primary IDE Master/Slave ............................................. 4-15

Contents

4.3.6 SATA 1/2/3/4/5/6 .......................................................... 4-17

4.3.7 HDD SMART Monitoring .............................................. 4-18

4.3.8 Installed Memory ........................................................... 4-18

4.3.9 Usable Memory ............................................................. 4-18

4.4 Extreme Tweaker menu ............................................................. 4-19

4.4.1 LinkBoost ...................................................................... 4-19

4.4.2 AI Tuning ....................................................................... 4-19

4.4.3 DRAM Conguration ..................................................... 4-23

4.4.4 SLI-Ready Memory ....................................................... 4-28

4.4.5 SLI-Ready Memory CPUOC. ........................................ 4-28

4.4.6 AMD Live! ..................................................................... 4-28

4.4.7 AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet Function ......................................... 4-28

4.4.8 NVIDIA GPU Ex ............................................................ 4-28

4.5 Advanced menu ......................................................................... 4-29

4.5.1 AI NET2 ........................................................................ 4-29

4.5.2 PEG Link Mode ............................................................. 4-30

4.5.3 PCIPnP ......................................................................... 4-30

4.5.4 Onboard Device Conguration ...................................... 4-31

4.6 Power menu ................................................................................ 4-35

4.6.1 ACPI Suspend Type ..................................................... 4-35

4.6.2 ACPI APIC Support ....................................................... 4-35

4.6.3 APM Conguration ........................................................ 4-36

4.6.4 Hardware Monitor ......................................................... 4-37

4.7 Boot menu .................................................................................. 4-41

4.7.1 Boot Device Priority ...................................................... 4-41

4.7.2 Removable Drives ......................................................... 4-42

4.7.3 Hard Disk Drives ........................................................... 4-42

4.7.4 Boot Settings Conguration ......................................... 4-43

4.7.5 Security ......................................................................... 4-44

4.8 Tools menu ................................................................................. 4-46

4.8.1 ASUS Music Alarm ........................................................ 4-46

4.8.2 ASUS O.C. Prole ......................................................... 4-47

4.8.3 ASUS EZ Flash 2 .......................................................... 4-49

4.9 Exit menu .................................................................................... 4-50

Contents

Chapter 5: Software support

5.1 Installing an operating system ................................................... 5-1

5.2 Support DVD information ............................................................ 5-1

5.2.1 Running the support DVD ............................................... 5-1

5.2.2 Drivers menu ................................................................... 5-2

5.2.3 Utilities menu .................................................................. 5-3

5.2.4 Make Disk menu ............................................................. 5-5

5.2.5 Manuals menu ................................................................ 5-6

5.2.6 ASUS Contact information .............................................. 5-6

5.2.7 Other information ............................................................ 5-7

5.3 Software information ................................................................... 5-9

5.3.1 ASUS MyLogo3 .............................................................. 5-9

5.3.2 SoundMAX ADI1988 ......................................................5-11

5.3.3 Cool ‘n’ Quiet™ Technology .......................................... 5-16

5.3.4 ASUS PC Probe II ......................................................... 5-18

5.4 RAID congurations .................................................................. 5-24

5.4.1 NVIDIA® MediaShield RAID congurations .................. 5-25

5.4.2 Silicon Image RAID congurations ............................... 5-32

5.5 Creating a RAID driver disk ....................................................... 5-40

Chapter 6: NVIDIA® SLI™ technology support

6.1 Overview ....................................................................................... 6-1

6.2 Dual graphics card setup ............................................................ 6-2

6.2.1 Installing SLI-ready graphics cards ................................. 6-2

6.2.2 Installing the device drivers ............................................. 6-5

6.2.3 Enabling the multi-GPU feature in Windows® ................ 6-5

Appendix: Debug Code

A.1 Debug code table .........................................................................A-1

vii

Notices

Federal Communications Commission Statement

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 manufacturer’s

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.

Canadian Department of Communications Statement

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 modications

to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance

could void the user’s authority to operate this equipment.

viii

Safety information

Electrical safety

•

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 adpater 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 x it by yourself. Contact a qualied service technician or your retailer.

Operation safety

•

Before installing the motherboard and adding devices on it, carefully read all the manuals that came with the package.

• Handle the product with caution. Some sharp edges and points might cause physical injury. Installing the motherboard with cut or puncture resistant gloves is highly recommended.

•

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 qualied

service technician or your retailer.

About this guide

This user guide contains the information you need when installing and conguring

the motherboard.

How this guide is organized

This guide contains the following parts:

• Chapter 1: Product introduction

This chapter describes the features of the motherboard and the new technology it supports.

• Chapter 2: Hardware information

This chapter lists the hardware setup procedures that you have to perform when installing system components. It includes description of the switches, jumpers, and connectors on the motherboard.

• Chapter 3: Powering up

This chapter describes the power up sequence and ways of shutting down the system.

• Chapter 4: BIOS setup

This chapter tells how to change system settings through the BIOS Setup menus. Detailed descriptions of the BIOS parameters are also provided.

• Chapter 5: Software support

This chapter describes the contents of the support DVD that comes with the motherboard package.

• Chapter 6: NVIDIA® SLI™ technology support

This chapter tells ow to install SLI-ready PCI Express graphics cards.

• Appendix: Debug Code

This appendix explains the debug code on the LCD poster.

Where to nd more information

Refer to the following sources for additional information and for product and software updates.

1. ASUS websites

The ASUS website provides updated information on ASUS hardware and software products. Refer to the ASUS contact information.

2. Optional documentation

Your product package may include optional documentation, such as warranty

yers, that may have been added by your dealer. These documents are not

part of the standard package.

Conventions used in this guide

To make sure that you perform certain tasks properly, take note of the following symbols used throughout this manual.

Typography

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:

format A: /S

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.

Crosshair specications summary

(continued on the next page)

CPU Support AMD® Socket AM2 Athlon 64 X2 / Athlon 64 FX /

Athlon 64/ Sempron AMD Cool 'n' Quiet™ Technology AMD64 architecture enables simultaneous 32-bit and 64-bit computing

AMD Live!™ Ready

Chipset NVIDIA nForce® 590 SLI™ MCP

NVIDIA LinkBoost™ Technology

System bus 2000 / 1600 MT/s

Memory Dual channel memory architecture

4 x DIMM, max. 8GB, DDR2-800/667/533, ECC and nonECC, un-buffered memory

Expansion slots 2 x PCI Express x16 slot with NVIDIA® SLI™ technology

support, at full x16, x16 speed 1 x PCI Express x4 3 x PCI 2.2

Scalable Link Interface (SLI™)

Support two identical NVIDIA SLI-Ready graphics cards (both at x16 mode) ASUS two-slot thermal design ASUS PEG Link

High Denition Audio SupremeFX Audio Card

featuring ADI 1988B 8-channel High Denition Audio

CODEC Support Jack-Sensing, Enumeration, Multi-streaming and Jack-Retasking 8 channel audio ports Coaxial, Optical S/PDIF out on back I/O port * ASUS Array Mic * Noise Filter

Storage NVIDIA nForce® 590 SLI™ MCP supports:

* 1 x Ultra DMA 133 / 100 / 66 / 33 * 6 x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s with NCQ

* NVIDIA MediaShield™ RAID supports RAID 0, 1, 0+1,

5 and JBOD span cross Serial ATA drives

Silicon Image® 3132 SATA controller supports: * 2 x External Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s port on back I/O (SATA On-the-Go) * Support RAID 0, 1, JBOD, RAID 0+1(10) and 5 through multiplier

xii

Crosshair specications summary

(continued on the next page)

Dual Gigabit LAN Dual Gigabit LAN controllers support NVIDIA DualNet®

technology

NVIDIA nForce® 590 SLI™ MCP built-in dual Gigabit

MAC with external Marvell PHY * Support Teaming and fail-over functions * Support TCP/IP Acceleration

IEEE 1394 TI 1394 controller supports 2 x 1394a ports

USB max. 10 USB2.0/1.1 ports

ASUS Exclusive Overclocking features

Intelligent overclocking tools: * ASUS AI NOS™ (Non-delay Overclocking System) * AI Overclocking (intelligent CPU frequency tuner) * AI Clock Skew * ASUS PEG Link - automatically performance tuning for graphics cards

* ASUS O.C. Prole: overclocking conguration-sharing

tool * Extreme Tweaker * ASUS AI Booster Utility * Adjustable FSB/DDR2 ratio. Fixed PCI/PCIe frequencies.

Overclocking Protection: * ASUS C.P.R.(CPU Parameter Recall)

ASUS Unique features LCD Poster

EL I/O Onboard LED Onboard switches: Power / Reset / Clr CMOS Q-Connector Q-Fan Plus ASUS CrashFree BIOS3 ASUS EZ Flash2 ASUS Music Alarm ASUS MyLogo3 AI NET2 Multi-language BIOS

Rear panel I/O Ports 1 x PS/2 Keyboard port

1 x PS/2 Mouses 1 x Optical + 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF Output 2 x External SATA 2 x LAN (RJ45) port 4 x USB 2.0/1.1 ports 1 x IEEE 1394a port 1 x onboard LED switch 1 x LCD Poster

BIOS features 8Mb AWARD BIOS, PnP, DMI2.0, WfM2.0, SM BIOS 2.3

ASUS CrashFree BIOS 3

xiii

Crosshair specications summary

Internal connectors 3 x USB 2.0 connectors supports additional 6 USB 2.0

ports 1 x Floppy disk drive connector 1 x IDE connector for two devices 6 x SATA connectors 1 x CPU / 7 x option Fan 3 x thermal sensor connector 1 x IEEE1394a connector 1 x S/PDIF output connector Chassis Intrusion connector Front Panel Audio connector 24-pin ATX Power connector 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector System panel connector 1 x EL I/O Shield connector

Manageability WOL by PME, WOR by PME, Chasis Intrusion, PXE

Power requirements ATX power supply (with 24-pin and 8-pin 12 V plugs)

ATX 12 V 2.0 compliant

Support DVD contents Drivers

ASUS PC Probe II ASUS Update ASUS AI Booster Futuremark ® 3DMark® 06 Advanced Edition NVIDIA MediaShield™ RAID Kaspersky® Anti-Virus

Accessories 1 x SLI bridge

1 x ASUS Array Mic 1 x ASUS Optional Fan

1 x ASUS Q-Connector Kit (system panel; Retail version

only) 3 x Thermo sensor cables 1 x UltraDMA 133/100/66 cable 1 x Floppy disk drive cable 6 x SATA cables 7 x Cable ties 3 x SATA power cable for 6 devices 1 x 2-port USB2.0 module 1 x IEEE1394a module 1 x EL I/O Shield InterVideo® Media Launcher (OEM version only) User's manual

Form factor ATX Form Factor, 12”x 9.6” (30.5cm x 24.5cm)

*Specications are subject to change without notice.

xiv

Product

introduction

This chapter describes the motherboard features and the new technologies it supports.

ASUS Crosshair

Chapter summary

1.1 Welcome! ...................................................................................... 1-1

1.2 Package contents ......................................................................... 1-1

1.3 Special features ............................................................................ 1-2

ASUS Crosshair 1-1

1.1 Welcome!

Thank you for buying an ASUS® Crosshair 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 Crosshair motherboard

I/O modules USB 2.0 module IEEE 1394a module

Cables Ultra DMA 133/100/66 cable Floppy disk drive cable Serial ATA cables Serial ATA power cables Thermal sensor cables

Accessories I/O shield with EL ASUS SLI Bridge Optional fan for water-cooling/passive cooling only

Application CD ASUS motherboard support DVD Intervideo® WinDVD Suite (OEM version)

Documentation User guide

1-2 Chapter 1: Product introduction

1.3 Special features

1.3.1 Product highlights

Latest processor technology

The motherboard comes with a 940-pin AM2 socket that supports AMD Athlon™ 64 X2/Athlon™ 64/Athlon™ FX/Sempron™ processor. With an integrated lowlatency high-bandwidth memory controller and a highly scalable HyperTransport™

technology-based system bus, the motherboard provides a powerful platform for

your diverse computing needs, increased ofce productivity, and enhanced digital

media experience. See page 2-6for details.

NVIDIA® nForce® 590-SLI chipset

The NVIDIA® nForce 590-SLI chipset supports the NVIDIA® Scalable Link Interface

(SLI™) technology that allows two graphics processing units (GPUs) in a single system. This technology takes advantage of the PCI Express™ bus architecture

and features intelligent hardware and software solutions that allows multiple GPUs to work together and achieve exceptional graphics performance. See Chapter 6 for details. The NVIDIA® nForce 590-SLI chipset also supports six (6) Serial ATA 3.0

Gb/s devices, dual PCI Express™ x16 slots at with NVIDIA® SLI™ support at full

x16, x16 mode, and up to 10 USB 2.0 ports.

64-bit CPU support

The motherboard supports 64-bit computing, which is the next generation technology to replace the current 32-bit architecture. The 64-bit architecture delivers advanced system performance, faster memory access, and increased

productivity. This motherboard provides excellent compatibility and exibility by

support either 64-bit or 32-bit architecture. See page 2-6 for details.

DDR2 memory support

The motherboard supports DDR2 memory that features data transfer rates of 800

MHz, 667 MHz or 533 MHz to meet the higher bandwidth requirements of the

latest 3D graphics, multimedia, and Internet applications. The dual-channel DDR2 architecture doubles the bandwidth of your system memory to boost system performance, eliminating bottlenecks with peak bandwidths of up to 10.7 GB/s. See pages 2-12 to 2-16 for details.

ASUS Crosshair 1-3

PCI Express™ interface

The motherboard fully supports PCI Express, 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

specications. See page 2-20 for details.

Serial ATA I/II technology and SATA-On-The-Go

The motherboard fully supports the Serial ATA II 3.0 Gb/s technology through the Serial ATA interfaces and the NVIDIA® NF590-SLI chipset. The Serial ATA 3 Gb/s

specication provides twice the bandwidth of the current Serial ATA products with

a host of new features, including Nativa Command Queueing (NCQ), and Power Management (PM) Implementation Algorithm. Serial ATA allows for thinner, more

exible cables with lower pin count and reduced voltage required. Leveraging

these Serial ATA 3Gb/s features is the SATA-On-The-Go. Supported by the Silicon Image Sil3132 Serial ATA controller, external SATA ports on the rear panel I/O provide smart setup, hot-plug and support for up to 16 devices per port with port-multiplier functions. See pages 2-23 and 2-27 for details.

Dual RAID solution

Onboard RAID controllers provide the motherboard with dual-RAID functionality that allows you to select the best RAID solution using IDE or Serial ATA devices.

The NVIDIA® NF590-SLI chipset allows RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5, and

JBOD conguration for six SATA 3.0 Gb/s. See pages 2-27 and 5-24.

The Silicon Image® 3132 controller supports two additional external Serial ATA

3.0 Gb/s ports on the rear panel and allows RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 5

through port multiplier and JBOD congurations on these ports. See pages 2-23

and 5-31 for details.

IEEE 1394a support

The IEEE 1394a interface provides high-speed and exible PC connectivity to

a wide range of peripherals and devices compliant to the IEEE 1394a standard. The IEEE 1394a interface allows up to 400 Mbps transfer rates through simple, low-cost, high-bandwidth asynchronous (real-time) data interfacing between computers, peripherals, and consumer electronic devices such as camcorders, VCRs, printers, TVs, and digital cameras. See pages 2-22 and 2-28 for details.

1-4 Chapter 1: Product introduction

S/PDIF digital sound ready

The motherboard supports the S/PDIF technology through the S/PDIF interfaces on the rear panel. The S/PDIF technology turns your computer into a high-end entertainment system with digital connectivity to powerful audio and speaker systems. See page 2-25 for details.

USB 2.0 technology

The motherboard implements the Universal Serial Bus (USB) 2.0 speci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 2-25 and 2-28 for details.

Dual Gigabit LAN solution

The motherboard comes with dual Gigabit LAN controllers to provide the total solution for your networking needs. These network controllers use the PCI Express segment to provide faster data bandwidth for your wired or wireless Internet, LAN,

and le sharing requirements. See page 2-23 for details.

AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet Technology

The motherboard supports the AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet Technology, which monitors

system operation and automatically adjusts CPU voltage and frequency for a cool and quiet operating environment.

ASUS Crosshair 1-5

1.3.2 ASUS Unique features

8-Phase Power Design

The ASUS 8-Phase Power Design prolongs CPU lifespan and keeps the system stable by preventing high power stress to the CPU and power supply module. The design ensures high

efciency operation to generate less heat compared with conventional power solutions, thus

achieving cool system environment and making this motherboard ideal for overclocking.

Fanless Design

The ASUS fanless design allows multi-directional heat ow from major thermal

sources in the motherboard to lower overall system temperature, resulting in quieter operation and longer system life. ASUS has devoted special efforts to address the thermal issues across the motherboard, and most notably in the following areas: CPU, power, VGA, Northbridge and Southbridge. The heat pipe, heatsink, and strategic board layout were tailor made to dissipate heat in the most

efcient manner.

PEG Link Mode for two graphics cards

This feature enhances your PCI Express graphics card performance. It allows the motherboard to automatically adjust the PCI Express graphics link mode to the

correct frequency based on the system conguration. Four additional settings are

available for overclocking the PEG Link Mode. See page 4-24 for details.

ASUS Two-slot thermal design

The motherboard is designed with one PCI slot and one PCIEx4 slot placed between the PCI Express x16 slots, allowing increased airow between the two PCI Express x16 graphics cards. This special design permits more room for ventilation, thus lowering the overall system temperature.

AI NOS™ (Non-Delay Overclocking System)

ASUS Non-delay Overclocking System™ (NOS) is a technology that auto-detects

the CPU loading and dynamically overclocks the CPU speed only when needed. See page 4-20 for details.

1-6 Chapter 1: Product introduction

AI NET 2

AI NET 2 is a BIOS-based diagnostic tool that detects and reports Ethernet cable faults and shorts. With this utility, you can easily monitor the condition of the Ethernet cable(s) connected to the Marvell® LAN (RJ-45) port. During the bootup process, AI NET 2 immediately diagnoses the LAN cable and reports shorts and

faults up to 100 meters at 1 meter accuracy. See pages 4-23 and 5-11 for details.

Extreme Tweaker

This feature allows you to ne tune the CPU/memory voltage and gradually increase the memory Front Side Bus (FSB) and PCI Express frequency at 1MHz

increment to achieve maximum system performance.

Optional fan

(for water-cooling/passive-cooling only)

The optional fan is specically designed to provide sufcient airow over the CPU power modules and chipset area when water-cooling or passive-cooling is utilized,

ensuring effective heat dissipation for the entire system. See page 2-11 for details.

ASUS Q-Connector

The ASUS Q-Connector allows you to connect or disconnect chassis front panel cables in one easy step. This unique adapter eliminates the trouble of plugging in one cable at a time, making connection quick and error-free. See pages 2-34 for details.

ASUS LCD Poster

The LCD Poster displays actual boot error messages instead of codes that other

debug cards show. This unique feature allows you to easily nd out which devices

fail during the boot process, eliminating guesswork and allowing you to solve the problem immediately.

Onboard LEDs

This motherboard features onboard LEDs located near connector labels, allowing

you to connect cables and devices without a ashlight. With this ASUS-patented

feature, you can easily identify connector locations to make sure that cables and devices are plugged in and installed correctly.

ASUS Crosshair 1-7

Onboard Switches

A power-on button, a resetbutton, and a clear CMOS button are onboard to provide

overclockers and gamers the convenience of ne-tuning performance when

working on a bare (open-case) system. Press the power-on button to wake up the system, the reset button to reboot, and the clear CMOS button to clear setup information when the system hangs due to overclocking. See page 2-34 for details.

CrashFree BIOS 3

This feature allows you to restore the original BIOS data from the support DVD in case the BIOS codes and data are corrupted. This protection eliminates the need to buy a replacement ROM chip. See page 4-9 for details.

ASUS Q-Fan plus technology

The ASUS Q-Fan plus technology smartly adjusts the CPU and chassis fan

1 speeds according to the system loading to ensure quiet, cool, and efcient

operation. See page 4-40 for details.

ASUS Multi-language BIOS

The multi-language BIOS allows you to select the language of your choice from the

available options. The localized BIOS menus allow easier and faster conguration.

See page 4-14 for details.

ASUS MyLogo3

This new feature present in the motherboard allows you to personalize and add style to your system with customizable boot logos. See page 5-9 for details.

1-8 Chapter 1: Product introduction

C.P.R. (CPU Parameter Recall)

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 default setting for each parameter.

Supreme FX features

This feature can enhance speech-centric applications like Skype, online game, video conference and recording.

ASUS Array Mic

The Bundled Superbeam Array Microphone receives only the sound coming from the reception cone and ignores the sounds coming from other directions. This mechanism eliminates a large number of interferences, including neighboring speakers and reverberations. It also uses advanced

de-reverberation techniques to reduce echo and minimize its effect on the

speech engine. This feature can enchance speech-centric applications like Skype, online game, video conference, and recording. See page 5-15 for details.

Noise Filter

This feature detects repetitive and stationary noises (non-voice signals) like computer fans, air conditioners, and other background noises then eliminates

it in the incoming audio stream while recording. See page 5-15 for details.

DTS® Connect

This feature is consists of two elements: DTS interactive and DTS NEO:PC. DTS interactive re-encodes your stereo or multi-channel sound into a DTS audio signal and send it out from your PC to any DTS enabled system. While DTS NEO:PC turns your stereo audio such as MP3, WMA, CD, and other sound format into a convincing multi-channel audio experience. See page 5-14 for details.

Hardware

information

This chapter 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.